As the gunner aboard the Narwhal, Lily had once ventured across the seas with Charles. They'd been to countless places, facing crisis after crisis and battling every manner of monster.
But no matter how dangerous or terrifying things had been back then, she had never felt such a profound sense of helplessness.
She would have rather faced off against those Gods themselves. At least then, there would be the tiniest chance she could escape—or at worst, die or go completely insane.
Anything but this: trapped before a horde of twisted, human-shaped monsters she could neither kill nor destroy.
The entire crew lurched at her in a frenzy, only to be slain by Lily's sunlight. Then, as another cycle began, it would all start over again.
They possessed intelligence. After countless repetitions, the crew began to adapt to Lily's attack patterns, developing a silent, predatory coordination.
If Lily hadn't been so much stronger than them, they might have succeeded long ago.
