Lomu Malu kept me close to his side as we moved through the waters. More soldiers in flesh plate armor swam out to join us, surrounding me on all sides. The feeling of being hemmed in tightened around my chest like a vise. It took me a moment to realize I was nervously rubbing the scars on my wrist.

  The soldiers moved with practiced precision, forming ranks along the sides of two massive rays, much like the one we had ridden here on. Their presence was intimidating, a silent reminder of the power Lomu Malu commanded. Despite the tension, Lomu Malu remained calm, his grip on my arm firm but not harsh, as if he were both guiding and guarding me.

  I tried to focus on the environment around me, but the presence of the soldiers made it difficult. Their eyes were always on me, watchful and unyielding. I felt like a prisoner

  The Alaka?i were heading toward something different. A creature I hadn’t seen before a Mamaoloa. Its body was sleek and muscular, with bold stripes running along its sides like ripples in the water.

  The creature's head was elongated and noble, with large, intense eyes that seemed to see right through me. Fins, like delicate fans, extended from its jaw, shimmering with iridescent colors and lined with venomous spines. They fluttered gently as the creature breathed, adding an almost ethereal quality to its appearance.

  Its legs were strong, built for speed both in water and on land, yet its paws touched the sea floor lightly, almost silently. A long tail swayed behind it, striped like the rest of its body, ending in a tuft of poisonous spines that flicked back and forth.

  Watching it move was mesmerizing; I couldn’t take my eyes off it. There was something both beautiful and terrifying about the creature,

  The Alaka?i mounted the Mamaoloa with practiced ease, and atop the creature, he looked even more imposing, almost regal. I half expected Lomu’s mount to be even more grand, a creature befitting his station, but he simply mounted another Mamaoloa that looked almost identical to the others that the Alaka?i’s soldiers rode. There was no fanfare, no grand display, just a quiet, efficient motion as they prepared to move out.

  Despite the simplicity of the act, there was an undeniable sense of authority in the way Lomu carried himself. He didn’t need a more impressive creature to command respect; his presence alone was enough. The Mamaoloa responded instantly to Lomu's subtle cues, its movements fluid and controlled.

  As they prepared to depart, the other soldiers followed suit, mounting their own Mamaoloa in a coordinated movement that spoke of rigorous training and discipline. The creatures, despite their fierce appearances, were calm under their riders,

  The group began to move, the Mamaoloa gliding through the water with a grace that belied their strength. Lomu and the Alaka?i led the way, their mounts cutting through the water, while I trailed behind, I didn't need a mount to keep up still though I was awestruck by the power and beauty of the creatures around me.

  We had traveled a long way, though it felt shorter when I was on the back of the ray. Swimming by myself, however, was far more comfortable. Keeping up with the army’s mounts wasn’t difficult; they moved slower, bound by the need to maintain formation. The formation they kept was like a living net—one that could splay out or close in like the jaws of a beast ready to strike.

  I wondered how Karson managed to keep up. Every time I glanced back, it seemed like he had leaped forward, growing closer. It was unnerving, but he never left the seafloor.

  As we continued, the water grew darker, signaling our approach to the basilisk feeding grounds. The army came to a halt, and Lomu gestured for me to come closer.

  “Priestess Katari,” he called, his voice carrying a commanding tone that brooked no argument. “From this point onwards, you are required to lead the way.” His words were so smooth, so charming, that it was hard to think of doing anything other than obeying.

  His tone had that effect firm yet enticing, As I swam up beside him, the realization hit me there was no turning back. I nodded, forcing myself to remain composed, and began to swim ahead, leading the army into the deepening darkness. The light faded with each stroke,

  My thoughts drifted back to Hoka, lost to the cold embrace of the abyss. I wondered if he was now in Naieth's embrace, the Mother of all beasts. If she created everything in the sea, then the basilisk was her creation too. What must it be like, I mused, to watch your children constantly kill and devour each other in an endless cycle?

  As we swam on, I spotted the whale carcass from earlier, now completely stripped of flesh. The bones were bare, but I could still see where the basilisk's venom had seeped in, turning bits of bone and flesh to stone.

  I gritted my teeth and gestured for the army to follow me. I needed this creature dead, and I couldn’t wait any longer. As we swam, the water gradually began to heat up a sign that we were getting closer to our destination. They allowed me to swim ahead, and the entire time, it felt like they were using me as bait. Moving forward, it almost felt like I was caught in some sort of twisted dance, my thoughts drifting back to the Matron and the Nahesa children as they danced around her. Why did I want to save them so desperately? I honestly had no idea.

