The absolute despair and the will to hang on.

'Hoo Hoo…'

'Faster… Quicker… I am speed…'

'Can I even outrun it in the first place?'

Raian's thoughts raced as he glanced back, his eyes widening at the sight of the unstoppable black sea, swirling with a disaster-like abundance, flooding toward him like a colossal tsunami.

The churning, swirling depths of the black water seemed to consume all light in his vision. 

Silently turning forward, he optimized his running posture for better acceleration, wiping his cold sweat away as one would wipe away a tear Raian bid farewell for his momentary comrades.

Crab bro 2 has been swallowed by the black sea far behind him. Crab Bro 1 had already found a better place inside the black sea. It turns out that scythe-like legs and tough-looking heavy armor didn't make for good running gear.

As he ran, Raian's mind was flooded with the worried voices of his friends, family, and teacher. His family's concern was grounded in years of knowing and living with him, while Liala worried because he had only a few days to prepare for the winter solstice. Teacher Julius was perhaps the most worried, the look on his face when Raian couldn't answer a single question after hours of intense focus still haunted him.

A choice had to be made, option A keeps running and risks being swept up to who knows where, or option B confronts the swirling mass of destruction chasing him. 

Both seemed dangerous but neither option seemed optimal. Glancing back once more, the flowing tide of the black sea let out a thunderous splatter, forcing Raian to rethink his options.

'Calm down, let's think again.'

Many people say, 'fear the unknown.' thus according to said logic If you understand the process and what makes things happen, the level of fear it induces should dramatically lower. Knowing what would happen in the future reduces the fear even further so, Raian tried to remember everything he knew about water and its related content.

Gaslighting himself somewhat, Raian stopped to look back at the black sea yet again. His body wanted to flee, driven by instinctual fear, much like how he feared trying to understand the complex ecosystems of death zones explained in academy books.

Even if he understood its ways, the overwhelming threat of the black sea, and the instinctual fear that squeezed his consciousness like a deadly aged claw, remained unyielding.

Raian punched his legs to stop them from jerking with fear or excitement. Aided by his aspect involuntarily Raian decided against running since it was impossible.

Escape would be easier if he could fly or breathe underwater. He had read books about memories that allowed users to breathe underwater and swim naturally. But the reality was harsh.

In theory, Raian technically knew how to swim, but he hadn't tested it out. Nobody in the slums could confidently say they could swim—the bodies of water in the waking world were known for their danger. Besides whom in their right mind would try to swim when getting the required amount to survive was hard.

Even after this deep thought-provoking fear-reducing process, Raian still shuddered looking at the incoming black sea.

The vast expanse of darkness seemed to devour all light, its surface swirling violently with unfathomable terror within. Waves rose and fell with disastrous rhythm, their crests sharp and jagged like the teeth of some primordial beast. The sea's roar was deafening, a cacophony of crashing waves and guttural groans of the abyss carried immense weight.

Its black waters shimmered with a malevolent gleam, reflecting the somber gray sky above.

At that moment, facing the unstoppable black sea, Raian could feel its raw, unyielding power—a force of nature, a nightmare made real, an unending abyss ready to engulf all in its path.

He stood alone.

Raising both arms to identical heights, he dissipated his leather pants in fear of its destruction.

Inhaling deeply, he embraced the challenge to survive this disaster in his birthday suit.

Before the sea swallowed him whole, Raian jumped with all his might holding his breath, desperately trying to put the odds in his favor before the gamble started in earnest. Faced with absolute despair Raian refused to die, only one kind of death was attractive to him which was death by old age.

Like a drop in the ink-like ocean, his figure was swallowed whole.

-xxx-

Somewhere in the blackish-gray landscape, more than ten deceased bodies of dormant creatures were huddled together.

The contrasting big bodies of once-living creatures created a barrier for the fire burning inside the makeshift circle.

Sitting at the center of the man-made flesh igloo, a woman sat on a limb of one of the surrounding monsters.

Clad in beautiful armor with intricate engravings mimicking thunder and lightning, Liala gnawed on the cooked meat of the beasts.

Her autumn locks fell yet again, partially blocking her vision with their marigold-like colors. Properly dressed in various memories, Liala had not wasted her many months at the Awakened academy. She trained hard, traded, sold, and worked tirelessly to obtain these memories.

"These bastards, they don't know what's best for them. Can't leave a girl like me alone. Now I have to eat again. Gosh, I hate eating. Why couldn't I get an aspect that turned me into a plant?"

Mumbling in anger, she continued to munch on the meat for sustenance.

The initial angry mumblings turned into raging screeches as she chewed through the meat. After finishing what she judged to be a necessary amount, Liala put out the fire and started digging a hole.

The hole was for herself to sleep in. The nights in the Dream Realm were not a total mystery to her, her long and arduous journey had been worthwhile. One look was enough for her to judge the atmosphere of the place she had woken up in.

Halfway through digging, she took a break to quench her thirst. After preparing her sleep quarters, a smug smile crept across her face. Dispelling her intricate armor and leaving only garment-type memories, she summoned a blanket and a pillow, throwing them into her underground sleeping quarters.

The range of memories were much wider than she had anticipated, memory blanket and pillow was extremely rare but since their use is practically next to zero the price was low, but it wasn't cheap enough for Liala to get it consciousness free, but it couldn't be returned, past couldn't be re-written so Liala could only indulge a little and make the price worth it.

Nestled in her self-created, not-so-soft bed, Liala could afford to relax a little. Fully relaxing was taboo in this world, deep sleep seemed impossible. But she had the second-best things to support her in this desolate place.

Before falling asleep, she looked upwards into the starless, empty sky and thought.

'Maybe this is what being a legacy feels like. Hehe, hell if I know.' 

// Side characters are done, currently 4 people should complete the future cohort. let's see whether it changes of not shall we. //