Stress

WHOOOM!

A pillar of glittering pale-pink flames shot through the water, enshrouding Mikhail's battered figure.

The wild marine life immediately fled the scene. The schools of fish, swarms of brittle stars, and consortium of crabs all swam and scuttled to safety.

The only beast that hadn't been perturbed by the menacing Majestic Echo was the Basilosaur, that looked on with intrigue, ignoring the other two humans to pay attention to the one in the depths below.

Mikhail looked up from the dark depths he was surrounded by, seeing the dark silhouette of the Basilosaur in the distance.

The pain he had endured had reached a truly profound depth. The singular blow of that beast was nearly fatal. And had it not been for the sudden influx of Aether, his body wouldn't have been able to recover.

Let alone to the point that his arm and leg were back up to a fit and fighting shape.