Submerged in the Crimson Lake, Ace felt everything around him claw at his skin. Countless hands seemed to tear him apart. The pain had just begun, yet it already burned like fire.
No wonder everyone else bowed to the Priestess. With power like this, who wouldn't? But Ace was different. The pain cleared his head. He moved before his body could burst.
The agony vanished, but his lungs screamed for air. He fought to stay awake as darkness pressed in. Just when hope faded, the water's pressure lifted and he slammed onto solid ground.
Ace gulped air, clutching his chest. He lay at the lake's bottom. Above him, the water's surface formed the ceiling. Below, a cavern stretched out, filled with oxygen.
Sean crashed down beside him, his huge body shaking the floor.
Ace ignored him.
