Ocean Glass EN SampleTranslated by Punnachat Pradubphong and Prim Tantilipikorn...CH.1 – Midnight Merman and Aquarium“Broke another one already?”“Yes, sir. Even this model wasn't enough.”The middle-aged man was silent for a moment before he ordered his subordinate.“Tell them to make a new one.” “Yes, sir.”Those amber eyes, which were surrounded by loose-sagging skin, looked at the curved five-story height glass tank. Located at the most highlighted and visible position and framed with bright blue lights, making the glass tank even more attractive to the sight. Inside, a creature, breathtaking and ancient, was caged. Many flocked here to see the rare astonishing beauty with their own eyes, all willing to pay expensive tickets just for this.This aquarium's special highlight…A merman.A tail flicked its beautiful colored fin, bubbles splashed over the glass tank before floating and fading away.Then, a graceful face appeared on sight, skin as fair and sheen as pearl. Long coral-colored hair like silk woven from the moonlight, fanned out its full mid-back length. Eyes of precious coral clear like glowing in the sunset color gems. He watched the owner of this aquarium with his head high and his gaze low and arrogant. Beautiful eyes filled with loathing.The museum was closed to the public at this time. So there was only him, the owner of this place, and the merman in the display left. Blue lights beneath the tank gave light to various species of small fish in those glass tanks that were placed everywhere in the museum. Those fish swam around in their large glass jar, unaware of any situation outside their glass boxes.The middle-aged man secretly swallowed at the sight of the creature in front of him.Breathtaking yet frightening. A beauty full of unspeakable danger.The beau in the glass case stared at the billionaire in front of him. Amidst the silence of the aquarium, there were seemingly two living figures standing face to face. But the sunset-colored eyes saw a different scene. He saw a couple of vengeful spirits hovering around the middle-aged man.It was easily speculated that this man had murdered fellow humans, in gruesome ways too.Abhorrence reflected in the young merman's gaze.Still, no matter how much he loathed this person, the glass tank was too strong for the beautiful merman to destroy. So the merman took his anger out on the cleaning robots that they sent to take care of his territory...It was the only way that he could lash out his hatred and frustration.If the aquarium were to use manual labor to take care of the water tanks like in the past, then they all would’ve been killed by the young merman. Lucky for them, the humans did not have to risk their lives. But a pity for him that he couldn't lash out at any human.Lysha was Vivian's replacement, she was a mermaid who recently died from old age. And even though Vivian was old enough to be seen as an elder mermaid, merfolks could maintain their youthful appearance for eternity. The average lifespan of merpeople was around one hundred and twenty years. However, the number was no longer that high.In the past, living up to three-digit numbers was considered a long life. That was until humans started hunting merpeople for their flesh, believing that eating it was an elixir for longevity and youth. But medicine and technological advancement had come a long way since then. Mankind lived so much longer than before, mer flesh was no longer necessary…Thus, merfolks became a display, humans' entertainment.Time changed, and so did the past's promise.Tradition from centuries ago was no longer what it was. Mankind once sacrificed one of their own as a tribute to merfolks, in exchange for safe voyages and for fishery. But things were reversed. Everything changed with the rise of the Industrial Age.Humans started building ships from steel sheets, pouring oil spills and polluted water into the sea, damaging the reefs, and killing marine animals for entertainment…It was also the beginning of mer trophy hunting.Humanity was no longer afraid of the ancient creature, not when they invented tools to help them find food, steel vehicles for them to travel, and bullets for them to weaponize.Despite gaining magic power from the moonlight, the numbers of the merfolks were so few that they couldn't fight against those depraved men, who kept creating natural hazard civilizations. The merfolks were incredibly outnumbered by the growing human population. Moonlight magic couldn’t fight against man-made arms of war. There were losses on both sides but the outnumbered merpeople could no longer protect their habitats. Therefore, a treaty was made…A treaty stated that mankind shall no longer invade merfolk's habitats, in exchange, the merfolks tribe had to send one of their own to the humans every hundred years.Vivian, the mermaid who lived here before, died at exactly one hundred years of age. The mermaid lived and died alone in the glass tank. She didn’t pass on in the ocean so her body did not turn into sea foam. The humans rearranged her bones, showcased as another exhibition in the aquarium. She was displayed right next to Luna and Rinoa, the ill-fated mermaids before her place.All of them never return to the ocean they longed for.Their souls wept but couldn't disperse. These unfortunate mermaids were sent to stay here until their last breath with only a merman with sunset eyes who could see their souls screaming in agony, wandering in this aquarium with no way out.Lysha was sent as the merfolks’ tribute, Vivian’s new substitute. He would be confined in this glass tank until the day he died, forever parting with the ocean that was his home, only to become an entertainment for mankind. If he didn't do something, his soul would have the same fate as his fellow merfolks.He couldn't say he had a good relationship with his own kind, he had no family or close relatives, which was why he was extruded to come here. He hated the merfolks who forced him to be a tribute to humans, saying that he had to sacrifice for the remaining merfolks to survive so that their kin would not be hunted, so polluted water would not reach their habitats and their food source would not be invaded. Sacrifice so that merpeople could continue to live comfortably.He was angry at his own kind. But even so…he hated humans more than anything.Mankind, they destroyed everything in their vicinity, wherever they went. A creature of destruction that slowly ruined this world while claiming that they did it to help other species.How repulsive of them...They all deserved to perish.He wanted the humans to suffer as he did. He wanted to deprive them of their freedom to wander around and do things as they pleased.His vengeance was that he wished the owner of this place to have the same fate.“Do not forget that your kind signed a treaty with us,” The middle-aged man said through the glass tank, amidst the silence of the aquarium during closing hours. The man seemed like he was trying to scold and discipline the merman. Bradley locked eyes with the beau in the glass showcase, the merman’s eyes were of glistening coral gemstones, those eyes looked at the man with rage. There was only a thin layer of glass separating the two of them.“You're here because your kind handed you to us. If you want to blame someone for your anger, blame it on your folks.”‘I will kill you.’The merman's face was ethereal as he looked at the man in the eyes without blinking. Those lush lips did not move at all, he did not need to talk with his voice, it was meaningless to transmit the sound through water. So the merman spoke through telepathy, delivering his message directly to the man's brain.Something that not even today's technology could do.“You can't do anything to me. You're never going to leave this tank.” Bradley said, his eyes turned away to avoid the other creature's gaze. His voice seemed more sure now that he didn't have to look the merman in the eye. “Even if you resent me, you still can't do anything. You only get to stay here to make more money for me until the day you die, just like all of your folks.”‘Even if I cannot kill you, your death will be a painful one either way,’ Said the tuneful voice. ‘I know what you’ve done. So many people seek vengeance on you, both the living and the dead.’“...”‘Scared?’Michael Bradley looked away, the dark brown color of his hair mixed with an abundance of grey ones could be seen. The millionaire did not respond to the resonating voice. His sleek leather shoes carried his plump figure away from the glass tank, unable to continue making eye contact with this vicious creature. He could feel the merman's intense rage and resentment, along with the merman's not-so-exaggerating threats. He couldn't bring himself to stand there and stay strong for much longer. Or else, he'd have trembled on his feet or stumbled and fell in front of that merman.His monthly visit with the merman ended just like that.The sound of footsteps gradually faded.The merman watched the middle-aged man until his figure disappeared out of sight with eyes like sparkling pink gemstones…The merman spun and dived deep into the glass case, humans might think it was a large tank but it was still too small for him. It was like a human cage, the glass tank was no match for the ocean that was once his home.It had been nearly six months since Lysha was sent here. The aquarium was far from where he was born and it wasn't located near the sea. It was impossible for him to escape, no matter how badly he wished he could.His magic had faded as he was