Xie Zhi Lan

## Introduction

Zhi Lan is a merman from the oceans surrounding Xin Feng Empire and is of ethnic Chinese descent. He speaks Mandarin and Aquan and is learning Sulanian and English. He is the only character known to have heterochromia. He is half human and half merfolk.

## History

### **Escape**

As a child Zhi Lan grew up on land with his father, a human. His mother was forced to return to her home under the sea and eventually died, causes unknown.

When the villagers in the village where Zhi Lan lived with his father found out that he is merfolk, his father was stoned to death for having a relationship with a merfolk and bearing bringing a half-breed abomination into the world whereas Zhi Lan managed to escape into the sea. As it was a stormy night, Zhi Lan managed to escape from the villagers who dare not chase after him.

After that episode, Zhi Lan lived for a period of time underwater, but found it difficult to stay long periods under water without resurfacing. As a half-breed, he is unable to control his underwater breathing for long periods of time and needs to resurface for his lungs to take in oxygen. Because of this, Zhi Lan had to sleep on land. He would sleep on islets often barren and cold at night.

While he was on the run, he learnt from passing merfolk that there is a land above the sea reigned by the Queen of the Merfolk and that was the Kingdom of Sulani. Zhi Lan decided to search for this Kingdom.

Zhi Lan swam tirelessly for days and nights, stopping only for brief periods for food and short rests. Finally, he arrived at Sulani's shores and lost consciousness due to exhaustion. An islander found him washed ashore unconscious and brought him back to his home.

When Zhi Lan woke up, the islander gave him food and water and helped him recover. During this time, the islander became friends with Zhi Lan. After a few days of rest, the islander helped Zhi Lan build his own wooden hut by the shore. Zhi Lan thus lived on his own, although the Islander would often visit him bringing food cooked by his wife. For a period of time, all was peaceful and Zhi Lan adjusted to his new life in Sulani.

### **Unexpected Capture**

One stormy night, Zhi Lan was out fishing at sea when he saw a ship that was battling the storms. A number of its crew had fallen off the ship. Without much of a second thought, Zhi Lan rushed into the waves to save those sailors. As he was saving the sailors, those on board caught sight of his fins. It was not uncommon for sailors to believe in tales of merfolk and also sought them out when at sea. Thus, the sailors pulled Zhi Lan ashore, and captured him.

As Zhi Lan had not expected them to actually pull him up, it was all too sudden for Zhi Lan when he ended up on the deck, surrounded by the stares of the sailors, some in shocked, others wary. For a moment, time seemed to come to a standstill and Zhi Lan was befuddled by the bright lights and rather hostile yet curious glances. The sailors stared Zhi Lan up and down and paused at his tail before looking up at his face again.

Zhi Lan looked across at his surroundings, and found route in which he could escape. He thought to shift into his human form to run through the two men gawking at him. But just as he was about to shapeshift, a sharp object pierced into his peduncle, the tip of his tail where his flukes meet. The pain scorched up his entire being from the tip of Zhi Lan's tail to his back and he groaned in pain. He stared at the metal crowbar that was sticking out of his tail and then to the person standing in front of him. The man, addressed by the sailors as Captain Grant, had a sinister looking smirk on his face, and a greedy gleam in his eyes as he stared down at Zhi Lan.

Because Zhi Lan was injured, he couldn't shift back into his human form and was forced to endure the injury in his peduncle. Zhi Lan was dragged away by five sailors and locked under the deck. Because Zhi Lan was locked in a dry cell, he started dehydrating and his scales started itching. Seeing that his scales were losing its luster, the man who was saved by Zhi Lan poured a bucket of water over his tail in an attempt to relieve him. Seeing that Zhi Lan was felt more comfortable after contact with water, he got a bucket of water and placed it next to Zhi Lan and told him to use it when he feels uncomfortable. Zhi Lan thanked him for his small gesture of kindness.

In the master's chambers, Captain Grant was speaking to a mysterious man about an auction. The next day, when the ship arrived at the Kingdom of Del Sol, Zhi Lan was sold to that mysterious man. The man was dressed in a tailcoat, his face covered behind a mask and wore a top hat. After dropping off a briefcase of money in front of Captain Grant, the mysterious man ordered his two assistants to secure Zhi Lan. Chains were cuffed around Zhi Lan's neck and peduncle and he was placed into a large human sized hexagonal container filled with water. Zhi Lan was transported to an underground auction and displayed in the hexagonal jar.

At the underground auction venue in Del Sol, Zhi Lan was placed at the back of the stage waiting to be presented to the bidders. The auctioneer introduced him as "The rarest, most prized lot of all the auctions in the world, a spectacle you will never see, not once in your lifetime if not for this auction, a merman". As Zhi Lan was brought out into the spotlight, surprised sounds of 'ohhh' and 'ahhh' spread over the room. Some patrons stared intently at Zhi Lan, eyes as wide as doll eyes, mouths hanging widely open, as if they might drool any moment now.

Zhi Lan was an immensely beautiful merman. His skin on his chest and back glistened with rose gold coloured glyphs that glowed and glimmered as if they were moving. The strong and lean torso led to a slim, tight waist and down to the bewitchingly smooth curvature of his tail. The scales on his tail shimmered with a glistening sea green whose colour deepened and richened as it reached the tip of his tail. The gradient on his tail brightened to the tips of his flukes. Zhi Lan's facial features were equally mesmerizing; his eyes were like that of no other, one blue and one red, and his hair a vivid navy blue, which flowed like the smoothest most lustrous silk over his shoulders, and in the water.

The awestruck stares, curious glances, faces hidden behind black eye basks and the cacophony of whispers building up across the room, all of it was focused on Zhi Lan.

But instead of feeling as though he was a star on a stage, for the second time in his life, fear shook Zhi Lan's entire being. Fear of what the one who bought him would do to him. Would he cut off his fins? pluck his scales? torture? would he keep him in a large fish tank at his home? Will he ever be free?

The voices quietened as the auctioneer hammered his gavel, indicating that the bidding was about to commence. The bid started at $100 million. Zhi Lan's eyes shot open and hissed at the crowd, glyphs glowing in anger. Zhi Lan clawed at the glass of the tank he was in and hit them vigorously with his fists, even trying to crack them by the force of his tail. But when he tried to slap his tail forward, the chains around his peduncle forced his tail back causing a sharp agonizing pain to shoot up his spine. Zhi Lan's previous injury caused by Captain Grant had not healed and instead, was made worse by the recoil force of the chains hanging heavily around it. It was of no use. Zhi Lan could do nothing as the bid continued without regard for his protests.

The bid ended at $1 billion. By the time the bid ended, Zhi Lan had exhausted his strength hammering the tank. The man in the black mask who had won the bid walked over with his partner. All Zhi Lan could see was that both their hair were reddish brown in colour as the lighting in the auction house cast shadows over their eyes. They were both dressed in black like all the other bidders in the room. Zhi Lan's eyes were filled with anguish, begging them to have mercy. The woman reached out and pressed her palm to the glass of his tank, her palm would have touched his if not for the glass between them. It must have been a false illusion of comfort brought forth by overwhelming abandon, the false calm where one has truly given up and ready to accept whatever fate has decided, but Zhi Lan felt a warmth that whispered that he would be alright.

Zhi Lan's eyelids felt heavy, and his breathing slowed into a steady rhythm as he fell into a deep sleep. (This was caused by Genevieve's mer-powers - unbeknownst to Zhi Lan, his winning bidders were Rhysand and Genevieve who had heard of a merfolk being auctioned at the underground auction in Del Sol. They had come to rescue the merfolk at whatever financial cost.)

