The black ocean exploded upward.
Massive waves rose silently around us, towering into the endless darkness like walls large enough to swallow mountains. The eye beneath the surface remained fixed on us as the water twisted unnaturally around it, spiraling faster and faster until reality itself began distorting with the movement.
And then—
Something emerged.
At first, my mind refused to understand what I was seeing.
Not because it was too large.
Because it made no sense.
Its body constantly shifted between shapes, as though existence itself could not fully define it. Sometimes it resembled a serpent large enough to coil around cities. Other times it became something humanoid with far too many arms stretching endlessly into the darkness.
Every second it changed again.
Unstable.
Wrong.
The synchronization inside me reacted instantly.
Pain exploded through my entire body.
The fractures across my skin ignited violently while the darkness beneath them pulsed in direct response to the creature rising from the abyss.
The First One stepped forward immediately.
"Do not look directly at it for too long."
Too late.
The moment my eyes met the creature's—
Memories flooded into my head.
Not mine.
Not inherited from the previous chosen ones either.
Ancient memories.
Civilizations collapsing beneath black skies.
Entire worlds consumed by darkness.
Screaming oceans.
Burning stars.
And through all of it—
That same eye watching silently from the abyss.
I staggered backward hard.
Faye caught me before I fell.
"Kael!"
I grabbed my head violently, forcing myself back into the present.
The creature rising from the black ocean noticed instantly.
Its shifting body froze for a brief second.
Then slowly—
It turned toward me completely.
The First One's expression darkened.
"It recognizes the synchronization."
The monster moved.
Not physically.
Reality bent around it instead, pulling the endless darkness inward as it began approaching us across the ocean without truly touching the surface.
Every step shattered space itself.
The pressure surrounding us became unbearable instantly.
Faye nearly lost her footing.
The First One raised his hand sharply.
Black chains erupted from the darkness around us, wrapping across the ocean in massive spirals before slamming into the creature's body.
The abyss screamed.
The sound shattered the skyless void around us.
The creature twisted violently against the chains, its form constantly mutating faster now, eyes opening and closing across its body while darkness leaked endlessly from the cracks forming beneath its skin.
The synchronization inside me pulsed painfully.
Because deep down…
Part of me understood this thing.
Not emotionally.
Structurally.
The realization terrified me.
The First One noticed immediately.
"Do not let the prison connect you to them."
I forced myself to breathe despite the pressure crushing my chest.
"What ARE they?"
The First One stared toward the abyss creature silently.
Then quietly—
"The remains of worlds that crossed too far beyond reality."
Cold spread through my body.
"What does that mean?"
His silver-gray eyes darkened.
"It means they were once alive."
Silence crashed across the endless ocean.
The creature screamed again.
This time the chains binding it began cracking.
Faye looked horrified now.
"You're telling me those things were civilizations?"
The First One nodded once.
"They sought evolution beyond existence itself."
Another violent crack split across the chains.
"They succeeded."
The synchronization inside me reacted again.
More memories flooded into my mind instantly.
Ancient beings opening Doors across dying worlds.
Civilizations trying to surpass mortality.
Entire realities collapsing after touching something beyond human understanding.
And eventually—
Transformation.
The creatures imprisoned here were not born monsters.
They became monsters trying to transcend reality itself.
The realization made me sick.
The abyss creature lunged violently against the chains again.
This time several shattered completely.
The First One moved instantly.
Darkness erupted around him as black fractures spread fully across his body. The pressure surrounding him deepened so violently that even the black ocean beneath us split apart.
For the first time since meeting him—
I saw the true scale of his power.
Not domination.
Containment.
Every bit of strength he possessed existed solely to hold back things like this.
The abyss creature shrieked violently as more chains wrapped around it, dragging part of its body back beneath the ocean.
But it kept staring at me.
Hungry.
Recognizing.
The synchronization inside me pulsed harder.
The fractures spread farther across my face.
And suddenly—
The creature spoke.
Not with words.
With emotion.
Join us.
Pain exploded through my skull instantly.
The black ocean surged violently around us as countless whispers echoed beneath reality itself.
No more loneliness.
No more fear.
No more separation.
The temptation behind those whispers nearly crushed me.
Not because they promised power.
Because they promised belonging.
Faye grabbed my face suddenly, forcing me to look at her.
"Kael!"
Her voice cut through the whispers instantly.
The synchronization stabilized again.
The fractures stopped spreading.
The abyss creature screamed in frustration.
The First One stared at us in disbelief.
"…You stopped the resonance."
Another chain wrapped violently around the creature's body.
This time it held.
The monster slowly sank back beneath the black ocean, its countless eyes remaining fixed on me until the darkness swallowed it completely again.
Silence returned.
Only the endless waves remained.
Faye slowly lowered her hands from my face.
Her breathing shook slightly now.
"You okay?"
I answered honestly.
"…No."
Because the whispers still echoed faintly inside my mind.
And the worst part—
A small piece of me wanted to listen.
The First One walked toward us slowly.
His expression looked more unsettled than before.
"What just happened should not be possible."
I frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
His eyes shifted between me and Faye.
"The synchronization should be consuming your humanity."
The black ocean trembled faintly beneath us.
"But instead…"
For the first time—
Uncertainty entered his voice.
"…it's evolving around it."