Pov: Vik
The blinding, colorful vortex of chaotic colors finally shattered like thin glass, violently spitting the Great White back into the icy depths of the open sea. The loud roar of spatial turbulence faded, replaced once again by the steady hum of the marine turbine engines. Inside the bridge, the harsh amber emergency lights flickered several times before settling into a calm, ambient violet glow. Pushpa sat up in my lap, shaking her little black head with an annoyed mew. She stretched her paws, shot me a brief look of deep feline disapproval, and hopped back onto her rightful place on my left shoulder, resting her chin against my collarbone.
"System," I said, rubbing my nose as a throbbing ache settled behind my eyes. "Where in the seven hells are we? And before you respond, know that your flag-raising privileges are revoked for the rest of this voyage."
System: "Recalibrating astral coordinates, Host! Cross-referencing celestial markers and magnetic meridians... Good news! We are still in the same world! Bad news: that deep-sea rift forcibly displaced the Great White over four hundred and eighty thousand kilometers off course!"
I let out a heavy breath, tapping the main glass console to bring up the continental navigation map. The holographic display flickered to life, zooming out across the vast Endless Sea until it focused on a massive, unmarked red zone between the Western Continent and the frozen Northern Continent.
"The Abyssal Trench of the Lost Sea..." I murmured, narrowing my yellow eyes as I read the restricted zone parameters on the monitor. I walked over to the reinforced panoramic viewport and peered out into the pitch-black abyss. Here, the water was unnervingly still. There were no playful schools of glowing fish, no vibrant coral, and no familiar marine plants drifting in the thermal vents. The upper and middle water layers were completely barren. Instead, down in the black trenches beneath the submarine, enormous, mountain-sized silhouettes drifted slowly—ancient, colossal creatures that exerted an overwhelming spiritual pressure against our hull.
Worse than the giant beasts was the eerie, chilling sensation creeping up the back of my neck. It felt like some ancient consciousness buried thousands of fathoms below was turning its gaze toward our metal hull, silently watching the intruder that had stumbled into its domain.
"I don't like this place at all," I muttered, crossing my arms. "There's research, and then there's knocking on the door of an ancient calamity."
I tapped the shipboard intercom. "Lina, initiate rapid ascent. Blow the ballast tanks and bring the Great White straight to the surface."
"Understood, Master!" Lina's voice crackled through the comms. "Diverting secondary reactor output to vertical thrusters now!"
The submarine tilted upward at a sharp angle. Its heavy turbines roared to life, cutting through the stagnant water until the vessel broke through the surface of the Endless Sea with a loud splash, settling smoothly on the rolling blue waves under an open sky filled with sunlight.
Walking back to the gate chamber, I activated the spatial archway. The bright blue portal expanded with a steady hum. "Everyone, back through the gate," I ordered, looking at my four disciples. "Until I map our way out of this restricted sector and clear the perimeter, Anonymous Hall is the safest place for you to continue your practice."
Roman gave a solemn nod. "Understood, Master. Be careful."
"Don't worry, Master! If anything attacks the sub, summon me and I'll test my new sword on it!" Lu Xiaoran grinned, crossing his arms before stepping through the blue light.
Noah, his striking red hair catching the light of the portal, bowed deeply with respect. "Please call upon me whenever you have a command, Master."
"Go consolidate your core, Noah," I said with a faint smile, watching him and Lina step through before shutting down the spatial gateway. With the sub empty and my disciples safe in the Great Fire Forest, I returned to the primary bridge and collapsed back into the captain's chair.
Vik: "Look at what your 'peaceful voyage' speech did, System. We are stranded in an uncharted dead zone because you couldn't resist tempting fate."
System: "Host, it was a one-in-a-million dimensional anomaly! A completely unpredictable cosmic hiccup! How could a hardworking system know that the ocean floor had a structural tear?!"
Vik: "Because every single time you say 'nothing can go wrong,' some disaster drops on us. From now on, you can't use optimistic adjectives."
System: "Host is enforcing digital tyranny on his loyal assistant!"
"Shut up and set the navigation," I replied dryly. "Engage surface hydro-glide mode. Maximum cruising speed. Let's get out of this restricted sector before whatever is sleeping in that trench comes up for air."
System: "Navigation engaged! Setting surface cruise to Mach 15!"
The Great White surged forward across the azure surface of the Endless Sea. The sleek hull skimmed over the waves, carving a massive, foaming white wake that stretched for miles behind us.
For several hours, all I could see was endless ocean and clear blue sky. The sun climbed to its peak and began its slow descent toward the horizon, casting a warm glow across the water. I spent the time quietly refining my Prana comprehension, watching the subtle flow of life force in my hands while Pushpa slept peacefully in my lap.
Just as the automated systems began clearing the outer boundaries of the restricted zone, a sharp ping echoed through the bridge. In the distance, a large landmass emerged from the sea mist, breaking the monotony of the endless water. It was a massive, isolated island covered in thick, lush tropical jungles. Rising dramatically in the center of the island was a massive, jagged volcanic mountain, its peak crowned with lazy plumes of white smoke drifting into the air.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The main communication array suddenly lit up with rapid flashing amber indicators.
System: "Host! The long-range communication arrays have picked up a foreign transmission from the dense jungle interior of that island!"
I leaned forward in the captain's chair, resting my elbows on the console as the holographic audio visualizer pulsed with a repeating rhythm.
"A signal here in a restricted sea?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "Is it from the Northern Continent?"
System: "Negative, Host! The frequency uses an encrypted military distress protocol! It is an automated SOS beacon, repeating every three minutes!"
"An SOS signal on an uncharted volcanic island in a restricted maritime zone..." I murmured, leaning back with a dry smirk as Pushpa opened one golden eye to look at the monitor.
"Nice try, Diddy", I said while smiling. If anyone other than me saw this situation, he or she would have an immense urge to go and investigate that signal, but I am not a fool.
So, I screamed at the system, "System, this is a classic Horror movie scenario; move back our submarine and run at full speed to opposite direction, forget about any path or navigation, just move away from that Island."
Saying this, I even help the system while manually controlling the sub.