Upon that reveal, Asahi got stunned, not about the treasure, but about Brooke, his ally in arms. Without her help, he would not retrieved the treasure. And now, lying down, not breathing, Asahi had come face-to-face with one painful truth.
"Brooke had died."
What could have possibly happened that led to her death? Yes, her arm was severed, but that means she should be alive, unless it were something more. Blood loss. Yes, that's the only explanation. Blood loss. Extreme blood loss.
Her face looked pale even now, drained of all living blood. Asahi checked his watch and saw he had nearly two hours to reach the surface. He wanted to pay his respects, but knew time was running out. After looking at her and touching her hand, Asahi turned up to the watery ceiling and muttered.
"I will avenge you."
. . .
Swimming downward, memories of Brooke flooded his mind. Her smile, love, and care for Asahi's life saved him several times from danger. Asahi had wanted to say 'thanks' to her. But it turned out that her bloodloss caused her demise. As Asahi fondled the treasure, slowly swimming down to the deep temple, several memories of his adventure beneath the waves flashed through his mind.
Coral City.
Swallower's Reef and its phantoms.
Vortex Valley and its dangerous whirlpools.
Puddler's Pond and its light issue.
All of these memorable places and great adventures—ruined by fate. Brooke had died. And for what? That was the question that surfaced in his mind. When he had left, he waved goodbye to the merfolk, feeling utterly heartbroken beyond compare. But now was not the time to ponder. He had a sword to retrieve. He had a girl who needed saving.
As Asahi reached the central plate and placed all three treasures in the corresponding corners of the square-circle-shaped pressure plate—the crown on top, the gauntlet in the middle, and the ring at the bottom- the giant stone door clicked, then slowly lifted, revealing, lo and behold, a pitch-black sword, several gold coins, and a skull. It seemed to Asahi that the owner of this vault died a tragic death, just like Brooke. And now, the treasure was his. And not even the drones survived there.
Immediately, he swam to the vault and retrieved his sword, sheathing it in his Soul Storage.
Then quickly ran, grabbing a shield and finally the armor.
The chest plate itself was the heaviest, but luckily, he had strength from training in Linuxinia.
And so he hauled the armor, swimming upward into Coral City.
Asahi wanted to smile, but felt that would disrespect Brooke, so he came back to the underwater city with a straight face, waving goodbye to everyone.
"Someday, I will find what happened to Brooke." He said, clenching his fist in fury. "But until then, I must go. There is a girl I need to save."
After putting the armor back on, Asahi reached the final current. It was far stronger than the other currents. Many merfolk gathered near the windows of the currents, waving goodbye to Asahi. The muscular merman announced.
"And so, our hero, Asahi, has ventured into the deepest depths of the ocean to find the sacred treasure of the merfolk. Now we may all rest, and live to fight another day." He patted Asahi's back. "Much appreciated, wise one."
Before he forgot,
"The treasure in the vault is yours," Asahi said as he took another step closer to the current leading to Astait. " I have what I needed. Please, don't forget the legacy Brooke lived for."
"We won't," they all said as they clapped their hands. "Now farewell."
Once he gave one final smile, he stepped forward.
He immediately felt the current whisk him away from Coral City into what looked like an ancient city, with a gargantuan bubble standing atop the town, above the castle embedded in the water, and up the watery ceiling.
. . .
It was apparent, even from this depth, that Primrose was held captive in that bubble.
But before he reached the bubble, before the jet coiled around the city up to the surface, suddenly...
(SWOOSH)
A purple luminance shone and shattered Asahi's perspective, sending Asahi tumbling down.
It wasn't a creature, nor a human, but an undead man.
It had no helmet, and a burning, smoldering skull perched on its head. He wore the same scuba suit, but was burning a purple light with unjust hatred. Asahi immediately recognized the suit. That man was no other than...
"The Collector?!"
"I am sick of your successes. Let me complete my test once."
For some reason, despite everything that happened in Vortex Valley, The Collector returned?! And with a burning vengeance. If Asahi wanted to save Primrose, he must...
Suddenly, missiles start flying, covered in purple flames. They screamed and whistled through the water. Asahi narrowly dodged them and saw explosions paint the scene.
"How are you still alive?" Asahi screamed as he swam behind a wall.
"Although my body is mortal, my hatred is eternal." He clenched his fists and summoned another lavender block, throwing it at Asahi. "I hate you with every fiber of my being. Foiled my plans, didn't do my tests, this is not for the Queen. I don't care if I break rules. I want my vengeance, and you to sink into the depths with me."
Asahi couldn't imagine living in the depths of the ocean. He had never expected to see The Collector return with so much fury. As Asahi reached the first layer of the building leading up to the bubble, Asahi asked with a questionable voice,
"What do you want from me?"
