Echoes of the Deep

The Sketch

Chapter 1

Episode 6

The Sketch.

The next afternoon, Naeven found himself walking the same path as yesterday. His classes had ended early. Without even thinking about it, his feet carried him toward the secluded cove hidden between towering cliffs. The ocean was calm today. Gentle waves rolled against the shore. The storm from the previous night had disappeared, leaving behind nothing but clear skies and cool sea air.

Naeven stood near the edge of the water. "...Vaesryn?" Only the waves answered. He waited. Five minutes. Ten. Twenty. Nothing disturbed the water. No long black hair. No crimson veil. No massive black tail. Just endless blue stretching toward the horizon.

Naeven let out a disappointed sigh. "I guess you really were just passing through..."

He wandered over to the large rock where he'd sat yesterday. Dropping his backpack beside him, he pulled out his sketchbook and a pencil. "...Well... If you aren't coming... I guess I'll just draw you." He flipped to a blank page. The pencil began moving almost immediately. Long flowing black hair. The sheer crimson veil. Sharp ears. His broad shoulders. The strange black serpent tail.

The bone trident.

Every detail he could remember slowly appeared on the page. Hours slipped by unnoticed. Occasionally he'd erase something.

Redraw a jawline. Adjust the curve of the tail. Darken the eyes. He wanted to get it right.

Finally... He leaned back. "...Done." The sketch stared back at him. It wasn't perfect. But... It was close. Very close. Naeven smiled faintly. "I must've hit my head..." he muttered. "Maybe I hallucinated the whole thing."

Yet somehow...

The drawing made the memory feel real. He couldn't explain it.

Across town...

Crescent Bay Harbor was anything but peaceful. Police cars once again lined the shoreline. Another body had washed ashore.

Another victim. Another impossible death. Crime scene investigators carefully photographed the remains while officers kept curious onlookers behind yellow tape. The medical examiner frowned. "The bite pattern doesn't match anything in our database."

A detective folded his arms.

"Shark?"

"No."

"Bear?"

"We're standing on a beach."

"...Right."

The examiner sighed. "I honestly don't know." News helicopters circled overhead. Rumors spread faster than facts. Some claimed a serial killer had dumped another body. Others blamed a giant shark.

By evening...

The beaches were officially closed. Nikolai stood inside his living room watching the news. The television showed aerial footage of flashing police lights along the shoreline. "A third victim has now been discovered..." The reporter's voice echoed through the room.

Authorities continue urging residents to avoid the water while investigations remain ongoing. Nikolai barely heard the rest. His thoughts drifted elsewhere. His father. Dmitri was still out fishing. Every single day. His stomach tightened. "What if..." He immediately pushed the thought away.

No. His father wasn't alone. He'd been fishing these waters for years. Still... For the first time in his life... The ocean no longer felt familiar. It felt dangerous.

Miles away...

Ayden Ven stood inside his laboratory surrounded by paperwork. Photographs of every recent victim covered the walls. Beside them hung older photographs. His wife's case. Three years old. He compared bite marks. Measured spacing. Recorded angles. Every new death brought new evidence. New samples. New possibilities. His tired eyes remained fixed on one conclusion. "They're identical..."

he whispered. He enlarged sonar images across several monitors.

Long shapes. Moving beneath the sea floor. Far larger than any known eel. His fingers danced across the keyboard. "Whatever you are... I'm getting closer."

Back at the secluded cove...

The afternoon slowly faded into evening. The gentle rhythm of the waves became strangely soothing.

Naeven continued sketching. One page. Then another. Different angles. Different poses. Eventually... His eyelids grew heavy. The sketchbook slipped onto his lap. The sea breeze brushed against his face. Without realizing it... He fell asleep. A ripple disturbed the surface of the water. Then another. Slowly... A familiar head emerged. Long black hair clung to pale skin. A crimson veil concealed the lower half of his face.

Vaesryn.

He quietly rested his arms upon the rocks and looked at the sleeping human. His crimson eyes blinked with curiosity.

The human had returned. Again. Vaesryn carefully climbed from the water. His long black serpent tail slid silently across the damp stone. He stopped beside Naeven. The sleeping human looked peaceful. Vaesryn tilted his head. His gaze drifted downward.

A book. Filled with strange markings. And... Pictures. One page immediately caught his attention.

It was... Him.

He stared at the drawing. Then looked back at himself. Then back to the drawing. A soft, amused sound escaped him. "...Hm."

He remained there quietly. Watching. Guarding. A cool drop of water landed on Naeven's cheek. His eyes slowly opened. "...Mm..."

He blinked. Something wet sat beside him. His vision cleared. Long black hair. Crimson veil. Red eyes. The same impossible man from yesterday. Naeven's eyes flew open. "Y-YOU'RE REAL?!" His voice echoed loudly through the cove. Vaesryn slowly turned his head. His expression remained completely calm. Though somehow...

He looked mildly annoyed. Naeven immediately covered his mouth. "O-Oh ...Sorry." Vaesryn's attention shifted toward the sketchbook lying open beside Naeven.

He leaned closer. Curious. His crimson eyes widened slightly. He pointed at the drawing. Then pointed at himself. "Oh!" Naeven smiled. "That's you. I drew you." Vaesryn looked between the drawing and himself once more.

Then...

He let out a quiet chuckle.

Without warning, he crawled several feet away across the rock. He carefully positioned himself. Tail elegantly curled beside him.

One arm resting casually across the stone. His posture became perfectly still. Naeven blinked. "...Wait... You... You want me to draw you again?" Vaesryn simply continued holding the pose. "...I guess that's a yes." Laughing softly to himself, Naeven flipped to a clean page.

His pencil began moving again. This time... He didn't have to rely on memory. Every strand of long black hair. Every scale along the enormous serpent tail. The crimson veil. The bone ornaments. Every tiny detail became clearer than before. As Naeven worked, Vaesryn suddenly reached toward the veil. With slow, careful movements... He untied it. The crimson fabric slipped away.

Naeven froze. "...Whoa..." He had only seen Vaesryn's face for a brief moment yesterday.

Now...

He could study every detail. His skin looked almost unreal. Smooth as polished marble. Sharp features. Brilliant crimson eyes. He looked less like a person... And more like a sculpture brought to life. Naeven quickly returned to drawing. The pencil flew across the page. Minutes passed. Neither spoke. Neither needed to. Finally... Naeven lowered his pencil. "...Finished." He carefully turned the sketchbook around. Vaesryn leaned forward. His eyes slowly traveled across the drawing. Then... A warm smile spread across his face. He looked at Naeven. Nodded once. Then gently tapped his own chest. "...Vaesryn." Naeven smiled. "...Yeah. Vaesryn." Vaesryn looked pleased.

With one graceful motion, he slipped from the rock back into the sea. His powerful black tail disappeared beneath the waves.

Within seconds... Only ripples remained. Naeven sat there smiling to himself. He looked down at the fresh drawing. "...Such an odd creature." He quietly closed the sketchbook. For the first time in a long while...

He didn't feel quite so alone. Maybe...

Just maybe...

He had made a friend. A friend who wasn't little at all. And wasn't even human.