The fishing hut seemed old yet well kept. It was clean and the wood used to build it was of high quality. A small patch of grass around the hut was trimmed and few stones lay infront resembling a walkway. There was an oxidised copper bell and a rope attached to it. The green hue of the bell was mesmerizing. It felt like an entire ocean was inside it, the waves crashing on the surface of the bell.
Nephin moved closer to the bell, enchanted by its beauty, one step at a time through the dark, wooden stairs leading upto it.
Why do I fee- feel a calling from that bell?
He hesitates to ring the bell but finally gives in.
Dong
It's ringing sound reverberates through his ears, like the ocean waves hitting the shore, again and again.
Creak
A long creaking sound accompanied the ringing of the bell and the door of the fishing hut opened wide.
Goddamn it! Should I really be doing this? I- I just want to get away from all this damnit!
"Come in"
The voice of the woman that had asked him to come inside was enchanting. Almost surreal. Her voice was soft, soothing yet grand. It felt like the ocean itself was whispering to him and not a human.
Nephin walked inside with steady steps. Taking in the space inside the fishing hut. It was not grand, nor did it give off a supernatural feel, it was a simple fishing hut. A shelf to his right filled with books on the top two rows and the other three containing open wooden boxes filled with hooks and reels, coiled up ropes and jars of bait. Next to that a small cupboard with a small bronze figurine of an old man charging atop a horse with his sword aimed infront of him.
To his left, a simple table with a candle burning in the middle of it, two plates with a serving of grilled fish on each alongside a bowl of soup amd two glasses of water with two chairs facing each other. Infront of him was a cushioned chair, large enough for two people to sit side by side, facing away from him towards a window. on its left a kitchen area and to it's right some storage.
Sitting on the cushioned chair was a woman. Looking outside the window.
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Nephin stood there, not knowing what to do. He didn't know what to expect but the sudden change in his surroundings as he entered the ominous room behind the double doors had made him feel like entering this one would be the same.
Its... Simple... And empty...
Nephin could not put into words what he saw yet it made him dumbstruck. After all he had seen and gone through, the simple nature of the fishing hut was just too different for him.
Just then, the woman woke up and walked towards the table and sat down. She was a simple woman. Wearing a rather modest brown dress and her hair made put up into a ponytail.
Her eyes were a shade of silver and she was of average height, standing at nearly 5 foot 6 in height. There was nothing distinctive about her, nothing that made her special other than being inside the fishing hut.
"The food will go cold."
"Oh"
A simple sentence, nothing enthralling about that voice unlike what he first heard.
Nephin walked over and sat opposite to her. She revealed a smile as she gave him a glass of water.
"Do you wish to get powers?"
"Not really... I still don't understand what is happening..."
"Strange..." She replied as she laughed a little, her actions devoid of malice.
"Who... Are you?"
"You can call me Vanessa. I'm a family friend of yours."
"Then... Vanessa, why am I here? Why do I not have any memories of myself?"
She took a big bite of the fish on her plate and drank a few spoons of the soup.
"The food will get cold. You're hungry aren't you?"
Hearing this, Nephin felt a tinge of anger inside him. Her avoiding the question, using food as a pretence had made him angry. But Nephin tried not to show his anger to the woman.
Bitch.
He started eating the food that lay infront of him, as he continued their conversation.
"Please tell me, why I am here and why I do not have any memories."
Vanessa smiled as she responded "Because I need you here."
Nephin was taken aback by her answer. His anger growing. "Why?"
"To hurt you."
"Huh?"
"Your parents are not a fun bunch, so I had to find a way to hurt you and one after the other, it's led us both to this table. Quite Romantic isn't it?"
"Who the fuck are you?"
Hearing his question, Vanessa's smile widened, her face contorting to the smile.
"Do you wish to obtain power?"
"Can It make me strong? Strong enough to hurt you?"
The room was filled with wicked laughter, with each laugh making Vanessa's face contort more and more into her own smile like a whirlpool in an ocean.
"And more!"
"Then I want power. Power strong enough to hurt you. And more." His anger was evident in his voice. His expressions betraying his effort at having a calm demeanor.
"Alright. I'll give you power. But I want you to promise me something in exchange. Because after you recieve this power, you will be back in the real world."
"I thought you wanted to hurt me?"
"I've hurt you more than you know Nephin. I want you to promise me that you will find me again. So that you can hurt me!"
"Why should I?"
"Because you will."
Her violent contortions calmed down as her smile faded. Her face emotionless.
"Remember, You are what holds you back."
"Wha-" before he could finish however, he was in a tavern next to a drunkard. The man's face was flustered. He stood up from his seat and walked towards Nephin.
Smack