### **Meeting Genevieve**

When Zhi Lan woke up, he found himself staring at the ceiling of a dimply lit room; a faint glow came from the candle by his bedside. Zhi Lan stared at the flickering candle flame lost in thought. Memories of last night floated into his mind: the crowd, the stares, the auctioneer's voice calling for more bids, the sound of the gavel finally hitting the podium as the announcement *Sold! To the Gentleman at seat 82, $1 billion! Congratulations Sir* *on your rare purchase.* Zhi Lan tried to recall other details about his purchasers, but the last he remembered was that man's female companion pressing her pal, against his from beyond the glass. *Who is she?*

Zhi Lan thought of running away, and whipped the blanket off himself. He jumped off the bed and headed for the large glass windows that were half open. The curtains fluttered in the night breeze which filled the room with a familiar scent of the sea. Zhi Lan stared out the window, feeling that the situation he was in was rather odd. The scenery outside the window was too familiar, the sea and the waves that brush against the shore, the bright moon shining reflected on the surface of the water, familiar coconut trees whose leaves swayed in the gentle wind. He looked further, spotting wooden houses standing on stilts, their roofs covered in thatch palm leaves. The world outside looked like an island in Sulani, he thought.

Zhi Lan was bewildered, thinking he must have gone mad, must have been hallucinating. It didn't make sense for him to be back in Sulani, especially after being captured and brought to that foreign city state and sold in that underground auction. Why would he be brought back to Sulani? Wasn't this country a sanctuary that the Mer-Queen built for merfolk to live peacefully on land? Why would there have been someone from this country participating in an illegal auction, that supported the kidnapping, trafficking and selling of merfolk? Zhi Lan's thoughts went wild. He considered that he must have either been mislead or that there was no such place as a sanctuary for merfolk other than beneath the ocean in the first place. But that thought did not make sense as the merfolk who told him about Sulani seemed to have wholeheartedly believed it themselves. And it wasn't logical that merfolk would deliberately mislead one of their kind to a place teeming with dangerous humans like that.

But then, no country is perfect, Zhi Lan thought. Every country would have good and bad people, the rich and poor, and it was impossible for there to not have been illegal activities going on and criminals in Sulani either. Zhi Lan let out a sigh and a soft hmph thinking himself to have been too naïve all this while. Zhi Lan lifted a hand and covered his face in his palm before looking out at the bright moon in the sky. He wondered what his life would be from now on. He recalled how the villagers in his hometown treated him with hostility when they found out he was merfolk, how they had pointed their swords and knives at him, the angry faces and curses that came out of their mouths, calling him a monster. Zhi Lan then thought to the gasps and whispers of the patrons at the auction, the curiosity which hid a kind of vicious gleam in those foreign eyes, and lips that spoke foreign words he couldn't understand. It was one thing to understand that people abhorred you and thought you a monster, it is easy to know that the worst they would do to you is to slaughter you. But it was another thing altogether when people stared at you with curious eyes, their lips curved into smiles that were more sinister than friendly, and the words they spoke told of unknown things they would do to you. It was terrifying not knowing what would happen to you. Would they kill me?, you'd think. Would they torture me?, your mind would start to imagine, yet not being able to come up with any definite imagery.

They probably wouldn't kill me, not yet at least. Even Zhi Lan who didn't know what they were shouting could tell from the raise of hands, one after another, that he was being sold to the highest bidder. In every country there would be auctions of this kind, where people bid their money for an item on display, and the person willing to pay the most would eventually get the item. Even in his hometown village this concept was not unknown. Some travelling merchants would auction their odd and interesting items of jewelry, trinkets, household items, or other things at the center of the market square. Villagers wouldn't bid too much of course, but it was a good chance for villagers to get things cheaply if no one else wanted those items.

Zhi Lan stood still, his eyes focused but staring into nothingness. The door to his room opened and light from the outside poured in, but even that did not startle Zhi Lan as he was too deep in thought. A woman with long reddish brown hair and a slender silhouette walked in with a tray of cookies and milk. She saw that Zhi Lan was standing at the window and had not noticed her presence at all and called out to him. She didn't know his name, so she just said in Aquan - the native language of the merfolk, "Hello, brother, how are you feeling?". Zhi Lan did not hear her, and so he did not react. She called him a few times without response, and then decided to tap him on the shoulder instead.

Zhi Lan startled from her touch and whipped himself around, his back turned to the window. He came face to face with the woman, who was barely half a head shorter than he was, quite as startled as he was. She hadn't expected him to turn around so abruptly as she had assumed he was deliberately ignoring her at first. For that brief moment of silence after he turned around, Zhi Lan's eyes couldn't leave her face. He stared wide-eyed at the woman in front of him. *She has very gentle eyes,* he thought. The woman was looking into his eyes too, his blue and red eyes, that were so different yet were not at odds.

Finally, the woman broke the silence by clearing her throat and saying in mermadic tongue and a light cheerful tone, "Hi, I'm Genevieve, what is your name?" Zhi Lan didn't know how to answer. *Was that Aquan she just spoke?*, he thought, puzzled. Genevieve looked at him curiously, head tilted a little as if pondering something. She asked again, "Do you not understand our native speak?". Zhi Lan asked in Aquan, "You speak the our language?" almost at the same time. Genevieve giggled at their coincidence and said, "Yes, I do. I am just like you". Zhi Lan felt his legs go soft and fell to the ground. He was so confused.

Genevieve dropped to her knees as well, to help him up. "Are you alright?" she asked him worriedly, extending her hands to place them on Zhi Lan's shoulders. Zhi Lan looked at her and said "What's going on?". Genevieve told him not to worry and helped him up. She led him back to the bed and tucked him in a sitting position and sat on the bedside facing him. She told him that she had gotten information that a merfolk was being sold at an auction in the Kingdom of Del Sol, and went there to rescue him. Genevieve told Zhi Lan that he was safe now. She then asked him for his name again. When she heard his name, Zhi Lan, Genevieve guessed that he was of Chinese descent and asked him if he was from Xin Feng. Zhi Lan nodded his head.

Because Xin Feng was a country known to have quite a thriving black market, she worried for a moment that other merfolk must have been trafficked there. Genevieve asked Zhi Lan if there were any other merfolk being sold in Xin Feng to which he answered "none". Genevieve made it a mental note to investigate, not because she did not believe him, but just to make sure. Genevieve gave him the milk and biscuits, and taught him how to dunk the chocolate chip cookies in the milk, saying that it makes it softer and more homey to eat. Zhi Lan thanked her and asked her where he was. Genevieve explained that he was at the Merfolk palace, to which Zhi Lan was shocked. He could not believe it and instantly thought that he must have been deceived. There was no way he would be in the Palace of all places, even if he was rescued, what were the chances that he was at the very home of the Mer-Queen. His glyphs stirred due to his erratic emotions and he backed away from Genevieve.

Genevieve understood Zhi Lan's shocked expression at once, and that he must have thought it too good to be true that he was saved by the royal family themselves. She reached out to him to calm him down, and explain to Zhi Lan that it was the Merfolk Queen who had gotten the information and sent her to save him. Genevieve realized that to merfolk who lived far from their home, many have never seen the Queen, let alone think themselves significant enough for her to exercise direct authority on their behalf. Genevieve rushed to calm Zhi Lan down, but anything she said, such as that she is the mer-princess, only made him more wary. Zhi Lan's reaction was to run toward the window and despite the height, he jumped out. Genevieve chased him and seeing that he was running even after jumping out, knew that she would not be able to catch up to him if she took the main door. So, she too jumped out the window in pursuit. Seeing a man jump out of the window running, the palace guards (who were also merfolk), chased after Zhi Lan.

