The object was a seashell bra, white in colour bar a few pinkish spots, the now snapped joint that once held the two sides together now linked by a firmly tied string of seaweed through holes, the organic inneraed all scooped out and on opposite equal sides attached through holes included extra long seaweed strings that once tied together would allow anyone of Coral's chest size to wear it, but curiously something about this seashell bra allowed it to sparkle without any sort of reason.
Also Coral quickly noticed one of the strap seaweeds had been used to tie some sort of stone with Latin words written on it with the knot being tied to these carved in ridges so as to maybe allow full reading without removing the seashell bra first. however before Coral could start reading her dive watch alert activated instructing her to surface which she quickly did so taking her find with her.
that night at home after writing her report and getting chewed out by her money grubbing boss Lisa for another attempt at boosting the club's areas to actual zones they advertised (All for Lisa's profit while refuting scuba diving students or enthusiasts what they paid for), Coral returned home to examine the writing on the seashell bra that in Latin read:
"Ad haec qui sacris invenit unum de bras, si scio cor tuum, hoc non est per maria et donum.
secundum quod detrahunt vobis terram in via circumdatio fascia, erit syreni, sicut desiderat anima tua.
sed scio quod ita mutatio non est, pro vobis est invenire, sic et illud remotionem ritus, ut Dei et donum coram te, et reverti.
ut ad ritus, verum reperire deus templum maris."
once translated into English it read to her understanding from classes Coral once took for if she ever found anything looking to be valuable:
"To she who finds one of the sacred bras, know that if your heart is one with the seas then this be a gift.
forgo your land based existence via the wearing of the bra, be a mermaid as your heart desires.
but know that the change is not one way, for you must find the rite to make it so and removal of the gift before then will revert you.
to find the rite, find the true temple of the sea god."
"A bra... made of seashells... that can make me a mermaid?" Coral pondered over... was this a unique item or part of a secret massive stock scattered about the seas. if true could their be other mermaids, maybe both transformed like she could be through this seashell bra alongside those born. were merfolk exclusively mermaids or were mermen a reality with a different means for men
"a way... to forever be a part of the ocean...?" Coral pondered over "escape this nowhere land. be the mermaid I know I have always been at heart". but still this could all have been a joke, but there was a way to truly know "if this is a reality then once I start i'm never going back" Coral announced before she got to writing a letter to her landlord to be opened in a few weeks time. luckily for Coral as well she knew a good secret spot to undergo the change.
around 5am the next day Coral was on her way to this small cave alongside the beach she knew of that had an opening linked to the sea. a place she knew very few people dared to explore and so perfect for her transformation "it's time... from here on out no more legs for Coral" Coral announced as she put the bag she had brought containing the seashell bra and a towel in case this was a farce, and started stripping until she was naked, got the seashell bra out and put it on with a bit of issue due to how it was made but succeeded.
"tail... here I come" Coral then called as she started lowering herself into the cold seawater. at first nothing happened once she was up to her knees in water, same for her waist... but then by going all the way to her chest the moment the seawater made contact with the seashell bra the process started. Coral's legs became unresponsive coursing her to sink below the waterline as they were locked together, pain then overtook Coral's body as her skin that was a part of her legs started fusing them as her leg bones broke apart. then her toes started to extend outward and split into branches, once her legs were a single limb gray scales started popping up all below her waist and below her elbows and a light-gray membrane formed among the branches to create a dorsal tailfin alongside between her fingers, similar fins then grew out of the sides of her forearms and lower back, finally once the growing of scales and fins was done with opening started to form upon Coral's neck to give her gills to breathe the waters while her eyes' whites turned light blue from a coating to protect them.
"YES. IT WORKED" Coral cried out in joy before swimming towards the opening "now to find that rite and make this permanent", once at the entrance Coral's self given mission began: