David and his companions were sailing away from the island. He turned back and looked — even from afar, the massive tree was still visible.
"What will happen to that tree?" Lucy suddenly asked.
"It will burn to the ground," David replied.
No sooner had he spoken than a blazing crimson fire engulfed the tree. Even from such a distance, the pillar of flames was clearly visible.
"What did you do?" Emma asked.
"When I went to wake Lucy, I set fire to the second passage. The tree began to swell… and now it's burning."
"I see," was all Emma said.
At that moment, a message appeared:
"How cunning of you to do that…"
Reading it, David realized it was Persephone who had written it.
He ignored her words, turned south, and kept his gaze fixed forward.
A few seconds later, another message appeared:
"You ignore the Queen of the Dead? How rude…"
But David didn't respond this time either. After being ignored twice, Persephone fell silent.
---
More than six hours of sailing passed. The sun had not yet set, and thanks to that, no demons had appeared nearby.
"This is bad…" Emma said, glancing at the sky. "The sun will set soon."
David and Lucy also looked up and frowned. Their unease grew — night was approaching, and the shore was still out of reach.
Slowly, the sun dipped below the horizon. Darkness swallowed the world, and it seemed as though nothing could be seen beyond the tip of one's nose. Only the pale light of the moon offered a little clarity.
Emma and Lucy relied on David, for he could see in the dark as clearly as in daylight. The cold night wind whipped against their faces, and only the sound of the ocean filled the silence.
But then, clouds swallowed the sky, and the moon vanished. Heavy drops of rain began to fall.
Within seconds, the rain intensified, turning into a wall of water. Emma clutched Lucy tightly to keep her warm. Still, the storm did not relent, and under its relentless assault they had no choice but to press on. By now, they had covered more than two hundred kilometers.
The horizon remained empty. David sat at the bow, steering the boat. Emma held Lucy close, trying to shield her from the cold.
Suddenly, a deafening crash rang out. The boat shot upward as something slammed into it from below, hurling it into the air.
David, Emma, and Lucy were thrown overboard, screaming as they plunged into the ocean.
---
Beneath the surface, David saw enormous tentacles rising from the depths, torrents of water streaming off them.
The impact had driven him under. Though he hadn't lost consciousness, his entire body ached.
Breaking through the surface, he gasped for air and frantically searched for his companions — but no one was nearby.
Then, one of the tentacles rose above the waves. Emma stood upon it, slashing at the monstrous flesh with her blade, before vanishing back into the abyss.
Turning, David spotted something in the distance — a colossal stone hand, jutting out of the sea like the fragment of a statue.
"Emma can handle herself… but Lucy…" The thought gnawed at him.
He tore off his blindfold, filled his lungs with as much air as he could, and dove deep into the water.
The deeper he swam, the colder and darker it became. His lungs burned, as if fire itself were consuming him from within.
And then he saw her. Lucy thrashed helplessly, caught in the grip of a massive tentacle.
With a powerful stroke, David surged forward, drew his sword, and slashed through the tightening flesh. Grabbing Lucy's hand, he kicked upward, dragging her toward the surface.
His chest screamed for air, his vision blurred, but just before blacking out, they broke free into the open air.
They gulped down breath after breath, gasping desperately.
Supporting Lucy, David swam toward the statue's hand. Reaching it, he helped her climb up before pulling himself out of the water.
---
They sat beneath the pouring rain, trying to catch their breath. David stared at the ocean, praying to see Emma — but the waves betrayed nothing, only a deceptive calm.
"How can I tell Lucy that Emma… didn't survive?" he thought bitterly.
"Where's Emma?" Lucy whispered.
"She… she'll be back soon," David muttered, blurting out the first words that came to mind.
"Really?.." Hope trembled in her voice.
Guilt tore at David from the inside.
Then, a splash echoed through the storm. Emma rose from the water, her body battered, covered in wounds, barely a patch of unbroken skin left.
Without hesitation, David leapt down to her. Catching her in his arms, he pulled her onto the statue's hand.
Her eyes were clouded with exhaustion. She was barely holding on.
"I… managed to retrieve two mid-tier demon cores…" she breathed.
"What?!" David couldn't believe his ears.
"That bastard… he kept them hidden… I was able to take them… and escape…" Emma whispered before losing consciousness.
Lucy, too, soon succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep.
David sheltered them both beneath the statue's thumb to shield them from the rain. Finally, drained from fatigue and the strain on his eyes, he passed out as well.
Moments later, glowing words appeared before them:
"Not bad for humans. They actually survived that abomination."
Another message followed:
"I agree with you, Poseidon. These children are impressive. I'd like one of them to become my successor…"