62. The Beginning After The End
"We had finally reached the city from Cassie's vision. The slope had turned out to be the edge of a massive crater, and it marked the final stretch of our journey. If we had taken the long way around, it might have taken us several more months to arrive—if we even survived the journey at all."
"It was all thanks to you, Neph," I said as we climbed the city wall. We no longer had the time—or the strength—to search for the actual entrance.
"Yes!" Cassie chimed in cheerfully from my back. I had recovered enough to carry her again, though she was no longer wearing her usual clothes. Instead, she was dressed in garments I had crafted from thread.
"Sorry, Cas," I murmured softly, low enough that no one else could hear—but the person on my back still caught it.
"I told you, it's fine," she replied gently. "You saved me again."
….
Hours earlier.
The Dark Sea had arrived.
Aboard the yak-like boat, three people—and one Megaman sailed through the pitch-black night, without a single source of light.
They relied solely on Sunny's instincts and my night vision to guide them through the darkness.
The beginning of the voyage went smoothly with the sail blown by Cassie's wand. At least until a few hours in,
Despite the countless abominations lurking in the depths of the Dark Sea, we remained unharmed.
Maybe we were simply too small to satisfy those monsters… or maybe we were just lucky.
Either way, the silence and absence of light seemed to work in our favor.
But everything has its end.
And it became clear—something was following our boat.
"We've got company," I reported, eyes fixed on the dark waters behind us. Watching the rear was my job—and now I could see a few shark-like creatures, along with something unidentifiable, trailing the boat.
"Nothing ahead so far," Sunny called out from the bow, echoing my words.
"Cas, can you boost the wind?" Neph asked, her voice tense after hearing our report.
"I can," Cassie replied, "but only for a short burst. It'll be more of a dash than sustained speed."
"It's fine, do it," Neph said firmly. Cassie nodded and followed the command, causing the boat to surge forward with a burst of speed.
"Sunny, keep your eyes sharp—don't miss anything. Neph, Cas, you too. Stay alert," I warned.
"And Cas, try not to use your full power just yet, if possible. I'm not sure if you saw them clearly, but those sharks… they're favorites of the Kraken-like creatures."
"Kraken?" Sunny echoed, intrigued by the strange name.
"Cas, hold off on using your full power," Neph added, taking my warning seriously.
"They're massive squid or octopus-like creatures," I explained. "In other words, giant, tentacled sea monsters. If you spot even one shark, chances are the Kraken isn't far behind. But with this many… I think it's safe to say those things are nearby."
Thanks to my warning, everyone was on high alert for a possible ambush—but we were still just prey in the heart of the Dark Sea. Only Sunny and I could see in this pitch-black world.
"Neph!"
"Neph!"
We shouted in unison the moment something shot out from beneath the waves, undeniably a massive tentacle lunging straight at Nephis.
She couldn't see it, but she heard our cries and the splash of water. Reacting on instinct, she swung her sword, intercepting the ambush mid-air.
But there was no time to celebrate.
"Cas, increase the speed!" I called out—
Only to realize… she was no longer there.
It struck from both sides almost simultaneously, with just a heartbeat's delay.
"Damn it!" I cursed, urgently pulling the threads tied to everyone on the boat.
One of them had already plunged into the Dark Sea. I yanked the other end hard—Cas wasn't far yet; her silhouette was still visible beneath the inky waves.
"Neph! Sunny!" I shouted, handing them the threads before diving straight after her.
Ugh! The crushing pressure of the water pressed relentlessly against my body.
"The Demon-like Judge of Fire reminds you to take care of your body."
I ignored the warning. Suddenly, flames erupted from my feet even if I'm underwater—propelling me deeper and faster.
But then…
a tug-of-war began: a massive tentacle gripping tightly, my thin thread pulling back, and my own fragile body caught in between.
As we pulled, the Kraken's tentacles only tightened their grip and within seconds, another tentacle joined the struggle like someone and used one hand to pull now using both of his hands, threatening to snap the thread. and another hand was coming soon.
In a split second, I clenched the thread underwater and activated my stigma.
Every nightmare creature in this world carries a trace of corruption, which makes Uriel's fire especially effective against them. White flames surged from my hand, traveling along the thread to its far end.
The flames burned brightly even beneath the Dark Sea, but the thread's other end wasn't wrapped around tentacles alone.
My control over the stigma wasn't precise enough to target the damage of the fire to a specific spot, which meant Cassie was caught in the blaze along with the tentacles.
The flames startled the tentacles, causing them to loosen their grip on Cassie just enough for me to grab hold of her. Together, we propelled ourselves toward the boat.
"NEPH!" I shouted, immediately throwing Cassie toward her.
"Sunny, increase the speed!" I commanded, urging him to combine the wind with Cassie's staff.
At the same time, I quickly secured everyone to the boat with my threads, making sure no one could be swept overboard.
Countless tentacles surged above the water's surface. Using the wind on the sail and Devil's foot print ability pushing off with my feet from the back of the boat using myself as a jet throttle, we burst forward into the night like a shot arrow—just an inch away from being slammed back into the sea by a grasping tentacle.
Despite the peril, we managed to escape once again.
Cassie was healed by Neph, though her hair was shorter and her clothes burned. But at least, a few hours later, we had finally arrived.
***
"No, it was everyone's effort," Neph denied my praise.
"Huh? Woah!" Sunny slipped caught off guard by her words, his face was in disbelief at Neph's reaction which I could understand, thankfully, we were all connected by the rope.
"Be careful," Neph warned as she pulled him back up to continue climbing, unaware that she was the very reason he had slipped in the first place.
And finally, we reached our destination atop the city wall — the moment we realized the end was merely the beginning of something else.
In the ruins of the ancient city, Fallen nightmare creatures lurked everywhere. This was the heart of the nest—the most perilous place of all.