Hugo didn't hesitate. His hands moved on their own, pulling the sphere carefully toward the shore. The voice inside grew slightly louder as it drew closer, still trembling with fear and hope. Whatever was trapped in there had been waiting for someone or anyone, to answer its call.
The sphere was warm when he finally lifted it from the water, heavier than it looked. Up close, he could see the frosted glass wasn't solid at all but some kind of translucent barrier that rippled like water frozen mid-motion. The smoke inside swirled faster, pressing against the walls as if trying to break free.
"How do I open this?" Hugo muttered, turning the sphere over in his hands. There were no seams, no visible locks, nothing that suggested a way in. The system chimed softly in his mind.
[Unknown Containment Sphere detected.]
[Recommendation: Apply steady pressure to the surface. The barrier will recognize your intent and respond accordingly.]
Hugo frowned but did as instructed. He placed both hands on the sphere and pressed gently. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the surface began to crack, fine lines spreading like frost melting under sunlight. The sphere shattered without a sound, dissolving into mist that vanished the instant it touched the air.
What remained took Hugo's breath away. A girl lay curled in his arms, small and fragile, her body trembling. But she wasn't entirely human.
From the waist down, her form shifted into a long, elegant tail covered in scales that shimmered in shades of deep blue and silver. Her hair, wet and tangled, fell past her shoulders in the same rich blue as her scales, streaked with lighter strands that caught the fading light like seafoam.
She was a mermaid. An actual mermaid.
Hugo stood frozen, not sure what to do. The girl's breathing was shallow, her eyes squeezed shut. There were cuts along her arms and across her tail, some fresh, others half-healed. She looked like she'd been through a war.
Slowly, Hugo lowered himself to the sand and laid her down gently. Her eyes fluttered open, pale blue and filled with terror.
The moment she saw him, she tried to scramble back, but her injured tail barely moved. A small, panicked sound escaped her throat.
"Easy," Hugo said quietly, holding up his hands to show he meant no harm. "I'm not going to hurt you."
The girl stared at him, chest heaving, clearly not believing him. Her gaze darted to his hands, then to the fishing rod lying nearby, then back to his face. She looked ready to bolt, even though she could barely move.
Hugo stayed where he was, keeping his movements slow and deliberate. He'd dealt with plenty of scared animals in his life, fish and birds caught in nets, and he knew the best thing to do was give them space.
"My name is Hugo," he said, keeping his voice low and calm. "I just pulled you out of that sphere."
"I don't know what happened to you, but I'm not going to make it worse."
The girl's breathing slowed slightly, though she still watched him like a trapped animal. After a long moment, she spoke, her voice hoarse and barely above a whisper.
"You're human."
Hugo nodded. "I am."
Her eyes filled with fresh fear. "Then you'll sell me. You'll take my scales, my fins, and you'll sell them to the highest bidder."
Hugo blinked, caught off guard by the accusation. "Why would I do that?"
"Because that's what humans do," she said, her voice breaking. "That's all they ever do."
Hugo looked at her for a long moment, seeing the scars on her arms, the way she flinched whenever he moved. Someone had hurt her. Probably more than one. And now she thought he was going to do the same.
"I'm not interested in your scales," Hugo said quietly. "Or your fins."
"I'm just a fisherman. And right now, you look like you need help."
The girl didn't respond, but her eyes followed him warily as he stood and walked over to the cluster of rocks. He found a shallow tide pool there, sheltered from the waves, and came back to her.
"Can you move if I help you?" he asked.
She hesitated, then nodded slightly. Hugo slipped his arms under her carefully, mindful of her injuries, and lifted her as gently as he could.
She was lighter than he expected, her body tense in his arms. He carried her to the tide pool and lowered her into the water.
The relief on her face was immediate. She sank into the pool with a soft sigh, her tail curling beneath her as the saltwater soaked into her scales. The cuts along her arms and tail began to glow faintly, and Hugo realized the water was healing her, slowly but steadily.
"Stay here," he said. "I'll be right back."
He returned to his fishing rod and cast the line again, this time with purpose. The ocean here was teeming with life, and it didn't take long before he caught something.
A fish, sleek and silver, with fins that glowed faintly in the twilight. It was bigger than anything he'd caught near Tidebreak, and when he pulled it from the water, the system chimed again.
[Silvergleam Bass caught.]
[Rank: Common | Weight: 3.2 lbs | Edible: Yes]
Hugo brought the fish back to the tide pool, where the girl was still watching him with wary eyes. He sat down on the sand and began cleaning the fish with a piece of sharp stone he'd found nearby. It wasn't as clean as a knife would have been, but it got the job done.
"You should eat," Hugo said, offering her a piece of the fish.
The girl stared at the offering, then at him, confusion clear on her face. "You're giving this to me?"
"You look half-starved," Hugo said simply. "And I can always catch more."
She took the fish slowly, as if expecting him to snatch it back. When he didn't, she ate, tearing into the meat with sharp teeth.
She devoured it quickly, and Hugo handed her another piece without a word. Then another.
By the time she'd finished, she looked a little less like a frightened animal and a little more like a person. The system chimed softly in Hugo's mind.
[Affinity Unlocked: Oceanborn Species can now recognize you as "Neutral."]
[Special Title Earned: The Fisher Who Caught a Mermaid.]
[Note: This title will grant you increased favor with aquatic beings.]
Hugo dismissed the notifications, more focused on the girl in front of him. She was staring at her hands, her expression unreadable. After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"My name is Nerelle."
Hugo nodded. "It's good to meet you, Nerelle."
She looked up at him, her pale blue eyes searching his face for something. "Why are you being kind to me? You don't even know me."
"Do I need a reason?" Hugo asked. "You were trapped, and you asked for help. That's reason enough."
Nerelle's eyes welled up with tears. She tried to blink them away, but they spilled over anyway, tracing silent paths down her cheeks. She looked away quickly, as if ashamed.
"I've met a lot of humans," she said quietly. "Merchants, hunters, sailors. They all wanted the same thing"
"My scales are worth a fortune in the markets. My blood can be used in potions. Even my voice can be sold if they know how to extract it."
Hugo felt a cold anger settle in his chest. He didn't know much about this world yet, but he knew enough to recognize cruelty when he heard it.
"I'm not like them," he said.
Nerelle looked at him again, and this time, there was something different in her eyes. Not trust, not yet, but maybe the beginning of it.
"I can see that," she whispered.
The sun had fully set by now, and the sky above them was painted in shades of deep purple and black, dotted with stars that seemed impossibly bright. The ocean glowed softly in the darkness, casting a gentle light across the beach.
Nerelle shifted in the tide pool, her tail moving slowly through the water. The cuts on her body had mostly healed, leaving faint silver lines where the worst wounds had been. She looked tired but no longer on the edge of collapse.
"Thank you," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "I've been trapped in that sphere for so long,"
"I thought no one would ever find me. And even if they did, I thought they'd just leave me there. Or worse."
Hugo shook his head. "You don't need to thank me. Anyone would have done the same."
"No," Nerelle said firmly. "They wouldn't."
"You're the first human I've met who didn't see me as a commodity. The first one who saw me as a person."
She wiped at her eyes again, and when she looked at Hugo, there was a fragile kind of gratitude there, mixed with disbelief, as if she still couldn't quite believe he was real. Hugo didn't know what to say to that, so he just sat with her in the quiet, listening to the gentle rhythm of the waves.