Lansi sat for a long time on the sea anemone. Outside, he couldn't hear a thing.
Eventually, he couldn't hold his breath any longer and inhaled deeply. But since he was at the bottom of the ocean, he only managed to breathe in seawater. The water tasted bitter and salty, flooding his senses like a tidal wave.
Disgusted, Lansi gagged and vomited bubbles. It was the only way to rid himself of the strange taste clinging to his tongue.
There were no giant tentacles outside. Only a circle of coral bones surrounded him. Not even a single fish had wandered in by accident.
Lansi swung his tail and swam clumsily off the anemone.
He was starving. Desperate to eat something, he looked around and realized the seafloor was completely bare. Nothing but white sand stretched beneath him.
Though instinct pushed him to search for food, dread held him frozen in place.
Lansi swam to the coral bones and placed his hands on them, peering through the cracks.
Beyond them, he saw an abyss.
In both fairytales and reality, abysses were places of freezing darkness and the quiet whispers of death.
The ocean's pressure bore down on all marine life, and jagged rocks protruded from the seafloor, littered with the carcasses of creatures long dead. This place felt devoid of soul.
It was far too quiet. Far too empty.
Did that mean the colossal octopus lived somewhere nearby, perhaps in the heart of the ocean?
Lansi's expression darkened with a frown.
After much hesitation, he made a firm decision. He would leave.
Without another thought, he began pulling at the coral bones, hoping to find a flaw in the prison wall.
His sharp mermaid fingernails proved useful. The coral cracked under his touch like brittle biscuits, which boosted his confidence.
But reality was not so simple.
Lansi had lost track of time in the pitch-black depths. He overestimated his stamina and underestimated the cunning of the tentacles.
The more he scratched and clawed, the harder and thicker the coral bones became. Eventually, his hands touched a flawless sheet of white bone. It was smooth and immovable. No matter how hard he tried, it didn't budge. Finding a weakness was a hopeless fantasy.
Was this really the end? Even after all his efforts?
Anger surged in Lansi. He let out a guttural sound and scratched furiously at the wall. His throat produced a sharp, grating noise.
What octopus? What food? He didn't care anymore. He was starving.
Just then, Lansi felt a tug at his tail.
He froze.
He wasn't foolish. He knew exactly what had grabbed him.
What else could it be besides a tentacle?
Acting on impulse, Lansi grabbed a coral bone beside him and clung to it. He wanted to see what the octopus would do if he resisted.
As expected, the tentacle failed to drag him away.
It yanked a few times, but when it couldn't pull him from the prison, it let go and slithered back outside.
Lansi let out a cold, mocking laugh and curled his tail beside him.
He wasn't leaving. Not even if he starved.
Then something tapped lightly on his shoulder.
A chill ran down his spine.
He was suffocating in such a small space. How had the colossal tentacle gotten in?
Turning around, Lansi spotted a slender feeler sneaking up behind him. He didn't know when it had arrived.
He wanted to scream.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the prison. A massive slab of coral bone was wrenched away, revealing a gap. From it, a tentacle slid inside.
Still in shock, Lansi could only stare.
The tentacle swayed from side to side. When it reached him, it moved gently, like it was trying to soothe a disobedient child. Then it pressed lightly against his forehead.
Lansi gripped the coral bone beside him and flicked his tail forward, sensing the steady pressure. A small cry escaped his lips.
The tentacle shifted its focus. Breaking the coral that surrounded him, it nudged him outward despite his frightened gaze.
Lansi choked on his breath, glancing down at the coral bone he had been holding. He had no words.
The tentacles hadn't reacted in anger. Instead, several smaller feelers emerged and began working calmly.
One coiled around Lansi's waist, sliding him gently back into the sea anemone. Another pried the coral bone from his grasp.
Lansi hissed with alarm as the fragments were taken.
The tentacle discarded the bone and quickly turned back to Lansi when it heard him whine, as if trying to console him. In its grip was a fist-sized pearl, which it carefully placed in his arms.
Lansi stared in stunned silence.
The other tentacles worked to repair the hole he had made. They rolled in a boulder from somewhere and blocked the breach.
Sitting in the sea anemone, Lansi watched in silence. He set the pearl aside and slowly swam to the edge of the polyp.
He hissed, raising his head to glare at the tentacles.
The enormous limbs reached upward. Lansi tilted his head, trying to follow them with his eyes, but their source lay far beyond his vision.
He couldn't see who—or what—controlled them. The creature's body was too large, hidden in the darkness above.
Perhaps his confused expression gave something away. The nearest tentacle paused. Then, as if unsure, it gently patted Lansi on the head.
Lansi snapped out of his trance and bolted back into the safety of the anemone, moving so fast he felt like he was flying.
The tentacle did not follow. It hovered above the anemone, seemingly sulking. Its small tip stretched out, trying to reach him, but hesitated, afraid of upsetting him further.
Lansi peeked out from the anemone and swallowed hard.
He had a realization.
The tentacle's owner seemed to be keeping him as a pet.
Even after he had tried to escape, the creature hadn't punished him. It had simply wanted to touch him.
This gesture resembled modern humans trying to bond with a cat.
Above him, the small tentacles trembled visibly. Watching them made Lansi's teeth ache with frustration. He wanted to bite them.
To him, their slow shaking was deliberate. They were teasing him, coaxing him out of hiding.
But should he come out?
His stomach growled again. The hunger made his vision blur.
The orange of the sea anemone's tentacles filled his eyes.
Then, those swaying limbs seemed to transform.
The color faded to a roasted yellow, and a coating of cumin powder appeared. They looked exactly like grilled octopus legs.
Without thinking, Lansi darted out, grabbed a limb, and bit down on its tip. Then he dove back into the anemone, the twitching end still in his mouth.
The tentacle froze.
A faint purple liquid seeped from the torn tip and dissolved into the water.
Lansi chewed once, but when he realized the tail was still moving, he spat it out in panic.
The severed piece floated out of the anemone.
It continued to twitch, drifting with the current. Lansi couldn't stop staring at it.
The silence in the prison was overwhelming.
Still hidden, Lansi peeked out through the anemone's tendrils.
The tentacle remained frozen, seemingly in shock from the sudden attack. Then, very slowly, it retreated.
A smaller feeler soon returned, picked up the twitching piece, and carried it away.
Only when both tentacles had disappeared did Lansi dare to emerge. He glanced upward, his nerves frayed.
What he had done might have crossed a line.
In a modern context, it was as if he had bitten the hand that fed him.
Now he was afraid. What if the tentacles returned with vengeance in mind?
They were flexible and swift. If they wanted to hurt him, he had no way to escape.
Frantically, Lansi searched the prison, trying to find another way out.
Then he heard a soft thump above him.
He froze and quickly dove back into the anemone. Peeking out through the tendrils, he saw a massive shape descending.
A tentacle, about a meter long, landed in the prison.
This one had been processed. Its rough outer skin was gone, leaving behind pale, tender flesh.
It lay not far from the anemone.
Lansi stared at it in silence. Then he turned away, flopped onto the anemone, and pretended not to see it.
Was the octopus really that clueless?
He didn't want to eat their tentacle just because he had bitten the last one.