Genevieve who trailed behind the guards shouted at them to cease their pursuit, and leave it to her. The guards, shocked that their princess was also running after the man, still stopped in their tracks and obeyed. Genevieve chased Zhi Lan all the way to the edge of the island. Zhi Lan waded in the water, removing his clothes in a hurry and shifted into his tail-form to swim away. Genevieve let out a grunt that she had to remove her clothing but followed suit to chase after Zhi Lan. She shouted at him to wait, but he was not listening.

As Genevieve started swimming, she noticed that it was a lot easier to catch up to Zhi Lan. Genevieve thought it quite odd that Zhi Lan swam at a speed much slower than the average merfolk. *Did he have an injury we failed to notice?,* she thought. Although Zhi Lan did not have the speed of a merfolk of royal blood, his swim speed should have been at least twice as fast as the speed he was swimming at. Genevieve made a mental note to check him for injuries again when they get back. She caught up to him in no time and wrapped her arms around his waist so as to stop him from swimming any further.

Zhi Lan struggled against her, trying to release himself from her hold but before long, his lungs started to give way. Zhi Lan felt that he couldn't breathe and was frantically gasping for air. He started swimming upwards instead of forwards, his hands grasping for the surface, his tail fighting to propel him up. Zhi Lan's glyphs stirred erratically, a sign that he was panicking. But Genevieve thought that Zhi Lan was still struggling to get out of her reach and continued to hang on to him, her tail beating in the opposite direction to pull them downwards. Their tussle held them at the same spot.

However, it didn't take long for Genevieve to realize that Zhi Lan's behavior resembled that of a man who was drowning. Zhi Lan's eyes were distraught, his arms flailing as though he was trying to pull himself up, and his mouth opened and closed as if he was choking on water. Genevieve immediately swam toward the surface and they broke through the surface of the water in no time. At that moment, Zhi Lan gasped for air, coughing and choking the sea water. He clung to Genevieve as though his life depended on it.

Genevieve looked at Zhi Lan and touched his cold face, reassuring him, "See? there is nothing to worry about, I am merfolk too, right?" Genevieve beat her tail softly to keep them afloat, her tail occasionally brushing against Zhi Lan's because of how close they were. Zhi Lan's eyes were still unfocused and panicked. Genevieve rubbed his cheeks with her thumb and gently caressed him from his ear down to his neck, trying to calm Zhi Lan down. "It's alright now, you're alright now" she said, "believe me". Genevieve looked at him with eyes that concerning eyes, imploring him to trust her.

As Zhi Lan's breathing became slowed into a regular, steady rhythm, and his stirring glyphs dimmed, he caught sight of a crown made of seashells on Genevieve's head. Without much thought, for propriety or otherwise, Zhi Lan instinctively reached out to touch it. At that moment Genevieve was deep in thought, *Didn't he swim for quite a long distance underwater earlier? Why did he suddenly need to resurface? We (merfolk) can breathe underwater without having to resurface for air at all.* She found it very strange that Zhi Lan swam slower and couldn't breathe underwater for long, yet, on the outside, he looked every bit a merfolk.

Feeling something touch her crown, Genevieve looked up to see Zhi Lan's hands reached out toward her, his eyes dazed and still a uncertain. Genevieve smiled as she explained, "The crown comes from the sea. It is a sign that the oceans recognize me as their princess. When I transform, the currents bring forth these shells and forms them as a crown". Zhi Lan pondered at that thought. He himself did not know what he was doing, from when he jumped from the window earlier, to right now, all of his actions were instinctive and without reason. When he felt cheated, the fear spread through him like wildfire and he ran, and now when he was calm, his curiosity made him act too familiarly. Genevieve continued, "I don't know how else to convince you, but when you're feeling better, the Queen would like to meet you."

Zhi Lan repeated, "meet me?", a confused look appeared on his face. For what reason would a lowly half-breed like him deserve an audience with the Queen herself?, he thought. Zhi Lan had been grateful that he could live in Sulani, where people were nice and helpful and although some of the people were not merfolk and had not seen the merfolk before, they believed merfolk were mystical protectors of the sea, and were celebrated as Gods. He had not expected to even meet the Queen.

There was a sort of comfort in the calm of the moment, the waves rocking the both of them, their tails beating gently, brushing against each other, the wind was cold but a gentle warmth was shared between the two of them. Neither of them noticed that they had been holding each other as if inseparable. They swam back to shore together.

When they ran into the sea naked, the waves had carried their clothes under. Zhi Lan realized that his clothes were no where to be seen on the shore, and thought that it would be awkward to walk naked in front of Genevieve. However, he waited for her to speak. Genevieve gave a hand a gentle wave and the waves brought their clothes to them. Zhi Lan was rather speechless, he didn't know merfolk could do this. Seeing his look of disbelief, Genevieve explained that as the Princess of the Ocean, the waves abide by her commands, which enables her to summon the waves as and when she needs, but she must be near a body of water.

Genevieve also said that regular merfolk can request the oceans for assistance as the oceans are protectors of merfolk, and will render assistance when it can. So simple things like keeping their clothes for them, or looking for lost things, the Ocean will be happy to help. Zhi Lan took in Genevieve's explanation in awe, but scooped up a small body of water into his palm as a sad smile formed on his lips. *But, a half-breed like me, perhaps I am undeserving,* he thought, as if he was speaking to the ocean in his hand. He thought to that night he was caught by the crew, and wondered if the oceans could have saved him from the humans.

### **Back in the Palace**

After changing into their clothes and shifting into human form, they walked back to the Palace side by side, but no longer holding each other. Walking up to the Palace front gates and looking at the Palace from the outside cleared all of Zhi Lan's doubts. The Corallium Palace loomed above, with crystals, seashells and corals surrounding and decorating its exterior. The Palace guards stood at attention and bowed their heads when Genevieve walked toward them, greeting "Your Highness". The moment they entered, they were greeted by Kaia and Rhysand, who had heard that the rescued merman had run out and Genevieve had gone to chase. They both stood from their seats as the maidservants routinely passed Genevieve a towel to dry herself. A maidservant handed a towel to Zhi Lan, who was almost shivering from the cold, as well.

Kaia asked, "Gene, are you alright?" to which Genevieve replied that she was okay, and that she managed to bring 'him' back. Rhysand looked Zhi Lan whose face was down-casted, a little nervous and his body dripping with water. He said to the rest, "I'll take him up to rest". But Genevieve said "No, Rhysand, let me. He is a little unstable right now." Rhysand understood what she meant, but still asked "you're wet all over, you sure?" Genevieve nodded, and asked Kaia to call for the doctor as she suspected Zhi Lan to have an internal injury. Kaia waived a steward over and asked him to call for the doctor.

Genevieve turned back to Zhi Lan, her palm on his shoulder as she said, "Hey, let's get you a change of clothes shall we?". Zhi Lan looked at her and nodded, then followed Genevieve up the stairs. Kaia asked Rhysand, "did you notice anything different about him?". Rhysand replied, "the glyphs on his skin, and the colour in his eyes, do you know anything of it?" Kaia told Rhysand that he had heard of a rumor that only the half-merfolk-half-human children of a union between merfolk and human have different coloured pupils. "What about those glyphs? They were glowing at the auction", Rhysand asked to which Kaia said "I'm don't know".

When Genevieve and Zhi Lan reached the door of Zhi Lan's room, he said to Genevieve as she was about to open the door, "I'll be okay here, you wet all over too, you should get changed first". Genevieve turned back to Zhi Lan and agreed, saying "promise me you won't run out?", followed by a gentle laugh. Zhi Lan nodded.

After Genevieve changed into a set of dry clothes, she went to Zhi Lan's room. The doctor she had Kaia send for was waiting outside. Genevieve nodded to him, asking him to wait outside for a moment before she calls him in. Zhi Lan who was seated on the bed, lifted his head when Genevieve entered, locking eyes with hers. Genevieve smiled and told him that she would like the doctor to do a check on him to make sure he doesn't have any undiscovered injuries. Zhi Lan nodded in acquiescence.

