92 - Gold's Trigger (2.7k words)

YaYa's POV

We visited the beautiful coral reefs and underwater cities, encountered several powerful mermen, but none was even close to Gold's strength.

The emeralds he consumed purified the effects of inbreeding from his bloodline and cleansed his genetics of the defects that had accumulated over the generations.

As for his looks, they were becoming increasingly exquisite. He looked so ethereal that he began emitting a golden light that attracted the nearby fish and sea creatures.

What better time to train his beast pressure if not now? As a result of his training, a pair of coral-like horns grew from his head. They were short and transparent.

I laughed, watching him swim around with fish surrounding him before scattering from his beast aura. He was like a mighty lion everyone wanted a selfie with until it roared.

Gold was close to advancing, but a bottleneck still hindered him. He needed a push. The ocean had plenty. It was an endless source of inspiration, experience... and triggers.

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I blinked at the eerie scenery.

There was no end to the dark and ominous deep-sea creatures. The more we dived, the creepier they became, especially when having night vision on.

This didn't look like a place where penta mermen would reside but a lair of demons and monsters instead.

The water pressure was high, and adjusting to the change was tedious. The sound of whales and the clicks of various sea animals was haunting.

Gold had been swimming next to me, holding reins connected to our water mounts ─the manta rays. They carried our luggage on their backs, their large size making them a perfect transport.

"I don't have a good feeling about this," I said and stopped.

The bubble around my head, which kept air in, made it possible to talk while swimming. I've made some makeshift fins for my feet. My legs could kick fast, but not as efficiently as Gold. His elegant movements were natural, fluid, and precise. I wanted to learn from him so I could swim as naturally as walking, but there was still much I needed to improve upon.

Gold paused and turned to look at me. "What is it?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," I replied, "It feels like a bad omen."

A short while later, the vibration of the ocean's current increased, and the manta rays began freaking out.

Gold quickly grabbed me by the waist, pressing me against his chest.

This wasn't our first time witnessing an underwater earthquake, but this one felt different.

Gold grabbed the reins and began to swim away. The pressure around us intensified, and it began to suck us in the opposite direction.

A giant whirlpool was forming under our feet, the center as black as the night.

Gold gritted his teeth, his muscles tensing as he struggled to swim upwards. "Hold on!" he yelled, the current was so strong that the sound barely left his mouth.

The suction grew stronger, and our bodies were spinning uncontrollably. The manta rays and the goods were swallowed, disappearing from our sight inside the crack.

Gold tightened his grip around my waist and pulled me closer, protecting me from the debris that began to float around us. It hit him instead, and his skin was cut open, bleeding.

The shift in water mass was so violent, and the whirlpool had become so big that it reached the surface.

I kept a cool head and focused. Should I teleport us before something knocks us both out, or should I wait? Gold's chance to advance was a gamble I was willing to take, knowing that the stakes were high.

I didn't think a natural phenomenon would trigger Gold's bottleneck, but it seemed to have been enough to awaken his dormant power.

Gold's eyes began to glow, and a powerful pressure radiated from his body. His energy spread around us and repelled the debris that was closing in on us with a bubble so strong that it worked as a shield.

I held onto his body, feeling it shift under my touch. His horns grew longer and twisted upward, resembling the branches of corals. Hooves replaced his hands and legs, his fish tail grew longer, and the fins on his body expanded. He looked like a mythical hippocampus with four legs.

I wondered why his limbs would be shaped like hooves until he began to gallop on the surface of the water like a freaking horse!

╔═══ Author's note ════╗

Some inspirations below in case someone doesn't know what a hippocampus looks like.

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Gold ran and rode the whirlpool like a race track, his movements creating a vortex that repelled the pull of the main current. Talk about peak water affinity. This dude could literally walk on water, using his fins to glide through the air and bounce back to the water like a rubber ball.

I could describe him more majestically, but there was no time for poetry. I was having the most fun ride in my life, laughing to my heart's content. I held onto his gold mane, keeping my balance.

His size reached a massive four and a half meters (14'9). The vortex he created broke the main whirlpool and dispersed the water currents. The whirlpool calmed down, and the water began to stabilize.

Gold stopped and lowered his head, his nostrils flaring as he floated on top of the water, panting in exhaustion.

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks and the grin on my face, "Let's do it again when we get a chance."

