I am Kaël, and the Abyss has taken everything from me. The *Silver Star* submarine hums around me, a steel coffin carrying me back to the surface, alone. The bone crown, torn from the altar by Vora before he was crushed by the colossal crab, rests in a chest at the back, its white glow pulsing like a cursed heart. But its radiance means nothing against the losses. Lira, our leader, our rock, is dead, her suit torn, her body crushed by the pressure at 1500 meters. Vora, the traitor, paid for his final act of cowardice, his attempt to flee with the crown sealed by his own death. Taro, Soren, Joran, Dax, Kaelin, Mira, Lira, Vora… all gone. I'm the last, a nineteen-year-old novice who never should have survived the first dive. Yet here I am, and the Abyss taunts me, its whispers louder than ever, a song calling me to descend further.
I collapse on my bunk, hands trembling. Lira's blood, her gut-wrenching scream, replays in my mind. She was harsh, unrelenting, but she was our guide, a woman I'd learned to respect, maybe even admire. Anyone could have loved her for her courage, her iron will against the Abyss. Her death, so sudden, so heroic as she tried to save the mission, tears me apart. And Vora… I hate him for what he did to Soren, for betraying us again by trying to steal the crown. But his final moments, his silent scream as the pressure crushed him, were filled with remorse. He spoke of Kaelin, of the love he had for her, a love so deep it broke him. I can't forgive his betrayal, but I understand his pain. The Abyss turns us all into monsters, one way or another.
I close my eyes, but the Abyss's whispers envelop me, clearer now, almost voices. They speak of the bone crown, its power, secrets buried at 2000 meters, where the Heart of the Abyss awaits. They promise answers, but also an end. I think of Taro, his gentle smile, the way he called me "kid" like I was his brother. The love I felt for him, even in its infancy, was real. They were my anchors, and without them, I drift. Soren, with his fear and intelligence, could have been a friend, if the Abyss had given us time. Their deaths, so tragic, so unjust, haunt me, and I feel tears stream down my cheeks, useless in this hell.
The submarine reaches the surface, and the stale air of the floating cities fills the cabin. The officers await, their faces cold, indifferent to the losses. They take the bone crown without a word for Lira or Vora, as if they were just worn-out tools. I want to scream that eight lives were lost for this artifact, that the Abyss devours us for their reactors, their domes, their survival. But I stay silent, because I'm alone, and they wouldn't listen. I return to the cabin, staring at the porthole. The black water seems to follow me, its whispers seeping into my mind. They tell me the Abyss isn't done with me, that the Heart of the Abyss awaits, and I cannot escape it.
I think of Vora, how he spoke of Kaelin. He loved her, a love so deep it was almost sacred. But that love drove him to betray, to abandon Soren, then to try fleeing with the crown. I wonder if the Abyss corrupts everything, even love. Lira loved the team in her own way, a harsh love forged in survival. She died for us, for the mission, yet she protected Vora, downplaying his betrayal. Was she complicit, or just pragmatic? The question gnaws at me, but I have no one left to ask.
An officer enters, a gray-haired man with an empty gaze. "Next dive in six hours," he says, as if losing an entire team were a minor detail. "Depth: 2000 meters. Heart of the Abyss. You'll be alone, unless we find replacements." Alone. The word chills me. I nod, unable to speak. The Abyss has taken everything, but it still wants me. The whispers are a roar now, promising glory, truth, destruction. I touch my suit, checking the seams. It's intact, but I know at 2000 meters, it'll be pushed to its limits. Lira warned me: the monsters down there aren't just intelligent, they're ancient, like the Abyss itself.
I lie down, but sleep doesn't come. Instead, I see Lira, her final gaze before the pressure crushed her. I see Vora, his silent scream, his love for Kaelin consuming him to the end. And I see Taro, Soren, all the others, their faces etched in my soul. The Abyss has marked me, and I know the next dive will be the worst. But I have no choice. The whispers call, and I must answer, even if it means my end.