After the check up, the doctor informed that there was nothing wrong with Zhi Lan, even the injury he got from Captain Grant on his peduncle was completely healed. The doctor however gave Genevieve a glance, signaling that he had more to say. Genevieve motioned for him to wait at her office. Genevieve sad next to Zhi Lan and asked him to rest. Zhi Lan thus lay in bed and not long afterwards he fell asleep.

Genevieve then went to meet the doctor. Kaia and Rhysand were already waiting at Genevieve's office. The doctor was Dr. Merrick, an experienced an highly skillful merfolk doctor. Dr Merrick informed them that Zhi Lan's anatomy was slightly different from a regular merfolk's. That although his outward stature and build resembled that of a regular human (in human form) or merfolk (in merfolk form), his lungs were smaller than a regular merfolk's and more similar in size with a human's. Also, his tail muscles are not as strong as that of Merfolk's. Hearing this, Genevieve also told them that Zhi Lan swam a lot slower than regular merfolk, and could not hold his breath underwater for too long as he had started drowning halfway through the chase.

Dr. Merrick then brought up Zhi Lan's heterochromia, and said that there was a rumor that half-breed human-merfolk were born with dual coloured eyes as a genetic disorder. His hypothesis was that Zhi Lan might be a half-breed, which could be the reason for his lesser abilities. And because of his breathing disability, Zhi Lan must have had lived on land all his life, and thus his tail would not be as used to facing the strong currents of the ocean or long distance swimming, resulting his weaker muscles. However, Dr. Merrick said that because he had never seen such a case before, and that half-breeds were unheard of in the mer-kingdom, he could not be sure.

The reality was that there had been no known cases of half-breeds in the mer-kingdom precisely because firstly, merfolk rarely ever appear before humans let alone fall in love with them. This was fueled by merfolk memories of the war humans waged against the merfolk centuries ago, which was passed down to every merfolk. The second reason was that none of the half-breeds could ever make it so deep into the ocean and therefore lived on land all their lives, if they even lived. Merfolk-human half-breeds were fraught with disabilities, most of them dying from childbirth, others killed to end their suffering when they were born with tails that could never shift into human legs yet their lungs could not survive under water, or where their bodies were covered in scales that wouldn't disappear but they had human legs and no tail. Considering this, Zhi Lan who was born with a perfectly normal human appearance, and has the ability to shift into his merform completely could be said a miracle. However, all half-breeds shared the same trait when it comes to their eyes in that they were all born with heterochromia.

### **Living in Corallium Palace**

During Zhi Lan's stay at the Corallium Palace, he got to know all of Genevieve's four brothers: Kaia, Skylar, Rhysand and Gale. He also met the Prince Consort, Lucian and Merfolk Queen Xenia. Zhi Lan occasionally had his meals with the royal family and spent most of his time with Genevieve. The Princess had insisted on teaching Zhi Lan as he was had mostly lived on land in Xin Feng, and had limited knowledge of the world beyond his village. As Zhi Lan had only lived in Sulani for a brief period of time before he was caught, he only understands simple Sulanian language sufficient for short conversations. He knew neither to write or read the Sulanian and was ignorant of the history and culture of Sulani.

Thus, Genevieve taught him the language first, and afterwards had him join her and the Princes for classes. As Kaia was often busy with his own official affairs as Crown Prince, and Skylar was often busy, Zhi Lan interacted with Rhysand and Gale more. However, Genevieve who was his mentor and closest friend interacted with him the most. Genevieve explained to him that Sulani is the land above Atlantis, the merfolk kingdom and that these lands were ruled by the Merfolk Queen. And that the Merfolk Queen divides her time between the land and the sea. The Princes were her representatives where the Queen herself cannot be present.

Over time, Zhi Lan realized his feelings of love toward Genevieve. He adored her completely, and would go starry eyed whenever he sees her or hears her voice. His heart beats a little faster, and time seems to pause for that little moment when he touches her. When he first got to know her, and because he has never been close to a mermaid so beautiful before, Zhi Lan often ended up lost in Genevieve's beauty that he would instinctively reach out to stroke her hair or her face. But after learning proper etiquette observing other's behaviors, he became more conscious of his actions and stopped himself from doing so. Zhi Lan's most treasured memory of Genevieve is when she fell asleep on his shoulder after they were watched the turtles leave their nest for the sea. At that time, Zhi Lan gave Genevieve a kiss on her temple.

Although Zhi Lan has strong feelings for Genevieve, even he understands that him being a half-breed, that is shunned by both humans and merfolk alike, is unworthy to stand by her side. Zhi Lan thought about being with Genevieve, but every time he did, he would come to the conclusion that his presence beside Genevieve only makes her a laughing stock. Furthermore, how can he dare to be so confident to think that Genevieve would even fancy him. Also, he is aware that Genevieve was a much stronger, faster swimmer, has special merfolk powers due to her royal blood, and might of course choose to live in Atlantis one day. Zhi Lan feels that he pales in comparison at any angle to any other potential suitor that she might have, and if he cannot protect her then what right did he have to compete to be by her side as her man. Zhi Lan thus decided he would keep his feelings to himself, love her from afar, and do his best to protect her in any way he can, even if it meant sacrificing his own life, but he would never ask for anything in return. She had already given him so much - this life she saved, her friendship, and all that he has now. He could never ask her to settle for less, for him.

Some days, Genevieve would make him swim with her in the ocean, often further away than that which he would swim in one go. This was to build up Zhi Lan's tail muscles to travel longer distances and at higher speed. The only thing that was difficult to achieve was his underwater breathing. In the span of a few months, Zhi Lan had become a lot stronger than he used to be.

### **Zhi Lan decides to leave the Palace**

After living at the palace for almost a year, Queen Xenia called for Zhi Lan to meet her in private. Queen Xenia asked Zhi Lan what he planned to do in the future, to which he replied that his life was bought by the Queen and it is for her to command. Queen Xenia let out an amused laugh and told Zhi Lan that his life is his and his alone and that he was free to do what he wanted. Zhi Lan then apologized for free-loading at the Palace, and that he was not worthy and would serve the royal family with all he has. Queen Xenia smiled again, calling him a silly child, and told Zhi Lan that as the mother of all merfolk, her home (the Palace) is open to all merfolk who are in need or have nowhere to go. Queen Xenia then tells Zhi Lan to think about what he wants, and that he should pursue it.

Zhi Lan thought about it for a few days, often lost in thought as he sat by the window. Genevieve would pop by to give him a scare whenever he was in such deep thought. Normally, whenever Genevieve did that, Zhi Lan would always give Genevieve a bright and beautiful smile, but these few days, he hadn't been reacting to her that much as he was preoccupied with thoughts. Genevieve asked Zhi Lan what he was thinking of so deeply, to which he said that he was thinking about the future. Genevieve, with a light tone and giggle, asked "Am I in that future?". Zhi Lan was momentarily startled by her question and looked at Genevieve in silence. He hadn't thought that she would ask. After a pause, he said "of course, my Princess". Genevieve thought this form of address was rather intimate, which made her heart beat faster, and she blushed. Genevieve quickly turned away to face the window, letting the sunlight hide her blushing cheeks with its brilliance.

Two days later, Zhi Lan requested an audience with the Queen. Zhi Lan told Queen Xenia that he wanted to leave the Palace and return to his humble home by the coasts of Lani St. Taz. Lani St. Taz was the island to the left of Mua Pel'am where the royal Palace is situated and also the furthest in terms of distance. Queen Xenia nodded and granted his request. When Genevieve heard of this from Kaia, she immediately ran off looking for Zhi Lan. She found him by the window as usual, looking out at the ocean. Genevieve felt her heart ache at the thought of Zhi Lan leaving.

