The jaws closed in.
Closer.
Faster.
Unavoidable.
Thalren's body didn't move.
Not because he accepted it—
But because it no longer listened.
His strength was gone.
His vision blurred.
The roar of the sea faded into a distant echo.
For a brief moment—
Everything slowed.
The waves.
The wind.
Even the beast itself.
And in that fading space between life and death—
A memory surfaced.
A voice.
Calm.
Unshaken.
"…Then don't die before that."
Kael.
Thalren's fingers twitched.
His grip tightened—just slightly.
His eyes sharpened.
Not fully.
But enough.
"…I don't have the right…"
His voice was barely a whisper.
The beast was already upon him.
Teeth inches away.
"…to die yet."
Something shifted.
Not outside.
Inside.
The crystal around his neck flared.
Faint at first—
Then brighter.
The water around the blade trembled.
Not controlled.
Not stable.
But alive.
Thalren forced his body to move.
Just one step.
Just one swing.
His muscles screamed.
His vision cracked.
But he moved.
The blade cut forward—
Not clean.
Not perfect.
But enough.
The water surged violently around the strike.
The impact hit the creature's jaw.
Not a killing blow—
But it deflected the attack.
Barely.
The beast crashed into the side of the boat instead.
Wood shattered.
The boat tilted violently.
Thalren lost his balance.
His body fell—
Into the sea.
---
Cold.
Dark.
Heavy.
The ocean swallowed him instantly.
His body sank.
Slow at first—
Then deeper.
His limbs didn't respond.
The surface above blurred into a distant shimmer of light.
The deeper he fell—
The quieter it became.
No sound.
No struggle.
Just pressure.
Endless.
His eyes half-opened.
The darkness felt familiar.
Like something he had seen before.
The depths.
The same place from his visions.
The same place where those golden eyes existed.
His consciousness faded.
His body continued to sink.
The crystal's glow dimmed.
Weaker.
Unstable.
"…Not yet…"
The thought barely formed.
But it was there.
Still there.
Even now.
---
Above the surface—
The broken boat drifted aimlessly.
The Sea Beast circled once more.
Wounded.
Angry.
It searched.
Waiting for the boy to resurface.
But he didn't.
The water remained still.
Then—
A shadow appeared.
Not from below.
From afar.
A ship.
Cutting through the waves.
Fast.
Precise.
The crew stood ready.
Weapons drawn.
Eyes locked onto the wounded beast.
"…Target confirmed," one of them said.
"Finish it."
No hesitation.
No fear.
They moved like professionals.
One leap—
One strike—
Clean.
Efficient.
The Sea Beast didn't last long.
Its body collapsed into the sea.
Dead.
The water turned still once more.
"…There was something else here," another voice said.
"Check below."
A figure stepped to the edge of the ship.
Eyes scanning the surface.
Then narrowing.
"…There."
Without hesitation—
They jumped.
---
The ocean closed around them.
The darkness welcomed them.
But unlike Thalren—
They moved with purpose.
Controlled.
Experienced.
Their eyes adjusted quickly.
And there—
Falling deeper into the abyss—
Was a body.
Still.
Unmoving.
The figure reached him.
Grabbed his arm.
Paused.
"…He's alive."
Faint.
But there.
The crystal around Thalren's neck flickered weakly.
The rescuer's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…What is that…"
No answer.
No time.
They pulled him upward.
Fast.
Breaking through the surface.
The crew above moved immediately.
"Get him up!"
Hands reached down.
Pulled them aboard.
Thalren's body hit the deck.
Unconscious.
Barely breathing.
Water dripping from his clothes.
Silence fell for a moment.
One of them crouched beside him.
Checking his pulse.
"…He shouldn't be alive."
Another voice responded:
"Yet he is."
A pause.
Then—
"…Take him to Virella."
The ship turned.
Without delay.
Cutting through the waves once more.
Leaving behind the broken boat.
The blood-stained water.
And the place where a boy had nearly disappeared into the depths.
---
Far below—
In the darkness—
Something stirred.
Not the beast.
Not the hunters.
Something older.
Something vast.
A presence.
Watching.
Not interfering.
Just observing.
Because this time—
The boy had not been standing at the shore.
He had fallen into the sea.
And still—
He hadn't let go.