2.54 Nothing Here

There was nothing here.

Nothing - except for the bell and the oil lamp that stood in the corner. The pitiful flame quivered in the wind.

Outside, the sun was setting.

The air sizzled, then crackled. The system reared its ugly head.

[Creator… four quarters remaining still sunset.]

The voice leered, very much pleased at itself as it cut out.

Laughter bubbled in Thanh Van's chest as he looked into the depths of the bell, at the dents the heavy ringer had left behind after years of use.

The brass bell was commonly used within similar settings, a grand bell suspended over a vertical wooden post with a long rope pooling at the ground used for ringing the bell. Very boring, one in a dozen - 

Very much not the damned A-rank prop Thanh Van had thought and hoped it to be!

Thanh Van felt his artery clap shut out of anger when a slight tremor skitted over his skin.