Gold turned his head and snorted, looking annoyed, but I could tell he was excited. His fishtail flicked and splashed water in my face.

I avoided the spray and dived into the water, studying his transformation. The fins on his hooves opened up and looked like a fan of blades, helping him paddle and swim through the water faster.

Gold moved his new body, feeling his strength, surprised at how his new body responded to his commands.

"Let's call it a day if you don't want to," I yawned, stretching my arms and back, "I need a nap. A long and comfy one."

Gold shifted back into his half-man form, pulling me into his arms. His golden hair cascaded over his shoulders, the tips floating in the water like golden ribbons.

He removed my googles and pressed his forehead against mine, increasing the size of his bubble so both our heads could fit in. His lips hovered over mine. "Can't we... do something else first?"

I blinked, then said, "If you mean imprinting me with your spousal imprint the feral way, then sure."

"..." Gold stared at me with a deadpan look.

"No. Not in the mood," I said, "The last thing I want is to have my pussy pumped with salt water. My skin is itching enough already."

"...Yali..." Gold mumbled and nuzzled my ear before biting the tip.

"Don't act like you aren't relieved," I said, my mouth twitching when he consumed an emerald to remove his exhaustion.

Gold bit my ear again, and I kneed him in the stomach. He grabbed my knee and wrapped my leg around his waist as if used to my sudden attacks.

"A nap." I rubbed my stomach against his abdomen, making him frown and stop biting me. He dove into the water to get a better view of the hard thing poking him between his abs and my belly.

He stared at my new piercing with wide eyes. A tiny golden pearl decorated my belly button with a dangling charm. The gold pearl wasn't pierced but embedded into my skin. It seemed his spousal imprint took on a physical form like his tears did.

The charm dangling of it was his hippocampus form taking shape before our very eyes. Like his otherworldly beauty, his spousal imprint was also exquisite, carrying his golden aura like a tiny light bulb.

"How is this possible?" Gold caressed my belly gently, his finger lingering around the pearl in disbelief.

"I'm not sure," I observed his reaction, "It looks cute though."

What came next was a series of choked grunts, tight hugs, and me collecting his falling pearls. His body language told me that he was holding back from devouring me.

"You'll have a sprained jaw and an upset stomach if you don't calm down," I said to the suckerfish that clung to me like I was his lifeline.

"Mmm." Gold hummed, his lips not letting go of my salty skin. He wasn't much of a responder and acted like his ears had a shut-down function. His memory was very good, though, and he listened to everything I said.

He continued to fill his "void" with my taste while traveling and sending out his sound waves to catch another whirlpool so I could ride him like a wild cowboy ─ anything to please me.

An island and a good wash to remove my itchiness was exactly what he gave me afterward.

And then, finally, I got my nap.

· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·

Nothing kept us from returning home, and we departed immediately after a short rest.

We collected gifts we kept hidden throughout the sea, which were meant to be picked up on our way back home.

We've been looking for the right gift for our hundreds of thousands of hard workers, and we thought nothing was better than a mermaid.

The further the Mermen tribe was located from the beastmen (mainly those who didn't trade salt with them), the less the beastmen's rules applied to them. They acted more like pods of dolphins that lived in that area. They were colder-hearted and picked wars with other tribes far more often.

I asked Gold if he wanted to keep someone before the purge. He wanted the whole tribe gone, except for the eggs in the nursery and a few individuals. A few of them had attacked his tribe in the past, after all.

I summoned Curtis to travel with us, and the rest was history. What else could I say? My machetes got fed well, and the marine life got fed well, as well.

Alice, Zoe, Clara, Ella, and Sophia were currently getting used to their new homes within Gold's tribe.

The whole trip was an interesting experience. I wanted to adapt to the boys's worlds at some point, just for a taste. Instead of teaching them my customs and traditions, I'd rather learn theirs. If anything, they were far more superior in terms of being satisfied with their quality of life.

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I didn't realize it was already the second winter until I saw the snow covering the ground and the thin layer of ice on the surface of the rivers and the canal.

Due to the cold season, Curtis stayed in the ocean, where he was treated like a God by the mermen. Whenever he left his VIP cave for a little stretch in the water or a snack, he received precious fabrics as tribute.

"Awooo!"

