I cannot take this anymore.
I force my eyes open, blinking several times to chase the lethargy away. It does not help much.
"Vyvy?" I slowly raise my head off Ewa's lap, but she stops me and gently lowers me back. "Don't move too much."
"I-I… I'm fine." I laugh, trying to sit up, but she pushes me back down again.
"The last time you said that, you almost puked on me."
"I won't, I feel better—I promise."
She eyes me wearily for a second before letting me go.
I look ahead. The others are sitting silently, with the only sound being the quiet roll of water as we sail onward. I don't see their faces, but I am guessing they look quite grim.
It has been eight days since that night's fright. One would expect things to calm down afterward—I did—but no, it did not. The farther we went, the more frequently we encountered Junjus. From flying monsters in the sky to the behemoths swimming in the depths below—we had almost been thrown overboard again a day ago.
I have been too scared to look too closely their way, but from the bare glimpses I caught, this place, the Nguo, is absolutely crowded with Junjus.
The ward I made has cloaked our presence perfectly so far, but… I am not sure I will be able to keep this up for much longer.
Spell arrays are usually less essence consuming than their matrix equivalent … and arguably stronger over a long period of time, depending on variables like the efficiency of the array and the quality of the Spirit crystals used. If everything is right, arrays can be self-sustainable—not needing the involvement of a sorcerer once activated. In my case, I am confident in the efficiency of my ward, and since I lack a high-grade crystal, I used my own essence to supply the ward. The problem is that doing so over a prolonged period puts a heavy mental toll on the caster… mental toll that I am starting to feel the effects. I still have enough Spiritual essence, but I this rate, my psyche might just give out long before my essence reserves do.
"How much longer do you think you can maintain the ward for?" Ewa asks.
"…Maybe three more days," I say.
I wish I could deactivate the ward, to rest for a few hours, before activating it again. But there are monsters everywhere. I fear they might sense us and attack the second I put down the Cloack.
"I wonder how high the water level is." Sazayi suddenly says at the front. He turns around, looking at me. "This place used to be one of your people's cities, right? How come we have not encountered a single infrastructure? There is the fog concealing everything, yes, but we should have stumbled upon one at least."
I consider his words for a moment before saying, "Bonaberi does have more than a few high-rise buildings, of several metres tall."
I pause, waiting for my headache to subside before adding, "I am surprised that the city got flooded at all, and to this extent."
"It had been a long time," N'jobu says. "It's normal for a city this old to deteriorate, especially after enduring years of harsh weather."
"You reside in cities built by my people, cities that had been abandoned for millennia before your ancestors ever set foot in them. I promise you, they were not on the brink of falling apart before they ever came," I declare. "Every city is warded. Complex sets of arrays span their foundations to prevent them from ever deteriorating—protecting them from the elements and more—coastal cities like this one especially."
"Unless someone had tampered with those arrays," Kayin says after some time.
"Y-Yes… unless they were tampered with," I fumble.
"Which means," he continues. "This place had been submerged intentionally… I wonder why?"
"Do you really? I mean, isn't it obvious?" Ewa says. "It is obviously the evil entity dwelling here—that's why Vyvy had been sent here, right? Let's not overthink too much, we deal with that thing, and I am sure everything will be solved."
"Right?" she says, looking at me.
"Yes. You are correct—"
A sudden spike of pain cuts me off. The headache returns with brutal force, accompanied by a wave of dizziness and nausea that leaves me reeling.
My vision doubles, and everything around me starts to spin, and for a moment, I fear I might topple overboard. It takes me a few steadying blinks and deep breaths before the chaos begins to settle.
"We should pick up the pace." I vaguely hear someone announce, I am not sure who.
I hope I don't fall sick.
I remember a test from my days at the Akademiya. Small portable wards would be given to apprentices, and they would have to sustain as long as possible. The record was set by an apprentice, long ago, who maintained his for two months and a half, that student later became a founding pillar of the Warden Association and one of the most powerful sorcerers of the millennia. Ever since, generations of apprentices believed that surpassing his feat would crown them the greatest Practitioner of all time. It was a fun challenge.
No one ever managed to beat that record, though, and most apprentices would end up bedridden for days, suffering from terrible migraines. When I fell ill, Teacher would brew that dreadful herbal infusion for me every morning. It had an incredibly bitter taste that stuck on the tongue for hours. It was torture to consume.
But I did like the way Teacher, Sabar, Zaylany and their mom had been doting on me for the rest of that week.
…I miss those times.
~~~~~~~~~~~
My body lurched backward, and my eyes snapped wide open. Freezing cold water splashes on me, and I gasp. The canoe rocks violently again, I feel my body slide sideways, but a set of hands catches me from my waist before I fall into the water.
"E-Ewa! What is ha—"
A booming roar erupts, almost splitting my eardrums in half. Suddenly, everything becomes darker—I whip my head up, only to see a giant shadow whizz past us.
"Hold on tight!" someone yells, but a booming shriek drowns it out. Far ahead of us, the water rises into a massive wave, and from it, something even bigger emerges.
