Serene's curse
Like all love stories, it starts with a couple, Serene and Janath. They were ondins, Janath was a fisher and Serene a young maiden.
She was waiting for her lover lost at sea to come back but he couldn't. He was imprisoned deep underwater by Maelstraumen tthe jealous god of the seas who was also enamoured of Serene and full of hatred and jealousy for the poor young Janath.
Maelstraumen was insisting in his courting of young Serene and she was well aware of his sentiments for her. She was suspecting that Maelstraumen was the reason for the disappearance of her lover and she succeeded in having him admit to the capture of Janath.
Enraged and shocked, she asked Maelstraumen why and in her madness, she cursed and defied the god of the seas. She challenged him in his domain, the ocean and under his rules.
You have to understand that defying a god is a heresy. And defying a god in its own domain is an insult, an outrage and also pure madness. Maelstraumen could not overlook such an act even if it was Serene, his sweetheart that did it. He accepted the challenge and dictated the rules.
The rules were simples, Serene would have to do swim a full lapse around Watakaruhei island without ever leaving his domain, the ocean. She agreed too fast and the race started before everyone could stop and start to think.
During the race, Maelstraumen could not decide himself to hurt Serene. He could have sent her on the reefs with a wave, he didn't. He could have sent her some sea monster to get rid of her, but he didn't. He could even have drowned her but he didn't.
The reason was simple. He could not.
As Serene was close to the finish line, Maelstraumen felt the hopelessness of his situation, panicked, he called upon the young girl a storm symbol of his boiling emotions. It was one big and fiercy storm, maybe the biggest ever saw on the archipelago.
Tossed by the waves Serene started drowning and fought against the god's wrath, she continued slowly but surely towards the finish line, but she was slowly overwhelmed by the sea and she did not see that one reef and hit her head on the sharp rocks.
She started sinking, half conscious, slowly slipping toward her final moment. Maelstraumen was still angry and desorientated, full of rage, sadness and confusion, he did not notice the poor girl's fate. It is then that the unlikely happened.
The half conscious Serene started to whisper a Lullaby. The song was calm, soft and filled with kindness. Nobody but Maelstraumen could hear it as Serene's head was deep underwater. Legends say that her lullaby was so beautiful, so strong and powerful that Maelstraumen was directly calmed down by it.
Regaining his consciousness, he understood what had happened and how the poor girl's life was escaping her. Even himself, a god, could not save her, or at least, not her current self.
Maelstraumen used his powers to transform the young ondine, he took off her legs and replaced it with a fishtail. He took off her lungs and replaced them with gills.
She could now move and breath underwater. Her life was saved.
Maelstraumen decided to free Janath and apologized to Serene.
Serene disappeared in the ocean depths too scared to show her lover her new self. The young man after being freed went to look for her and learned from others that she was punished for defying a god and that she could not come back to lands. Sad and worried the young man returned at sea, looking for her and it is said that he never came back.
Eons after, it is said that the ghost of a young man can be seen on a phantom ship, looking for Serene.
In another place, another legend talks about the sea of whispers, a part of the ocean where you can hear the Lullaby of Serene. It is said that whoever hears the song is irresistibly attracted to the water. If you go in the water, you will be caught underwater by hands that will pull you in the depth to drown you. That it is the curse of Serene.
She was waiting for her lover lost at sea to come back but he couldn't. He was imprisoned deep underwater by Maelstraumen tthe jealous god of the seas who was also enamoured of Serene and full of hatred and jealousy for the poor young Janath.
Maelstraumen was insisting in his courting of young Serene and she was well aware of his sentiments for her. She was suspecting that Maelstraumen was the reason for the disappearance of her lover and she succeeded in having him admit to the capture of Janath.
Enraged and shocked, she asked Maelstraumen why and in her madness, she cursed and defied the god of the seas. She challenged him in his domain, the ocean and under his rules.
You have to understand that defying a god is a heresy. And defying a god in its own domain is an insult, an outrage and also pure madness. Maelstraumen could not overlook such an act even if it was Serene, his sweetheart that did it. He accepted the challenge and dictated the rules.
The rules were simples, Serene would have to do swim a full lapse around Watakaruhei island without ever leaving his domain, the ocean. She agreed too fast and the race started before everyone could stop and start to think.
During the race, Maelstraumen could not decide himself to hurt Serene. He could have sent her on the reefs with a wave, he didn't. He could have sent her some sea monster to get rid of her, but he didn't. He could even have drowned her but he didn't.
The reason was simple. He could not.
As Serene was close to the finish line, Maelstraumen felt the hopelessness of his situation, panicked, he called upon the young girl a storm symbol of his boiling emotions. It was one big and fiercy storm, maybe the biggest ever saw on the archipelago.
Tossed by the waves Serene started drowning and fought against the god's wrath, she continued slowly but surely towards the finish line, but she was slowly overwhelmed by the sea and she did not see that one reef and hit her head on the sharp rocks.
She started sinking, half conscious, slowly slipping toward her final moment. Maelstraumen was still angry and desorientated, full of rage, sadness and confusion, he did not notice the poor girl's fate. It is then that the unlikely happened.
The half conscious Serene started to whisper a Lullaby. The song was calm, soft and filled with kindness. Nobody but Maelstraumen could hear it as Serene's head was deep underwater. Legends say that her lullaby was so beautiful, so strong and powerful that Maelstraumen was directly calmed down by it.
Regaining his consciousness, he understood what had happened and how the poor girl's life was escaping her. Even himself, a god, could not save her, or at least, not her current self.
Maelstraumen used his powers to transform the young ondine, he took off her legs and replaced it with a fishtail. He took off her lungs and replaced them with gills.
She could now move and breath underwater. Her life was saved.
Maelstraumen decided to free Janath and apologized to Serene.
Serene disappeared in the ocean depths too scared to show her lover her new self. The young man after being freed went to look for her and learned from others that she was punished for defying a god and that she could not come back to lands. Sad and worried the young man returned at sea, looking for her and it is said that he never came back.
Eons after, it is said that the ghost of a young man can be seen on a phantom ship, looking for Serene.
In another place, another legend talks about the sea of whispers, a part of the ocean where you can hear the Lullaby of Serene. It is said that whoever hears the song is irresistibly attracted to the water. If you go in the water, you will be caught underwater by hands that will pull you in the depth to drown you. That it is the curse of Serene.
Tragic, but beautiful
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