Strained thread

A dreadful silence. 

Enraptured in that silence, Asteria stared down at the dark, hollow waters with wide eyes. The misty expanse of the water was overwhelming. It surrounded everything. The dreadful dark depths leered at her until she could face them no longer. 

She vomited. Whether the turbulence of their ride so far had played a role was unclear. But right now, it was the fear that clawed away at her that caused her stomach to churn.

"Ah, ah, ah."

A whimpering also resounded from behind Asteria. But her eyes focused on the ocean alone as she bore the strain of isolation with panicked breaths. She and him alone. Just minutes ago, she had been telling him about her life, But then, before her very eyes, he had been dragged, helpless, pale and desperate. She'd watched uselessly from the sidelines as he, the strongest between them, was taken.

Now, she was alone. It was surely a matter of time till it was her turn to be swallowed. With betrayed eyes, she watched the beautiful glimmer of light that lay nestled on the clear ocean's surface. 

"The ocean. Coming here, it was a mistake. It's my fault. We'd have been better off staying on land. That thing I saw, couldn't possibly, it couldn't possibly be worse than this."

"No, I, I, not my fault. Not this time, not...."

Finally, she noticed that noise. Unable to dismiss the sound a second time, Asteria shivered. Despair bore down on her already fragile state, but rather than continue to ignore it, she acknowledged the truth. 

No longer could she keep her promise to Amelia. Shrewdly she turned around and looked in the direction she shouldn't. 

But in the ever-extending distance, she could see nothing. Somehow, that terrible thing was no longer in sight. They'd left the land far enough behind. Thanks to Perse's help. She was safe from its fatal gaze.

"Why didn't I? Again I didn't."

But a glance downwards revealed a different story. 

Collapsed on its knees, it stared down at the depths with a haunted expression like she had before. The unfamiliar entity was deadly stiff. Its crazed gaze spiralled into the ocean as if she was seeking to torment it with her ruby, vengeful-ridden eyes. 

She wore a simple black dress that she gripped with pale, pasty fingers. The horns that sprouted from her head drew attention, but not as much as her eyes. Those rubies held a depth of suffering, and their cold gleam refused to share Asteria even a glance. 

"Who... who are you?"

The daunting, stiff gaze of the horned girl was finally broken. Interrupted by an outside force, it was as if her last protection was stripped of her. Reaching for her knees, she whimpered as if finally awake.

Asteria, however, could no longer revel in her own sadness. 

Frightened and vulnerable, she watched the entity curl into a ball, as a low moanful whirring started. It soon turned into a cacophony of muffled screams that sent shivers down Asteria's spine. Flinching away from that scream, Asteria escaped to the edge of the raft as she silently observed it. 

"Per... I, I'm sorry I didn't mean it. I."

As Asteria was held hostage and forced to accept the girl's cries idly, a discerning gaze crossed her features. Fixed with a grim analytical frown, Asteria spoke, no longer fettered by the stranger's presence. 

"Perses, you know Perses?"

Again, she failed to urge a response from it. But neither was she blatantly ignored. Though who exactly the horned girl responded to remained ambiguous. 

"Dead. My connection with him is dead. He's gone."

Those sombre, stiff words reached Asteria's ears. It should have been impossible to stifle Asterai's hopes. But despite understanding, Perses wouldn't return from the beginning. Her heart felt heavy as she filled in the blanks.

"What will. Amelia. Amelia, I'm so sorry."

Asteria's eyes tightened as she stared at the devil with heightened tension. She dismissed her sorrow after issuing one last grim apology to the friend who wasn't present.

"Tell me now! Who are you?"

Ignored once again, Asteria bit down on her lip. With a pale, sharp expression, she turned away from the devil, choosing to ignore it altogether. 

'Maybe it isn't a threat. I just have to ignore it. Right now, I can only do what I can.'

Devout, driven, and even a little embarrassed, Asteria lowered herself to the raft's deck. Ignoring the sorrowful cries of the girl, she placed an anxious hand in the water's depths. She couldn't help but gulp as she eyed the harrowing depths with suspicion.

Rejecting her quandaries, she dragged the water towards herself. Using her alternate arm, she then repeated the motion. One at a time, she began to paddle with her tiny outstretched hands. 

The cries behind her slowly dwindled. 

Feeling its gaze from the raft's rear, Asteria's face tightened in embarrassment. However, she continued to paddle diligently as she dragged her tiny hands uselessly through the water. Pale yet resilient, she glanced down at the depths, then nervously at the figure behind. She noticed the horned girl withheld a look far removed from amusement. And still, it refused to communicate.

"I know I look stupid, but we can't just wait here till we're killed, can we? Whoever you are, if you are human and have two arms, then make yourself useful."

The girl eyed the laying Asteria with hostility. Ignoring the loud girl's judgful stare, the devil returned to a sitting posture. Her face returned to her knees, as she hid herself from the cold. Asteria could make out the slight sound of whimpering but dutifully chose to ignore it. 

But, because of that, only Asteria noticed. Fishing at the water with her hands, her eyes darkened with surprise as she cupped the water with them. Staring at it intently, she soon released it back into the ocean. But her hands were stained black.

"What the-"

Ever so slowly, her tense gaze turned uncertain. Clueless, she fished at the reflection of her face in the water as thick black ink clouded her visage. This overwhelming body of clarity, somehow was entirely smeared by inky blackness as it continued to spread in front of Asteria's very eyes. 

"It can't be. Did..."

Slowly, the darkness swallowed everything. Every drop of water Asteria could glimpse in any direction was soon infected with maleficent blackness. The horned girl remained utterly ignorant of the black sea. Until her curled, stubborn figure suddenly rose. 

Asteria turned to her on edge as she rose to her feet, prepared to confront the horned girl if necessary. Desperation still clawed at the girl's tired face, but it was different now. There was a hint of glee in those dark red eyes. Her eyes widened as even a nervous smile broke free. 

"Perses"

Then she was gone. She had vanished. Finally, Asteria was entirely alone, not to mention clueless. Frozen in disbelief by the girl's disappearance, she watched helplessly as the water surrounding them continued to darken, obscuring all. 

Falling to her knees, she peered closer. Deep down, in those murky depths, something floated aimlessly. Slowly, it ascended towards the surface, accompanied by a veil of black blood. She couldn't make its shape out in the slightest. The water's infection was simply too overwhelming. 

But she didn't need to rely on her eyes. She had a better tool. Alone on the raft, with no means of moving and an ocean haunted by creatures she'd never even imagined. Once she'd decided, it was too late, and her stubbornness knew no bounds. She threw herself into the depths.