Far down deep below, in a place where light struggled to break through the depths, a colossal shadow drifted aimlessly. Its eights arms stretched outward like writhing serpents, each tentacle coiled or uncoiled with eerie grace, suction cups catching faint glimmers of light as though decorated with glimmering pearls.
A lone octopus, the size of a behemoth glared towards the surface. It's two glassy eyes filled with nothing but a strange contempt, locked onto the light filled waters above. The dark was its home, anything that wasn't such was a nuisance.
Strangely though, the light seemed slightly brighter than before. Its sensitive eyes easily caught onto this, and after a while it even seemed to recognise it, as a worm that had managed to escape its grasps a long time ago. It wouldn't make the mistake of letting it go that easily again.
It mobilized seven of its eight tentacles, and sent them all flying straight towards Gracia, and yet, it felt nothing but the empty waters behind her.
And still, the light was growing ever closer.
**
On the surface, the lake was stirring in discomfort, as the rage of an awakened terror was let loose.
Epsilons body was bent forward, with one knee bent and the other leg extended behind, braced against the stone floor. Both hands were placed firmly on the ground, supporting his weight and his back was flat and angled forward, with his head aligned with his spine, showing readiness and focus.
This was the optimal starting position to run that Sylas had shown him. He too was using it as well.
"I've seen footage of mundane athletes starting like this before they run. It lets them get the most power out of their legs for an explosive start, so we'll be able to reach our top speed very quickly."
He was really knowledgeable.
"You're into sports?"
"Not really. I've just seen it in passing."
The surface of the lake suddenly exploded, as a tentacle briefly popped out, before diving right back in.
They didn't need another signal to start sprinting.
He surged forward, feet pounding against the earth in a steady rhythm that echoed like a drumbeat. Each stride stretched long and powerful, his muscles coiling and releasing with practiced ease. His arms swung in perfect counterbalance, fists loose, elbows slicing through the air as though the motion itself carved a path ahead.
The wind pressed against his face, cool and sharp, tugging at his clothes as if trying to slow him down, but he leaned into it, letting the resistance fuel him. His breathing came in measured bursts, steady at first, then harder, quicker, keeping time with the hammering of his heart. The world around him blurred, the carved stone beneath, the waves, until there was nothing but the rhythm of his body and the desire of living to see another day drawing him forward.
Before he knew it, he had already crossed the halfway mark. With his Dormant ability, Epsilon should've been twice as fast as Sylas, so out of curiosity he took a small glimpse behind him. He was surprised to see that the gap between them wasn't as significant as he had expected.
Sylas was quite fast, even for a sleeper. Not as fast as Epsilon, but not too slow either.
'But it still isn't the same speed that he had back then. Just what is going on with him?'
Running onwards, the first half of the mission was almost complete, but of course, things could never be that easy. The perilous waves began to surge once more, as a tentacle pierced through. It toward above the bridge, before slamming right in front of the exit.
But that wasn't all. It began to slide across the bridge, aiming to ram straight into them, and crush them below its weight.
For a brief second, Epsilon slowed down, Sylas instantly berated him.
"Keep running you idiot!"
"Run where?? The path is blocked??? We need to go back!"
Sylas, still running, screamed as he darted past Epsilon.
"Jump over it!"
"What?!"
The tentacle was only a bit taller than a PTV. For a sleeper that wasn't too different physically from a mundane human, such a jump was possible, although with poor odds. But the issue, was that the target was currently moving too. What was already something very risky, quickly appeared to be impossible at its surface.
But in Sylas's eyes, it wasn't such. The keen insight of his Dormant ability allowed him to deduce that it was possible, and the timing necessary to achieve it was incredibly narrow, but manageable for someone like him.
He darted forwards with flawless timing, eyes locked onto the tentacle sliding swiftly across the bridge. Just as it closed the gap, at the last moment, his body coiled like a spring, legs gathering beneath him. In one fluid motion, he launched upward, twisting mid-air with the grace of a seasoned acrobat.
