It was quite a frenzy when one of the fishermen of Fishermen's Friend Village found Max lying on the clear sand near the jetty. The oar-less boat was nowhere to be seen. It was only Max and his tightly clutched rose. Everyone was frantic as they carried Max to the clinic and rang for Norman to go and see him. Luckily, unlike his mother, Max only suffered a minor dehydration and would be up and about in a few days time. Norman was allowed to take him home to rest.
Max soon woke up after being replenished of his lost fluids. The first thing he asked was about his mother, Virginia. Norman led him to her and he soon found himself standing in front of her bed. He knelt beside her bed and stroked her hair, but she didn't wake up. She remained sleeping there without even moving an inch.
"She's been like that ever since we found her on the shore looking almost like you, only worse. We've tried everything but she still never woke up. We almost had given up hope."
Max continued to stroke her hair. He almost felt sorry for all the bad stuff he had ever did to her and all those things she told him not to do but he did it anyway—like going out to the sea, for example. And now, he felt guilty for what he was going to do next, but he had to do this. It's about time he decided his own love life. He leaned over and whispered, "Hey, Mom. It's me, Max. I'm home now. If you're wondering how I escaped, I didn't. The Beastess let me go. She's very different now, really. She's changed somehow, and she let me go free. If you wake up, forgive me if you don't see me. I have a destiny and a love life to live. I'm sorry."
Norman wanted to ask what had caused her trauma and where he had been all these while, but Max didn't have the mood to answer him that. Besides, he didn't want Norman to freak out on him when he knew that he had been venturing into the depths of The Beastess's lair. He still felt a little guilt for hurting The Beastess's feeling. He also refused to tell him about the rose he held so protectively all the while when he was unconscious. Norman was suspicious but he let him be—he’ll answer in due time. Later that night, Max was awakened by the familiar hissing sounds of the black-smoky girls out of his yard. He had been expecting them to come. SkullMaster knew that he had a crush on Phoebe; he should know when he has returned with the rose. He got out of bed, grabbed the rose he put on the table and followed the sound of the smoky girls. He so happened to pass by Norman's room and the tall, muscular butler was still awake, so Norman ended up following behind him. He saw the smoky girls a few feet ahead and called out to Max.
"Max, where are you going? Max, where are you going with those weird creatures in the middle of the night?"
"I'm going to see SkullMaster," Max replied, not looking back and not stopping his running. Norman caught up with him.
"Who's SkullMaster? I've never heard of such name. Is it something to do with this rose and your disappearance?"
"Sort of."
"Max, tell me the truth and tell me now. Where have you been all this time? Why did you disappear all of a sudden and why didn't you come back home?"
Finally, Max decided to tell Norman the whole story. Since he was following him to SkullMaster's lair, he's pretty much involved already. Max told him exactly what had happened: his deal with SkullMaster, his journey to The Beastess's island, him trading places with Virginia, his stay with The Beastess, everything. By the time he finished, Norman was more awed than freaked out.
"You seriously did all that just to become a merman for Phoebe? You even gave The Beastess, the legendary most dangerous, most lethal creature throughout land and sea, the hicks for you! Man, you really are into that mermaid princess, aren't you? The things that occur because of love. You'll never cease to surprise me."
"Like you would do anything for Mom, I would do anything for Princess Phoebe."
Norman blushed, shocked that his secret has been found. He muttered, "This SkullMaster guy sounds sinister. I don't think you should be doing business with him. He scares me."
"Normie, he's my only ticket to my true love. Evil or not, I have to do this."
After what seemed like an endless run, they've soon reached SkullMaster's lair. Norman stared in horror and pointed at it, wanting to say that this house was the legendary haunted house, but Max has already went in without a word. Norman rolled his eyes and followed suite. He was as adventurous and as fearless as his father Blake, that's for sure. Once inside, SkullMaster greeted him with his usual evil gleam in his yellow eyes.
"Welcome back from your journey, young Maxwell. You must've gone through a lot of trouble to get what we need. And I see you've brought a friend with you. Please, take a seat, my friend. You look like you could use some."
So saying, an armchair suddenly appeared out of nowhere and forced Norman to sit. Straps came out of the hand rests and the feet of the armchair and wrapped itself around Norman's wrists and ankles, holding him in place. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't move. Max turned to SkullMaster questioningly.
"I thought I've made it very clear to you that you are not supposed to reveal me," SkullMaster said in disapproval as he stirred his staff in the huge cauldron. "I seriously like my privacy and my low profile."
"He followed me," Max replied. "I had no choice."
"I so happen to hear that your mother has been quite ill. In a coma, I suppose."
"It would make Norman here very happy if you can wake her up."
"That, my child, is a different deal." SkullMaster noted. "Your friend has to make this deal separately, and he has to pay the debt. You're here for your part of the deal, are you not?"
"Yeah, now that you've mentioned it," Max held out the rose to him. "Here's your darn rose. Now when can we start?"
"Soon, my child, very soon. But there is no need to rush. Let me tell you what the real deal is: I will turn you into a merman for a time span of 3 nights. Got that? 3 nights. Now this is important. Before the moon rises on the 3rd night, you must get a kiss from your little sweet mermaid princess you love so much," SkullMaster stirred his staff and the mists that formed out of the steaming cauldron showed a scene where Max and Phoebe kissed. Max blushed. SkullMaster smirked and continued as he showed him more animated scenes with the mists, "Just a kiss, but, mind you, not just any kiss. It has to be a kiss of true love. If she does kiss you before the moon rises on the 3rd night, you will become a merman permanently. But if she doesn't, you'll turn back into a human and…you belong to me."