Genevieve did not attempt to scare him as she usually did, but instead walked up to Zhi Lan slowly and sat in front of him. "Hey, Zhi Lan?" Zhi Lan turned toward Genevieve, his head cocked up sideways, with a "hmm?" expression on his face. Because Genevieve ran so fast, her hair was in a mess. Zhi Lan lurched his body forward and willfully brushed the strand of stray hair from Genevieve's forehead and tucked it behind her ear. He was leaving soon after all, let this be the last time he touches her this willfully, he thought to himself. "Were you running?" Zhi Lan asked, his tone light and gentle. Genevieve, who has yet to catch her breath, asked "why are you leaving? why didn't you say anything before? do you not like it here?" three questions shot out in quick succession. Zhi Lan paused for a while before answering the third question first, after all, that was the most important. He said, "Of course I do like it here", *this place holds many of my most treasured memories*. Zhi Lan continued, "but I have a small house in Lani St. Taz, and it's a lot simpler there. I'll go fishing for my meals and sell the rest, I'll earn my own and live simply. I think that kind of life is suited for someone like me. I'm not a Prince, I can't have other merfolk serve me as though I'm one, it isn't fair." Genevieve didn't know how to process what he had just said. She never thought that Zhi Lan would leave as it hadn't occurred to her. Ever since she saved him, it seemed as though the only person he had in this world that abandoned him was her, and that her home, the Palace, was the only place in which he belonged. He dressed well, ate well and slept well, there was time for leisure and time for study, he had learnt a lot these couple of months, and they had been inseparable. Why suddenly?

Genevieve felt hurt. She thought that for all that she had given him, her time, her company, why did he want to leave? Genevieve didn't understand the feelings that swelled up within her chest, the feelings that threatened to burst through the surface. At that moment, she felt like a three year old child whose favorite toy had been snatched away and all she could do as a child was to cry indignantly. The rims of Genevieve's eyes became red, and tears threatened to fall, and so, Genevieve turned around and ran.

She ran, and ran, without a destination in particular. If there was a corner, she'd turn the corner, and if the path divided into lefts and rights, she would run in whichever direction her legs took her. Zhi Lan himself was bewildered by Genevieve's expression. That brief moment of Genevieve's smile that radiated in the sunlight was still in his mind, but the face he looked at seemed to want to cry. Zhi Lan chased after Genevieve, calling her to stop, "Wait, Genie, wait!" They ran past Rhysand, who was caught off-guard when Genevieve ran past and couldn't stop her in time, but when he saw Zhi Lan running after Genevieve, he pulled Zhi Lan to a stop and asked "what's going on?". Zhi Lan's expression was one of worry, and he answered that he wasn't sure, telling Rhysand of their conversation earlier. Rhysand looked at Zhi Lan shocked, and asked "you're leaving?". Zhi Lan said "I'm sorry, I have to go" and left. What he meant was that he had to go chase Genevieve.

Rhysand wanted to chase after them, not knowing what was wrong, but Skylar pulled him back saying, "Didn't you hear? Zhi Lan is leaving the Palace". Rhysand replied that he was aware but his expression was still one of confusion. Skylar thus explained, "Gene loves him". Rhysand's eyes widened, at a loss for words. Skylar teased him, "Come on, it was pretty obvious, the way she looked at him is the same as how big brother looks when he is thinking of that girl he always talks about." Rhysand's shock over his younger sister's romantic feelings for Zhi Lan was tided over by his concern for Kaia. He didn't know what to say now that Kaia was brought up. But just as he was about to say something, Kaia came out of the music room, meeting the two of them standing in silence in the hallway. Kaia looked at them with raised eyebrows and asked "Is there a meeting of some sort? Why does the air feel so tense?". Skylar tried to sweep the matter under the rug, and said in a cheerful tone, "Oh, nothing really" and shifted the conversation to something else, leading Kaia away.

### **Genevieve confesses to Zhi Lan**

Zhi Lan finally caught up to Genevieve at the edge of the shore. Genevieve stood silently, her tears had already dried. Zhi Lan asked "Genie, are you alright?". No answer. Genevieve looked at her feet, and at the waves that washed against them. Zhi Lan walked up behind Genevieve and put a palm on her shoulder, pleading "Genie, please, talk to me?. Zhi Lan sounded a little unsure at the end. He said, "I didn't tell you because I didn't know how to tell you earlier. I thought once I'd gotten everything settled then I'd talk to you about it." Genevieve turned around and asked, voice quivering, "What do you mean after you've settled it? Why don't you know how to tell me? Haven't we always been close?" Her eyes were still a little wet, and her nose puffy. Genevieve actually didn't have much of a reason to get upset, Zhi Lan just hadn't told her yet, that's all. It's not as if he had to run every thought or decision though her before he made up his mind. Genevieve's reaction was because of her own feelings toward Zhi Lan. She loves him and didn't want him to leave. She loves him and wanted to be the one he confided in, and depended on. Genevieve felt at a loss. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment.

When she opened them, she asked, "When will you leave? Where will you go?". Zhi Lan said, "Not far, I'll be in the island next door", trying to lighten up the mood with a little joke and when Genevieve didn't respond, he added, "three days from now". Genevieve's eyes widened for a second before she lowered her lashes, saying almost to her self, "that's so soon". Zhi Lan took her hands in his and said, "Hey, we'll still see each other. You can go over to visit and I'll come over too sometimes. I'm not moving anywhere far, right?" Genevieve replied, "you are". Zhi Lan didn't know if she meant *yes, you are moving far*, or *yes, you are right.* He looked at her, a little helpless expression on his face. He didn't know what to say, but he heard his own heart whisper, *I love you, Genevieve.*

Genevieve perked up, deciding not to act like a kid who was throwing her tantrums. She said in a cheery tone, "well, then let's spend the three days having some fun!".

On the night before Zhi Lan's departure, Genevieve and Zhi Lan were sitting back to back by the shore. Genevieve leaned on Zhi Lan's back and stared up at the night sky that was full of stars. She asked, "Zhi Lan, what do you plan to do when you go home?" to which Zhi lan said that he wants to make a living for himself, make some friends, explore the world. Genevieve tells him to take care, and to be careful so that he won't get caught again. Zhi lan lets out a 'mhm' in acknowledgment. Genevieve says she will miss him and Zhi Lan asks, teasingly, what she would miss about him? Genevieve then answered, "your eyes, they're the most beautiful pair of eyes I've ever seen." Zhi Lan was surprised at Genevieve's answer as he had always thought his eyes were strange and ugly. Before his fellow villagers found out his was a merfolk, they would call his eyes odd, strange, or a result of a disease. After they found out he was a merfolk, they all whispered, "no wonder he had those eyes, the eyes of a monster". The merfolk he had met on the way to Sulani were more friendly, but they too thought it odd and interesting that he had different coloured irises. None had told him they were beautiful.

Zhi Lan didn't know what to say and stayed silent. Genevieve then turned around and embraced him from the back. Zhi Lan stiffened at the sudden embrace. Genevieve said to him, "Zhi Lan, you have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. I think I'm in love with you." Zhi Lan couldn't see Genevieve's face right now, as it is buried in his back, but a light blush formed on her cheeks, but she had a forlorn expression from the thought that Zhi Lan would be leaving soon. Her heart felt happy to have confessed, yet afraid of his answer, and sad for what was to come. It would be a lie to say that she didn't hope her confession would change Zhi Lan's mind at the last moment and stop him from leaving. But she was also afraid that he didn't reciprocate her feelings.

