As the sisters turned their eyes below, they saw sailors continue to rain from he decks, dropping into the ocean only to a emerge as a newly-born mermaid in a few moments. Scattered over the surface, mermaids beckoned enthusiastically back at those at those still on the ship, others joyfully embraced, gleefully locking lips with the nearest partner — or partners — they could find. Emilia estimated that nearly half the crew had joined their ranks by now, and their numbers were growing quickly.
And then there was the song. It was becoming louder and seemed only to grow in magnitude as each fresh body smacked into the brine. The melody was rich and brilliant, like no song she had ever heard, and it wove in deeply, caressing her thoughts with a singular idea: "soar into the water; take thy new form."
She felt a hand fall on her own, her sister's, who had not hours ago been her brother. A dark feeling cast over her, that their fates, in this moment, were being decided. Their voyage would never reach its destination.
"The s-song," Manuela stuttered with tearful eyes, "it's, beautiful, isn't it?"
"We can fight it, brother." Emilia pleaded, "we can be stronger!"
"No!" Manuela snapped so fiercely that both were taken back by it. Calming herself, Manuela continued, "No, brother, no, sister, don't you see? We must accept the gift. We will continue our voyage as beings of the sea itself!"
With that, Manuela leapt from the deck, her grip slipping from Emilia's hand.
soar into the water;
take thy new form
men reborn as daughters,
now lovers so-sworn
Allowing herself to become intoxicated with the song, Emilia stepped up to the ledge. Over she dove, head-first with the remnants of her crew showering into the ocean's surface.
The saltwater stung at first and bit with coldness, but in moments a warmth filled her. It was the transformation, swift and powerful, the currents striking her remaining clothing from her body as an after-thought, sculpting and refining her into a paragon of aquatic birth, a perfect union of flesh and fin. Her legs were clay, melting and reforming into a singular, scaled, lengthy appendage with a powerful fluke blossoming at its end. Her fingers lengthened and webbing rushed to fill the gaps between them. Her womanhood remained, her breasts swelled and arrived at a size not so large as to cause impediment when swimming, but achieving a most pleasing shape in their modesty. Emilia's body was refined, perfected into a creature with the grace an beauty of those in storied legends.
The song filled her now, and she was at peace with it. In fact, she longed nothing more than to join with her sisters and add her voice to its chorus.
From behind, Emilia felt an embrace. A shimmering tail wrapped itself around her own, and a cold pair of lips pressed into hers. There was a great sense of immediacy and hunger in the kiss, and Emilia relished it.
The kiss was Manuela's.