Reborn as a Sea Nymph

Blood is sprouting out from my chest. I know I am dying. I am losing consciousness.

I don't understand why this is happening to me. Why was I kidnapped? Why was I killed brutally? A gunshot through my heart?

I am just a normal girl. My parents are normal office workers. I am a normal university student on semester break. Why?

Why?

What did I do to deserve this?

Just yesterday, my parents were joking with me. They said I would graduate in a year and then they could go traveling around the world with my salary.

Everything seems so far away now.

Hatred fills my heart. I can feel my life slipping away from the hole on my chest.

"... want to save her? Give me the Book!" My kidnapper shouted at someone.

Save? There is no way to save me. My kidnapper shot me directly at the heart. I can already feel my heart stuttering. I didn't die on spot because of my kidnapper's 'leniency'.

"If you want the Book, you can steal it, trick me out of it or fight me for it. Why did you have to drag a passerby into this?" someone replied, his voice filled with bone deep sorrow.

"Don't you know already? It's a double trap. The blood of a vengeful young girl is very useful."

"You have already made used of her enough. Stop!"

"Can you stop me, cousin?"

My kidnapper then starts to scream, apparently in deep pain.

After a few seconds of silence, my kidnapper catches his breath from his 'torture'.

"Cousin, still so soft hearted. You don't have it in you to kill. But I am different." He laughed haughtily. "You'll die... Do you know what kind of curse I placed on you with the help of this poor girl's blood?"

"You didn't..."

"Yes, I did. You can't save her, a soul used in a dark curse will be destroyed. And as you can't kill. I win." The kidnapper laughed evilly. Then abruptly everything returns to silence.

I sputter out more blood. The guy kneels next to me. Did this guy kill my kidnapper?

"I am sorry for dragging you into this. I am sorry."

If sorry can solve everything, what's the use of the police? I want to shout. I want to demand them to give me back my life.

But all I manage to stutter is, "My... parents... mom... dad..."

"I will take care of them. I promise. I am sorry."

With effort, I try to open my eyes and take a look at the person who promised to take care of my family.

A shadow of a young man appears in front of me. I know him. It's ... My conscious begins to drift.

"I am sorry, it's all my fault." He continues to apologize.

"I am... cold, " I mutter.

I wish Mom is here to hold me. I am cold. I am scared.

Gingerly I am placed in a warm embrace. Is it mom?

"Mom. Please save me, mom." At least I can die in the embrace of my mom.

"I will save you."

Then everything disappeared.

It feels like I am being picked up.

Pick up? How can someone pick me up? I am human, not an object!

I try to open my eyes. But I cannot.

"Don't fret. It's not time for you to wake up yet." Someone comforts me with a gentle voice.

Then I fall into deep sleep again.

When I regain conscious, I can finally open my eyes. But I feel weird. It feels like I'm drifting. Like I am not solid.

I look at my hands and they're transparent.

"You're still under formation. Don't worry, it's normal." The gentle voice from before. A young man appears in front of me. A handsome man with silverish hair.

My brain (if I have one now) is starting to work. Where am I? Formation? What formation? It's just a nap. I had an afternoon nap and then I became a cloud? I was just taking a nap in my dorm room! I was exhausted after the last exam, I decided to take a nap.

Right. I must be dreaming. I close my eyes and mutter to myself- wake up, wake up, wake up.

When I open my eyes, I am still in the same place.

Oh this can't be happening. It must be a dream inside a dream kind of dream. I try to make myself fall asleep again. When I wake up, I must be inside my dorm room. Right?

Sleep, sleep, fall asleep.

"It's real. Everything is real. It's not a dream." A soft voice. So soft that I nearly cannot catch that. It did not feel like I heard the words with my ears, more like the voice just appeared in my head.

I hope I am not going crazy. The voice just now was most certainly male.

I am sure I cannot fall asleep under this situation. Defeated, I first open one of my eyes to try to peek at the situation.

The young man with a gentle voice is still in front of me. He is staring at me.

"Seems like you're finally awake." He gives me a gentle smile to comfort me.

"Who are you? Where am I?" I ask timidly.

"This is my place in the castle. I am Princess Cordelia's cousin, Valentine."

Princess Cordelia? Valentine? Why do these two names sound really familiar? Where have I heard them?

My mind still feels so boggled, like I am inside a cloud. Maybe it's due to the fact that my brain has not fully formed yet.

"You're confused. That's normal. As a newly formed sea nymph should. Don't worry." He gives me yet another smile.

His gentle voice, his calm expression and comforting smile all make me fret less. But that's not normal! I am human!

"Do you remember what kind of sea creature you are a spirit of?"

No. Because I am human! Not a spirit of some sea creature.

"It's alright if you are not sure. You are the spirit of a pearl oyster. See you even have a pearl necklace."

I look at my neck and just as he said a pearl necklace hangs on my neck. It looks kind of like a pearl choker. The kind that was in the trend a few years ago.

Yes, it is all very satisfying to have unlimited supply of pearls, but just what is going on? This dream is a tad too real. A tad too long.

If I am in a dream, the colors should not be this vivid. Everything is in high definition even though I am not wearing my glasses.

Another possible reason starts to form in my mind. What if... No it can't be. Those things are just stories, product of the imaginative minds of authors.

"It may be a bit overwhelming at first, but you'll get used to it. As a newly formed nymph, you do not have a name. Let's call you Ianthe. Do you like it?"