A moment of silence passed between the two, one expectantly waiting for an answer, the other sitting shell-shocked at having received something so precious he was afraid anything he did would risk breaking it. Zhi Lan turned his head, his voice soft and gentle as he said her name, "Genevieve". And after a breath, he continued, "Is it alright for me to look at you right now?". Genevieve looked up and loosened her hold, allowing Zhi Lan to turn back toward her. Zhi Lan lifted his hand and placed it on Genevieve's cheek, not knowing what to say as he stared into those beautiful reddish brown eyes of hers. He wanted so badly to tell her how happy he was that she felt the same way toward him as he felt toward her, but he knew he was still hiding from her his true identity. He was afraid that if she found out that he was a half-breed, she would come to despise him. But Genevieve deserved to know. What she decided after she knew was entirely up to her.

### **Revelation**

Zhi Lan smiled at Genevieve, a small, shy smile that seemed to hide a little bit of pain. He said, "My Princess, before I give you my answer, I have something to tell you. It might not be... something good, but will you be willing to listen till the end?". Genevieve felt a little confused by what Zhi Lan said, but nodded. Zhi Lan then ushered Genevieve to sit beside him as they looked out at the stars. Zhi Lan told Genevieve of the days he spent with his mother and father in the Village in Xin Feng, and that for a long time they were happy. Although the village children looked at him funny because of his different coloured eyes, they didn't treat him too badly because his father was quite a well regarded man in the village. Then one night, Zhi Lan's mother left. Zhi lan didn't know why, but every day for as long as he could remember, he waited for her by the seashore. Somehow it felt as though the waves were telling him that that was where his mother went. But she never came back.

When he was thirteen, Zhi Lan had his first transformation. He woke up one night feeling dehydrated, itchy all over his body, and an unknown force pulling him toward the sea. When Zhi Lan got into the water, his legs changed into a tail he felt the need to dive deeper into the sea. When he finally stopped, he realised he could breathe and see underwater. It was dark, and the ocean was an endless blue, yet he could tell where he was going and that he wouldn't get lost. Yet, he felt a slight fear of the unknown. It was exhilarating and intimidating, the ocean.

When Zhi Lan swam back up to the shore, it was still the wee hours of the morning. The dawn was due in 2 hours. As he walked up the shore, he locked eyes with his father who stood at the seaside. Zhi Lan had many questions, but didn't know where to start. His father too had many things to say. That day, Zhi Lan's father told him about his mother, who was a mermaid and of their love story. "That was when I knew that my mother had not abandoned us." Zhi Lan finished. Genevieve asked, "Did you find out what happened to her?". Zhi Lan said, "she's no longer in this world.", his eyes stared emptily at the sand. His mother had died, leaving nothing but her memory behind. Genevieve offered her condolences, saying, "I'm sorry."

Zhi Lan shook his head in silence. He turned to Genevieve and took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb over her palms. Zhi Lan breathed in a long breath before finally saying, "Genie, I'm no good for you. I have nothing to offer in exchange for all you've given me, I still don't know how I can repay you for your kindness, for rescuing me, and teaching me for all these months. When you told me that you're in love with me, I thought I must have been dreaming. It felt so unreal". Genevieve wanted to say something, but Zhi Lan caught her lips in his, and kissed her - a kiss light and gentle yet long and full of desire. When their lips parted, Zhi Lan said solemnly, "Forget about me, Genie, I'm plagued. I know that in this world, half-breeds like me are not meant to be, yet, I've lived till now, I've had the privilege of meeting you, falling in love with you, and now that I know how you feel about me, my heart is full." Genevieve wanted to protest, knowing what he was getting at, "No, Zhi Lan -- " but she was cut off by his finger that touching her lips. Zhi Lan continued, "Genie, my princess, I'm a broken piece of work. I can't live in the ocean with you because I can't breathe underwater for very long. I don't know how long I'll live and I'm afraid I'll have to leave you alone for the rest of your long 500 years of life. All the love I have for you, I wonder if it will ever compare to the love of another triton who can love you for your entire lifetime, for far longer than I possibly could. I, I'm afraid of promising you happiness, yet becoming the reason for your tears. I want you, I want you yet, I know I cannot compare to the others. My blood is tainted, it's impure. Standing beside me will eventually cause you pain and I don't want that. I don't want to be the reason for your suffering." Genevieve listened, her heart breaking into pieces, but she held her tears. Zhi Lan continued, "Forget me, Genevieve. Let this remain as a dream, alright?"

Genevieve's eyes were downcast, she had started to tear while Zhi Lan was speaking and didn't want him to see it. After a moment of silence between them, Genevieve finally spoke, her voice slightly trembling, but still strong and stubborn, "I won't agree to what you've asked. All I know is that you love me too and that's all that matters to me. The uncertainties, the fear, the troubles, we'll face them together. If we face them together, we will find a way. It doesn't matter whether you're half-human, or that you're different, my feelings for you won't change. Don't you know? When we merfolk fall in love, it is for a lifetime. And this lifetime, I've chosen you. I want you Zhi Lan, you're the only one for me.”

Zhi Lan looked into Genevieve's stubbornly courageous eye, a sad smile formed on his face. He said in a quiet, gentle tone which sounded like a cool breeze in the autumn that brought the maple coloured leaves down with it, "I have to go, Genie, it's daybreak", *It's time for me to wake up from this ever sweet dream.* Zhi Lan let go of Genevieve's hands and planted a light kiss on her forehead. He then got up and turned to walk away. Genevieve rushed to pull herself up and wrapped her hands around Zhi Lan's waist, stopping him from leaving. Her voice trembled, "No... Zhi Lan, don't leave". Zhi Lan steeled himself, and pulled her arms apart from him, and walked away. Not sparing Genevieve even a word nor a glance. But deep inside, Zhi Lan's heart bled.

Genevieve stood there in the warm, dazzling rays of the sun, yet everything around her felt cold. She stood there for a long while, until Zhi Lan disappeared from view, and then for a little bit more. Her mind was blank, her heart empty, yet the tears did not cease to fall. When Genevieve came to, the morning sun had begun to rise overhead and she started running. Genevieve ran back to the Palace, and into Zhi Lan's room only to find that the once warm room had turned cold, dark and empty. Memories seemed to drift by in her mind. Zhi Lan had left. He was gone. Genevieve's legs gave way and she broke down at the doorway of that empty room, sobbing like a child. Rhysand stood behind her, his eyes sad and worried. He had seen Zhi Lan coming back earlier to collect his things to leave. Zhi Lan had gone to each of them to bid farewell, and thank you, and had left without much of a commotion. Genevieve had not been around, yet now she wailed harder than she ever did, even as a child.

Rhysand walked over to Genevieve, knelt by her side to put an arm over her shoulder and pulled her into his embrace. He caressed her hair repeatedly to comfort her, whispering "You'll be okay, Genie, You'll be okay" over and over. Rhysand knew that Zhi Lan had to leave. A merfolk of common birth could not live in the palace just like that. There had to be rules. The palace was not a refugee camp. And it was good for Zhi Lan to make a living for himself. Perhaps if they were meant to be, he would come back for Genievieve. Rhysand was certain that his mother the Queen, a big believer in love, would not turn Zhi Lan away. It was just that she could not just hand her daughter to someone who had nothing. Zhi Lan knew this and that was why he chose to leave.

### **Life beyond the Palace**

Zhi Lan left the palace luxury to live in his own wooden house. He made a living from harvesting sea urchins, catching fish and selling them, sometimes finding shells or pearls to sell.

While he did all that, he never saw Genevieve again. It wasn't that they were worlds apart, but they both made the choice not to meet. Zhi Lan decided that before he achieved anything on his own, he would not show his face to Genevieve. Genevieve on the other hand believed that they will meet when fate allows them to. Zhi Lan thought of Genevieve often, and made a necklace for her out of materials he had found in the sea and on land. He silently promised himself that some day, he would definitely be worthy of Genevieve.

