MaeveMcCarthy
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Chapter 86 – Escape from the Deep
🕑 Added 2024-10-20 19:52:45 +0000 UTCNami's led the group of students back through the winding tunnels of the Placid Cave. The air was thick with fear. She glanced behind her, making sure no one had fallen too far behind.
"Keep moving!" she shouted, trying to keep her voice steady. "We're almost at the entrance!"
But the students were struggling. Many of them, still shaken from the encounter with the Sword Demon and the mutated Torpedo Snappers, were having trouble maintaining their Mana Boards. Nami watched in dismay as a young boy's board flickered and vanished, dropping him onto the hard cave floor.
"You!" she called out, quickly maneuvering her own board to help him up. "You've got to focus. Remember your training in Professor Iakopo’s Class!"
The boy nodded, his face pale and sweaty. With shaking hands, he managed to reform his Mana Board, though it wobbled unsteadily beneath his feet.
Nami turned her attention to the rest of the group. They were a mess, barely holding it together. Some clung to the cave walls, too afraid to trust their boards. Others zoomed ahead recklessly, desperate to escape.
"Everyone, stay together!" Nami ordered, her voice carrying over the panicked whispers and sobs. "If your board feels unstable, lower your speed. It's better to go slow than to fall!"
She weaved through the group, helping where she could. A girl with long braids was crying silently, her board dipping dangerously. Nami grabbed her arm, steadying her.
"You're doing great," Nami said softly. "Just a little further, okay?"
The girl nodded, wiping her eyes with her free hand.
As they rounded a bend, a loud crack echoed through the tunnel. Several students screamed, their boards flickering out from under them. Nami's stomach dropped as she realized what was happening - their fear was disrupting their control over their Mana.
"Everyone, stop!" she shouted. The group halted, hovering uncertainly in the dim light of the cave. Nami took a deep breath, knowing she had to calm them down or they'd never make it out.
"Listen to me," she said, her voice firm but kind. "I know you're scared. I am too. But we've trained for this. Your Mana Boards are under your control. They're not going to work properly if your Mana is all over the place."
She looked around at their frightened faces, seeing a glimmer of hope in some eyes.
"Close your eyes for a moment," Nami instructed. "Feel the Mana flowing through you, into your board. It's steady, reliable. Just like the tides."
As the students followed her words, their boards stabilized. The flickering stopped, and a collective sigh of relief echoed through the tunnel.
"Good," Nami said, allowing herself a small smile. "Now, let's get out of here. Together."
She briefly turned back, wondering what Talia was doing to block all those monsters and, most importantly, she really wished she would survive this ordeal.
*
Talia stood frozen in time, her heart pounding as she stared at the ghostly image of her mother.
Yalena Solara looked just as Talia remembered her from the previous encounters they had had – tall, regal, with flowing white hair that seemed to shimmer even in this colorless world.
The resemblance between her mother and her sister was striking, though Yalena's eyes held a depth that Riala had yet to acquire.
"Mom," Talia whispered again, her voice thick with emotion. "I don't understand. Run? If I run now, the Boss is going to slaughter all the students."
Yalena's smile was tinged with sadness as she replied.
"As I said, I wish there was something else you could do, dear. I would give anything to see you save them—but it’s not possible. Even with your current control over Dark Water, there’s nothing you can do to survive that Drake. You’re still weak. Don’t throw your life away like this. It’s too early. You haven’t fulfilled your destiny, yet.”
Talia felt her wet body finally shiver as the adrenaline was draining away.
“Mom, what destiny?”
“It’s too early for you to know, dear,” Yalena said and shook her head.
Like every other time Talia had seen her mother, she wanted to ask about her childhood, about why Yalena had left, about the Kraken and the sacrifices made.
But with the enormous Abyssal Torpedo Drake frozen in mid-roar behind her, she knew there were more pressing matters at hand.
“I can’t tell you about that, Talia. You wouldn’t understand.”
"What's happening, then?" Talia asked, gesturing to the frozen world around them. "Why does this happen? Is it me?"
Yalena shook her head.
"No, this is my doing. Or rather, the echo I left behind. It's a temporary pause, a moment out of time for us to speak. But it won't last long, Talia. You must be quick."
