By the time they arrived, the water had already turned a dark, unsettling red.

A young woman with cropped hair was on her knees at the shore, her body trembling as she cried.

"Lucy?" Leander recognized her instantly.

She looked up, eyes raw. "Help Sore! He was dragged under—he's still alive!"

The lake churned, dark and violent. Something massive was stirring beneath the surface.

Leander sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Lucy…"

She shouted. "Fine. If you won't do it, I will!"

She shoved his hand away and stepped toward the water, her skin turning an eerie green. Thin veins pulsed visibly under her skin, and a sickly mist poured from her palms, snaking across the water like smoke.

"Lucy, stop—there's more than one down there," Leander warned.

But she didn't stop. "Get out of my way. If you try to stop me, I'll poison the hell out of you too!"

The air around her grew toxic, the surface of the lake sizzling where her poison met it. But the moment of rage didn't last.

She paused, her eyes widened. Something huge was coming.

SWOOSH!

A red-scaled arm, thick as a log, burst from the lake and wrapped around Lucy's waist like a vice.

"Lucy!" Leander reacted fast, drawing a dagger and striking at the tentacle.

Clang. The blade bent on contact.

"Leander, please—don't let it take me!" Lucy screamed, clawing at the shore as she was dragged toward the water.

Her poison had no effect. Her strength was useless. Just as the water swallowed her ankles, a flash of crimson light tore through the mist.

CRACK!

A searing red blade cleaved the tentacle clean in two.

The lake hissed and boiled where the severed limb hit the water, vanishing into the depths with a gurgling splash.

"Axel?!" Leander and Laziel blinked in disbelief.

As soon as Leander and Laziel got a good look at the crimson blade in Axel's hand, they both blurted out at once: "Original Instrument!"

"Go—now!"

Without hesitation, Axel threw Lucy back toward the shore like a sack of feathers, then leapt backward himself, putting serious distance between them and the lake.

The severed tentacle had enraged whatever lurked beneath the surface. The water writhed and bubbled furiously, rippling with unnatural violence. All along the shoreline, black shapes swam just beneath the surface—restless, waiting.

"Jesus… how many of them are there?" Leander muttered, eyes wide.

Even Laziel's ever-calm expression shifted. His nose twitched.

"Seven. I can smell seven distinct mutants near the surface," he said, voice low and tense.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

They'd retreated a full hundred meters from the lake's edge. Whatever those things were, they didn't follow.

Everyone exhaled.

Lucy collapsed onto the grass, soaked from head to toe. Her jacket was torn, revealing hints of the clothes beneath, but she didn't seem to care. Her red, tear-streaked eyes stared at the water. When she finally spoke, her voice cracked.

"Sore and I… we promised that once we made it out of the Abyss—once we hit Level 5—we'd get married."

Silence hung in the air for a beat too long.

Leander crouched beside her, thoughtful. "This place... it must be one of the Abyss's forbidden zones. Why did you two try to get to the island?"

Lucy looked up at Axel first and nodded faintly. "Thank you… for saving me."

Axel gave a curt nod in return.

She turned to Leander. "This place—Sore called it Life Island. It's just a dot on the map, nothing special. But he insisted there was something important there. Said we had to go. I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen… so I followed him."

Axel, narrowed his eyes.

Life Island? There was no record of anything significant growing there. If Sore was so dead set on reaching it, could he have been connected to the Holy Light Organization?

More mutants usually meant stronger Force concentrations—and possibly rare spiritual plants. That much was true.

"There might really be something valuable on that island." Laziel said, tone more calculating now.

Leander nodded. "But there's no way we can cross the lake as we are. Not with those monsters waiting."

Lucy wiped her tears and gritted her teeth. "Then we wait. Maybe, more people will show up. When they do, we'll storm the island together and wipe those freaks out."

Axel's heart sank.

If a whole group charged the island, he'd never get close to the Heavenly Spirit Fruit undetected.

He thought for a moment, then spoke slowly, "I get the sentiment. But this stretch of water is too wide. Even if we gather more people, we'll be sitting ducks trying to cross it.."

Leander turned to him. "So what do you suggest?"

"We split up," Axel said. "Scout the lake perimeter. If we find a narrow point—or a natural bridge—maybe we can sneak across with less risk."

Lucy opened her mouth to protest but stopped herself. She wanted everyone to stay together, to help her take revenge. But she wasn't stupid. This wasn't a military op. She had no right to order anyone.

Leander nodded. "Smart. Let's fan out. We'll regroup if we find anything."

Lucy hesitated, then finally gave a reluctant nod. "Fine. Be careful."

Axel didn't say another word. He vanished into the trees like a ghost, moving fast and light, leaving the group behind.

"Finally lost them."

Axel let out a long breath and picked up his pace, keeping close to the edge of the lake.

Dark shapes flickered across the surface, brief and silent—predators beneath still water.

"These bastards are sharp."

He squinted at the shimmering gray lake stretching toward the center island. It was at least 700 or 800 meters away. The water looked calm, but he wasn't fooled. After what he saw yesterday, Axel wasn't about to make a move without a plan. Sure, he could walk on water.

"Let's scout a bit more."

He kept his force veins open, pulling in energy with every breath as he circled the lake's edge, scanning for any narrower section of water or natural stepping stones. There were smaller islets and reefs dotting the water, but none close enough together for a safe crossing.

An hour passed. Nothing.

His gaze lingered on the center island again, then he muttered under his breath: "What if I just... forced it?"

A wild idea sparked. With the Cloud Chasing Boots, his speed could spike dramatically. At full burst, he might be able to cross the lake in under ten seconds.

Might.

But if he got caught midway? Those mutants wouldn't give him a second chance.

"Better stack some life crystals. If I get stopped out there, I'll need the juice to fight my way through."

The sky darkened. Red twilight deepened into maroon, casting long shadows across the lake as the surface shimmered with eerie light. The Abyss was beautiful, in a violent, death-filled kind of way.

.....

Outside the Abyss — Midnight.

"They've been in there for an entire night." An older instructor from the War Academy checked his watch for the third time, brows furrowed with concern.

The area outside the Abyss was crowded now—officers from the Whisper Syndicate, Survey Corps, Ministry of Defense, and several instructors and family representatives had all gathered. Tension was high.

"We should recall them," suggested a professor from Everton War Academy.

This time, even a general from the Ministry of Defense nodded in agreement. "The concentration of murderous aura inside spiked. These kids are the future of Krythos. We can't afford to lose them now."

But someone countered: "Pulling them out means wasting the opportunity. We don't get chances like this often."

A heavy silence followed. Then, one voice spoke wearily.

"The higher-ups are split." said Sethan, resigned. "With the mutant beast tide approaching, we need these kids more than ever."

He rubbed his face, exhausted, and turned toward the tents. "Wake me if there's an order.."

Murmurs spread as the crowd shifted uneasily.

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