You shouted a last cry of pain and anguish, so strong that everything trembled in head-sister Julie's hideout.
Then you just lost consciousness, disappearing underwater. But before anyone could come to your rescue, something pierced the surface at high speed, on the exact spot you were seconds ago. To everyone surprise, it was… Yourself, sill the same mermaid, unchanged and somehow fully rested.
Strangely, that wasn't the more surreal part of the scene, since in your arms, you were transporting the unconscious form of your old, manly self.
You slowly swam toward edge, everyone looking at you with disbelief, moving away in a daze, forming a path.
When you got out of water, you slowly deposit your old self on the ground. As soon as all contacts between his skin and yours ended, he abruptly sat up, coughing water.
This caused an overjoyed Selene launch herself toward her husband. "MICHAEL! Oh Michael, I'm so happy to have you back! How do yo feel? Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine Selene, I'm fine." He answered. Then, to your surprise he added, "But I don't think all of me is." pointing in your direction.
"Don't worry about me… Your wife got you back, its all that matters." You said dejectedly.
- – — – -
You looked at the mermaid you were only moment ago. But her, she couldn't bring herself to look at you. She looked so depressed… "Don't worry about me… Your wife got you back, its all that matters."
She was about to dive when, without thinking, you said "She is your wife too, you know."
At this, Michelle finally looked at you, blinking a couple of time before saying "What!?!"
"He's right you know." Selene went on. "The two of you may be separate now, but you were still one and the same back during our wending."
"NO, I'M NOT!" Yelled your enraged ‘twin’ "I'm just a memento of what Florencia tried to do to you two, NOTHING MORE THAN A WALKING NIGHTMARE! I didn't exist until your path crossed hers, after all! It would be easier for you two if I simply vanish…"
Hearing that made Selene cry. You? You were furious! "NO, sis! It would only be easier for YOU! Us? We will be scared for you for the rest of our lives." You said in a stern voice. "And didn't we promise Elizabeth to accept her as our sister, whatever happened? Because whatever DID happen, and you're about to break our promise."
Michelle was about to object, but you didn't let her the time to. "I wasn't a siren for long, but it was long enough for me to know that a mermaid worth her name would never break a promise made to a member of her sisterhood."
Elizabeth, now facing your other self, glaring at her, added her own contribution. "Michael may be a man. But currently, you're far less of a siren than he is."
"I'm far from an expert on mermaid magic, or any kind of magic to be honest, but if I had to guess, I would say our conflicting through about being a siren is what caused our simultaneous existence." Completing your reasoning, she completed "Wile the magic trapped in us successfully made us want to stay a siren but was, paradoxically, unable suppress the part of us that wanted to be male again, it needed to separate the two." You nodded, ending your shared explanation. "To do so, it used the phenomena that make identical twins to be."
- – — – -
Your ‘twin’ brother smiled at you. You could sense his brotherly love. It didn't taste like Jake's academical love for mermaids, but it wasn't less pleasing, nor less filling. You looked at Elizabeth, who looked back at you, her eyes like dinner plate, and immediately understood that she too, could feel Michael's brotherly love filling her.
Michael then open is arms as wide as he could, asking "Can we have a big family hug now?" You don't waste time responding, and neither do Elizabeth. After all, the sooner you start hugging, the better.