locked up here. The first day he arrived here, he still had a small amount of magic left, he could communicate with the mermaids' spirits. But now, he could only watch their ghosts without being able to get through them.This tank was blocked on three sides, leaving only one side made of glass for him to look at the boring scenery in the aquarium. All were made of solid walls and artificial lights, displaying several fish tanks, some were clear cylindrical glass cases with shoals of small fish inside, some tanks had rare fish on display, and some tanks were empty ones with 3D holograms of marine life that used to be here but was all extinct. Lysha watched this scene every night.This might be a breathtaking sight for human visitors. But for him, it was all dull. The coral reefs back home were far much more picturesque.The upper section was a pool and a place for various system work. It was a closed room with nothing worth looking at.Not a single section that allowed the moonlight to bask in.Those vile humans knew that if merman like him had contact with the moonlight, his magic power would be restored. And that would cause problems for them. So they locked the merman up in a glass tank, shielded with another layer of a solid wall. Leaving no way out for the merman, no magic, no freedom. He could only swim around in this narrow glass until his last breath.A show-merpeople like himself didn't have much choice. He could take his own life like Luna, the previous mermaid that had only been here for a decade. She ended her life by brutally slamming her head against the glass, repeatedly until she was no longer breathing...She couldn't bear a life like this, she couldn't bear staying here until the end of her days as Vivian and Rinoa did. The two were patient mermaids, they endured it in the hope that one day, they would be able to leave but that day never came.Even though Lysha had replaced them, their souls still had not returned to the sea in this past century.It seemed that the only thing Lysha could do was to choose how to end his own life. Either way, he would never return home…The light in his clear coral eyes dimmed at that thought.Another morning had arrived. The aquarium opened, and many people came to see the new merman, the very first merman in centuries.Photography was prohibited in this area, Lysha couldn't do anything but watch thousands of pairs of eyes staring at him. Every movement he made and everywhere he swam was watched by those gazes with excitement and wonder. Some observed him with rapturous delight, nearly half of them did that. It made his skin prickle.Humans came here to see the beautiful merman in order to satisfy their needs, to get a glimpse of the ancient creature as a reward for their worthless lives. And took their leave when they were satisfied.He was sickened by the looks in those eyes, he shouldn't be appreciated like this, despite how delightful they seemed. He was forced to endure this discomfort all day, without being able to do anything other than destroy the cleaning robot daily. Without knowing how much longer he could take it.Another day, another dread he carried with him. The aquarium's light was turned off, leaving only a few areas that were still illuminated. The merman's coral-stone eyes saw the ghosts of his kind appear and let out a soundless scream of sorrow.Vivian floated to him in front of the tank, the mermaid's spirit seemed to say something. But Lysha had been locked up for so long, he no longer had the power from the moonlight. So he cannot communicate with her.‘I can't hear you.’Lysha shook his head. His eyes spoke of undisguised sorrow. He let out his voice despite knowing that it would be a one-way communication.‘I want to help you all. I wish to get out of here’He muttered in front of the transparent glass.‘But I am powerless. I couldn't do anything.’Pink eyes with a hint of sunset dimmed. The inescapable truth fueled him with sorrow, drowning him deep in melancholy and resentment that he was not aware of his surroundings.He didn't notice that there was another human who wasn't the owner of this place, Michael Bradley. The human appeared when it was long past the aquarium’s closing time and silently walked toward the merman's tank.“What were you guys talking about there?”A deep voice spoke from nowhere in the silence. Lysha startled hard.He turned and met an unfamiliar man. This man wasn't the owner of the place, or a staff, or a visitor here, Lysha was certain. He couldn't possibly forget a face like that if he ever met him before.The man's emerald eyes flashed mischievously. Everything about him was suspicious. Lysha didn't trust the arrival of this human, fearing what it meant. Despite that, he still voiced out through his telepathy.‘Who are you?’...
