The *Silver Star* submarine creaks under the ocean's pressure, a constant reminder that the Abyss is never far, even at the surface. I'm sitting on my bunk, the void crystal secured in a chest at the back, its black glow pulsing like a warning. But it's not the crystal that haunts me. It's Taro, his gentle smile just before the swarm tore through his suit, his final order to protect Soren. And Soren, so fragile, so human, crushed by the pressure as he screamed for help. Their deaths break me, a pain so sharp I can barely breathe. Taro was my anchor, the only one who made me feel I wasn't alone in this hell. Soren, with his fear and tormented intelligence, was someone I could have grown to love like a brother, if the Abyss had given us time. Their losses are open wounds, and I know anyone who heard their stories would weep with me.
Vora sits at the far end of the cabin, staring at the floor. His glowing tattoo pulses faintly, as if the life drained from him with Kaelin. But I feel no pity for him. His betrayal burns me. He abandoned Soren, left him to the swarm to save his own skin. I clench my fists, rage boiling inside. Lira, standing near the cockpit, watches the tense silence between us. She hasn't said a word about Vora's betrayal, and it drives me mad. How can she ignore what he did? Taro and Soren are dead, and Vora, the veteran who was supposed to be a rock, let us down. I want to stand, scream my anger, but Lira cuts me off. "Kaël, sit down," she orders, her voice sharp as a blade. I obey, but my eyes stay fixed on Vora.
"Why did you do it?" I ask, my voice trembling with rage. Vora finally looks up, his gaze haunted but unrepentant. "I did what I had to," he murmurs. "Soren was done. We'd all have died if I'd tried to save him." His words hit like a punch. "Done?" I shout, standing despite Lira's order. "He was alive! He was begging for help, and you let him die!" Vora doesn't answer, his silence more damning than any excuse. Lira steps in, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. "Enough, Kaël. We have the crystal. We move on." But her words ring hollow. She's protecting Vora, and it makes me sick. Did she know he'd abandon Soren? Did she let it happen to save the mission? Vora's betrayal taints her too, and I feel a crack in the trust I had for our leader.
I walk away, approaching the porthole. The black water of the Abyss stretches endlessly, and the whispers in my head return, louder, clearer. They still don't form words, but they're like a tide, pulling me downward. They promise answers, truths about the Abyss, about what Taro and Soren died to protect. I close my eyes, trying to push them away, but they creep in, insidious. I think of Taro, the way he called me "kid" with that smile that made me feel like I had a family. The love I felt for him, even in its infancy, was real. He was the only one who saw me as more than a novice, more than a tool. And now he's gone, taken by the Abyss, and I'm powerless to change it.
Lira approaches, her face closed off. "You need to pull yourself together, Kaël," she says, her voice softer than usual. "The whispers… they'll get worse. But you can't listen to them. Not yet." I stare at her, surprised. "You hear them too?" She nods, her gray eyes clouded with old pain. "Every diver hears them, sooner or later. Those who follow them don't come back." Her words chill me. She knows something, something she's not sharing. I want to demand answers, but she turns away, heading back to the cockpit. Lira is a mystery, a woman who carries the Abyss like a second skin. But her choice to shield Vora, to downplay his betrayal, makes me doubt her. Is she truly on our side, or does she serve the floating cities' interests, no matter the cost?
Vora stands, approaching the void crystal's chest. He places a hand on the glass, and I see a tear roll down his cheek. "Kaelin told me not to dive again," he murmurs, almost to himself. "She said the Abyss would take us all." I want to scream that he has no right to cry, not after what he did to Soren. But his pain is real, and I realize the love he had for Kaelin, his partner for years, was deep. His betrayal wasn't cowardice, but desperation, a survival instinct in the face of an Abyss that breaks everything. Yet I can't forgive him. Not yet.
The submarine hums, signaling we're nearing the surface. The floating city officers await, ready to seize the void crystal without a word for Taro, Soren, or the others. I think of the surface, the miserable life I left behind. Up there, I had nothing, but here, I had Taro, and even Soren, for a fleeting moment. The Abyss took them, and I wonder how many more I'll lose before this is over. The whispers return, more insistent, promising glory, power, if I dive deeper. I shake my head, but they cling, like claws in my mind.
Lira returns, holding a holographic tablet. "Next dive, 1500 meters. Bone crown. Rest." Her voice is cold, but I see a flicker of worry in her eyes. She knows we're at our breaking point, that Vora is broken, that I'm consumed by anger and grief. But she doesn't stop. The Abyss doesn't stop. I return to my bunk, Taro and Soren's faces dancing before my eyes. Their deaths, so tragic, so unjust, haunt me. And the Abyss's whispers, ever-present, promise the truth lies deeper, in the darkness.