Chapter 240: Dark Waters

Chapter 240: Dark Waters

Chapter 240 - Dark Waters

“You took a swim in a sea full of monsters?” Ele hugged one of his pillows with a horrified expression.

“Well, I didn’t know that at the time. And the other options sounded worse.” Kai shrugged. He had skipped over the most gruesome and dangerous details in his retelling, but there was no way to make his first year on the island sound cheery. “We can stop here, you don’t have to listen to more.”

“No, you must finish the story.” Flynn leaned forward in his chair. “What did you see in the water? Did you find what you were looking for? How did you survive?”

Ele chewed her lip. “I’d feel better knowing how it ends. If you don’t mind continuing.”

“Of course, you don’t have to tell us if you’re not ready.” Flynn bobbed his head, watching with a pleading expression that said the exact opposite.

Kai fiddled with his silver ring, gaze lost in the grain of the floorboards. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago. I’m over it.”

His sister rested her hand on his back. “You made it out in one piece in the end, right?”

“Not exactly.”

~ ~ ~

The isle stood about two miles off the coast. Ivory structures covered in algae and vines rose from the dark frothing sea, staunchly buffering the waves.

Occasional ospreys and cormorants landed on the ruins. There were no flashes to indicate the presence of defensive wards—at least on the outside. Despite the millennia of abandonment, the other site Kai visited on his way here had incinerated a winged serpent. The ruins on the archipelago were only bare of enchantments because the mana density had fallen too low to sustain them.

“Waiting any longer won’t help.” He had observed the target for a full day-and-night cycle—three days on the outside. There were no low or high tides, the deep waters shifted between rough and rougher, though that made little difference. If he pushed his skills, he could cross the distance in minutes while sustaining a cloak of Shadow.

“Mrow” Hobbes pushed his head against his leg, always keeping Kai between him and the water. The little guy had no problem finding him each night, though his blinking range didn’t reach that far.

Kai bent and scratched his ear. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back sooner than you know. Ow! What was that for?”

The kitten had pawed his hand and mistrustingly watched the turbulent waves. “Meew!”

“I have to go. It’s either this or crossing the island for a place that might be even more dangerous.” Kai licked the blood off his hand and applied a balm to close the scratch.

This was one of three sites that held an Astral Harmonizer, and it might be the only ruin not protected by active wards. Without the artifact, the gateway would shred him to pieces, Zervathi had been pretty clear on that.

I can’t wait for seven years, I need to leave this place.

“It’ll be alright,” Kai spoke in a soothing tone as he stroked Hobbes’ back, away from the claws.

Hallowed Intuition murmured of danger below the waves, but that was hardly news. Even on shore, in one of the lowest mana areas he had found, the skill never stayed silent. There were threats in the greenery to his left, threats circling the sky, and even threats buried underneath the sand. Of course, the sea would be no exception.

On a more positive note, the essence density didn’t increase as far as his senses could reach. He shouldn’t encounter anything higher than low-yellow. “C’mon, I can do this.”

Kai stripped off any clothes that would slow him down and strapped two knives to his legs. The sea serpent sword, ready to be drawn lay in his ring. His mana reserves were full with an abundance of Water and Shadow.

“I’ll be back in a jiffy.” He cheerfully booped Hobbes. The cat watched him from the cover of a palm with pale blue eyes.

In and out. I can be done in under an hour.

He checked the whispers for any looming danger and crept forward. His feet dug into the cold sand pointing toward the closest point to the isle. The deafening roar of the waves erased his memories of the crystal calm of the Shallow Sea.

Just a little swim.

When the next wave retreated, Kai leaped into the frigid waters and swam under the surface to escape the waves pulling him to shore. Blessed Swimmer told him how to slip through the currents, though the feeling of peace he expected didn’t come.

He had no time to dawdle, the faster he reached his target the sooner he could get to safety. The murky waters hardly contained any life, only the dark green kelp swaying in the currents and playful white fishes trying to take a bite out of him.

Hmm, that’s better than I imagined.

Kai limited Mana Observer’s range to half its maximum radius. Powerful beasts could be alerted to his skill, but from that distance, they would notice him anyway. He channeled his mana into Empower and Blessed Swimmer to skim through the sea with minimal resistance.

The seabed disappeared into an unnatural darkness with scattered fields of anemic kelps poking through. A whisper of warning prompted Kai to take a hard left.