His arms extended for balance, his knees tucking in tight as he soared cleanly over the moving obstacle. For a heartbeat, he seemed suspended above it all, weightless, effortless, before stretching out and landing with precision. His feet struck the ground softly, absorbing the impact, as he rolled forward into a seamless recovery, already back in motion as though that barrier had never existed.
He landed in a low crouch, with one hand to the ground. Unwavering, he continued onwards.
'???????'
Epsilon paled. His Judgement attribute told him that such a jump was not optimal, and that there was a better way to go about this.
Bob shouted in his head,
"Keep moving! I'll charge your next jump with some Soul Essence."
He didn't have much time, the Tentacle was quickly approaching. So gritting his teeth, he ran head first towards it too.
His steps were heavy and uneven, but he didn't stop. At the last moment, he felt a jolt of Soul Essence course into his leg as he then kicked hard to push himself off the ground. His body jerked awkwardly in the air, twisting just enough to scrape past the moving obstacle.
His arms flailed for balance, his landing rough and loud. Knees buckled under the impact, and he stumbled forward a step before catching himself, but inevitably tripping and falling onto his stomach.
He was successful, but at the cost of his dignity.
'I did it!!!'
For a moment, there was a brief sense of joy, but that quickly toppled when he peaked behind him. The tentacle was still sliding forwards, quickly reaching the opposite end of the bridge before slapping against its entrance.
But still sensing the two trespassing ants, the tentacle began to reverse, aiming towards them yet again.
**
Epsilon bent forward with his hands on his knees, chest heaving as if every breath had to be dragged in by force. His shoulders rose and fell in uneven bursts, each inhale sharp, each exhale ragged. Sweat streaked down his face, his mouth hanging open as though the air itself might slip away if he didn't gulp it down fast enough. His body trembled with exhaustion, every muscle still twitching from the effort, but still he gasped, desperate to steady the rhythm of his breath.
They had made it to the other end without dying, far too close for comfort at that.
"You hesitated again. If you couldn't use Soul Essence like a normal Sleeper, you would've—"
"Yeah yeah I get it, lets find her already."
Not letting them advance by themselves, a white light quickly flew in, illuminating the cave. Zooming forwards, she spoke,
"Its this way."
Thankfully, she did not leave her body too far from the bridges opposing entrance, so the walk there wasn't as burdensome for his exhausted body. Needless to say, once they reached their target, neither of them liked what they saw one bit.
Smile Of Heaven lay curled against the cold wall, her now small frame thin and fragile, as if the weight of her bones pressed harder than the flesh meant to cover them. Her breaths came shallow and uneven, each rise of her chest barely noticeable beneath the ragged memories draped over her.
Hollow cheeks and chapped lips gave her face a weary stillness, and strands of unkempt white hair clung to her damp skin. Despite the discomfort of the hard ground and the harshness of her condition, sleep held her in its grip, a fragile, uneasy rest, as if her body had surrendered out of sheer exhaustion rather than peace.
Of course, leaving her body behind for almost month, with no food, water, or any kind of sustenance did not do it any good. It was in an abysmal state, such that even if she were to enter back into it right now, she could die just from hunger.
She might've even been a corpse already.
Sylas reached out calmly, holding back his breath. He picked up her wrist, and gently pressed against her veins. He could feel a faint, but present pulse. Somehow, she was still alive.
Biting down on his lip, he thought,
'If I was faster, she would've never ended up like this.'
Sensing his frustration, Gracia spoke up,
"It isn't anyone's fault, I was just unfortunate. What matters now, is that we get out of here quickly."
Streams of water were pouring down from the ceiling, signifying that the lake was about to fill up. If they didn't want to get stuck, till the next cycle, they needed to leave quickly.
Readying himself, Sylas looked back at Epsilon,
"Silon, I need you to carry her."