From the depths, a sleek, serpentine form erged—its body gliding easily through the water like silk on skin. Ten ters long, easily, maybe more. Its glistening blue scales shimred with the color of the sea, while beautiful red markings spiraled along its body in natural patterns.
"This…!" Roda's mouth hung open.
I couldn't help but smile at her reaction. "That's Levina's true form."
She turned toward , wide-eyed and visibly shaken. And honestly, I didn't bla her. Now Vina looked like sothing from the myths—the kind of being sailors whispered about after too many drinks, the kind that haunted stories told by firelight.
Levina wasn't human. Not even close. And despite the questions swirling in my mind—what she really was, where she ca from—I trusted her.
As if on cue, Levina's piercing blue eyes surfaced above the waves and locked on to us.
I turned to Roda, resting a reassuring hand on her back. "Hold onto her. Tight."
"O–Okay!" Roda nodded quickly.
Before we could even think twice, Levina dove—taking us both underwater with her in a smooth, fluid motion.
The sea swallowed us instantly.
Roda clung to Levina's back just ahead of , and I held on tightly behind her. The cold hit first, like a slap to the face, but it was bearable. What was less bearable was the way the current whipped around us as Levina picked up speed. She moved with the precision of a blade slicing through water. I could barely keep my eyes open with how fast we were going, but I forced myself to stay alert.
We weren't alone down here.
Roda, impressively composed despite her initial panic, began using hand signals to guide Levina. Roda just instinctively knew where we needed to go.
The pressure began to build as we descended, our lungs holding firm—for now. We probably had a few minutes of air left at most. We had to move quickly.
After about three minutes of near-blinding speed, sothing changed.
The water… it was no longer that perfect blue. A dark, unsettling hue was bleeding into it—murky, shadowed. And then I saw it.
Red.
At first, just a faint tint. Then streaks. Then whole clouds of it.
Blood.
Thick, heavy, choking the water around us. The deeper we went, the stronger the stench beca. It filled my nostrils even through closed airways, a sickening iron scent that told this wasn't just a little injury. Sothing had died. A lot of sothings.
My shirt was soaked now, stained by the crimson mist, clinging uncomfortably to my skin. And for once, I was glad I hadn't worn armor. At least this way, I was lighter.
Still… it didn't feel right.
The blood wasn't fresh anymore. It carried a foul edge—one that hinted at rot. The scent of decay curled in my nose and I fought the urge to gag. Roda, just ahead of , was trying hard to hold it together too, her grip tightening on Levina's scales.
Just when both of us were about to collapse from exhaustion—our muscles burning, lungs screaming for air—Roda finally reached out and gently patted Vina's side.
"That's enough," she seed to say without words.
Vina stopped imdiately and we both let go of her.
Roda then nodded at .
We didn't have ti to talk, let alone process what just happened. I nodded back.
I cast a final glance at Vina, giving her a small wave as if to reassure her and more importantly telling her to leave. She watched quietly as I turned and followed Roda into the dark waters ahead.
Navigating the place was a nightmare. The water was murky, almost pitch black, and any sense of direction was quickly lost the deeper we went. I could barely tell which way was up anymore. But Roda moved ahead with precision. Her sharp senses must've been guiding her.
Then, all of a sudden—
"Damn it…" I muttered under my breath, freezing mid-stroke.
My stomach twisted.
Bodies.
Dozens of them.
So floated gently in the still water, others drifted lifelessly with torn limbs or gaping wounds. A few were bloated beyond recognition, their skin pale or tinged green, while others looked… almost fresh, as if they had only just been thrown in.
Humanoid. Beast-like. All kinds.
All dead.
I clenched my teeth, yanked my shirt up, and pressed it tightly against my nose and mouth, trying to stifle the rising bile in my throat.
Roda, please hurry up.
We swam faster. I tried to keep my eyes fixed on her silhouette ahead and not on the mangled forms brushing against .
After what felt like an eternity—but was probably only a minute—Roda suddenly angled upward.
We were ascending.
I kicked hard, arms slicing through the water as I pushed myself up with every bit of energy I had left. I didn't care what floated around anymore—I just wanted out.
Then, a faint shimr of light appeared above.
Finally!
I surged upward, flailing like a drowning man. My head finally broke through the surface, and I gasped for breath—long, ragged inhales that seared my lungs and made my chest ache.
"Ahh!" I groaned loudly, blinking away the water from my eyes.
Roda surfaced beside a mont later, coughing and breathing hard. Her expression was tighter than usual—strained. Her heightened senses must've made that experience even worse.
"What… the hell is this place?" I muttered, spinning slowly in the water to take it all in.
