Virgil let out a sigh, watching the bubbles float from his mouth to the surface far above him. The water around him was deep blue, speckled with light from the sun that glinted against his scales. His tail made up of deep purples and black scales that appeared to glow even against the dark water around him.

His eyes were watching, scanning, for any sign of life. He was a loner, having left the merfolk kingdom long ago. He never fit in, having strange, inexplicable powers. The ocean would listen to him. Virgil could summon storms of massive power, and yet, he had no idea why. Regardless, he knew they wanted him gone, so he obliged. Now, he just lived on his own. He stayed deep in the water, too anxious to go near the surface.

What if there were dangerous creatures on land that wanted to take the sea from him and its creatures? What if they wanted to capture his kind, and he, being alone, was a perfect target? He'd heard tales of the pirates who wanted nothing more than to capture or kill creatures of fantastical qualities. There were rumors of lands in which these creatures didn't exist after being hunted to extinction in the wild. They were only found in zoos or as private pets there, not being treated as anything more than property. Virgil would rather die than belong to someone.

The merman rolled off the rock he was laying on, pumping his tail to propel him through the water. He'd heard something, a cry. As he approached the noise, his eyes widened. A small group of young merfolk were in a panic because on of them was stuck and a shark had gained an interest. Virgil didn't waste another second, shooting forward.

"Wha- who are you!?" the young merman squeaked, looking about seven.

Virgil didn't respond as he lunges forward to shove the rock off his tail fin. It was heavy and he could see shark in his peripherals. "Come on, move!" he grunted, shoving it with all his strength. It shifted enough for the merman to wiggle free.

"Oh my god- thank you-"

"Kid, shut up and get your friends out of here," he snapped, turning toward the shark that was heading toward them.

The merman put some distance between himself and the shark, but looked torn. "But who are you?"

"Not important if you want to live," Virgil replied, watching the shark carefully. "Now, get out of here!"

The young merman didn't hesitate this time as the shark shot toward them. He hurried back to his friends as Virgil rushed forward to meet the shark, hitting it in the nose with amounts of force that he constantly surprised himself with. It let out a pained nose and immediately started swimming away, leaving a small trail of blood behind him. Virgil was breathing heavily as he wiped his hands and swam away. The young merman with his friends watched him go, eyes wide in awe. Who was he? Why had he saved him?

Virgil laid down on a rock, catching his breath as the pride sank in. After leaving the merfolk, he had given himself the purpose of rescuing creatures in need. It gave him some sense of purpose. He looked back up at the water's surface far above him, wondering once more about the world above.

Something was still missing.