Ianthe? This name rings a bell too.

Ianthe. I remember it has a meaning that is quite similar to my name. It means violet flower. And my name is Violet. Why do I know that?

Ianthe, Valentine, Cordelia, sea nymph...

Wait... doesn't the novel I read as distraction during my exam period have all these elements? A novel about mermaid princess Cordelia's adventure on land. Valentine, Cordelia's cousin, is the royal sorcerer of the underwater kingdom Ocera. He is also the one who gives Cordelia a potion to change her tail to legs. As for Ianthe, she is the maid of Cordelia. She is a not very important side character.

But why do I remember her? When she first appeared in the novel, there is a line explaining the meaning of her name. And her name has literally the same meaning as mine, so it makes an impact. But most importantly it's because she died in the end. She is the only character who dies in the novel. Not even the antagonist gets to die, but she does. Why? Because she is such a loyal servant. She saves her princess from an assassination or something. But what does she get in return? The princess marries happily in the next chapter. Not even a single drop of tear from the princess for her poor deceased maid.

I don't exactly remember every single detail of the plot as it is just a short little story I sneaked in between studying. It's supposed to be fun and entertaining, but not memorable.

So I really doubt that I am having a dream because I like the story so much. It's really not very memorable. See, I don't even remember the details of the plot! But does that mean I transmigrated into a novel?

I thought my life is going to be fun after exams, but turns out life likes messing up with you.

When I was really bored in the past, I once discussed this question with my best friend- What would you do if you're transmigrated?

My friend said she would be doomed. Which I agree with, a lot. I am not particularly smart. I for one most certainly cannot rise to become the first female general or the queen or something of that kind. I should be glad if I was not killed immediately.

And another thing that's never mentioned in those novels is that you will miss your family. Extremely. Desperately. It's like your heart gets carved out. And you feel empty inside. This is not like studying overseas where you can message your mother with a click of finger. You're now living in a totally different world. A different universe. A fictional world.

I really envy the fact that those heroine seems to fit right in from the first chapter. But I can not. I miss my family. I miss my old life.

"Ianthe, in deep thoughts again?" A face suddenly appears in front of my eyes. A very handsome face.

"Lord Valentine." I rise from the chair I am sitting on and greet him with a curtsy.

"How's your homework?" He gestures me to sit.

Oh right, even in another world, another time, as another species, you still have homework. Homework is universal.

I hand over my penmanship with an internal sigh. I have to learn their words from scratch which, luckily, is considered normal for a newly formed nymph.

I peek at Lord Valentine's expression. A tiny frown has formed between his eyebrows.

Well... the curves and hooks in their words are difficult to imitate.

"Ianthe, let me show you one more time. You have to master this, otherwise you cannot move on to making or casting spells."

You need to write out spells to cast them? Isn't that very inefficient? What if you're in an urgent situation? Who allows you time to write down a spell? You shout 'Wait a sec' at your enemy? I chuckle internally at this.

Lord Valentine must have noticed my query. He explains, "For starters, you have to write down the spells, so as to practice visualizing it in your mind. When you become more proficient, this step is not necessary."

"I see. The hooks and curves are really difficult to master." I try to offer an explanation for my lack of progress.

"I understand." He offers me a small smile. "I practiced a lot when I first learned them. You're not alone."

I can't imagine him not being able to master that. He seems so composed and competent all the time.

"I am having dinner with the royal family today."He informs me of his plan and then before entering the study, he gives me an encouraging smile.

I continue with my penmanship practice. Lord Valentine seems to be always distancing himself from the royal family. But he is the Queen's nephew. He is the son of the Queen's sister.

Although the King is a mermaid, the Queen isn't. I don't quite remember this particular detail in the novel. I just know the Queen isn't a mermaid, but from some other tribe. Thus, Lord Valentine, being from another species, also does not have a tail. It's not uncommon for the residents of Kingdom Ocera to have a pair of legs anyway. I for one have a very 'human' form (strikingly like how I look like originally). The only trait that distinguishes me from a human is my eyes. It has a pearly color. As long as you live in the sea, that makes you a resident of Kingdom Ocera.

After that first day in which I woke up to find myself a cloud and in a fictional world, Lord Valentine came to see and talk to me every day until my form consolidated. He told me he saved me from two soldiers who were about to eat me. He decided to keep me as his assistant for now since he is in need of one. But I know it won't last long. Ianthe is the maid of the princess from the start of the story. I wonder what happens in between?

As the royal sorcerer, Lord Valentine has his own place in the castle ground. A tower next to the main castle. He said he was in need of someone to assist him in mixing potions and stuff like that. I don't know if he is in need of an assistant, all I know is he is in need of a cleaning lady.

How can he survive this long, I have no idea. He lives in a rubbish dump. Papers and books (don't ask me why they are not soaked) everywhere. Countless robes on the road to his study and bedroom. Trays of half eaten food in every crook and corner.

The drawing room I wake up in is the only presentable place, because it's a place to entertain guest. Since I am under his protection and he saves me from the terrible future of being eaten, I started to learn to clean up the place. I was a spoiled child through and through. I did not even do household chores in my own home. But for my savior, I learn to do chores. I am destined to be a maid anyway.

However, he is like a hurricane, everywhere he goes, a mess is created.

I take a look at the corridor to his study. Yup, another robe on the floor. A stack of paper scattered in front of his study.

I sigh. Time to work.