"No, Max, no! Don't do this!" Norman exclaimed, only to be silenced by SkullMaster's wave of the staff. His mouth moved but no sound came out. Max began to have second thoughts about everything.
"Have we got a deal?" SkullMaster turned to Max.
"If I become a merman…" Max contemplated. "I will never be with my mother and Normie and my friends again."
"That's right. But you have your woman. Life's full of tough choices indeed. Shall we start now?"
Max stole a look at Norman and could see him shaking his head. He thought long and hard. If he becomes a merman, he'll have to give up everything he was used to on land, because he would be, like other merpeople, prone to sensitive skin on open air. He would dehydrate if he doesn't remain in water for a certain time. That will mean that contact between he and the land would be limited. But then he will have Princess Phoebe by his side. And he was sure that she wouldn't mind him unable to talk. Like SkullMaster said, there is always body language. There's no harm in trying.
"Alright, I'll do it," Max replied, much to Norman's dismay.
"It's done then," SkullMaster's lips creased to an evil smile as he waved his staff around the cauldron. With his magical powers, he materialized a scroll that read all the terms and conditions and the oath for Max to read. He then materialized a fishbone and gestured Max to sign the contract. Max knew that once he signed it, it would be a binding deal. He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and snatched the fishbone that was hovering in the midair and, with his eyes closed, he signed his name on the dotted line. As soon as he was done signing, the scroll flew back into SkullMaster's hand as dematerialized when SkullMaster grasped it. His hand glowed, signifying that the contract was done. He then mumbled loads of weird spells while throwing in elixirs and potions that exploded and shone almost as bright as the sun as soon as it fell into the cauldron. He took the rose from Max's hand and plucked the petals one by one, dropping them into the cauldron. As the mixture in the cauldron glowed blood red, SkullMaster began to chant his devious spells.
"Boggers and rouges, winds and cast imps seal!!" the mists in the cauldron came out and made rings around Max, sealing him in his place. "Black ogres and wings of a titan, now serve only to me!!!"
Max gasped when he saw reddish-black smoke from the cauldron appeared in the shape of a pair of huge grotesque arms as SkullMaster chanted his spells and raised his arms. With a wicked gleam in his yellow eyes, SkullMaster bore deep into Max's blue ones and commanded, "Now sing!"
Automatically, Max opened his mouth and sang. He couldn't stop. He couldn't control it. It was as if his voice had a mind of its own. SkullMaster commanded him to keep singing as the reddish-black arms inched closer towards him. He could feel something warm down his throat, beating in the same line as his heartbeat but he dare not stop singing. The arms came closer and closer towards him and they looked threateningly scary. Max wanted to back away but there was no place for him to go. Slowly the arms slipped in Max's mouth and slithered down his throat, almost choking Max. He could feel the arms grabbing some sort of a lump down his throat—like they were taking his Adam's apple or something and slithered out of his throat as fast as they went in. Max widened his eyes and swallowed nervously when he saw in the reddish-black hands was his voice, glowing a bright blue and beating like his heart, and it was continuing to sing. Max held his throat; he couldn't believe he was staring at his own voice. Was that it? Has his voice been taken away? This adventure was getting weirder and scarier than he could possibly imagine.
Before he could test try whether he could talk or not, he was surrounded by a huge water droplet and was submerged in the water. He was lifted off his feet and he could hear a muffled laugh from SkullMaster. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain on his legs. His jeans and underwear tore, exposing his naked lower half of his body. He felt an electrical current running through his legs and was searing through his bones. It hurt him so bad and he wanted to scream but no sound came out. His lungs suddenly burned like fire and his heart was beating even faster, like some sort of heartattack. Somehow, he felt like he could breathe in the water droplet he was trapped in. He could feel the skin of his legs tearing and coming closer together. Before he knew, he felt his legs conjoined together as one and his feet had stretched itself into fins on a tail. The water droplet burst and Max fell onto the floor, his skin beginning to burn under the ray of the moonlight. By then, SkullMaster has released Norman from his seat and returned his voice.
"Max!" Norman yelled as he went up to Max who was shivering from shock. "Are you alright?!"
"Better hurry up and get him into the sea before he dries up like a prune, Norman!" SkullMaster laughed out loud. "And in return for your deal to wake your friend's mother up, you'll have to pay something as well!"
Norman wanted to ask what he meant by that, but he had to save Max's life first. He picked Max up and made a dash towards the jetty. As he ran, he could feel his body shrinking and that he began to grow gills and fish scales. His feet begin to falter as they slowly shrank and conjoined themselves to one, just like Max's. He was getting out of breath and could feel the suffocation coming, as if the air that he breathed wasn't suitable for him anymore. When he saw the jetty just a few meters away from him, he gathered whatever strength he had left and jumped into the sea, holding Max protectively in his arms. Max was slowly faltering into unconsciousness when all this happened.
He could still hear SkullMaster's malicious laugh as his body fell deeper and deeper into the deep sea…
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