We were in so kind of massive, stone-lined well. The walls were high and cylindrical, slick with algae and rusted tal. Above us, artificial light flickered weakly, barely reaching the surface. Around us… more bodies.
So many bodies.
Floating. Rotting.
"This," Roda said between breaths, "is where they dump all the failed Hybrids."
My eyes widened. "Failed Hybrids…?"
I glanced around again. So of the corpses still had expressions frozen on their faces—eyes wide open in fear or agony. It was like they died screaming.
"I thought Hybrids were people—other races—who chose to beco one… willingly," I said slowly, trying to make sense of the horror around us.
"They are. Most of them are humans," Roda said, bitterly. "Behemoth always targeted the weak and desperate. Made them promises. Gave them hope with those flowery speeches."
"And the ones that worked out?" I asked.
"They're paraded as success stories. Held up like proof of greatness," she said grimly. "But most of them… most of them end up like this."
"These bastards…They're no different than the Iris Project," I said.
Roda went quiet for a second, her eyes darkening. "Unfortunately… the Iris Project is much worse," she muttered without saying more..
I glanced over at her—she looked distant, as if rembering sothing she'd rather forget. But now wasn't the ti to dig deeper.
I looked up toward the faint light overhead and took a deep breath.
"…We need to get out of here."
Roda nodded wordlessly, then without warning, she crouched slightly and launched herself upward in a blur of movent. Her feet bounced off the uneven stone walls of the well like she was performing so kind of aerial acrobatics, using the protruding rocks and cracks as stepping stones. In just a few seconds, she reached the top—easily clearing the ten-ter height—and vanished over the ledge with a final vault.
I blinked up at her, stunned. "The hell was that…"
Still in the water, I craned my neck to shout, "You gonna pull up now?"
If I'd been standing on solid ground, I could've made the jump myself without too much effort. But soaked to the bone and without any kind of foothold, it was a different story entirely.
"I'll keep watch. Just climb up quickly," Roda called down.
Right… of course.
I let out a sigh and reached out for the damp, moss-covered stone. My fingers scraped against the rough texture as I tried to get a decent grip, but the wall was slick—too smooth and wet to hold for long.
"Screw this," I muttered and activated Samara's ability. Power surged through , lightening my body for just a mont—just enough.
With a sharp burst of movent, I launched myself upward, weightless for a beat, then slamd down on the stone floor beside her in a crouch, water dripping off in thick rivulets.
"Ah!" Roda let out a small yelp, startled by my sudden arrival.
She had been in the middle of changing and was now halfway through tugging on a pair of pants. Her upper body was bare, clad only in a dark bra. She spun around quickly, clutching her shirt to her chest and hiding her face.
"Warn next ti!" She snapped.
"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry up," I said as I turned around to give her space. I moved away and pulled out from my ring a light armor set—nothing too heavy, but enough protection in case things went sideways. Which they probably would.
I kicked off my soaked shoes, pulled off my ruined shoirts putting on pants, then peeled off my shirt and threw it aside. The cloth hit the wall with a wet splat, leaving a dark red sar behind. It was practically soaked through with blood—so mine, so not—and slled like iron and death.
As I toweled off the worst of the blood and gri, I heard a small sound behind .
Turning slightly, I caught Roda staring.
She had finished changing into her armor, but her eyes were locked on —specifically, my torso. Her expression was unreadable, but the grimace spoke volus.
I didn't bla her.
Scars lined my skin, crisscrossing over my chest and back brutally and it was an ugly sight.
"You done?" I asked quietly, not really wanting to address the awkward tension.
She blinked and quickly turned her head. "Yeah. Sorry."
I finished strapping on the armor and tied my hair back into a loose ponytail. It was still stained with blood though.
I will need a long bath once done.
I looked at Roda. "Let's move."
She gave a nod, snapping out of whatever thoughts had held her. Taking a deep breath, she walked toward the only door leading out of the room, her boots clicking softly on the stone floor.
"Do you know where she is?" I asked, following behind her.
Roda didn't look back but nodded. "Yes. But… it's going to be difficult reaching her without running into anyone."
"Yeah," I muttered, "figured as much."
It wasn't like I cared whether we ran into resistance. I didn't exactly have a soft spot for the people who ran this hellhole. They made their choices.
Still, I asked, "How far is she?"
"She's in a different section of the quarters," Roda replied, glancing over her shoulder. "Reaching her without drawing attention will be tough—but I think I have an idea."
I raised a brow. "Oh? Let's hear it."
"I'll pretend to be a Hybrid."
I blinked. "Okay… and ?"
"You'll pose as a newcor," she said. "Soone who wants to beco a Hybrid."
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