"Dark Tide?"
"They aren't ordinary tacet discords; they are creations of the Dark Tide."
The vast, boundless ocean solidified in the night, deathly stillness rising like mist. Countless voices not belonging to this world were breaking free from the cracks of the shattered night.
Ray stared intently at the surroundings, that Dark Tide was distinctly separate from the ordinary seawater. It had its own form, yet breathed like a living thing, constantly disintegrating and regenerating with the ebb and flow of the tide, forming an eternal vortex.
Chaotic frequencies congealed out of thin air, as if peering upward from the abyss's depths.
They were here.
"...Big trouble."
Ray's brow furrowed as he stared at the Dark Tide spreading beneath their feet, instinctively taking a step back.
He absolutely could not attract the attention of those things. Once entangled, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Mr. Ray! The coastline... the coastline is disappearing! Is it high tide?"
Phoebe pointed at the beach being rapidly devoured by darkness ahead, her voice filled with barely suppressed panic.
Ray followed her pointing direction and saw the Dark Tide rapidly swallowing the beach, almost reaching the spot where they had just been standing.
"Can't stay here. Let's go, quick!" Ray hissed urgently. "To the gondola, hurry!"
But the Dark tide creations were already surging toward them.
An arm that could never have grown naturally reached out from the Dark Tide, dragging out a twisted body rough, shell-like plates covered its entire form, with hideous bony spikes protruding, its skin a deathly grayish-blue like a stillborn fetus.
It had just been born from the frequencies and seemed not fully adapted to this world yet, but within the pitch-black eyes that opened atop its shell, endless malice already swirled.
And behind it, more tacet discords were continuously crawling out of the Dark Tide.
Their forms varied, no two alike.
As if all the world's malice had congealed here into shape.
A single glance was enough to make one's sanity tremble.
Whoosh—!
The air was torn at high speed!
A slash attack came head-on. Ray sidestepped, then counterattacked with his sword, piercing straight through the Tacet Discord's head.
"Mr. Ray, are you alright?" Phoebe asked anxiously behind him.
"I'm fine."
Ray shook his head, his gaze fixed on the continuously surging tacet discords ahead.
The gondola wasn't far, but to reach it, they had to pass through this distorted tide surge.
If they fought their way through, time simply wouldn't allow it.
Moreover, the Dark Tide followed them like a shadow.
No, this approach would take too much time.
"Phoebe!"
"I-I'm here."
"Is there a way to temporarily disrupt them, open a path?"
"I'll try!"
Phoebe gripped her staff tightly, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and chanted softly:
"O slumbering radiance in the tides, please gather into a key before me, answer the prayer of the Sentinel, O crystalline brilliance, please bestow grace."
The tacet mark on her legs began to glow.
At first, it was just a wisp of faint light, like a candle lit in the dark night, weak and flickering.
But gradually, the light grew stronger, finally condensing into tangible prismatic crystals.
The pitch-black sea surface abruptly churned. Amidst the sky-blocking tidal waves, the light she released was like a lighthouse, boldly dispelling the surrounding darkness.
The brilliance that bloomed in that instant was so intense that even Ray and Phrolova had to raise their hands to shield their eyes.
Even the creations of the Dark Tide had to retreat momentarily before that dazzling radiance.
"Now!"
Ray gave a low shout, seizing the opportunity. He took Phrolova and Phoebe and dashed through the gap where the tacet discords had flinched away, finally stepping onto the gondola.
Without any pause, the gondola immediately shot away from the shore like an arrow released from its bow, temporarily leaving that surging darkness behind.
"Are we... safe now?" Phoebe breathed slightly heavily, her cheeks flushed from running.
It seemed she wasn't very adept at physical exertion.
Ray looked back at the ink-black tidal water that followed them like a shadow, his brow still tightly furrowed. "I'm afraid not. It's chasing us. That thing... is it really the Dark Tide? Why would it appear here?"
"Probably remnants left from the last eruption." Phrolova's voice remained placid, as if the world-shattering events outside couldn't stir the slightest ripple in her heart.
She paused briefly, continuing her speculation. "As for why it's only appearing now... who knows? Perhaps it's related to the Tidebreaker Whale."
"...The Tidebreaker Whale." Phoebe looked at the churning Dark Tide behind them, worry appearing on her face. "Could it be... already corrupted by the Dark Tide? I read in the Order's ancient texts that the Tidebreaker Whale's existence is deeply connected to the Sentinel."
"Legend says guiding shipwrecks and sailors' souls to the other shore was originally its duty. But its temperament is unpredictable. Once plunged into grief and anger, its whale song could stir storms and blot out the sky. It wasn't until the Sentinel appeared, taming it with wisdom and compassion, that it became the Cetus Tidebreaker Whale who now guards the seas."
The situation was critical now, and Ray had no time to listen carefully to Phoebe's story. He stared fixedly at the mountainous wave ahead, his Adam's apple involuntarily bobbing.
"Phoebe, I don't want to shatter your beautiful image of the Tidebreaker Whale, but right now... we might have bigger trouble."
Before his words faded, Phoebe abruptly turned around. Within the sky-blocking tidal waves, a massive dark shadow lurked beneath the surge.
"Is that... the Tidebreaker Whale?!" Phoebe exclaimed. "But its voice... why is it filled with sorrow?"
"Now isn't the time to investigate that," Ray said, gripping the edge of the gondola tightly. "The key point is, we're about to hit that wave. Everyone, hold on tight!"
Storm, raging waves, abyssal darkness.
At this moment, the sea had finally torn off all disguises, revealing its most primitive and ferocious visage.
The gondola tossed violently in the fierce wind and waves, like a fallen leaf that could be completely swallowed at any moment. The hull was thrown up and down between the surges, making it almost impossible to stand steady.
"Hold tight! If we can break through this wave, we still have a chance!"
Ray's hands clenched the gunwale so tightly his knuckles turned white. Even the usually cool and detached Phrolova couldn't remain calm amidst this earth-shaking turbulence. She bit her lower lip hard, struggling to steady herself amid the rocking.
Wave crests rose higher than the last. The gondola beneath their feet continuously emitted low groans of strain.
"Don't be afraid. Believe in yourself; you can do it!" Phoebe clung to the gunwale, softly encouraging the struggling little boat.
But before her words finished, a giant wave slammed toward them.
The next second, both the wave and her voice disappeared into the churning seawater.
"Phoebe!"
Ray's pupils contracted sharply. The familiar figure vanished from his sight, leaving only a white hat floating helplessly on the ink-black sea surface.
"It's useless." Phrolova's voice was as cold as ice. "In a storm like this, even the most skilled sailor would..."
Her words cut off abruptly,
Ray had already plunged into the raging, furious sea.
Phrolova stared blankly at the sea surface where he disappeared, her mouth slightly agape, ultimately just shaking her head gently.
She lifted her face toward the towering wave about to crash down and let out a sigh almost too faint to hear.
"In an instant... you made your choice, huh?"
"As expected, no matter how many times you start over, you're still..... same."