"Keep them off!" Henry yelled, grabbing a sword as he swung it wildly.
The boat rocked dangerously as more of them surfaced.
There were too many. Far too many.
What terrified them the most wasn’t just their aggression, but what they had already witnessed.
They had seen it. A human... completely devoured. Not partially. Not slowly.
But entirely stripped away in monts until nothing remained.
The mory alone sent chills down their spines.
As Henry paddled desperately, his arms burning with effort, regret flooded his mind.
’If I had known... if I had known the flood would co this early... I would have left sooner ...’
Ivy had warned him. She had told him. But he hadn’t expected it to arrive like this.
Now, his only thought remained...
’I need to reach her... I need to make sure she’s safe ...’
Back at the base, Ivy had already begun to feel uneasy.
She had long realized that by now, Silas should have returned.
But there was no sign of him. Not even a trace.
’Sothing is wrong ...’
Without hesitation, she had already dispatched multiple groups to search for him, sending them out early on.
And yet...there was still no news. Not a single update.
Her mind wavered slightly, her usual calmness beginning to crack under the pressure.
She even had to suppress the urge to go out herself.
’No...’ she told herself firmly. ’If I leave... and he cos back ...’
She could already imagine his reaction. Anger. Frustration.
Especially if he discovered that she had been overusing her abilities again.
anwhile, sothing unexpected was happening.
People from the Talon base... were arriving.
Three days had passed since the flood began, and the situation had only grown worse. But amidst the chaos, they had witnessed sothing unbelievable.
Ivy’s base. Protected.
The water, which rose up to half a human’s height everywhere else, behaved differently near her territory.
It parted. It was avoided.
As if an invisible force were pushing it away.
Those who saw it couldn’t believe their eyes.
"Look at that..." one person whispered, his voice trembling. "The water... it’s not even touching it." ..."
People lined up near the entrance remained untouched by the flood, standing safely within its unseen boundary.
Hope spread. And with it, movent.
More and more survivors from the Talon base began making their way toward Ivy’s base, abandoning everything behind just for a chance to live.
At first, Ivy tried to keep everything under control.
But as their numbers grew... Even she began to struggle.
But as ti passed, Ivy began to notice sothing unsettling.
The population wasn’t just increasing; it was growing at a visibly alarming rate.
’This isn’t normal...’ Ivy thought, her gaze narrowing slightly as she observed the crowd.
It was only after a closer inspection that realization struck her.
Many of them... belonged to the Talon base.
For a brief mont, her eyes widened.
Then...a faint smile curled on her lips.
’Talon base...’ Her thoughts turned cold, almost amused. ’My nesis... walking right into my hands ...’
But just as that thought settled, another surfaced. Nas. Voices. mories she had buried deep.
Her expression darkened almost imperceptibly as she began scanning through the list of survivors, her mind sifting through identities one by one. And then...
She found them.
One na in particular made sothing inside her twist. Poppy.
The mont she saw it, a chill ran through her veins, not from fear but from excitent.
Hatred.
’So... you’re here too ...’
Poppy.
Just like his na suggested, he was poison—no, worse than poison. One of the most vile n she had ever encountered... or rather, been forced to endure in her previous life.
Her fingers tightened slightly. Without hesitation, she shortlisted his na.
Along with him... Phoebe. Polly.
The infamous trio who had arrogantly nad themselves "P3," finding humor in their shared cruelty. Selfish. Ruthless. Devoid of empathy.
’Cruel to the bone... every single one of them ...’
A cold glint flickered in Ivy’s eyes.
’This ti... I won’t let you go ...’
Especially Poppy.
He was the one who had taken pleasure in chasing her, letting her run, letting hope flicker in her chest, only to crush it rcilessly.
The one who had led the others in violating her, again and again.
The mory made her chest tighten, but her expression remained composed.
’This ti... I’ll destroy you with my own hands...’
Soon, the three of them were brought in.
The mont they realized they had been shortlisted, excitent flickered across their faces.
Poppy smirked, leaning back slightly as arrogance seeped into his posture.
"I told you," he said casually, glancing at Phoebe and Polly, "I already know the base leader. I just didn’t want to ntion it before."
He chuckled under his breath. "Now look... we’re getting special treatnt. You two should thank for this."
Phoebe and Polly exchanged indifferent glances, giving small nods, their expressions unreadable.
But the mont Ivy entered... Everything changed.
All three of them straightened instinctively. They already knew. The representative of this base... had pink hair.
Poppy’s eyes locked onto her.
And for a mont... he forgot to breathe.
’What... is this...?’
He had seen beautiful won before, countless of them, but this... this was different.
’I want her...’ the thought flashed shalessly across his mind. ’I could just... take her... break her ...’
But he suppressed it. For now.
A charming smile spread across his face as he stepped forward and extended his hand.
"Hello, ma’am," he said smoothly. "My na is Poppy Collins."
Ivy looked at him. Then...she chuckled softly. "I know."
Her voice was calm, almost light. But she did not take his hand.
Instead, she walked past him and sat down, her posture relaxed yet commanding.
Poppy’s extended hand remained in the air for a second too long.
His face flushed red, not from embarrassnt alone, but from suppressed anger.
Slowly, he withdrew his hand.
Behind him, Phoebe and Polly snickered.
Poppy swallowed the irritation burning in his throat and forced a smile.
"Since you’ve invited us here," he said, his tone carefully controlled, "you must have sothing important to discuss. Why don’t you begin?"
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