22. From the Depths

The morning sun was just beginning to stretch its golden fingers over the horizon when Roshan noticed Amara and Elliot standing near the edge of the deck.

The wind blew gently through the sails, but there was something about the two of them that made her pause.

They were talking, their heads close together, their voices too quiet to make out over the wind and the creaking of the ship.

Roshan raised an eyebrow, watching them with a smirk.

*Flirting already, huh?* She thought.

The sight of the two of them, standing there with the rising sun behind them, reminded her of something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

A feeling, maybe, or just the early morning stillness.

She strolled over casually, her footsteps light, and interrupted them with a teasing grin.

"So, what's going on here, huh?" Roshan's voice was playful, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Getting cozy so early in the morning? You two planning to start a romance at sea or what?"

Amara blushed furiously, pulling away from Elliot with a nervous laugh.

"It's not—! We were just talking!" she stammered, her hands fluttering to her sides.

Elliot chuckled, his usual easygoing smile not quite reaching his eyes. "We're just talking, Roshan. No need to jump to conclusions."

Roshan's grin only widened. "Uh-huh, sure. Just don't forget, we're on a ship, not a love boat."

"Are we ever going to hear the end of this?" Amara groaned, but there was no malice in her voice.

Amara had completely adapted into the group's dynamic over the past few days, the easy banter and teasing becoming a comfortable routine.

The rest of the gang slowly appeared on deck, stretching and yawning as they joined the conversation.

"Morning, guys," Wuxian said, his voice smooth and calm.

He stepped to the railing, scanning the horizon with a practiced eye. "So, what's all this talk about romance?"

"Nothing, really," Roshan said, smirking. "Just teasing these two lovebirds here."

Altan, who had been rummaging through his bag of supplies, raised an eyebrow.

"Romance at sea?" he muttered. "Isn't this the part where we get attacked by pirates?"

"Don't jinx it," Wuxian replied, giving Altan a look. "

But just as quickly as the laughter had started, Elliot's expression changed.

His smile faltered, his brow furrowing as a strange sensation washed over him.

It was as if the world had shifted, his surroundings warping in an instant. His head throbbed.

Suddenly, a flash of memories slammed into him.

A ship.

His crew.

Rhaegos' crew.

He saw faces—hard men and women—some familiar, others not. The decks of a ship, the salty sea air, and the sound of laughter and shouting.

*This is… Rhaegos' crew,* he thought, his chest tightening.

The memory flickered again—he saw the ship's bow split in two, the sound of wood splintering and the roar of waves crashing against the ship's hull, the sensation of falling, being dragged beneath the surface of the sea.

*The shipwreck...*

...

"Is something wrong?" Amara asked, her voice taut with worry as she glanced at Elliot, noticing his disoriented expression.

Before he could respond, the sky above them darkened as the water surged violently.

From the depths of the sea, monstrous shapes began to emerge, breaking the surface with enormous tentacles and massive, hulking bodies.

"Monsters!" Altan roared, his voice deep and commanding as he drew his sword.

"Get ready!" The rest of the crew scrambled into action, weapons in hand.

Lady Vaqal, standing nearby, watched with sharp eyes, her hands clenched into fists.

"This is strange," she muttered. "Monsters usually don't come this close to the Archipelago. They've never been this bold before."

Elliot's heart raced, his mind reeling. Another memory, another flash of a violent storm—

*No! Not again!*

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. This wasn't the time for this; they had to fight.

Vaqal raised her hands, a deep chant escaping her lips.

"By the ancient bonds of the sea, I bind you, foul creatures!" A burst of radiant light exploded from her, forming a shimmering barrier around the ship, but it faltered under the monsters' attack, the monstrous creatures slamming against the magical shield with ferocity.

"Get ready!" Wuxian shouted, his voice carrying over the roar of the approaching monsters.

"Altan, you take the left side!" Amiyan called, his voice steady despite the panic rising in the air. "Roshan, you're with me on the right!"

"Let's move!" Roshan grinned. "These monsters aren't gonna know what hit them!"

With a battle cry, the group surged forward, their weapons flashing in the morning sun.

---

The battle was chaotic, the monsters crashing against the ship with terrifying strength.

Tentacles whipped through the air, crashing into the ship's sides and splintering the wood.

Massive, hulking sea creatures with jagged teeth leapt out of the water, their scales glinting like iron.

Roshan was the first to spring into action. She was nimble, flipping through the air as she dashed toward the nearest tentacle, her fists landing sharp blows against the thick, leathery skin.

"Not bad for an early morning workout!" she shouted, her voice full of adrenaline.

Wuxian's sword flashed with fiery precision as he moved through the chaos, his strikes quick and clean, each one leaving behind a trail of embers.

"Stay focused, everyone!" he called. "We need to clear the decks!"

Altan, using his massive frame to his advantage, swung a broken log with devastating force, crushing through a monster's arm.

"Get back in the water, you oversized seafood!" he bellowed, sending a massive tentacle flying into the sea.

Amara, though not a fighter, used her alchemical skills to support the team, throwing vials of bright, glowing liquid that exploded in flashes of light, temporarily blinding the creatures and causing them to thrash in confusion.

"These will buy you some time!" she shouted to the others.

But despite their efforts, the monsters weren't backing down. The air crackled with tension as the battle raged on.

Suddenly, the ship shook violently, and Vaqal's protective barrier shattered under the pressure of a massive, serpent-like creature that had emerged from the depths.

The barrier collapsed with a loud *crack*, and the creature's massive body slammed into the ship's hull, sending a violent shudder through the entire vessel.

Elliot's heart raced. The overlapping memories were crashing into him— the ship sinking, the crew scrambling for survival, the cold, dark waters closing in. It was too much.

*This is it! The ship's going down... again...*

His vision blurred, and he staggered. The sound of the crashing waves, the screams of his past crew, it was all too overwhelming.

He couldn't breathe. His mind was reeling, and before he could recover, a massive, dark tentacle shot towards Amara.

"Watch out!"

In an instinctive motion, Elliot reached out and shoved Amara out of the way.

The tentacle swiped where she had just been, missing her by inches. But in doing so, Elliot lost his balance, and the next thing he knew, he was being thrown overboard.

The world spun as he fell, his body weightless for a moment before crashing into the cold sea below.