A pack of cubs greeted us on the shore of the canal, wagging their tails. The four wolves, two tigers, and the lion have grown almost double their size since I left. The scorpion, still the same size, bossed around the cubs from the top of Bart's head.

"Awoo!"

The cubs circled Bart and nudged him with their heads as if it could speed up my arrival.

Bart almost fainted when he saw Gold's beast form. His mind was blown when Gold shifted into his human form, "Wh-what..."

The sight was a bit comical, but not as comical as the mermen's. Not even males from the fox tribe could match them in terms of beauty, but the merman before their eyes could make an average merman look like an ugly, stinky fish. It wasn't his features but the additional "blink-blink" effects that came with the package.

Muir and Skaris congratulated Gold and immediately dropped their work at him. They chased him away to have me for themselves, squeezing me in their arms and sneakily lifting my burka to steal a kiss. They were a bit emotional and had missed me terribly.

I hugged them back and let them have their moment, "Sorry it took so long. I'll cook dinner tonight. We'll catch up then."

Muir and Skaris were happy to hear that, but they still let go of me very reluctantly.

Gold left without objections. He was also nervous to be away for so long and also furious.

During our absence, Bluepool decided to "run away" from Mandy and found his new home inside the water hole near the Tiger tribe. The protection of the tribe's mermaids ended up falling on Curtis' shoulders.

"That blue fish fell hard for the Tiger Queen and has been courting her since," Mitchell said, popping out from under the thick layer of snow. He traveled from the desert just to throw shade at me for being the worst female for leaving her males for so long. "Hey, this is unfair treatment!"

"This is special treatment, just for you." I stomped on his head, burying it in the snow. Because of the cubs' presence, I lifted my leg without making him beg on the ground and showed him some face after a moment.

Mitchell dusted the snow off his body as if nothing happened and lifted my burka to cover my mouth with his. I didn't respond to his kiss, enjoying the silent pleas he was making with his lips and big puppy eyes.

For desert beastmen, the scorpions fared quite well during the cold season. They often took advantage of the hibernating beastmen and attacked villages with less protection. They could bury and hide their traces in the soft snow. Their hard shells protected them from the ice rain. Mitchell could literally stay inside a freezing ice cellar and be fine, so I was not surprised at his sudden appearance (+ the spousal imprint).

"We felt your presence closing on us and rushed here," Bart explained after his brain restarted, "How was the journey?"

"Fun. Tiring." I gave him the short version, letting him and the cubs tackle me with their hands and paws, "You're so big now."

I ruffled the cubs' fur, tickling their chubby necks and bellies and rubbing the soft spot under their jaws, making them close their eyes and roll on their backs, even the tiger and rootless lion cub. "You guys didn't cause trouble, did you? Or were your Papas the naughty ones?"

"Awoo!" the cubs barked, pointing their paws at the scorpion that crawled from Bart's head to Mitchell's.

"Hss!" The scorpion hissed and clicked its pincers as if saying he was a good boy.

The cubs' eyes narrowed, and their ears lowered as they barked louder, calling him out.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

"Awoo! Awooo!"

"Meow!"

"Grrrr." The rootless lion copied what his brothers were doing and began growling along. It lacked feelings, but it already understood that to be part of the pack, it had to act like the pack.

The scorpion had feelings and emotions and showed signs of being possessive. The cubs often didn't get along with it because it kept claiming their Papas's attention for itself.

We played tag, and I watched the seven furry balls disappear in the snow and reappear as they tried to catch me.

Meanwhile, the boys helped me carry the mountains of goods toward our new home.

The abode looked like part of nature, blending with the environment like camouflage, which fitted the boys' wild style and tastes.

I was eager to see their progress while I was away, and I was not disappointed.

These guys were always full of surprises.

╔═══ Author's note ════╗

Yay, YY finally reunited with her family after her business trip! 🥳

Did you enjoy Gold's beast form reveal?👀 Whoever guessed he was something like a hippocampus from Greek mythology, good job! 😘

What about his physical spousal imprint? Did you have any prediction of what it could have been? 😁

It's been a while since we had some cub time, so I had a need to correct that. 🥰

Do you like the changes in YY? Does it still feel like it's her and not a sudden swap of souls?

I've always preferred consistency over drastic character development. 🤧🫣

Ready to explore their new house? YY gave her boys full creative control of designing their nest, knowing well how extra they are. She loves that about them, so it should be fine. Right? 🤣

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