Bethyinine woke that morning to the sound of waves crashing against the shore. She stretched and waded into the sea. The fish darted away as she approached. She looked down into the water and managed to snag a fish between her claws. It was a salmon, and a big one at that. It could probably cover a full hand and a little bit of the other. Bethyinine smiled and looked at the fish as it tried to wriggle itself free from her grasp. She laughed, opened her maw, and let go of the fish. She smiled, knowing that all she needed to do now was relax and let a combination of peristalsis and gravity do the work for her.

“I want to make sure that all of you know your place in this, understand?” She smiled, looking down at the rest of the fish.

”Normally I don’t do anything like that. What exactly is going on with me?” Bethyinine asked herself.

She turned around and looked at the sword buried in the sand. “No, I will not mourn the loss of my brother, I have more important matters to attend to.” She told herself. She felt a rage gnawing at her innards, begging to be released. Bethyinine looked out at the rising sun on the horizon, she smiled as a feral urge overtook her, she would hunt, and she would enjoy it. Bethyinine dove headfirst into the sea. She already knew where to go, a small village on an island around 50 miles from here. As she cut through the water, she began to sing again, the same lullaby that her mother had sung to her all those centuries ago. Only this time it wasn’t a lullaby, but a warning. If you were to stand up to her then you would die trying.

7:25 am

Bethyinine had arrived at the village. She could have been there sooner, but she wanted to enjoy herself. She poked her head out of the water and saw the docks nearby. Fishermen were preparing for work, loading their nets onto their boats. Bethyinine smiled and debated as to whether she should shift her form or not.

“I don’t remember what happened the last time I came here. I’ll just stick to this form for now and see what happens.” She told herself.

Bethyinine swam around the docks and towards the beach. She poked her head out of the water to see if anyone was nearby, and surprisingly there were a few people on the beach at this hour. She rose out of the water, expecting some sort of reaction only for the people to not even notice her arrival. She smiled and began the short walk towards the village. The walk to the village was relatively uneventful for the most part. The only thing to keep her entertained was the occasional deer sprinting through the forest. She watched them as they ran and smiled, sensing the fear in their eyes. Bethyinine stopped at the entrance to the village, she smiled and entered, knowing what fate she had in store for these people.

Her first stop was the tavern. She needed to relax after such a long voyage. When Bethyinine entered the establishment it was empty, save for the barkeep who looked up from the mug he was polishing.

“I’m sorry miss, but you’re going to have to leave this establishment. We have rules here, and we would like for you to keep your dignity” He said.

Bethyinine looked at the barkeep, smiled, and walked forwards so as to make herself more visible. The barkeep just looked at her and shrugged.

“I’ve seen your kind here before. Now, for the love of Horus, can you please leave my establishment!” The barkeep yelled.

Bethyinine did not answer and merely began tapping her claws on one of the tables. The barkeep sighed, knowing that his efforts to make her leave were in vain. Bethyinine smiled, pulled out a chair, and sat down. She looked at the barkeep for a moment and began to sing again. The barkeep watched her, he listened to her voice as she began to sing. When her words reached his ears, they sounded like waves along a beach. He knew the song that she was singing, he knew what it meant.

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“Beware, beware, the Daughter of the Sea..” Bethyinine started.

”I wouldn’t sing that if I were you!” The barkeep screamed.

He looked at her figure for a moment. No, he would not let himself be enthralled by her. The barkeep went to the back of the tavern and rummaged through the shipments of ale. After a while of searching, he had found it, a small ledger. He scrolled through it, looking at the names and pictures of all the patrons who he served over the years. After a couple of seconds, he stopped on the eighth page and slid his finger down three or four names before finding the one he was looking for. Bethyinine, there was no photo of her, only a note next to her name. Mentioned once by Mr. Mori on the fifth of June last year. Now she was here, and Mr. Mori was nowhere to be found. The barkeep put the book back and went back to his place behind the bar.

”What do you know of a Mr. Silas James Mori?” He asked.

Bethyinine looked at him, the rage inside of her snapped and she lunged towards him. The barkeep screamed as Bethyinine landed on top of him, his vision went dark as his consciousness began to wither. First he sensed heat, then cold, then heat again. He tried to open his eyes but couldn’t, and his mind began to panic. This creature wanted to mess with him, no, it wanted to toy with him. He thought of a reason as to why she had attacked him. Perhaps it was out of mourning for James. That would be a logical explanation. Though it wouldn’t be out of mourning so much as it would be out of a helpless rage. He could have died while she was unable to protect him. That would explain her current situation. The barkeep finally returned to consciousness, though he could not make out where he was. The only logical explanation would be the afterlife, though the souls of the dead were nowhere to be seen.

Bethyinine stretched as she rose off the floor. She looked around for the barkeep, but he wasn’t there. She shrugged and decided to leave the tavern. She walked outside towards the fountain in the village square. People glanced at her as she walked. Bethyinine looked at them, confused.

“Why are these people looking at me now? What have I done to deserve their attention?” She asked herself.

Bethyinine reached the fountain and sat at one of its corners. She smiled and watched as people walked past her, they glanced at her as they did. Bethyinine shrugged and dove back into the fountain, which was surprisingly deep for its small size. She swam into the depths of the fountain for a little while, only stopping to catch her breath. Bethyinine continued swimming for a little bit more before reaching the bottom of the fountain. She sat down on the marble floor and began to sing her lullaby, which pierced the water and echoed on the walls. Bethyinine closed her eyes for a moment and heard splashes coming from above her. She looked up only to see five villagers swimming towards her. She thought nothing of it and continued to sing. It took around half an hour for the villagers to reach her, and by that point she had grown tired from singing and had fallen asleep. She could feel the villagers swimming around her for a moment, and then she could no longer sense their presence.

Bethyinine woke in a panic and looked around her. The villagers were nowhere to be seen. She hastily swam back up to the surface and looked around. The space around the fountain was empty. Bethyinine exited the water and began to wander around the village, looking for any signs of life. Each house she looked at was empty, even though the candles were still lit. She went down to the docks to check if the fishermen had returned. When she arrived, the boats were still there, but the fishermen were nowhere to be seen. Bethyinine sat down on the sand and began to hyperventilate for a moment.

“What is going on? Are all of these people dead? Did I kill them?” She asked herself.

Bethyinine lay on the beach for an hour or two before she picked herself up and decided to head back home. She walked to the edge of the water and gazed at her reflection. Maybe it was just her mind, or the water distorting her appearance, but she seemed to be a bit more voluptuous compared to usual. Bethyinine smiled and dove into the sea as she began to swim back to her island.

Bethyinine arrived back home and smiled. She was alone there, save for the fish. She waded out of the water and onto dry land. The fish tried to follow her as she did so.

“Don’t come near me, I don’t want to hurt you!” She hissed.

The fish darted far into the edges of the reef that surrounded the island. Bethyinine sighed and lay down on the sand, letting it caress her scales. She wanted to sing herself to sleep, but after what had happened today, she feared that her singing would only bring ruin. Bethyinine looked at James’s sword as she fell asleep, and began to cry.