The rest of Dick's swim was no less hellish than being swallowed alive. The white orb in his cloak drew monsters like moths to flame.
He died three more times.
The third death came without warning.
One moment, Dick was cutting through the waves, exhausted but alive. The next, a massive tentacle erupted from the depths and coiled around his torso. The pressure was immediate, crushing. His ribs cracked like kindling, puncturing his lungs. He couldn't scream, couldn't breathe, as the creature dragged him down into darkness.
The cold swallowed him. Pressure built in his skull until something burst. Then nothing.
When his eyes opened, he was floating on the surface again, gasping, whole.
The creature was gone.
Dick treaded water, chest heaving, and stared at his unmarked hands.
Again.
He kept swimming.
Hours later, Dick dragged himself onto the coarse sands of Elpis' shore. His cloak hung in tatters, soaked in salt and blood. Reaching beneath it, he found a small piranha still gnawing at his ribs—a stubborn souvenir.
He stared at the creature for a moment. Then he clenched his fist, bones cracking beneath his grip, and flung the mangled thing back into the sea.
I can't die.
This truth had struck him when he slit his own throat. But now, lying here on the shore, he finally accepted it. He wasn't a fool. He could face reality, no matter how twisted.
If he couldn't die, then he'd have to find a way to make death possible. Until then, there was no point in trying.
Blood from the gash along his ribs seeped into the sand. Through his time in the sea, he'd learned something about his blessing. It only repaired the damage that killed him. When he was torn apart, his entire body returned. But wounds that couldn't kill him—like this bite—wouldn't heal, even if he died and resurrected.
He lay on the shoreline, eyes half-lidded, watching the sun crawl up from the horizon.
A shadow fell across him.
Dick squinted. Standing above him was Evalyn, radiant and serene. Yet something about her smile made his skin crawl. It was too calm, too knowing.
Just like his therapist.
"You're the first one to pass," she said, clapping her hands together.
"Great," Dick muttered.
Her gaze fixed on him, sharp and unblinking. "How did you manage that?"
The words were gentle, but her tone carried an edge.
Dick pushed himself up, wincing as the piranha bite pulled. "I got swallowed by something big. Filled its stomach with seawater until it exploded."
Evalyn blinked. Then she laughed—a bright, delighted sound.
"From the inside? How creative!" She tilted her head. "And your Particle count?"
"One thousand thirteen."
"That is high for a D-rank," she mused. "Still, you shouldn't have been able to manipulate enough water to rupture a Megladon's gut." Her smile widened. "Fascinating."
Megladon…
Dick said nothing. He didn't like that look in her eyes.
By then, other Deviants began to arrive. First came a group of four led by Summer, then more straggling in waves until fourteen stood collapsed on the sand, drenched and gasping.
Each one glanced at Dick with barely concealed disgust.
Evalyn stepped ankle-deep into the tide, clapping her hands together.
"Hello, children! Congratulations on passing the Ceremony of Nature!"
Half-hearted cheers rose from the exhausted Deviants. Even Dick gave a lazy, sarcastic clap.
"I will now announce the results!"
She gestured toward empty air. With a shimmer of emerald light, a glowing board materialized, names and ranks etched across it.
Her expression shifted, sweetness giving way to something sharper.
"Coming in first place…" she said, her voice laced with amusement, "…the foreigner, Dick."
Heads whipped toward him. The air thickened with hostility.
Dick sighed. What's their problem?
Then he noticed Summer. Unlike the rest, she wasn't glaring. She was smiling a small and appreciative smile.
He looked away quickly, uncomfortable.
She looks too much like Mary.
Evalyn continued. "Following him is Summer, then Luka."
After that, Dick stopped listening. The cheers and applause blurred into meaningless noise.
Then Evalyn spoke again.
"Now, for the reward given to our first-place finisher."
Dick straightened slightly.
"First place gets the first choice of Beast from our inventory."
Beast?
A young boy lurched to his feet, sand scattering. His eyes burned with hatred.
Luka, the third-place finisher.
"That's unfair! A foreigner shouldn't even be a Deviant, much less get first pick at—"
His words cut off in a strangled gasp. His body locked rigid, eyes bulging as he clawed at his throat.
Evalyn stood with one arm extended, her expression flat. The air around Luka shimmered, warping from invisible pressure.
"Are you," she said softly, "disagreeing with the Gods?"
Her tone wasn't loud, but it carried like thunder. Every Deviant froze.
Luka managed a trembling shake of his head. The force released him. He collapsed, gasping, face pale and drenched in sweat.
"Good." Evalyn's smile returned. "If there are no other disagreements, let's return to the castle."
There were no more disagreements after that.
The walk began in silence. Beyond the shoreline stretched a vast forest, its canopy thick enough to blot out the sun. Dick heard rustling and low growls in the shadows, but nothing approached.
Evalyn walked ahead, humming softly. The monsters stayed hidden.
Once through the woods, the landscape shifted. They entered what Evalyn called the outskirts, a place of dirt roads, weathered cabins, and hand-dug wells. People stood outside their homes, cheering weakly for the new Deviants.
Their smiles were tired. Their clothes threadbare.
Dick watched a mother lift her child to see them pass. The boy's ribs showed through his shirt.
Something tightened in Dick's chest, and he didn't know why.
Then the path led to the capital, and the feeling vanished.
The contrast was jarring. Paved roads gleamed underfoot. Buildings carved from marble and polished stone stretched toward the sky, streaked with veins of gold. Citizens draped in silk and jewels strolled past without a glance at the Deviants.
Dick's jaw tightened. Of course. The poor cheer for warriors while the rich ignore them.
They walked for another hour until the castle loomed before them, massive and ancient, crowned with towers that pierced the clouds.
Inside, Evalyn led them through winding corridors until she stopped before a great iron door.
"The rest of you will receive your Beasts tomorrow," she said. "Dick, come with me."
The other Deviants shot him venomous looks as Evalyn pushed the door open.
Dick followed her into a massive chamber lined with cages and glowing containment fields. Each held a beast unlike any he'd ever seen. Some snarled. Some watched him in silence, their eyes filled with strange intelligence.
Evalyn gestured grandly. "Choose wisely. Your Beast will bond with your soul. Once chosen, it cannot be undone."
Dick exhaled slowly, scanning the creatures.
"Alright," he murmured. "What to choose..."