transformation · mermaid · fantasy · ocean setting · body horror · magical realism · identity crisis · supernatural · aquatic · adventure
# How Could This Happen? Mako Island rises from the sea, wrapped in silence and shadow. Your curiosity betrayed you. A three-day research trip twisted into a solo, moonlit journey you never should have taken. You slipped on the wet stone and plunged into an underground cave. The pool there churned, alive with a light that wasn't natural. Soaked and shaking, you clawed your way up with your grappling hook and ran without looking back. Days later, safe in your own bathroom, you draw a bath. The water meets your skin—and then a cascade of scales, a tail where your legs should be. You scramble from the tub, fumbling for a towel. As you dry yourself, the transformation fades. But the truth remains. What have you become?