  Before I saw it, I felt it, the Kaio the Sea Vent, looming ahead. I halted my movements and turned to face Lomu Malu. That’s when I saw it the Basilisk, deep within the murky darkness. Its black metallic shell barely caught the light, giving it an eerie, almost spectral appearance as it moved. And it was heading straight for Lomu Malu.

  Panic surged through me, and I instinctively pushed off the sea floor with my tail, rushing toward him with all the speed I could muster. Lomu Malu noticed me barreling toward him and reached for the blade at his side. But something about the weapon felt wrong it looked far too ornate, too delicate, to be a practical tool of war and that seemed out of character for him. As I collided with him, shoving him aside, the blade slipped from his grasp and began its slow descent into the abyss. For a brief moment, the sight of it distracted me.

  That was when the Basilisk’s jaws snapped shut around my arm with a deafening crack.

  Panic clawed at my mind as I instinctively tried to pull back, but the jaws held firm, resisting my every effort. I glanced down and realized with a shock that my arm was gone, reduced to a bloody stump. My first thought wasn’t even about the pain or the loss it was, "Why isn’t the Basilisk's venom turning it to stone?"

  I looked up and realized that I was on the Basilisk’s blind side, my knife still embedded in its eye. Desperation flooded my mind as I reached for it, but the blade was lodged deep in the creature’s skull. Just as I grasped the handle, the Basilisk surged forward, its massive body cutting through the water.

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  The soldiers must have appeared as little more than a large school of fish to the Basilisk, a mass of easy prey. I was dragged along with the creature, powerless to break free, my body trailing behind it

  Holding onto the Basilisk with just one arm was far from easy. Without thinking, I instinctively tried to raise my other arm only to be met with a brutal reminder of the stump that remained. The shock of it jolted through me, but Karson’s voice echoed in my mind, cutting through the pain.

  "Don’t acknowledge it, girl. Focus on the moment."

  It was all I could do to listen, to stay in the present. The Basilisk's momentum suddenly halted, and with a sickening crunch, it bit down into one of the massive rays carrying the soldiers. Its jaws tore through them effortlessly, the petrifying venom already spreading through the ray's body, turning parts of it to stone.

  I couldn't waste time. Wrapping my tail around the Basilisk’s throat, I managed only two coils around the massive creature barely enough to make a difference, but it was something. I tightened my body, pulling with all the strength I had, but its thick, metallic armor plating resisted. Strangling it wasn't going to work.

  Desperation flooded through me. There was only one thing left to try. I plunged my hand into its wounded eye, attempting to alter its flesh like I had done with the official. But something pushed back its will. The Basilisk fought me with a force that felt like an immovable mountain. I was like a child trying to topple a house, powerless. Altering something already dead had been easy, but this was a living, breathing beast. It wasn’t going to let me control it without a fight.

  "That is but one path of attack. There is another child."

  Karson’s voice again, calm and unsettling. "Not the time to be cryptic, Karson! What the hell are you talking about?" I snapped, not caring who heard me. Everything was falling apart, and I couldn’t think clearly.

  "The blood. Draw upon it. Bend it to your will."

  With no other option, I closed my eyes and tried to focus, even as chaos erupted around me. The screams of soldiers, the sound of stone cracking, and the ravenous tearing as the Basilisk continued to devour the ray. It was all a mess, but I pushed it aside I had to.

  This time, it felt different. It was as if there was a current inside me, splitting into two directions. I was the origin point, able to choose which path my mana would flow through. I began to tug at the blood in the water, feeling the energy shift as I tried to pull it toward me. But just as I was starting to make progress, a thunderous impact broke my concentration.

  The ornate sword the same one Lomu Malu had dropped had come hurtling through the water, crashing into the Basilisk's armored hide. It struck with a force that sent shockwaves through the creature, forming a crater larger than my torso. The Basilisk’s scales fell away from the wound, revealing soft flesh beneath. The sword pulled itself free, as if drawn by some invisible force, and flew back into Lomu Malu’s outstretched hand. He caught it effortlessly, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

  "Now, spears!" Lomu Malu’s voice rang out with authority.

