Jilted Guilt: the Mermaid and the Hunter - Chapter 12
Lavinia gazed at the setting sun’s light as it faded freely.
It had been so long that it was almost impossible to count the days, but the ever-changing sky was still beautiful every time.
The abilities she possessed could help others, but she couldn’t use them for herself.
She cupped a handful of water in her hand, and a blue light shimmered in her open palm. This was just playing with water, a negligible magical effect.
Even though she had inherited a lot of Dianta’s power, she had only tried to heal minor wounds at most.
The power of the gods was limited by the finite life of their vessels. It was said that if one broke the prohibitions recklessly, they could lose their ability forever.
In fact, something worse was said to await her, but Lavinia hadn’t been told exactly what that was by her family.
Even though they knew everything about her abilities, they hadn’t shared everything. She supposed they never thought she’d be in this position. Lavinia laughed hollowly.
In that case, she had to look for someone who might know about the merfolk. Dianta? It might be a bit far-fetched, but as long as she found them, it would be fine. But it was impossible to suddenly discover a being that she hadn’t searched for in such a long time. It would be better to inquire through the water spirits.
She thought of a suitable intermediary for communication. The morning dew that clung to leaves or the mist that hung around the lake might work.
But these were too affected by the lake to be of much help. Since the spirits held the memories of the water that made up their body, those confined to the lake might find it difficult to provide the answers she sought.
Rainwater. Rain was a new source of water. The drops that had evaporated from various places and gathered in one place before falling to the ground were exactly what she needed.
She thought back to the weather during her stay in this forest. This area was not devoid of rain, but the weather alternated between cloudy and clear days.
However, looking at the sky with few clouds, waiting for rain to fall out of nowhere, was also challenging.
Determined to take things one day at a time, Lavinia waded deeper into the water and searched for the spirits in the lake.
Creating the light as she had earlier, Lavinia trapped it within a droplet of water. With a flick, the light-infused water droplets floated around.
The sleeping beings would soon be awakened by the light. As Lavinia swam and infused more droplets, the bottom of the lake gradually became as bright as daylight.
[Hello.]
As she returned to the first droplet, something responded to the light behind her. Lavinia smiled from her deep blue underwater surroundings.
[I’ve never seen you before. What brings you here?]
The being that spoke to her had a round, water droplet-like body and swam towards her. Lavinia couldn’t read the expression on the faceless water droplet, but she could sense a kind voice.
“I’ve been trapped here. I want to return to the sea… Can you help me by any chance?”
Lavinia extended her hand to the spirit that had responded to her.
[What’s your name?]
“I’m Lavinia.”
The spirit pondered for a moment and then perched on Lavinia’s palm.
[As you know, Lavinia, I don’t have enough power. But you do. What if I make a wish that will send you back to sea?]
The blue light emanating from Lavinia’s hand enveloped the spirit’s body and then disappeared.
“…It doesn’t seem possible.”
She was disappointed with the expected outcome. Although she possessed the power to grant the wishes of others, she had only used her abilities to save injured mermaids. Once again, it seemed impossible for her to fully utilize Dianta’s power with her own body.
[Oh, I see. It looks like your ability is refusing me because I’m not genuinely wishing for it.]
The power granted by Dianta was essentially boundless, but when used by mermaids, it had limitations. Healing minor injuries, like scratches, was possible because the instinct to preserve life was common to everyone. But for anything else, it had to be the other person’s true desire.
[I’ve been lonely for a long time, that’s why I wanted to help. I’m sorry it didn’t work.]
The spirit chuckled.
“No, it might be that the power in my body is just lacking.”
Lavinia, while trying to comfort the spirit, suddenly thought of the Isle of Larme. The island possessed Dianta’s power just like she did. If she went there, she could manifest her power to its limits. However, if she could reach the island, it would mean she was already home.
