Leo was going to die.
At least, that was what he believed.
"Arghhh."
He groaned as the pressure of the water became much more potent compared to the last two weeks while he swam towards the surface.
But he hadn't even gotten anywhere. Lyra was still behind him, trailing and leading the monster just as he was doing. Perhaps it was due to the shifting between his senses; it was tiring.
When he shifted back to his hearing to listen to the flow or current of the water, Lyra's voice mumbled in his ears. He couldn't hear her at first, so he decided to sway in the water without turning toward her to get her attention.
Understanding him, Lyra mumbled again. "Turn... snake already..."
"Snake?"
Unfortunately, there was no time to think. He immediately felt the current of the water flanking him from below rush like a wave of thunderclap toward the small shadow behind him. Then, Lyra was gone, leaving him alone with the damn enthralling monster.
He did not stop and continued swimming. Since he had arrived in this realm, he believed swimming was limited to a few people, which was why the inhabitants of this realm could walk underwater. But it did not seem like that anymore; he was swimming.
Still, it was easier said than done. He had been taught how to swim, but definitely not in enchanted water—at least as far as enchantments went.
The further he swam toward the surface, the heavier the water became. The current became more distorted as he progressed. Everywhere grew darker and kept becoming more opaque as he emerged forward. It was as if the orb that had cast its light during day and night in the Great Ocean was below him, and he was running farther away from it.
It seemed he was going deeper rather than out of the ocean.
Nevertheless, he did it. It was much better than entering a Seed Domain.
The risk was still there, though. He did not know whether his theory on the nature of the monster's ability was only directed toward the innate relationship one shared with the ocean, or if it was something far more than that. Was it also limited to being underwater? Furthermore, he had no idea what the Tide of Seas was, but given the nature of the ocean as he swam, it wasn't something he could survive by a miracle.
Increasing his speed with more mental strain to avoid the monster from sinking its countless metallic teeth into his leg, Leo swam faster.
"I'm going to die. I'm definitely going to die."
Still, he didn't stop swimming. It was either he survived... or he escaped death. Both were manageable, but escaping death was much better.
The shark was already getting closer; Leo could hear its muffled roars drawing nearer and the sharp clang of its teeth as it missed his feet every passing minute.
At this rate, Leo was going to be devoured before reaching the surface.
He couldn't battle the monster underwater, and even his chances at the surface were limited and dire since they would still be surrounded by water and the Tide of Seas would be a constant opponent.
"Is it too late to enter the domain?" he grimaced as he swam through and into the darkness.
The current was becoming more distorted, attempting to drift his direction in a more complicated manner within the gloom. The darkness itself was now like a veil covering the whole of reality. It was both chilling and mysterious. Nothing lurked in the darkness, and yet, a lot lurked in it.
Leo could just feel it.
"Wait! Feel? I can feel?!"
He then tried to open his eyes and ears and move his body all at once. It worked, but the sensory suppression was still there—not as effective, but still present—which meant the shark was close somewhere in the darkness. He was still limited to shadows and shapes. Perhaps that was the case, but he couldn't tell since he was surrounded by true darkness.
True darkness was much scarier and more dominant than shadows. As a result, Leo felt like he had barely escaped one suppression only to find himself in another. It was as if he were stuck between the two. The chains were lighter now, but they were more numerous than the previous entanglement.
"Ah!" Leo let out a painful shriek as he felt countless sharp metals sink into his arm and yank at it.
His left arm was gone, shredded away by the shark.
The pain was too much for him to handle; nevertheless, he pushed through it and swam further into the darkness. If he swam faster, he wouldn't lose any other body parts.
Water rushed into the open wound as the tears of pain that rolled down Leo's cheeks disappeared into the dark ocean. He couldn't handle the tears.
He just wanted his mummy!
"Huh? No, I don't!"
Hissing, he increased his pace. The current of the water was now harsher. The darkness had turned into a complete veil where even feeling the water itself was a problem. He could still sense the suppression, a testament to the fact that the shark was still near.
Lyra was still nowhere to be found.
Could he actually battle a Condemned Sagittarius on his own? In its habitat? Without any abilities?
He had been taught how to battle in different situations, but against a Sagittarius, with no abilities and with no experience of the Tide of Seas... he was as good as dead.
"Argh..."
As the darkness got deeper, it also grew clearer at the same time.
"Huh?"
Nevertheless, the current of the waves moved from worse to dire and deadly. Leo couldn't even swim properly anymore. He was sure even the shark was going through the same horror, given that the suppression wasn't as effective anymore, giving him an advantage to swim through the perilous water.
He heard rumbles, the crashing of waves, and thunderclaps.
He was getting nearer. Soon, his head cut through the dark water and appeared on the surface, where he was immediately surged to the side by a crashing wave.
A grim expression appeared on Leo's face.
"Of course, I should have guessed sooner."
The Tide of Seas was a ravaging storm.