Talia nodded, trying to gather her thoughts.
"The Dark Water," she began, "I used it against the Torpedo Snappers. It was so powerful, but why do I have it? What is it, really? What did you do? Why do I have these wrist marks?"
Yalena's expression grew grave.
"Dark Water is one of the most potent and perilous forms of Water Magic. It draws its power from the Deep. It’s the Raw Mana that finally gets tamed that generates Dark Water, dear. It does have a cost for those who use it, though."
"What kind of cost?" Talia asked, a knot of dread forming in her stomach.
"It corrupts," Yalena said softly. "Slowly at first, but inevitably. The more you use it, the more it changes you.”
“Changes how?” Talia frowned.
“It twists your thoughts, your emotions, until you're no longer the person you once were."
Talia felt a chill run down her spine.
She thought back to the rush of power she had felt when unleashing the Dark Water during the test by Elder Kahua, the intoxicating sense of strength it had given her over the guy from the Kane Family, the second-year student she had battled.
"Is that why you never used it yourself?"
A flash of pain crossed Yalena's face.
"I did use it, Talia. Well, I wasn’t the noe using it directly. Your father did. More than he should have. It was how I managed to destroy the Kraken. But I could feel what it was doing to him…”
“Wait, so, is it true what Professor Iakopo said, that you let the people in Placid City die?”
“You wouldn’t understand, dear. You will, don’t worry. It’s just a matter of time. You’ll know more and more about this world and what I was really doing.”
“What do you mean?! So you really did it?! That’s insane! How many people did you let there to die for Dad to get his hands on Dark Water?!”
The fight against the scourge of the deep, Talion, was always more complex than people liked to think. The powers that were behind the kraken's existence are things you can't even imagine right now. And the knowledge of how the Kraken managed to live for so long without anyone accomplishing what I did, what have you killed. You think I'm a monster, and I understand. But we need to do things that we don't like, to save everyone else, to become the heroes that everyone will look up to. Talia felt a surge of anger coming from deep into her stomach. A hero? Thalia said, almost snarling. A hero, you say? You let 1,000 die just to get dark water in this way. Why didn't that try to do it like professor Jacobo did? Why didn't you figure out a way to increase one's vitality and just get dark water that way inside the dark stone sphere? He didn't choose the hard thing to do, Talia said, beside herself. He chose the easy way out. Yelena frowned now.
I won't make the same mistakes you did, Talia said, looking determinedly at the monster. I need to kill that thing, or I need to do at least stall it for long enough so that my friends will be able to escape. And if I have to die for it, Talia said with a sense of finality, then I shall die. Yelena's expression softened, filled with a mother's love and concern. You can't, Talia. You need to run. And what about my friends, the other students? Do you understand what you're saying?
Talia opened her mouth to protest, but before she could speak, another voice cut through the frozen silence. It was faint at first, like a whisper on the wind, but it grew stronger with each passing second.
"Talia," the voice called. "Talia, listen to me."
Her eyes widened in recognition. "Professor Iakopo?" she said, looking around in confusion.
Yalena's brow furrowed. "This shouldn't be possible," she muttered. "How is he reaching you here?"
The voice grew clearer, and Talia could almost feel Iakopo's presence beside her. "You can do this, Talia," he said urgently. "You need to hold off the Boss for two more minutes—that’s how long they’ll take to reach the entrance. Once I fully use my Space Water here, the entire cavern will start collapsing.”
“Professor Iakopo, how are you—”
“Space Water,” she could hear the man’s smugness from his voice. “Whatever spell your mother left you, it doesn’t affect my consciousness. I can’t move, but I can still communicate with you.”
Talia felt torn. She looked at Yalena, seeing the fear and concern in her eyes. "Mom," she began, "I-"
"Don't listen to him," Yalena interrupted, her voice sharp with worry. "Iakopo doesn't understand the true nature of the Dark Water. He can't know what he's asking of you—if you keep using it, you’ll die."
But Iakopo's voice continued.