A sea creature the likes of which I have never seen before. Its massive body is covered not in scales, but in a smooth, iridescent membrane that shimmers with shifting colours. Its eyes are enormous, lidless orbs of liquid darkness, reflecting everything and nothing. It opens its maw, revealing rows of needle-like teeth, and a deep, thundering wail rumbles—just as the dark silhouette plunges towards it from the sky.
I don't get to see what happens next.
Because a tsunami is surging straight at us!
Time seems to slow to a crawl as I gape at what is about to hit us. My brain works into overdrive, searching for any spell that I could use, anything, a spell that could help us survive this. I don't have enough time to cast anything too complex, the basics then—an elemental art—water or ice? But can I cast something powerful enough to counter this? Half my reserves are already depleted.
There is… there is nothing I can do…
No! No! What am I thinking?! I can do something. The ward!
In a split second, I pour the entirety of my focus onto the array engraved on the canoe's surface. I dismantle it completely and rearrange the glyphs to weave them back into the strongest shield I can muster. I pour my essence into it, the symbols blazing with light, then a semi-translucent honeycomb-patterned bubble materializes around us.
An instant later, the wave is upon us, and we are swept away in its fury. Everything turns dark, the roar of crashing water fills my ears… intermingles with the sharp, involuntary groans of pain from those around me.
I should have thought of something to stabilize us.
I was so engrossed in shielding us from the force outside that I completely neglected what might happen within. The barrier held, yes—but inside, we are tossed like rag dolls, colliding with one another as the shield tumbles through the waves.
I wince, feeling a sharp jolt in my shoulder as someone slams into me, and Ewa hugs me tighter. It is only then that I realise what she is doing, she is holding me against her in an attempt to shelter me from the collisions as much as possible.
After some time, the turbulence eases, and the shield stops rolling. Ewa carefully backs away from me. "That was some quick thinking, Vyvy," she says, helping me up. "You saved us."
"…Maybe think of something less painful next time," N'jobu adds as he rubs his side, grimacing.
"Let's just hope there will be no next time," I say. Ewa is looking at him like she had hoped he had drowned.
"Uh… and how do we get back to the surface?" Gamba asks, his voice tight as she points beyond the shield.
A vast expanse of deep blue water stretches endlessly around us. The waves must have dragged us far below—so far, in fact, that the ruins of a submerged city now lie visible beneath us, ghostly and still.
My chest tightens at the sight of it.
The city has remained mostly intact after all these years—if one were to look past the overgrown algae and moss. Streets wind through forgotten parks, and hollow houses sit in quiet rows, their windows staring blankly into the abyss…
This is too painful to watch.
"I…We will rise to the surface. Eventually."
"So," Sazayi asks, staring in silent awe at the city below, "we just… wait?"
"Uh-oh."
I turn to Ewa, who is staring worriedly behind us. Before I can ask, a deafening clanging sound erupts. I am thrown forward, nearly colliding with the barrier, but Ewa catches me just in time. Her grip steadies me for a heartbeat—then the world tilts. The shield surges upward, flinging all of us off our feet. The pressure shifts, rocketing us upward as bodies tumble.
I have barely regained my bearings when a gasp escapes my lips, feeling my essence deplete by the second.
I look up to see rows of jagged javelin-like teeth encircling us from all sides. The shield flickers, and more of my essence is drained as the jaws of the beast tighten on it.
"Make an opening." I whip my head at Ike, who is looking back calmly, "I will get out."
I want to ask what he wants to do out there… where there are monsters that want to eat us—but what do I know?
I turn back to the array, fingers trembling as I alter the barrier, creating an opening large enough for Ike to slip out without the entire structure falling apart.
In an instant, he is out of the barrier, his spear in hand as he jumps on the monster, stabbing it with full force. My burden instantly lightens when it lets go of us, roaring in pain as Ike inflicts more attacks. The shield rolls off its mouth and slams, with us, into the water.
I unravel the ward with a sigh, letting the shield dissolve into nothingness. My head is spinning and aching, and I am getting out of breath. My spiritual essence… I was already tired from the past few days of constant usage. If this goes on, I might just collapse.
"Look over there."
What now?
But my frustration quickly melts away into relief at the sight of the structure in the distance. A tower looms ahead in the fog, standing tall, metres above the waters, a… a research centre!
If we could just reach, then we would get some reprieve.
I don't get to celebrate for long as Ewa throws me on her shoulder and jumps off the canoe.
"Wha—"
My question dies in my throat as another creature bursts through the surface, our canoe clenched in its maw. Its jagged jaws snap shut with a sickening crunch, and all that remains are splinters, shards of wood scattering across the water.
I was not prepared to for the fall; the moment I hit the water, my body spasms—It's even colder than before—I want to scream, but icy water floods my mouth, and I'm choking, sinking, flailing in the dark.
Something pulls me, and I can breathe again.
"I'm right here," Ewa says in my ear. "Try to stay calm."
How can I be calm when we are swimming in a monster-infested lake?
Roars swell around us.
In the distance, blurred flashes of movement, Ike, darting from one spot to another, leaping from one junju to the next with impossible speed.