Zhi Lan harvests and collects valuable items, and sells them. That is his trade. Hence he travels to distant lands to sell his collections. Zhi Lan also goes to travel the world. He goes back to Xin Feng, his birth country and learns to trade there. He sells his precious pearls and shells that he harvested from the ocean. He slowly builds a business as a jeweler dealing specifically with high quality ocean pearls.

### **The Oracle**

While returning to shore from his day out at sea, Zhi Lan noticed a few villagers who had harvested a large oyster and was hacking at it's shell. He walked up to them to ask what they were doing. The villagers told him that they were retrieving the pearl in the oyster. Zhi Lan thought it odd that the villagers, who were also merfolk were hacking away at the oyster shell to retrieve the pearl inside because whenever he encountered an oyster, it would open up on its own to present the pearl to him. He could also hear the oyster telling him to take their offering. At that moment, Zhi Lan heard the oyster asking for help and that it did not have a pearl in it. Zhi Lan offered to help the villagers open the oyster, telling them that he knew how to open it. When the oyster came to his hand, he asked the oyster to open itself, and it did. When the villagers saw that the oyster had no pearl, they turned away and left. The oyster thanked Zhi Lan. But because the oyster was injured from the hacking and it's shell had cracked, it asked "Great Oracle, may I make a humble request for you to heal me?" Zhi Lan was surprised at the oyster's request. He asked back, "oracle? are you referring to me?". The oyster replied "yes, Great Oracle, it is your grace that has saved me, but I apologize for not being able to present a pearl to you, exalted one". Zhi Lan said modestly, and in disbelief, "I think you might have recognized the wrong person, I am no oracle. I am just a half-breed who's inferior to even the common merfolk." The oyster insisted, "We creatures of the sea would not be wrong, it has been 200 years since the oracle's powers were felt. Pardon my rudeness, but although your powers are weak, they are there. They are awakening slowly." Zhi Lan was still unable to wrap his mind around what the oyster had said, "That's interesting, but I'm not too sure if you're right. I don't really feel much different to be honest". The oyster instead thought of a way to show Zhi Lan that he was telling the truth. He asked, "Will your Grace take me back to the ocean? I come from the depths, but I was washed by a wave pool up to shore on a stormy night". Zhi Lan agreed and took the Oyster back into the ocean.

When Zhi Lan enters the water, and transforms into his merform, his glyphs on his chest start to have a slow shimmer as though the glyphs are coursing around his torso. It glowed a faint golden light. The oyster said, "Your Grace, these on your body are proof of your identity. No other merfolk will have these glyphs. They glow brighter the stronger your power." Zhi Lan subconsciously touched his torso with his free hand, and "mhmm"-ed in acknowledgment. He then asked, "how do you know so much, good sir?" The oyster said, "Your Grace, I don't deserve such salutations, I am but a humble servant of the ocean and your Grace, as the representative of the ocean and it's vast wisdom, I am your servant. I only know this because the ocean carries it's messages across. It tells us who the oracle is so that we can pay tribute to it." Zhi Lan tilted his head up with interest, "representative? I thought the Queen of the Sea, the Mer-Queen is the representative of the oceans?" The Oyster, understanding Zhi Lan's confusion, replied, "The Queen is the descendant of the Gods of the Oceans, Seas, and all bodies of water, God of Rain and Thunder and God of Nature. In her is the power of the Gods, passed down through a millennia. The Oceans recognize the Gods and their heirs as owners of the Oceans. The Royal family owns these oceans, and they take care of it. However, the oracle represents the Oceans herself. The body of water and it's will, is embodied in you. The Oracle serves the Mer-Queen and her heirs, as a representative of the Ocean. This is also in fulfillment of the sacred promise between the Gods of Old and the Unending Ocean."

Zhi Lan felt somewhat relieved hearing this, that his life was meant to serve the Mer-Queen. It gave him great joy to know that fate had intended for his life to be given to Genevieve anyway. He would gladly give his life for the Royal family, as they had saved him from those poachers and had taken him in. Zhi Lan asked, "You said that the ocean carries' its messages across, how come I am unaware of the messages?" The Oyster said, "Your Grace, it is not that you are unaware, but rather you have not come to understand them. You will when time is ripe, your powers are growing everyday. Meeting me today must have been predestined as well." Zhi Lan followed up with a question that had been playing in his mind, "Then, does the Mer-Queen know that I am the Oracle?" The Oyster said, "The Mer-Queen is knowledgeable, and wise. She hears the Ocean's voice even in her sleep. The Ocean tells her many things, but also keeps from her things that are not necessary or immediate. Have you met the Queen?" Zhi Lan nodded. The Oyster continued, "Then from your glyphs she must have known." Zhi Lan then thought for a moment, staying silent. He took the oyster back to its home and said, "Thank you Old Oyster, take care. I'm not sure how I can heal you, but I pray that you will be well soon". Zhi Lan's hand touched the oyster's shell and the glyphs on his torso glowed faintly. The oyster felt a boost of vitality and it's crack disappeared, revealing a smooth shell. Zhi Lan stared at his palm in surprise. The Oyster said, "Many thanks, Great Oracle." Zhi Lan then left.

### **Zhi Lan adopts an orphan**

During one of Zhi Lan's travels in Welig Kreke, Zhi Lan was stopped by a human child who was huddled by the roadside. The child grabbed Zhi Lan's clothes and called him "papa". The child had thought that Zhi Lan must have his father because of his red eye and light blond hair, which was very similar to himself. The child was an albino, who had red eyes and white hair, and extremely pale skin. Zhi Lan thought to himself that the child must have been abandoned because of his appearance. Zhi Lan gave him the bread he had in the bag he had and the child gobbled it up in a matter of seconds. When Zhi Lan was about to leave, the boy stuck to Zhi Lan, following him around. Seeing the other children bully the child made Zhi Lan think back to his own childhood. Zhi Lan decided to take the child in if he really had no where to go. Zhi Lan knelt down in front of the boy and asked, "What is your name?". The boy who looked no more than 5 years old looked up at Zhi Lan and said, "whitey!" in a cute and perky tone. Zhi Lan was taken aback that the child would have such a name, or perhaps it was a derogatory name that other people called him, and he was too young to know that it had negative intonations. Zhi Lan asked, "where do you stay, little kid?". The child called Whitey pointed to an abandoned orphanage at the top of a hill, and said "oma". "Oma" meant grandmother. Zhi Lan held the boy's hand and went to the orphanage. The building was run down and some parts of the roof were missing. There was a room with blankets and old pillows. The place was desolate, but the sheets were clean. Zhi Lan's heart calmed a little, knowing that the children slept in clean sheets at least. Zhi Lan spoke to Oma, who was at the time cooking soup. He asked about the orphanage and found out a few things.

The orphanage was abandoned more than 10 years ago. Two years after that, it became a dumping ground for babies born out of wedlock who were left to die by their parents. It was then that Oma started living with the orphans and raised them. Oma used to live in a rented house opposite the orphanage, and couldn't stand the crying of the babies who were left to die. Hence, Oma decided to take care of the children who were abandoned at the orphanage. To survive, Oma would plant vegetables and sell them at the local market. However, as Oma grew older, it was difficult to do much work, and recently they have been short of money to buy food. Oma feeds the children with the vegetables she harvested, cooked in soup so that it would fill their bellies. Oma also told him that the child in his hands had no name as he had been left at the orphanage to die. Oma had named him "Snow" as he had been left there on a white winter night and had hair and skin as white as snow, but the other children call him "Whitey". Oma told Zhi Lan that Snow was 3 years old this year.