"Your soul!" The Collector said as he levitated and shot lasers out from his skull eyes. Before he could reach the staircase, the Collector blocked the way. Using this interval, Asahi equipped the armor and blocked the purple lasers, feeling the water pressure from him. Then, he grabbed his sword from his Soul Storage and struck the Collector.
As the clashes broke out in the waters, the battle spread from one building to the next, shattering in the water. Although they were distant, Primrose sensed Asahi from the bubble and saw explosions summoned in the waters.
"Why do you want Primrose?" Asahi said, deflecting the purple attacks.
"My reason, not yours. She is the daughter of a potion maker." The Collector said with fury. "Just sink with me, I refuse to die at the hands of some mere human."
"Potion maker?" Asahi mumbled. "Primrose, what have you been hiding from me?" Before he could think, Asahi's brain flashed with a recollection. The Collector had severed Brooke's arm, causing her to die from blood loss. Yes, now he understood what he was fighting for.
Not for the ocean, but for Primrose and Brooke.
He swore vengeance, and it was The Collector who killed her in the first place.
So, Asahi dared to strip off his armor and fight The Collector one by one.
His skull was shrouded in purple lumiance, with his skeleton exposed. Perhaps he made some sort of deal? His feet were bare, covered in boots, while his chest pulsated with a deep, dark energy.
This being had a drive for death, defying it with his will.
Asahi looked down and saw the staircase sloping to the depths.
If he wanted to save Primrose, he must climb his way up the staircase, from the sunken castle, up to the bubble. It was the only way. As clashes sounded back and forth, Primrose screamed and slammed her fist. But it was of no use. Although the scream was heard, it was very faint from up there. So, Asahi decided to pivot the fight upward.
Tables were scattered back and tossed. Boxes flew upward, sinking into the depths. The Collector slammed his feet into the ground and grasped his own dark heart, pulsating and radiating with dark energy. He then clenched and folded, before rising with jets and grabbing a... trident?
"Behold, my final test. My secret weapon!"
Suddenly, the waters were disturbed by a powerful shockwave as he slammed the trident downward into the structures. Abruptly, all of the stone structures shattered, plunging into the deep blue abyss. Asahi used that spare time and climbed the falling staircase. If he wanted to escape, he had to drop something. And the first thing that came to his mind was his armor, which he purchased long ago.
"For a better cause," Asahi mumbled as he climbed the staircase, blocking the trident's powerful attacks from The Collector. Turning upward, knowing the bubble was impenetrable, Asahi had a bold idea.
"Perhaps I can trick The Collector to use the trident on the bubble?"
After having thought, Asahi nodded at his own idea and fought The Collector with his blade, slowly rising up from the sunken castle, up to the peak.
"You don't understand how much POWER Primrose potentially has." The Collector said angrily. "You ruined my plans. You ruined my collection. And now you shall, PAY!"
Asahi felt the bubble was close, so close to his reach that he could practically touch the bubble.. From there, he saw the view of the castle and the sunken city. It was time for this underwater adventure to come to an end. After stepping back, Asahi screamed to The Collector to grab his attention.
Luckily, only the Collector's emotions were so unstable that he couldn't even think straight. Unstable.
The trident was the only way to pop the bubble. He studied it back when he first awoke in Coral City. A book was on the side, showing weaknesses. And now fate had finally come into his hands. All he needed was to...
(SWOOP)
(POP)
At that moment, The Collector threw the trident up to the bubble, successfully popping it and shattering the barrier for good.
Asahi turned to his watch and grabbed the trident back. After Primrose flailed and kicked up in the air, he threw the trident at The Collector and felt all the phantoms he met, including the blonde-haired mermaid, Brooke, increased the strength of the throw, tossing Asahi and Primrose up, and pinning The Collector down.
"NO! Don't you dare! I SAID STOP! One more test!" He tried to fight the trident, but it was of no use. The sheer power of the trident, thanks to all the phantoms, including Brooke, was enough to send him down to the depths where he could burn in hatred for as long as he wanted.
After seeing Asahi and Primrose ascend up the watery ceiling, Brooke's phantom waved goodbye, followed by the old man and the red-haired figure as well.
"Farewell, Asahi!" The red-haired girl said.
"You have done a good job, kid. Never give up." The old, crooked-jawed man said.
"Thank you so much," Brooke screamed as sunlight escaped the watery ceiling. "Goodbye."
And just like that, Asahi and Primrose ascended back to the icy waters of Astait, arising near a boat with Grandpa resting on it. The watery ribbons splashed and gushed with icy salt water.
"Asahi, what happened?" Primrose asked, eyes parted as her body was caught in Asahi's hands. "All I remember is being in that big bubble. Wait, is that a watch?"
As Asahi swam up, carried Primrose, and placed them both on the boat, he whispered to her.
"It's a long story..."