Right.

Left.

With a mix of excitement and apprehension, Kai plunged back into the dark waters. Feeling safer the closer he was to the surface, he headed to the top room first. More chambers contained breathable air, but every passage to the upper levels was barred by wards, buzzing with mana.

I should have known.

Swimming in a convoluted loop past the defenses, Kai managed to reach the chamber below. An array of flowing runes on the entrance flickered without triggering. Rows of immaculate shelves stood arranged in a circle inside, but whatever they had contained must have turned to dust long ago.

Without letting himself get demoralized, Kai dove toward the lower levels. The waters grew colder together with the whispers of danger—still within an acceptable degree. The third chamber was empty while the fourth contained a hexagonal altar brimming with a strange mana. An affinity he didn’t possess.

Hallowed Intuition advised him to go back like it always did.

I’ll check just one more.

He might have missed a chamber, but his instincts told him he was following the right track. The whispers reluctantly provided another winding path downward. There were hardly any runes active at this depth, or an enchantment that wasn’t broken.

Or shattered by something... I better hurry.

Kai released one extra breath he had saved in his ring and used the last specialization of Blessed Swimmer to refill his Water mana reserves. He was so close. Pushing against one corner, he dashed into the fifth chamber.

Yes!

Six artifacts rested on a circle of plinths and failing runes. Each shone with multiple layers of runes, but a silver pyramid caught all his attention. The shape and iridescent motes blinking over the surface fit the description Zervathi had provided. The first piece to bring him home.

Kai stored the Astral Harmonizer in his ring when the whispers suddenly turned into frantic screams, deafening his thoughts. By the time he turned around, inky darkness was already flooding the chamber like smoke in water.

Fuck.

He froze a barrier and wielded the sea serpent sword, but the approaching darkness swallowed his shield as if it wasn’t even there. He was thrown into the pitch-black nothingness, losing his sense of sight and hearing. Only dread remained. Pain exploded from his right leg as a series of curved hooks cut into his flesh and dragged him down, toward the depths of the facility.

Kai desperately channeled every element into his sword and swung. His strike was rebuffed without the slightest give. More hooks dug into his arm, wringing the blade from his hands. He screamed into the inky darkness when an aura far beyond any peak-yellow beast silenced him.

His mind went blank. Only the certainty that he was about to die remained. He had made a bet and lost, been too confident that Hallowed Intuition would warn him in time to escape. His magic wouldn’t be enough to save him even if he were the luckiest man in the world. He wouldn’t be seeing his family, or anybody else again.

Please, help me.

Piercing pain shot up his chest as if his ribcage was being pulled apart, digging toward his heart.

~As you wish, elfoid monkey child.~ The haughty voice of the god shrilled. ~Get your odd-shaped tentacles off my property.~

A flash of prismatic colors banished the darkness. The next thing he knew, Kai could feel rough sand pressing against his face. He pushed himself up, spluttering and wheezing for air. The ivory isle stood across the sea, miles away.

What—

His hands searched his body for injuries, but there was no blood. Even the scratch Hobbes had given him was gone.

~I chose to interpret your request charitably and stitched your fleshy body up.~

“Thank you,” Kai muttered, hugging his body in shock.

~You’re very much welcome. You’re lucky I was bored enough to watch your idiocy. Though this still counts as your second wish. You only have one remaining.~

“I—” He was about to die, then he was not. He had gotten away with the artifact and his life, though he had lost his only protection. There would be no second chances the next time he ran into trouble. Not if he wanted to leave this realm.

Kai closed his hands to stop them from shaking, though he couldn’t stop his teeth from clattering. A cold dread was rooted into his bones. “What was that thing?”

~Just some misshapen horror that snuck into my Sanctuary while I was away. The fauna of my Sanctuary has evolved in peculiar ways without my supervision. To think sapient creatures would dare attack someone blessed by me. Truly scandalous. I shall add a culling to my list of chores...~ Zervathi rambled on about his grandiose plans to regain his glory.

~ ~ ~

Ele wrapped him in a hug. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

“You don’t have to apologize, I told you I’m fine.”

“You had a literal divinity fish you up from the jaws of a sea monster.” Flynn watched him gobsmacked, leaning on the rim of his chair. “Stop saying you are fine.”

“You didn’t go back into the sea, did you?” Ele probed him.

“I’m not that stupid. That was the first and last time I willingly took a swim.”