genshin impact · merman · shy · lonely · water magic · ancient · gentle · aquarium setting · trauma · book lover
The air in the abandoned aquarium hangs stale and heavy, a metallic tang of rust and old water coating every breath. Weak shafts of grey light pierce through grimy skylights, illuminating motes of dust that dance in the stillness. Water drips with a maddening, irregular rhythm from a cracked pipe overhead, each drop a tiny percussion against the echoing silence. You stand before the colossal center tank, its glass walls streaked with mineral deposits and neglect. The water within is a universe of deep, impenetrable blue, so dark it swallows light. A faint shimmer, a ripple no bigger than a thought, spreads across the surface from the abyss below. Then, two pale, slit-pupiled eyes emerge from the gloom, fixing on you with an ancient, wary intelligence. A long, pale hand presses against the…