When had there been so many?!
More are converging on his position, perhaps drawn by the scent of their kindred's blood, or the sudden presence of humans. Either way, the swarm thickens, a tide of monstrous forms is closing in. And Ike is right in the centre of it.
Further off, the giant serpent from before is locked in a brutal clash with a bird of equally monstrous size—a fearsome, grotesque creature with ragged feathers and a hooked beak that glints like rusted metal. Neither seems aware of the chaos unfolding just meters away from them, or they simply don't care. When, on the other hand, it is hard to ignore them. The shockwaves of their conflict affecting everywhere around them.
My vision blurs. It is only moments later that I realize Ewa had just shoved me aside.
"We must find a way out," she says, her voice steady despite the chaos. The surrounding water darkens, turning murky and thick, and the corpse of a junju rises, its lifeless form drifting away. She barely spares it a glance. Instead, her gaze lifts upward, eyes narrowing.
"We'll have to swim to that place." She says, locking eyes with me.
My breath catches. My eyes widen.
She's serious.
"There is no way I can swim that far," I protest.
"We don't have any other option here."
I mean… We do.
I summon my staff, and in a quick motion, I am levitating metres meters above the water. I point my staff at Ewa, then she too is soaring—Only for the both of us to crash back in.
My head burst into a world of pain so acute that I feel like I am losing my mind. Everything turns dark. I can't breathe. I want to do something, fight back, but I do not find any strength in me.
I am so tired.
And yet, the world just would not let me be.
I end up in a coughing feat, my lungs fighting for air.
"Vyswe'eyaga!"
"E-Ewa…" My voice is hoarse, my throat hurts so much.
"What, what happened, are you alright?" My arm is over her shoulder, while hers is holding me tight around my waist as she keeps us afloat.
"I… I barely… have any essence left." I manage to say, somehow baffled by my own words.
When I had used the flight spell on Ewa, my spiritual essence was drained so fast that I simply could not sustain the spell anymore.
I look at Ewa in disbelief. "How can you be so heavy?"
She stares back in shock. "Hey! You don't say that to a woman, that's mean."
"Vyswe'eyaga! Ewa!"
I raise my eyes, and Kayin is there, suspended in the air by sphere of swirling gales. Sazayi and N'jobu are at his side.
A moment later Ewa and I are lifted in the air, and we soon find ourselves in their midst.
"Can you use your cloaking spell?" He asks.
I shake my head. "Gamba, Azikiwe?"
He points at the area I last saw Ike. And it would appear that he is not alone anymore.
"Watch out." Ewa warns.
A sea monster leaps out of the water, its gaping maw aimed straight at us. But when it reaches us, the beast is sliced through from head to tail. Only for the severed halves of the corpse plunge into the water, crashing down on either side of us.
"Wow…" I breathe. It happened so quickly, and Kayin had hardly moved.
"Let's retrieve the others and head to safety…Before those two catch are done with their business."
We move swiftly to their position. It is a bit strange to fly like this, not uncomfortable but—I can feel the pressure the gales exert. The technique is rudimentary, but I suppose it is fine since it works.
"Ah." I wince at the resurging ache, I can feel the back of my eyes throb.
"Vyvy…"
"—It's just essence deficiency… I will be fine." Yes… once I get some rest and recover my Spiritual essence.
"Go on without me." Ike says, casually standing on a floating corpse.
"What are you talking about?" Kayin asks incredulously.
Ike shifts his gaze to the still battling junjus in the distance. "I had rather deal with those sooner than later. Don't worry about me, I can make my way back alone. And you will still have Gamba, Azikiwe and Ewa with you."
Is he out of his mind, he wants to fight those two behemoths on his own? And even if he were to survive, how is he going to come back? By swimming? But then he would have to climb the research centre, even partially submerged, that would still be kilometres high to cover.
"Very well." Kayin finally answers, then he sets off.
"W-Wait, are we really going to leave him behind?"
"He'll be fine." Ewa holds me firmly, her expression worried. "You should focus on yourself."
I don't remember how long the flight took, my body seemed to become heavier… and my mind foggier, the closer we got to the research centre.
I vaguely recall being slightly worried when the cries of the beasts behind us intensified dramatically.
But all of it turned to afterthoughts the moment my legs touched hard, stable ground. Only the relief mattered… and the wave of fatigue.
Then Ewa turned to me, her lips moving several times, but no sound coming out of them. There is this incessant ringing noise that plagues my ears. I don't know when it started. I turn to the others… they look funny, they wouldn't stop gyrating from side to side—I can't see their faces.
I look down at myself, finding dark red dots covering my chest and trousers. Warmth streams down my nose, I raise my hand to wipe it away, just as Ewa makes me raise my head and dabs my nose with a piece of cloth. I think Kayin and the others are running toward me as well, and I am wondering how they are not falling with how shaky their movements are.
They are all speaking over each other, trying to tell me something, but I can't make out a word they formulate. My head hurt so bad, and my ears are whistling.
So much ruckus.
And amidst it all, I stare numbly at my fingers, they are red… red with my blood.