The ascent had been smooth for the first five minutes.
The submarine rose through the darkness, its hull groaning against the pressure. The demons had fallen back, their glowing eyes receding into the black. Gatekeeper's light pulsed softly inside the cabin, contained by the walls, visible only to those within.
Aurelion sat in the front, the shards heavy on his back, his mind still reeling from the vision.
The First King.
Why did he look like me?
Why did I see myself in his place?
Ami sat beside him. "You're thinking too loud."
"I'm trying to understand."
"Maybe you're not supposed to understand yet."
He looked at her. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Survive. Figure it out later."
The first impact was a shockwave—not a bump, but a crash. The submarine lurched sideways, throwing everyone against the walls.
"What was that?" Corrin shouted.
The pilot's voice was strained. "They're back. All of them. They're attacking the hull!"
Aurelion's blood went cold. They couldn't see the light anymore. They'd lost the deterrent.
"Everyone, brace!" the pilot yelled.
The submarine shuddered again. A crack appeared in the ceiling. Water sprayed into the cabin.
"They're breaking through!" Kael shouted.
Aurelion grabbed Gatekeeper. "Get to the suits!"
"There's no time!" Ami pointed at the crack. "They're coming in!"
The hull split open.
Water poured in—cold, crushing, absolute. The submarine tilted, throwing them into chaos. Corrin slammed into a bulkhead. Kael disappeared into the rising water. Ami grabbed a handrail, holding on.
Aurelion tried to reach Gatekeeper's hilt, but the water was too fast, too strong. He was pushed back, spun around, disoriented.
And then—impact.
Something slammed into him from behind—a body, a demon, a piece of debris. He didn't see what. He only felt the sudden, violent tug at his belt.
Gatekeeper's hilt slipped from his grasp.
The sword fell.
He watched it sink into the darkness, its crimson veins flickering once, twice, then gone.
"No—"
He dove after it.
The water swallowed him.
Ami watched him disappear into the black. Her hand reached out, but he was already gone.
"Aurelion!"
No answer. Just the darkness and the water and the endless, crushing cold.
She turned back to the cabin. The submarine was flooding fast. The pilot was struggling with the controls. Corrin was trying to seal the breach with his own body, his hands pressed against the crack.
"Get to the suits!" she shouted.
"We can't move!" Corrin yelled back. "The water—"
"I'll get them!"
She waded through the rising water, each step a battle against the current. The suits were stacked against the far wall, still in their racks. She grabbed one, then another, throwing them toward Corrin and Kael.
"Catch!"
Corrin caught his. Kael caught his, already pulling it on.
Ami grabbed the last suit for herself, hauling it over her shoulders as the water rose to her chest.
"Get them on! Now!"
The demons broke through.
Claws pierced the hull, tearing the metal like paper. Water flooded in—not a trickle, a wave. The submarine tilted further, its lights flickering.
One of the demons lunged at Corrin. He swung his suit like a shield, smashing it into the creature's face. It recoiled, hissing.
Kael was already in his suit, pistols drawn. He fired, the blue-violet arcs lighting up the cabin. A demon fell, its body dissolving in the water. Another took its place. Then another.
Ami pulled her helmet on, sealing it just as the water reached her chin.
"Corrin! Kael! On me!"
They formed a tight triangle, backs to each other, weapons raised. The demons circled, their glowing eyes fixed on the hunters.
"Where's Aurelion?" Corrin shouted.
Ami's voice was steady, even through the suit's comms. "He went after Gatekeeper."
"Alone?"
"He's Aurelion."
The demons attacked.
Kael fired—two shots, three, four. Each bolt found a target, but more took their place. Corrin swung his broken pipe, catching a demon across the face, sending it reeling. Ami's blade found throats, hearts, eyes.
They fought in the dark, in the cold, in the rising water.
They fought because they didn't know what else to do.
A demon lunged at Kael, its claws raking across his suit. The reinforced fabric held, but barely. He stumbled, fired point-blank into its face, and it dissolved.
Corrin was bleeding from a gash on his forehead, his eyes wild. He was still swinging, still fighting, still refusing.
Ami saw another demon closing on his blind side. She threw her blade—it spun through the water, embedding itself in the creature's throat. It dissolved.
She swam to retrieve it, fighting against the current.
And then—pain.
A searing, burning pain across her upper arm. She spun. A demon was behind her, its claws dripping with blood. Her blood.
"Ami!" Corrin shouted.
"It's fine!, "She exclaimed, grabbed her blade, swinging it in a wide arc, and catching the demon across the throat. It's body slowly started sinking to the bottom.
But the wound was deep. Her arm was useless. Blood clouded the water around her.
"We need help!" Kael shouted into the comm. "Anyone! We're under attack!"
Silence.
Then—a response.
"This is Submarine Two. We're coming."
And a third voice: "Submarine Three, on approach."
The torpedoes came from both sides.
Twin streaks of light cut through the darkness, striking the demons in the middle of their formation. The explosions were muted—wrong in the water—but the effect was immediate. The demons scattered, their formation broken.
Ami slumped against the wall, her arm bleeding, her vision swimming.
The two submarines loomed into view, their lights cutting through the black.
"Get them out!" a voice shouted.
Hunters in diving suits emerged from the submarines, weapons blazing. They formed a perimeter, pushing the demons back.
Corrin grabbed Ami, pulling her toward the nearest submarine.
"Stay with me," he said.
"I'm not going anywhere," she replied.
Her voice was weak. But her eyes were still sharp.
They climbed aboard Submarine Two.
The medics were already working on Ami's arm. She watched them through blurred vision, her thoughts drifting.
Where are you, Aurelion?
Where is he?
He didn't come back.
Kael appeared beside her. "He'll find a way. He always does."
"He dropped the sword. He dove after it."
"He'll find a way," Kael repeated.
The submarines rose toward the surface.
The demons didn't follow.
Ami looked out the viewport as the city faded into darkness below.
Come back, she thought.
Please come back.