Zhi Lan asked if he could adopt Snow and give him another name, to which Oma sighed a relief as she said, "If you are willing, it would save at least one of them". Zhi Lan didn't need to ask to be able to guess. The orphanage was not going to survive for long. They had no resources and no money and too few donated to the orphanage. After all, it is an abandoned orphanage at the edge of town. Before Zhi Lan left, he gave Oma most of the money he had on him, leaving himself with just enough for his travel back to Sulani.

Zhi Lan thus adopted Snow and named him, "谢宇" (Xie Yu). Zhi Lan calls him Yu-er in the hopes that he grows up well. Although Zhi Lan did not know how to care for children, he just did what he could recall what his dad did when taking care of him. Back then, Zhi Lan's dad singlehandedly raised Zhi Lan too. *It's not too difficult, I think*. Zhi Lan thought to himself. But life takes various turns and tests people in different ways. Little Yu started burning up as soon as he arrived in Sulani. Zhi Lan took care of the little boy who was cuddled up in his arms the whole night, constantly wiping his heated body down.

Little Yu is a bright child and picked up on things fast. He was also very easy going and did not have a bad temper. But Little Yu was a rather clingy child who liked to hold on to Zhi Lan's pants and followed him wherever he went. Zhi Lan self-taught Little Yu how to read and write, and also to speak. Zhi Lan teaches Little Yu both mandarin and English. Zhi Lan speaks to Little Yu in Mandarin most of the time, and Little Yu calls him 爸爸, meaning dad in mandarin.

Zhi Lan always tells Little Yu that his eyes and hair colour are special and beautiful, and that just because he is different from the rest, it does not mean that he is a lesser human being.

For Little Yu's sake, Zhi Lan changed his harvest to night time when Yu is asleep. Little Yu also follows Zhi Lan on his travels and business trips overseas.

### **Meeting Genevieve again**

Three years after adopting Little Yu, Zhi Lan meets Genevieve by chance at the beach on the Western Isles in which he resides. Genevieve did not often visit the Western Isles as it is managed well by the Nysarise Dukedom. But at that time, she had gone there for a tour of the ongoing developments on the Island.

Little Yu was running on the beach and calling out "dad" without looking at where he was running. Little Yu bumped into Genevieve who was walking along the beach with Isla Nysarise and managed to catch Little Yu with her hands to steady him from falling. Genevieve felt that something about the child was off, *did he speak in mandarin?* she thought. She only knew one person in Sulani who could speak mandarin and that was Zhi Lan. *And did he say "father"?* Genevieve felt her heart stir, she looked at the boy who looked about 5 years old, with white hair and pale skin. *He's too old to be Zhi Lan's child, it has only been 3 years...* But her heart shook even more when the child looked up at her, revealing two ruby red eyes. It reminded her of Zhi Lan's eyes - one blue, and one *red.* Genevieve was lost in thought for just a moment. *This can't be a coincidence, can it?* *What if he has had a child since then?*

Just as Genevieve had started thinking of the possibilities, she heard a familiar voice call out in mandarin, "Little Yu, are you alright?". She lifted her face abruptly at the voice and her eyes met with a pair of unique, yet beautiful and familiar eyes. It was Zhi Lan. Little Yu called out, "dad", and held on to Zhi Lan's pants as he usually did.

Zhi Lan looked at Genevieve, surprised that they would meet so soon. Zhi Lan was glad to meet Genevieve after so long, but he did feel a little awkward as they had not spoken at all for three years and he was not ready to meet her. Zhi Lan felt that he had not achieved enough in these three years and that he was still slowly learning about his powers as an oracle. However, he broke the silence and said, "Hey, Genie, it has been a while."

Genevieve stood up, her expression a little troubled and sad as she returned the greeting, "Hey, Zhi Lan". Zhi Lan noticed the subtle sadness in her voice when she said his name. After a pause, Genevieve said softly, "Is he your son?". Zhi Lan could tell that Genevieve had misunderstood his relationship with Little Yu, and considered if he should clarify it with her. On the one hand, Zhi Lan thought that because he was unworthy to be with Genevieve, it would be an easy way out for the both of them to keep this misunderstanding going. However, as such negative thoughts flooded Zhi Lan's mind, Little Yu pulled Zhi Lan's pants as he called out, "dad?". When Zhi Lan looked into Little Yu's eyes, he remembered how he was teaching him to love himself and that he is worthy of life, making his own choices and doing the things that made him happy. Zhi Lan always taught Little Yu that he did not need to live shackled by society's opinions and negativity, and realized that he too should practice what he has taught.

Zhi Lan looked up at Genevieve and said, "I have something to tell you, could you spare some time?". Genevieve was conflicted. She was expecting the worst. But she did not want to leave without having proper closure. She wanted to hear her thoughts confirmed by Zhi Lan's own mouth before she drew a line between them, giving up on their love completely. But she had a purpose to being here in the Western Isles and cannot just leave for personal reasons. So Genevieve said, "would it be alright if we catch up over dinner? I'm a little busy right now." Zhi Lan nodded in understanding and smiled. He asked, "do you have a pen and paper?". Zhi Lan wrote his address on the paper and passed them both back to Genevieve. After that, he held Little Yu's hand and left, but not before saying, "I'll see you later, Genie."

### **Second Confession**

Zhi Lan prepared dinner himself that night. Genevieve arrived at 7pm. During dinner, Zhi Lan related to Genevieve how he came to adopt Little Yu from Welig Kreke while he was travelling there. Hearing this, Genevieve's heart lifted. She was relieved that Zhi Lan had not found anyone else.

After dinner, Zhi Lan put Little Yu to bed. Genevieve and Zhi Lan stood at the balcony, enjoying the cool night breeze. Zhi Lan held Genevieve's hand and said, "Genie, I've missed you very much." Genevieve's lips curved up in a smile, her eyes seemed to glisten in the moonlight. She said, "I too, Zhi Lan. I've missed you". Genevieve wrapped her arms around Zhi Lan's waist, pulling him in for a hug. Zhi Lan asked, "I love you, Genie. I want you by my side, but only if you are willing." Genevieve looked up at Zhi Lan, a little surprised at his confession. Zhi Lan had never been so bold before, and it made her happy. Genevieve nodded furiously, her face buried in Zhi Lan's chest. She said, "Zhi Lan, you are my forever. I won't let you go."

Zhi Lan smiled, and asked, "you don't mind Little Yu, do you?" Genevieve said, "not at all, I think he is wonderful." Zhi Lan stroked Genevieve's cheek gently, "Little Yu has never had a mother, will you be willing?" Genevieve's eyes widened at Zhi Lan's words, *is he asking me to marry him?* Zhi Lan noticed her surprise and said, "Uh, we don't have to right away". Zhi Lan stuttered, searching his brain for the right words, "I mean, Her Majesty might be surprised about Little Yu...and what if I haven't proven myself worthy in Her Majesty's eyes..." Queen Xenia had known of the romantic feelings Genevieve and Zhi Lan had for each other. Queen Xenia did not object to their relationship, but had told Zhi Lan in private that although she acknowledges their feelings, Zhi Lan must first prove himself worthy of Genevieve, and the Royal Family before she would give her daughter to him. that we have to meet with the Queen and your family and.." Before Zhi Lan could finish, Genevieve cut him off with a kiss. After their lips parted, Genevieve said, "Yes, I am. I am willing, Zhi Lan."

## Trivia

1. The name Zhi Lan comes from two kinds of plants. it means Pure, modest soul. ("岸芷汀兰")
2. Zhi Lan's favorite thing to do is to feel the sunshine from the windows in the morning and the cool breeze at nighttime. Thus, his favorite place to sit is by the window in his room.