Hearts of Men

They feed upon the hearts of men.

There is an old tale of cursed women who sit upon the dry islands of the Blue Ocean every sunset, seeking their victims. They beguile their true appearances behind the façade of ravishing women; Their unmatched beauty bewitching, their bodies enticing, their voices alluring in which they sing the most melodious lullabies ever.

Their upper halves resemble the womanly figure of beautiful human maidens but their lower halves are covered with scales and gems shinier than the pearly moonlight. Their golden silk hair dance tantalisingly in the air as they sway their naked bodies and bat their eyelashes at the men from afar while they sing to them, the call of desire, the tempting call of sin.

No one knows what happen after the men approach them because no one ever survived to narrate the tale. Thousands of voyagers set their foot in the sea to redeem the treasure that is said to be buried in the deepest depths of the Blue Ocean but not even one of them came back alive. Not even their corpses were ever found.

When it continued for a while, the northern area of the ocean was deemed forbidden for folks. No one was allowed to go there and no one ever traveled from that direction as everyone knew that was where the Sirens lived. The tale got old but the story of the forbidden island kept spreading from generation to generation. Parents scared their children from their names and their appearances were explained as ugly and scary as possible, specifically to the male children.

Usually after sunset no one dared go towards the shore of the Ocean but today something was different.

A tall figure was moving slowly along the coast of the Blue Ocean. The figure was concealed beneath a long black cloak making him appear a part of the darkness around him. His movements were calculated and cautious. He came to stop right near the boundary of where water met the dry land. That was when he finally moved his face up to look at the vast ocean lying before his eyes. The murk of the ocean was like a predator with its mouth open and claws sharpened, ready to devour its prey.

The silver eyes of the man were almost glowing under the opalescent moonlight as he scrutinized the untamed beast before him. A strand of his muddy-gold hair had fallen upon his forehead which he pushed back with the tip of his nail, revealing a scar underneath. The scar continued from the top of his eyebrow to his lower eyelid, stopping right above his cheek. It appeared fresh and raw.

"Victor?" His lips whispered someone's name and soon another man appeared behind him. Unlike the composed composure of the first man, he was huffing and puffing as he dragged a wooden ship along with him.

"Where do you think you will go in this?" Victor roared, glaring daggers in the back of the man. "You could have at least taken a proper voyage ship now that you are going to commit suicide in the sea. May as well die gracefully, what do you say, huh?"

The corner of the man's thin lips tilted upwards as his face was adorned with a smirk.

"Don't worry Victor, I won't let anyone see you dying ungracefully. I will make sure to feed your corpse to the fishes on my way back." He turned around and walked towards the ship.

"Wait? Why are you talking about me?" Victor eyed him suspiciously and as the meaning of his words sunk in, he panicked. "I am not going in there at any cost. You can't force me."

The man grasped the ship from its edge. Pulling the ship inside water effortlessly he commented, "We have three days. Three days to capture a Siren and bring her back to the palace."

"Capture a what?!" Victor almost yelled at the man before him.

Ignoring his question, the figure continued, "And you are coming with me. I need a bait for their distraction."