31: What happened here?

When the tentacles in the distance were reflected in Grey's silver eyes, like an intricate mirror, and they drew close enough to distinguish, something deep stirred within him.

A primal fear devoured his mind as his body froze in place and his will shattered into a thousand pieces at the mere presence of that being.

His most basic instincts screamed at him to move, to run, to do something, anything, rather than stay in front of that thing.

'I'm going to die.'

That was the only thought that stood out over the screams of his wildest instincts.

Then, all traces of color in his skin disappeared, leaving only a pale complexion. His blood seemed to freeze, and his legs finally gave out.

The creature used the cliff's structure to propel its true body from the darkest depths of the sea.

Countless fangs and a single unholy eye were so abominable that his very soul trembled just by looking at them.

Odyssey, which until just moments ago had seemed like the ultimate weapon, capable of piercing the toughest creatures and taking Grey to new heights of power beyond his imagination, fell powerless beside him.

That unholy-looking creature finally emerged in all its terrifying and profane splendor from the depths, revealing its grotesque body.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of tentacles, as large as the hill itself, rose toward the skies while its cursed gaze fell upon Grey.

He felt as if that creature were looking directly into his soul, profaning something inside him.

It was an unbearable feeling.

The being opened its ghastly mouth, filled with countless teeth and fangs sharp as swords the size of Grey, spinning in an infinite spiral.

The creature wrapped its inconceivable tentacles around the structure, and Grey felt the world around him begin to move.

Half of the two-hundred-meter hill was ripped away with overwhelming power, lifting it toward the sky as Grey, powerless, watched everything, unable to do anything in the face of the near-absolute power of that beast.

In that brief moment, as his short life flashed before his eyes, he saw her: a beautiful woman with jet-black hair, delicate features, and eyes as warm as the sun itself.

That woman watched him, and in the reflection of her hazel eyes, Grey saw a small boy, no older than three.

The woman murmured a single word before being engulfed by a terrifying and dreadful darkness: "Live."

That simple word, which for many might not hold great meaning, changed something in Grey's soul, no, in his very existence.

His will, which had been shattered into a thousand pieces, was rebuilt. His distorted mind calmed, and his once-rigid body came back to life, making him feel more powerful than ever.

It was then that he saw it: a myriad of colors lighting up the starless, pitch-black night sky.

Those same colors enveloped Grey, the rock, the tentacles, and even the gigantic body of that being of unimaginable power.

And then, suddenly, everything turned to darkness.

...

In a distant and isolated place, a location inaccessible even to the most powerful; a solitary indistinguishable figure sat, staring into nothingness with golden eyes.

That entity gazed into the void, and its lips moved, forming words that no one would hear, not even itself.

But if anyone else had been there to see its lips, they would have known that entity said;

"I can't let you die so soon."

At that moment, something stirred in its soul and then relaxed, as if nothing had happened.

...

Grey was falling from the sky, confused and disoriented by what had just occurred.

Before his eyes, that being, which was nearly all-powerful, had simply vanished from the peace of the earth, and he was left in the air, even his rocky mountain had disappeared with the creature.

As he fell, he regained his senses and positioned himself in a fetal pose to protect his organs and infused himself with the resistance and strength mode of his aspect.

Several seconds passed before he felt the strong impact against the water's surface, which, from his height, felt as hard as stone.

After the initial shock, which he resisted without much trouble thanks to his ascended armor and reinforced body, he began to sink into the water.

He spread his arms and legs to partially slow his descent and began swimming upward to resist sinking deeper.

To his surprise, it worked excellently, too excellently to be just his own doing.

Two simple words crossed his mind to make sense of this feat: the armor.

Perhaps the armor he wore, which originally came from an aquatic creature, gave him a substantial boost when in the water.

It made sense, he thought, as he swam at incredible speed toward the surface.

It didn't take long, as his swimming speed had increased exponentially, so he emerged from the water in a matter of seconds.

Now, he just had to swim to a structure high enough to spend the night out of the water.

And he began swimming in a random direction, as he couldn't see anything in the lightless darkness of the night.

...

He swam for at least half an hour until he finally collided with a structure that wasn't rock but crimson coral rising above the water.

He gripped the areas that allowed him to climb and quickly ascended to its surface, which was large enough to spend the night safely, without fear of being swept away by the water.

Then he walked heavily toward the center of the coral and let his body fall unconscious.

---

Note: Hi! I'm Gyuko, I'm making this note just to reach a thousand words haha I hope you don't mind.

So, how about we talk; What did you think of the chapter? How's life going? I'm doing well, though a bit pressed for time since I have to write at someone else's house haha.

By the way, I apologize if you notice that the chapters now have lower writing quality than the first volume, as I'm writing on a laptop with limited time since I'm at a friend's place.

She also contributes some ideas for the fic, so thanks to her too 😁

Well, nothing else to say, I think.

Bye-bye 👋