The merman, my man

Chapter 219

“Yeah.“ Dicken nodded somberly as he looked outside the window, his gaze and demeanor turning cold

as ice so instantly that I couldn’t help being surprised by his sudden mood change. “I can sense them

near us, and I need to take them back inside my body as soon as possible.“

“Why? Where is your Yiki at the moment? Are they with the mafia or that German company?“ I

frowned, unsettled and worried about Dicken’s situation. After all, those crystals would be kept under

strict control no matter who was holding it, and it won’t be easy getting them.

Dicken pondered for a moment, before shaking his head, “I don’t know. They must have been kept

isolated because I can’t be sure about their specific position, severing the link between us. That’s why I

had to come up with something to blend in.“

He narrowed his eyes then, the lines on his face becoming even more distinct as he held up his wrist

before my eyes. I saw that an artery there was faintly flashing in blue radiance, but it was very weak

and could fade at any moment, and Dicken explained, “I must get them back before the portal closes,

or I won’t have enough energy to return to the domain of my tribe.“

“What? Didn’t you go back two years ago when the portal opened?“ I was taken aback—was he saying

that the portal hadn’t been opened despite the commotion two years ago?

“No, “ Dicken’s voice turned even sadder, and his eyes were half-narrowed darkly. “Those ships blew u

p when they sank with me, and my tribe was caught within a temporal vortex that only I escaped, and it

took me a whole year to do that.“

“What? A temporal vortex? What is that?“

“I named it myself. It’s just like a black hole, existing as a magnetic field of sorts that pulls

everything passing through it to itself, remaining in the portal after it has formed in the destruction of

our domain. I must think of an idea to return to the starting point of that disaster and find the object

which destroyed our domain, so that I could use its immense energy to open a portal, reversing the

flow of time to rescue my brethren, the last of my kind, “ Dicken said quickly.

I was shocked, and immediately remembered Peter and the others. Were they still alive, and stuck at

the place which Dicken had named a temporal portal? I couldn’t really understand the complex

exposition that Dicken had given either—what was that thing? Was it the atomic bomb that America

droppped during the Second World War?

Heavens!

“Are you saying that you are going back to the seas of Hiroshima where the atomic bomb was

dropped? To find what remains of it?“

“Atomic bomb…“ Dicken repeated those words softly as if unsure if that we were referring to the same

thing, and eventually said, “Probably. I need to find the temporal vortex because it is filled with

pollution, and with my tribe confined within, they would mutate irreversibly once time goes on. I can’t let

that happen —I can’t let my race become extinct under my rule, and I would do anything to save them.” Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

He lowered his gaze at our reflection in the water, his gaze sharp yet determined, making his pale face

appear even colder and a little unfamiliar to me. I vaguely sensed that this meant he would leave me

and risk everything alone.

Whether I was being paranoid or not, I still remained exceedingly uneasy. ”I’m coining with you, Dicken,

” I looked determinedly into his eyes. ”Believe me, I can help you—I am Japanese, I’ve been to

Hiroshima, and I even dived there before. I have studied possible locations where remains of the

atomic bomb would show up, and I know its location on a map even if I haven’t been there personally.

Don’t leave me behind.”

I forced a smile even as I spoke, trying to look strong even though I feared the sight I had seen before.

I would never return to that hell if not for Dicken, because there was no doubt that the most terrifying

trip—if one could call it that—I’ve ever had was when I had gone there to observe and write a report

about post- nuclear bio logical mutation. There were crabs with legs longer than two meters, and their

pincers could easily snap a human head in two.

In fact, I think we would never have made it back if we hadn’t been equipped with sufficiently advanced

weapons at the time, and my companion had almost lost a leg !