He looked up.
And saw...
A thick white mist exploded from the cave's entrance.
The massive boulder that had sealed the cave's mouth was instantly pulverized into dust, and the stone walls spiderwebbed with cracks.
Tiny, shattered crystals spread through the water, turning it hopelessly murky and obscuring all vision.
The roiling water became a violent undercurrent, throwing everything around it into chaos.
Fish and shrimp fled in terror as bubbles frantically surged from the lakebed, rushing toward the surface.
SPLASH—
The murky water suddenly parted, and two Crimson wheels of light burst forth.
Within the depths of those vertical pupils flowed patterns like molten lava, each fold sending out blood-red ripples through the water.
The surrounding water suddenly grew viscous.
A sharp pain, like being scraped by a blade, pricked at their skin.
Then, a pitch-black mountain rose from within the turbid currents.
Looking closely...
