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The black water of the Abyss pulses around me, a vise threatening to crush my suit at every moment. At 2500 meters, in this cursed cavern, the colossal sea serpent looms over us, its silver scales glinting like blades under our headlamps. Its yellow eyes, cold and intelligent, fix on me, but it's Sylas who terrifies me most. He holds the Eye of the Depths, the silver sphere torn from the altar, and his charming smile hides a chilling truth: he is the puppeteer of our misery, the one who orchestrated Vora's betrayal, the deaths of Taro, Soren, Lira, Erynn, Ryn, and now Lena. Lena, with her honest gaze and her "kid" that echoed Taro, is gone, crushed by the pressure in a scream that still rings in my helmet. On pourrait pleurer sa force, son humanité, avec moi. Jace, beside me, trembles, his sensor glasses flashing frantically. We're alone against a monster, and against Sylas.
"Jace, stay close!" I shout through the comms, my voice hoarse. The serpent charges, its sinuous body slicing through the water like a storm. I fire my plasma lance, a blue bolt striking a scale, but it's like hitting a mountain. Jace, panicked, adjusts his sensors, muttering: "The data… it's anticipating our moves!" He's right. This monster isn't like the eel or the jellyfish; it thinks, it calculates, as if the Abyss itself sent it. Sylas, off to the side, swims toward the blocked cavern entrance, the Eye of the Depths in one hand, his lance in the other. He watches us, his smile intact, as if savoring the chaos he created.
"Sylas, help us!" Jace yells, but Sylas shakes his head. "Survive first," he replies, his voice soft but cruel. "The Abyss gives nothing to the weak." His betrayal is complete. He trapped us, just as he trapped Vora, just as he manipulated the love I had for Taro, for Erynn, for Lena. He orchestrated every dive, every death, to serve the Abyss, to collect these cursed artifacts. I recall his words: *The Abyss chose me*. The whispers in my head, deafening, seem to confirm his words, but they also speak of resistance, of truth. I won't let him win.
The serpent attacks, its fangs aiming for Jace. I dive, pushing the technician out of reach, but its tail strikes me, triggering a shrill alarm in my suit. A crack. The pressure seeps in, a sharp pain in my ribs. "Kaël!" Jace cries, firing blindly, his bolts missing the monster. I pull myself up, my plasma lance spitting blue fire, hitting an eye. The serpent roars, a sound that vibrates the water, and recoils, but only briefly. Sylas, still apart, adjusts a device on his wrist, and I realize he's preparing another explosion, perhaps to seal the cavern and leave us inside.
"Jace, cover me!" I order, swimming toward Sylas. I can't let him escape, not after all he's done. The whispers in my head are a roar, guiding me, urging me to act. I think of Taro, his sacrifice for Soren, the fraternal love that gave me strength. I think of Lena, her honest gaze, the way she called me "kid" as if she wanted to protect me. Their deaths, so tragic, fuel a rage the Abyss can't extinguish. Jace fires, his bolts distracting the serpent, but I see the fear in his movements. He's like Soren, too fragile for this hell, and I fear he'll be next.
Sylas notices me, his smile widening. "You're tenacious, Kaël," he says through the comms. "But the Abyss needs you here." He raises the Eye of the Depths, and a silver glow erupts, illuminating the cavern. The whispers in my head explode, a voice clear for the first time: *He's manipulating you. He planned it all.* I understand, suddenly. Sylas didn't just betray Vora or abandon Ryn. He manipulated the love I had for my teammates, using their deaths to push me deeper into the Abyss, to serve its will. He chose the original team, convinced the officers to send us, knowing we'd die one by one. "Why?" I shout, my lance aimed at him. "For power," he replies, his voice vibrant with almost religious fervor. "The Abyss is a god, Kaël, and I am its prophet."
Before I can reach him, the serpent returns, its fangs grazing Jace. He screams, a heart-wrenching sound, and I see his suit crack. "Kaël, help me!" he pleads, but Sylas fires at a crystal, triggering a shockwave. The cavern shakes, rocks falling around us. Jace, panicked, swims toward me, but the serpent seizes him, its fangs piercing his suit. The pressure crushes him, his scream fading in a cloud of blood. Jace, with his frenetic energy, his likeness to Soren, is gone, another tragic loss that breaks me. On l'aurait aimé pour sa vulnérabilité, son intelligence, et sa mort, si soudaine, est un coup de poignard.
I'm alone with Sylas, the serpent between us. He holds the Eye, his smile triumphant. "You can't stop me, Kaël," he says. "The Abyss always wins." But the whispers, for the first time, speak of rebellion. I swim toward him, my lance ready, determined to end his betrayals, even if it means my end.
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