"I can hear her voice,” he said. “I know you're scared, Talia. But your mother is lying. You won’t die because of Dark Water. You might die because of the Boss. But you're stronger than you know. The Dark Water does have corrupting effects, but not like your mother is describing them. She’s just afraid of you mastering the power for some reason. You can control it."
"How?" Talia asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"The wrist marks," Iakopo explained. "They're not just seals to separate Raw Mana from your Primary Mana Channel. They're meant to be conduits. I didn’t think I would need to explain this right now, but if you can fully unlock them, you can merge your Blood Magic with the Dark Water and amplify the effect of the conduits, which will allow you to draw upon Abyssal Magic as well. I know you’ve done that already severla times, including during my test. But you only drew on the reservoir in the wrists. Here, the pull of the Dark Water Well consumes most of the Raw Mana that doesn’t go through Abyssal Creatures.
“It's risky, but it might give you the edge you need."
Yalena's face paled. "No," she said, her voice trembling. "Talia, please. You don't understand what you'd be risking. The combination of Blood Magic and Dark Water... it's too unpredictable, too dangerous."
Talia closed her eyes, trying to block out the conflicting voices.
She thought of her friends, of Nami and Keanu and all the others who were counting on her.
She thought of the terror on their faces as they faced the Abyssal Torpedo Drake.
When she opened her eyes again, there was a newfound determination in them.
"I'm sorry, Mom," she said softly. "But I can't run. Not when everyone else's lives are at stake. I'd rather die trying to do what's right than live knowing I abandoned them."
Yalena reached out, her ghostly hand passing through Talia's cheek.
"My brave, foolish girl," she said, her voice filled with sorrow. "I wish I could protect you from this. But I see now that you've made your choice. I love you, dear."
“I love you too, Mom,” Talia said, feeling tears coming to her eyes.
Then, she squeezed her eyelids shut and spoke again.
"Tell me what to do, Professor," she said, addressing Professor Iakopo.
As Iakopo began to explain the process, Yalena's form began to fade in silence.
The world around Talia began to regain its color, time slowly starting to move once again.
Talia took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come.
She could feel the Dark Water churning within her.
And beneath that, the familiar warmth of her Blood Magic pulsed in time with her racing heart.
"Focus on the marks," Professor Iakopo's voice instructed. "See them as channels. Let the Dark Water flow through them, but don't let it overwhelm you. Your Blood Magic is the key – use it to guide and encase the Dark Water."
Talia closed her eyes, concentrating on the strange birthmarks that encircled her wrists.
She could feel the power contained within them, like a dam holding back a raging river.
Slowly, carefully, she began to let that power seep through.
The sensation was unlike anything she had ever experienced. It was as if ice and fire were battling within her veins, the cold darkness of the Dark Water clashing with the vital warmth of her Blood Magic. For a moment, the conflicting energies threatened to tear her apart.
But Talia gritted her teeth, refusing to give in to the pain. She focused on her friends, on the lives at stake. With a tremendous effort of will, she forced the two powers to merge, to flow together instead of against each other.
As time fully resumed its normal flow, Talia's eyes snapped open.
Both her eyes shone much brighter than they would even usually do and, from them, a series of black runes started appearing on her skin.
The runes started wildly absorbing ambient, Raw Mana, channeling it inside her.
“Ugh,” Talia groaned in pain, feeling the immense amount of power tearing her up from the inside.
However, her insane vitality took care of it, immediately repairing all the damage that was being dealt to her.
Corrupt? Talia thought. I feel like I’m going to die from pain. But I don’t feel corrupted.
Power radiated from her in waves, causing the air around her to shimmer and distort.
The Abyssal Torpedo Drake, no longer frozen in time, let out a deafening roar.
Its massive body coiled, preparing to strike.
Talia raised her hands, feeling the combined might of Dark Water and Blood Magic coursing through her.
“Good luck,” Professor Iakopo said heavily. “Don’t die.”
“I won’t,” she said, seeing wisps of blue flames coming out of the Drake’s mouth.
I won’t let them die.
With a deafening roar that shook the very foundations of the cave, the Drake made its first move.
Its maw gaped wide and blue glow built at the back of its throat, and Talia barely had time to brace herself before a torrent of azure flames erupted from the beast's mouth and swallowed her.
