Another three years had passed since Enid discovered the truth about her abilities and her new identity. During that time, she focused on harnessing her ability to soar high through the sky as she carried souls, to swim in the deepest parts of the ocean with an unfortunate sailor, and to sing the sweetest songs to place any man under her command.

After a year of training her enchanting voice, she managed to compel her first sailor into delivering a gift to her father. She scoured the seafloor for three days until she found the perfect object she could send to her beloved father - a nautilus shell.

"If I could give this to you myself, Father, I would...I hope it reaches you," she had told herself the moment she found the item. She returned home to the coral reef and searched for Asherah to tell the older siren of her success with her training and of the sailor. 

Instead, she was stopped by her only close friend among the sirens, Kailani. "Your mentor is not doing well, Enid. It is best that you let her rest in her own nest," she had told Enid. "What? Is she okay? Is she sick?" she had questioned, and she remembered trying to force her way past the older siren. 

"Please, Enid. Return home." So, while she had continued to prosper in her training, Asherah had suffered more and more. The older siren would go night after night without rest, would jump at every single sudden noise, and go on about the man she no longer loved.

"My time is almost up, I can feel it," she once told Enid, the rare time they interacted, but offered no other explanation. No matter how often she questioned or how persistent she had been, Enid remained evermore confused about the siren's dwindling condition - until today.

Enid had grown to be one of the most talented swimmers in the entire family of sirens, so she was able to follow Asherah silently and across what seemed to be the entire ocean. Not once did the older siren pause to rest, though, and as much as her body screamed for rest, Enid did not slow, either.

She had followed her mentor for the entirety of the day, and at times she heard Asherah mutter and mumble to herself. "Almost there," she'd say, "It is almost time." Time for what? Enid thought to herself. What is going to happen, and why has she never spoken of this danger before?

She glanced up at the surface when the moonlight slowly vanished, and she could see large, dark masses looming high above the water. Where even are we? Asherah then began to ascend towards the surface at a quick pace, so Enid did the same.

Whoa... There were tall, pointed mountains all around them, and at the center of the wide lake was a towering stack of pirate ships dotted with lanterns. There were other ships docked all around the stack, and she could hear the faint chatter of multiple voices.

What could Asherah need or want from pirates? she thought. The older siren swam closer to the ship stack, but Enid remained rooted - something did not feel right about this place. A single scream suddenly sounded through the air, sending chills and goosebumps down her spine. 

Pirates suddenly began to flood the shorelines, but there was no time for Asherah to escape. A net had been thrown into the sea and right on top of the older siren, entangling her. She let out a screech as she thrashed in the water, and Enid quickly paddled away from the scene to not be caught, as well. 

"We've got her, lads! Reel her in!" one pirate yelled in triumph, and the rest of the pirates cheered loudly and proudly. Asherah screeched once again as she was pulled ashore, but she did not resist, all while Enid remained frozen in place. I must help her, but the pirates...

She then slowly swam closer to the far end of the shoreline, away from the mass crowd so she could continue to watch the spectacle. Asherah was then deposited on land, hissing and snarling viciously at any pirate that tried to approach her. 

One dark pirate approached her, though, despite her hostility, and placed his boot down on top of her throat to choke her. No! "We've caught you now, Calypso, no form you take will ever hide you away from us! Your reign over the sea ends tonight!" he declared into the night sky.

Calypso?! The Calypso?! Enid had only heard stories of the legendary goddess of the sea, but never did she ever imagine she would ever meet her, let alone coincide with her. I've been lied to. Enid raised herself more out of the water and swam for a boulder, huddling behind it as cover.

"How dare you?!" she heard Asherah cry out. The mass of pirates moved towards the stack of ships, and she could see Asherah being raised high above their heads. I guess...rather Calypso. "Silence now! This has been a fate that you have prolonged for far too long - your crimes must be answered!"

Crimes?! I wonder if this has to do with the pirate she loved... Enid's blood instantly ran cold when she heard a shocked gasp from behind her - she had been caught. She whipped around and immediately let out a threatening hiss, her fangs bared and her claws unsheathed.

There was another ship floating farther away from the ordeal, and one pirate was standing on the shore a few feet behind Enid. No! She pressed her back against the boulder as her chest heaved, and she felt her body begin to tremble in fear.

The pirate looked well into his 30s, with chin-length dark hair and a long beard with a couple of decorated braids. He wore a large tricorn hat and a long, heavy cloak over his attire - he must have been the captain of the anchored ship behind them.

Neither of them spoke, the only sound was the fading screams of Asherah and the proud chanting of the pirates. She glanced out at the ocean that was right in her reach, but if she were to try and escape, she would risk being chased after by the pirate, as well. 

Come on, Enid. You can compel this man to leave you alone - all you have to do is just sing, she told herself. She swallowed nervously, but just as she opened her mouth to begin her enchanting melody, the pirate slowly began to walk towards her. 

He knelt down on one knee, never breaking his intense stare with her, and he held his hand out to her. "You don't have to be afraid. It is not you that they are after tonight," he reassured her. Enid glanced over her shoulder at the stack of pirate ships, then turned back to the pirate. 

"What are they going to do to Asherah?" she finally asked, her voice somewhat wavering. The pirate frowned deeply at the question and glanced at the stack himself. "Is that the name she uses now?" he countered, his tone clipped. 

Enid nodded, releasing the tight grip she had on the boulder behind her, and the pirate sighed. "Your 'sister' is the devil - a cold, heartless and deceitful woman that preys and fools any man she meets," he spat out. He then turned away from Enid sharply and lowered his head, his hand lowering as well. 

This must be the pirate Asherah abandoned all those years ago... Enid pursed her lips before pushing off the boulder, and she tentatively swam closer to the grieving pirate. He looked up once again as she neared, and he stood up abruptly in surprise. 

"What am I doing?" he muttered to himself, then shook his head. Enid did not move away, however, for she felt an unfamiliar tug in her chest that guided her forward. She had only felt this tug once before, during her brief years as a siren, and it was coming from a sailor who had been at sea after the loss of his wife, Elias Hughes.

She had followed that ship for days as she fed off of the sailor's grief, but she dared not to drag him to the depths. Never did she board the sailor's ship uninvited, either, but he would meet with the young siren almost every night on the beach after discovering her presence.

Enid did not know why she had been attracted to that sailor, but she remained at his side for weeks on end. Until the night finally arrived where he did not meet her on the beach, which had prompted her to search for him frantically. I will never forget the sight of that burning ship...

And now, staring at the grieving pirate captain in front of her, Enid felt that same tug in her heart. Instead of approaching him further, she merely stepped back towards the water with a small smile on her face. He turned to watch her wade back into the water, a curious look in his blue eyes.

"Just as those pirates will not hurt me, I will not hurt you, captain," she told him, her voice deepening. His eyes glazed over when she spoke, a look she had seen on countless sailors' faces, and her smile widened. If Asherah will not care for this man, then I will until his dying day.

"If you are anything like that wretched woman, then I only hope, for your sake, that we never meet again," the captain spat out bitterly. Enid giggled in reply to his sudden hostility, much to the captain's frustration. 

"Oh, we will meet again...don't you worry," she echoed, then quickly dove back into the water before he could speak again.

~~~~~

First contact!! ^.^