116 - Getting Rid of Parasites

  Krahs remained silent, listening to the laments of the merfolk who had attacked Nexha with venomous words. They knelt before him, begging for forgiveness, trying to justify themselves with trembling voices and fearful eyes. But Krahs showed no emotion. He merely observed them, his eyes as cold as the ocean depths.

  — So, you think you know what’s best for the village? — His voice was low but carried a crushing weight. The opposition trembled under his gaze. — You think you can spit on the hand that feeds you and continue living as if nothing happened?

  The merfolk exchanged uncertain glances. One of them swallowed hard and tried to stand, but an invisible pressure in the air made him freeze in place. Krahs hadn’t moved, but his control over their fear was absolute.

  — F-Forgive us, chief... we only...

  — Silence. — The single word cut through the air like a blade. The man who had tried to speak immediately lowered his head.

  Krahs stepped forward, his presence growing like a colossal shadow over the kneeling figures. He analyzed each of them, like a predator evaluating its prey. They were not warriors. They were not hunters. They were mere parasites who survived off the efforts of others, always ready to complain but never to act.

  — You think the surface isn’t important. That fire isn’t necessary. That change is unwelcome. Yet you still eat the rice that comes from the land, rest under the platforms we built, and accept the protection of the walls we raised. — His voice dripped with contempt. — You want the benefits, but you refuse to accept the effort needed to earn them. That disgusts me.

  Silence reigned. The only sound was the quickened breathing of the accused.

  — So, I ask... what are you even good for? — Krahs tilted his head, the question sounding genuine.

  The merfolk looked at one another in despair. One tried to speak but stuttered, unable to form a satisfying answer. Among them, the sycophants who always followed Krahs shrank back, trying to disappear behind the others, as if their mere presence made them guilty. They trembled, their eyes darting around, avoiding their leader’s gaze, fearing that any wrong movement would put them in the same fate as the opposition. The suffocating silence crushed them, and for the first time, they realized that being close to Krahs did not make them untouchable—it only made them more visible.

  — I should have done this a long time ago, but I feared my children would be upset. But look at what you’ve done... — Krahs’ voice was cold, devoid of any hesitation. — After everything you’ve said, my babies won’t even care if you disappear.

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  He turned his back on them slowly, as if he had already forgotten their existence.

  — After all, my home doesn’t need parasites.

  The accused felt their blood freeze. The weight of their actions finally crushed them. Some collapsed to their knees, murmuring incoherent pleas. Others simply closed their eyes, accepting their impending fate. But it didn’t matter. Krahs had already decided.

  Before they could react, two figures emerged from the shadows—Zhaelor and Lioras. Their eyes gleamed with unwavering determination. If one looked closely, it was clear that Zhaelor was the angriest of the two. Their firm hands grabbed the accused without hesitation.

  Terror was etched onto the faces of the condemned; mouths opened in anguished screams, bodies struggling in futile resistance. Despair took hold as they realized there was no escape. Their cries for mercy echoed, only to be drowned out by the sound of the waves. Krahs remained motionless, not even turning to look. To him, those screams were nothing more than insignificant noise, the last sounds of voices that no longer had a place in the future he was building.

  — Take them beyond the reefs. If they manage to return, perhaps they will have learned something. — His voice carried no anger, only a cold pragmatism. There was no room for weakness in his domain.

  The desperate cries grew fainter until only silence remained. Those watching from a distance averted their gazes, pretending they had seen nothing.

  Krahs finally sighed, running a hand over his face. He knew that Nexha wanted to build a different world, a place where everyone could grow together. But there was still a lesson his son needed to learn: some people would never change. And for the sake of the village, it was better if they disappeared.

  With the matter resolved, he returned to his routine as if nothing had happened. But around him, the silence lingered, dense and suffocating. The sycophants, who once followed him with smiles and flattering words, were now rigid, trying to suppress the tremor in their fins. Their eyes darted nervously, avoiding Krahs’ gaze, terrified that a single wrong look could place them in the same position as those who had been taken away.

  The village would move forward, stronger and more united... without the weak who had held it back. But on the faces of those who remained, it was clear that no one would ever forget what they had witnessed.

  Meanwhile, Beyond the Reefs...

  Zhaelor played with twisted chunks of meat, tossing them like toys. Lioras sighed at the sight and finally asked:

  — And yet orcas have a bad reputation... You’re overdoing it, sperm whale.

  — You’re being too serious, orca. My young master deserved a much heavier revenge.

  — Your young master would be horrified by what you did.

  — I just scared them with some regurgitated fish meat. After all, I don’t want them ever thinking about coming back.

  — Pretending to swallow merfolk whole was your solution to that? Disgusting.

  — Just a little joke to scare them. But if they do return, I won’t hesitate to make them disappear. — Zhaelor’s tone was far too calm, and that was what sent a chill down Lioras’ spine.

  He held his breath for a moment, his stomach twisting as he realized that, in that last sentence, Zhaelor wasn’t joking. The weight of that unspoken threat was suffocating, and Lioras fought the urge to gag as he watched Zhaelor discard the ball of regurgitated meat as if it were nothing.