Alchemy Of Abyss

Chapter Three~5

She opened her eyes and looked around. She was standing in a massive room filled with candles hanging on the walls, giving the room a sense of intimacy.

Covered with loads of hieroglyphs inscriptions all over the walls, ceiling, and the ground in rhythm and harmony. An aisle in the middle of the room and on both sides were peaceful lakes that somehow appeared connected despite the ground aisle between them.

The clear water of the lakes showed a reflection of her standing body in the middle of the room. Willowy figure and long black wavy hair. She was dressed in a white tight-fitting sheath dress.

At the end of the aisle were two square boxes floating in the air as she walked. Hundreds of blue lotuses floated on the surface of the two lakes. A sudden rich earthy, floral, and aromatic scent evoked a narcotic warm misty atmosphere.

A soft fading female voice called her name. Nadine looked in the voice's direction; she felt a sudden chilly wind coming from behind the two boxes. She got closer and stood in front of them, it moved away, revealing a dark hall behind it. The same voice called her again, this time was clearer and louder.

Black glowing wisps came out of the hall, reaching her body within seconds. It covered her completely and tugged her inside the dark hall. Everything went into darkness with no sound but her terrified screams.

Strong turbulence. Nadine opened her eyes terrified, Camellia looked at her and held her hand to calm her down. "It's okay, it's just a bump." Camellia tapped Nadine's hand.

"I.... what..." Nadine's voice was quivering. "It... hurts!" Nadine touched her neck. She felt a terribly painful sharp pain in her throat.

"Are you okay?... what happened to your voice? You need something to soften your cords." Camellia told one of the cabin crew to get her tea with herbs. Meanwhile, Nadine looked out the window, terrified.

Seoul, South Korea, June 22, 2007.

Camellia and her friends wanted to go to the oldest coffee shop in Seoul called Hakrim. A vintage-looking café and every part seemed to have loads of stories. Nadine cared little about how old the café was; she only wanted coffee.

Camellia was sitting with two of her high school friends who lived in Seoul for three years; she was excited to practice some Korean words with them. Nadine wasn't enjoying the vacation from the beginning. Lena called her after they checked into the hotel, telling her about a new project. She had the drawing sketch with her, and she started working while they were at the café.

Camellia was so busy with her friends that she didn't notice Nadine at all. Nadine had already ordered two cups of coffee, yet she felt uninspired and bored. After she finished her coffee, she went outside the café to breathe fresh air; the weather was glorious and refreshing.

She took her sketch and sat on the ground outside. Nadine was desperate to draw anything. She had to finish three original designs in two weeks.

Across the road was a man in his mid-twenties standing in front of a bookstore talking on the phone; he was a handsome man, yet his watch was the only thing that caught Nadine's attention. A unique watch with a dark silver case, light silver bezel, navy blue hour markers, and deep black strap.

Her eyes were glued to the watch. I saw it before; she thought.

Without thinking too much, she drew his muscled left arm wearing the watch. She wasn't listening to anything but the music from her earphones. He noticed her and after he finished his call, he crossed the road and stood in front of her.

Nadine wasn't looking at him; she was heavily drawing his muscled arm in incredibly realistic details. "Wow." Nadine didn't respond. He squatted down to reach her eyes. Nadine was startled and took off her earphones. "Hi there." he had a husky deep voice with an Australian accent.

"Hi." Nadine was a little confused.

"I noticed your eyes fixed on me, so I had to come and say hello." his smile was charming; a smile of a confident man.

"Right! Your watch caught my attention." Nadine smiled, and her deep dimples appeared.

The man smiled back, moving his eyes between her eyes and her bright smile. "Are you an artist?" — Nadine shook her head no — "You should be, you're fantastic."

"Are you interested in that type of art?" Nadine said, raising both of her eyebrows. She looked innocent and like a cartoon character with her big almond-brown eyes.

"No, but my father is an expert at drawing people. I admire anyone with an outstanding talent like yours." He stared at her pretty face, not blinking.

Both stood up. Nadine closed her sketch and took a deep look at the man. "So, you must know how to draw, then."

"No, I am awful about it. I'm Liam Choi."

"Nadine Azmi." they shook hands and went inside the café while talking. They took another table and sat with each other for a while.

Camellia noticed Nadine had disappeared, so she texted her. Camellia looked behind her after Nadine texted back, then went to their table. "This is my cousin, Camellia," Nadine said and pointed at Camellia, who took the chair next to her to sit.

Nadine told Camellia what had happened earlier. "Again!" she said and chuckled.

"She did it before?"

"Every time we travel, she draws someone randomly. She keeps staring at them till they freak out. You're the first one to talk to her."

"That makes you a complete weirdo," Liam said and smiled at Nadine. "I couldn't help myself; she is a beautiful weirdo." She smiled back and ordered three cups of coffee from the waiter.

"Liam, are you fully Korean? You look mixed," Camellia said suddenly.

"Great question, not weird to ask someone you just met," Nadine said deadpan. That made Liam laugh.

"I swear I meant nothing. I'm curious about genetics and cultures," Camellia said in a lower tone, raising her hands apologetically to him.

"No worries, my father is Korean, and my mother is an Australian of English and Irish descent," Liam said, smiling.

"Interesting!" Camellia said with a bug-eyed look. Nadine smirked.

"I don't see your point of being obsessed with it; I bet you she's already imagining what your DNA looks like." Camellia hit Nadine's shoulder, causing her to groan in pain. Camellia's punches were always strong and quick. Liam laughed at their small interaction and from that one round of coffee, these three spent the whole three months of summer together.