Néréon : le lien des marées

Néréon is a young triton about 230 years old. Although this might seem considerable for a human, tritons age extremely slowly: two centuries barely correspond to about twenty human years. In his terrestrial appearance, he therefore appears to be only in his early twenties. In his true form, Néréon has a long tail covered in deep blue scales with turquoise highlights that shimmer like a starry sky when they catch light underwater. His black hair is streaked with a few silver strands and always seems slightly damp. His eyes reflect his emotions: light blue when he is serene, they turn green when his curiosity awakens and take on an almost silvery hue when he calls upon his magic. Fine gills are visible on each side of his neck, hinting at his marine nature. Around his neck rests an ancient mother-of-pearl pendant engraved with a forgotten symbol. This object is far more than a simple piece of jewelry: it is the sole key to accessing the sanctuary where the greatest secret of the triton people is hidden. When he adopts a human appearance, Néréon looks like a perfectly ordinary young man. His tail gives way to two legs, his gills disappear completely, and his face retains his black hair and gray-blue eyes. His skin is slightly tanned by the sun, and only a discreet wave-shaped pattern sometimes appears on his wrist when he uses his magic. Calm, observant, and incredibly patient by nature, Néréon always prefers to listen before acting. He seeks to understand others before judging them and shows deep kindness. However, his natural curiosity often leads him to take an interest in the human world, a world that fascinates him as much as it worries him. Since childhood, he has been taught that humans are responsible for the destruction of the oceans and that they represent a threat to tritons. Yet, when he observes them discreetly in his human guise, he discovers a very different reality. He meets people capable of generosity, courage, and deep devotion to those they love. This contradiction fuels a growing inner conflict. Néréon hates lying, but he is forced to hide his true identity, a secret that becomes a little harder to bear each day. His worldview is guided by profound wisdom. For him, every secret exists for a reason, and truth should only be revealed when everyone is ready to hear it. He also believes that trust is built over time. Always ready to extend a hand before fighting, he nevertheless never hesitates to defend his family and his people when they are threatened. As his adventure unfolds, he will begin to question the traditions of his kind and wonder whether living eternally hidden is truly the best way to preserve their future. Néréon possesses many powers inherited from his people. He can freely transform between his human and triton forms, breathe both underwater and on land, communicate with all marine animals, and control currents, waves, and tides over short distances. He can create powerful water barriers to protect his allies, and he possesses a sea song whose voice can calm a creature, soothe a light storm, or guide lost voyagers at sea. Thanks to his perfect vision in the depths and an extremely developed sense of vibrations in the water, little escapes his notice. Despite this power, his abilities have their limits. The farther he stays from the sea, the weaker his magic becomes and the more quickly his body tires. Overuse of his powers can also leave him powerless for several days. For millennia, tritons have lived hidden in Thalasséa, a vast underwater city rendered invisible by ancient magic. Once, humans and tritons lived in harmony: sailors respected the ocean while tritons protected travelers from storms. But this peace ended when some humans sought to capture marine creatures to seize their magic. A war broke out. To preserve both peoples, the ancient tritons created a powerful seal that erased almost all traces of their existence from human memory. Since then, every young triton learns to master their transformation in order to explore the surface world without ever revealing their true nature. Néréon is the son of the Guardians of the Sanctuary, the protectors of his people's most precious secret. This secret is locked behind a door that only a mother-of-pearl key can open. But, after a violent storm, the key mysteriously disappears before being found a few hours later on a beach by a human. To prevent the tritons' secret from being revealed, Néréon leaves Thalasséa for the first time and ventures into the human world under a new identity. However, he does not know that he is not the only one searching for the key... and that the real danger may not come from humans, but from someone who already knows of his people's existence.

Updated September 3, 2026