The *Silver Star* submarine rumbles around me, a steel beast carrying me back to the surface, away from the Shadow Trench but not from the Abyss. The Heart of the Abyss, the glowing red sphere Sylas tore from the altar, rests in a secure chest, its light pulsing like a warning. I'm sitting on my bunk, hands trembling, the scratch on my suit a reminder of how close I came to death. Erynn and Ryn are gone, their screams still ringing in my ears. Erynn, with her luminous curiosity, her enthusiasm that reminded me of Soren, was crushed by the jellyfish, her body vanishing in a cloud of blood. Ryn, stoic but loyal, was abandoned by Sylas, left to the monster's mercy. Their deaths, so swift, so cruel, add to the list: Joran, Dax, Kaelin, Mira, Taro, Soren, Lira, Vora. And I, Kaël, am still here, alone with a man I cannot trust.
Sylas sits at the far end of the cabin, his charming smile intact despite the blood on our hands. He cleans his plasma lance with methodical precision, as if Erynn and Ryn's deaths were mere details. His piercing blue eyes meet mine, and he winks. "You held up well, Kaël," he says, his voice smooth as honey but cold as the Abyss. "Few novices would survive 2000 meters." I clench my fists, rage boiling within me. "Ryn would've survived if you'd helped him," I growl. His smile widens, but he doesn't respond. His betrayal is clear now. He let Ryn die, just as Vora let Soren die. But Sylas is different. He didn't act out of fear, but calculation. He wanted the Heart of the Abyss, and Ryn was an obstacle. I wonder what he truly wants, and if I'm next on his list.
The Abyss's whispers intensify in my head, a chorus promising truths I fear to uncover. They speak of the Heart, its power, and a deeper depth, 2500 meters, where the Eye of the Depths awaits. They remind me of Taro, his gentle smile, his sacrifice for Soren. They remind me of Erynn, her sparkling green eyes, her curiosity that gave me a fleeting moment of hope. I loved her light, even if I barely knew her. She was like a sister I never had, an echo of what the Abyss has taken from me. Her death, so tragic, tears me apart. On pourrait pleurer sa passion, son humanité, avec moi. Ryn, with his silence and loyalty, deserved better. His gaze, just before the jellyfish finished him, was full of resignation, as if he knew Sylas had condemned him.
I stand, unable to stay still. The porthole draws me, the black water of the Abyss seeming to stare back. The whispers are clearer, almost voices now, promising answers if I dive deeper. I think of Lira, her strength, her sacrifice. She warned me about the whispers, told me not to listen. But she's gone, and I'm alone with Sylas, a man whose charisma hides a cruelty I'm starting to understand. He's a genius, a strategist, but also a monster. I wonder if he hears the whispers too, or if he's already their puppet.
Sylas approaches, his smile still in place. "You're thinking too much, Kaël," he says, his voice almost friendly. "The Abyss doesn't like thinkers. It likes survivors." His words echo Mira's from what feels like an eternity ago, but they ring false in his mouth. "What about Ryn? What about Erynn?" I ask, my voice trembling with anger. He shrugs, a gesture so casual it makes me want to strike him. "The Abyss chooses who lives. Not me." But I see the glint in his eyes, a cold satisfaction. He chose, and he'll choose again.
The submarine reaches the surface, and the stale air of the floating cities fills the cabin. The officers board, led by Torren, the gray-haired man. He examines the Heart of the Abyss with barely concealed greed, ignoring Erynn and Ryn's deaths. "Good recovery," he says, his tone devoid of emotion. "Next dive in six hours. Depth: 2500 meters. Eye of the Depths." I want to scream, tell them the Abyss is devouring us, that Sylas is a danger, but I stay silent. They wouldn't listen. Sylas, beside me, smiles at Torren, a complicit smile that chills me. Is there a connection between them? Another betrayal in the making?
I return to my bunk, the Abyss's whispers roaring in my head. They speak of Sylas, his ambition, secrets he hides. I think of Taro, Erynn, all those I've lost. The love I felt for them, even brief, gives me the strength to keep going. But Sylas's betrayal, and the possibility he's working with the officers, terrifies me. I'm alone, but the Abyss is with me, and I know the next dive will be my last chance to understand, or my end.
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