  Without hesitation, the soldiers responded. They surged forward, spear after spear driving into the exposed wound. The Basilisk's flesh was ripped and torn, its body spasming violently as it fought back, throwing soldiers aside like ragdolls. The sound of metal against bone and flesh filled the water as they tried to exploit the flaw in its armor, but the creature’s strength was overwhelming, scattering them with each desperate thrash.

  Blood filled the water, swirling around me as I fought to regain control of my focus. The Basilisk was in agony, but it wasn’t going down without taking as many of us with it as possible. I could feel the pull of its life force ebbing away, but it was still far too powerful.

  I reached out again, drawing upon the blood in the water. It responded, flowing toward me like a tide, and I could feel it I just needed one more chance one more opening to strike.

  The Basilisk's thrashing was slowing, its body weakening as the soldiers continued to press their attack. If I could time it right, I might have the chance to finish it.

  The large Alaka?i and the Sieki Alaka?i, who had brought me to the fortress, rushed up the back of the petrified ray. The massive Raroren, without hesitation, slammed his fist into the Basilisk's head right next to me. The force of the blow sent both the creature's head and my body flying in the opposite direction, stunning the beast momentarily. I lost control of the blood again, my focus shattered.

  The Sieki Alaka?i, moving with deadly precision, plunged his spear into the Basilisk’s uninjured eye. I still didn’t know his name, but in that moment, it felt like I should. Before I could call out, the Basilisk lashed out in its agony, snapping its jaws and swallowing the Sieki whole. There wasn’t even time for him to scream before he was gone.

  A thunderous impact sent waves of pain writhing through my body. Lomu Malu’s sword had flown through the water once more, this time slamming into the Basilisk’s throat. But as it did, it sliced straight through my tail with an explosive impact. The damage was catastrophic. A massive chunk of my flesh was blown away, and parts of my tail now hung on by mere threads of muscle. Bone was exposed in several places, sharp and white against the bloodied water.

  Panic gripped me as I realized the extent of the injury. This was going to kill me—not from blood loss, but because I could no longer swim. My tail was destroyed, practically skeletal. Lomu Malu had crippled me. My hearts raced as I tried to comprehend the situation, and then I heard his next command, his voice booming through the chaos.

  "Spears!" Lomu Malu ordered.

  Dozens of spears followed, impaling the Basilisk and me. They drove through my tail, pinning it to the Basilisk's side, trapping me. I gritted my teeth, trying to pull free, but each movement only ripped more flesh from my already mangled tail. Blood clouded the water as I tore myself away, bits of my tail left behind on The pain was searing, but I couldn’t stop. I had to escape.

  Unable to swim, I plummeted toward the seafloor, my body growing heavier with each passing second. The Basilisk, still thrashing blindly, followed in my wake, its massive, looming form a shadow of death above me. It wasn’t dead yet and I was far too close.

  The water around me churned with blood, swirling in thick, red clouds that blurred the darkness. I could feel the cold grip of the deep pulling me in, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I had. The Basilisk was relentless, closing in, its presence a suffocating weight pressing down on me. My body screamed in pain, the damage too severe, my strength slipping away with the blood I had lost.

  Karson’s voice echoed in my mind, distant but steady, like a whisper in the storm.

  "Keep your wits, girl. There is more you can do."

  But what? My mind was a frantic mess, The Basilisk’s jaws snapped again, closer this time so close that the pressure in the water made my ears ring. I was too weak to fight back, too broken to flee. Its looming maw threatened to swallow me whole.

  I looked up, desperately searching for anything, and saw the soldiers above me. They were still fighting, still hurling their spears into the beast’s flesh, but it wasn’t enough. Their efforts were weakening the Basilisk, but not fast enough. It was still coming. It was going to devour me.

  The abyss stretched beneath me, an endless maw of darkness, and I was sinking toward it, helpless, the Basilisk trailing behind following the trail of my blood.

  Was this it? Was this how I died?

  For a moment, there was silence in my mind. The chaos, the pain, all of it seemed to fall away as I drifted. My eyes closed, and I could feel the pull of the deep, that cold, inevitable pull of oblivion. The Basilisk was just moments away. My strength had left me, and there was nothing more I could do.

  But then, something shifted inside me.

  A flicker, a spark, like the thread that had snapped when I killed the official. It was small at first, just a tiny ember of rage, but it grew. My blood, my very bones, screamed in defiance. I wasn’t done yet. I wasn’t going to die here.

  With what little strength I had left, I reached deep inside, to that invisible cord.

  And I pulled.