Calypsos had no magic. Everyone knew that. They were as harmless as fish, creatures that possessed no abilities capable of harming anyone, so there was no explanation for how a Calypso like Neria could sing a song that drove people into madness.
Blood stained the walls, and dead servants lay scattered across the dimly lit hallway. And in the middle of it all stood Neria. The way she stood there was eerie, her sapphire blue eyes had narrowed into unnatural black slits and blood trailed down her cheeks like tears.
Her dress was stained with blood, braids had fallen loose around her shoulders, and that haunting melody that she sang wrapped itself around Darian’s mind, barely leaving him enough room to think.
Darian clamped both hands over his ears as he slowly approached the mermaid, forcing himself through the sound that seemed to vibrate inside his skull.
"Neria..." he called carefully, keeping his voice low as he took another step. "Neria!"
The singing stopped.
She slowly turned toward him.
For a moment, she didn’t react. Her head tilted slightly to the side, her slit-like pupils fixed on him with an unsettling stillness. She studied him like a predator examining a threat.
Darian hesitated.
He wasn’t sure whether approaching her was the right decision, but he couldn’t simply leave her standing in the middle of the carnage, not when she was a threat. Slowly, he took another step forward.
That was a mistake.
Neria’s mouth opened and a deafening screech tore through the corridor. The force of it sent Darian staggering backward, both hands flying to his ears as pain exploded through his head. The paintings lining the walls trembled violently, several of the doors rattling in their frames beneath the sheer force of the sound.
He groaned, slowly dropping to his knees.
She didn’t stop until the collar around her neck glowed, its enchantment flaring against her skin. Neria’s body jerked violently as the magic surged through her, forcing the screech from her throat to break apart into a strangled cry. Her hands flew toward the collar, fingers clawing desperately at the metal while her knees gave out beneath her.
She let out another shriek, this time sounding more like a wounded animal than a predator.
At this point, Darian wasn’t sure whether to hate Erik’s collar for hurting her or be grateful that it kept her under control. He slowly rose to his feet, and the movement caught her attention. Despite the pain, she managed to growl.
He didn’t even know Calypsos were capable of growling.
It was a low warning rumble that came from deep within her throat.
Darian watched as she staggered back onto her feet. "I don’t want to hurt you, Neria..."
He really didn’t, but seeing the damage she had caused made him waver in that thought. There was no sugarcoating the fact that she had killed innocent servants, and Darian wasn’t sure what this wounded Calypso was capable of doing next.
She screeched again despite the collar, which sent another surge of magic through her.
He really needed to shut her up.
Neria attacked him.
She lunged forward with her now claw-like fingers, her movements uncoordinated but fast and surprisingly swift. Darian dodged her first attack, then another, but that didn’t stop her.
She kept coming, snarling at him as she swung wildly.
"Stop it!"
She snarled in response, and he took it as a no.
Her claws reached him again, this time dragging across his face and drawing blood. Darian stumbled back, his hand immediately going to the wound. His eyes widened when he felt the warmth of blood beneath his fingers.
Neria lunged again.
His hand moved before he could think.
He pulled the dagger from his boot and thrust it forward, acting purely on instinct to protect himself.
The blade went through her chest.