Oliver quickly turned his head towards his friend's gaze. Oliver's eyes instantly widened. His jaw dropped, and his breathing halted.

     As the raft drifted towards the diagonal right side of the lake, Oliver and Gregory noticed a peculiar sight. The water swirled and churned, creating a vortex-like hole that resembled a whirlpool. It was massive, its circumference almost as large as the world's largest known pyramid.

     The water around the hole churns violently. An invisible barrier seems to prevent the liquid from flooding the inner pit. The swift current flows around the round hole, creating intense splashes that spurt water droplets into the air. Fogs and mists form as the water continues to revolve around the hole.

     Without hesitating, Oliver begins paddling towards the swirling hole. Curiosity powers his bravery and confidence. Rowing towards the vortex causes Gregory to gasp as his eyes gape open.

     Oliver paddles with his brows furrowed. As they draw closer to the hole, the water becomes more turbulent, and the blaring sound of the rushing water grows louder. Oliver continues rowing until they feel the current pull the raft closer. The water rushes around them, and the raft starts moving towards the hole.

"Oliver, stop rowing!" Gregory yelled, his eyes wide with terror.

"What do you think is inside?" Oliver asked as he paddled closer.

"It's a gateway to hell!" Gregory shouted. "We have to go back!"

"Wait. What if that is the entrance to the Pyrovoidians' lair?" Oliver wondered as he continued rowing.

"The what!?" Gregory raised his voice, his voice becoming muffled against the loud current.

"The Pyrovoidians!" Oliver yelled.

     Suddenly, a hellish roar erupted from the depths of the hole. It was a cacophony of an elephant's low growl, a tiger's rough bellow, and a ferocious gorilla's agitated roar. However, something was unnatural about it—it was as if every animal sound had been mixed seamlessly.

     The deafening roar forces Oliver and Gregory to cover their ears as they wince in pain. The sound vibrates through their bodies, filling them with dread and unease as their bones shudder. Then, the water around the hole churns even more violently as the mist thickens.

"What in the world!?" Gregory exclaimed as he attempted to row away.

"Ah!" Oliver screamed as he tried paddling away with his friend.

"Oli! Oli! Oli! Use your powers. Control the water to paddle us away!" Gregory commanded as more demonic roars emanated from the hole.

"Wait!" Oliver thought recklessly. "What if I use my powers against that thing instead!?"

"What!? How!?" Gregory asked, slowing his paddling.

"Bring me closer to the hole!" Oliver ordered, pointing at the vortex.

     Gregory refused to obey as Oliver pointed towards the enormous hole filled with unknown mysteries. Rowing closer to danger startled him. He knew he couldn't obey Oliver's orders.

"Are you insane, like my father!?" Gregory yelled as he frantically rowed away from the hole.

"I have to fill that hole with water!" Oliver said, his eyes fixed on the swirling vortex.

"Before you ever have the chance to fill that hole with water, it'll be our dead bodies that'll fill it!" Gregory argued as his eyes widened.

"I should've let you stay in the grassland!" Oliver derided as he began paddling towards the hole.

Gregory battled against the current, rowing in the opposite direction. "No, Oli! No, no, no!"

"Fine, we'll go back—so you can stay with the coachman on dry land while I investigate alone!" Oliver frustratedly yelled as he switched his paddling direction towards his friend.

"What!?" Gregory shouted as he removed his paddle from the water. "I won't let you come back alone!" he grumbled as he stomped his paddle on the raft.

"I must! It's my job!" Oliver replied, stomping his paddle on the raft. "And for our sake and safety!"

     The powerful current of the massive hole drags the raft closer towards it. However, Oliver and Gregory continue to quarrel, unaware of the danger. The sound of burbling water grows louder and more intense as the vortex pulls the raft nearer.

     As Oliver and Gregory argue, the splashing noises grow louder and drown out their shouts. The whooshing current catches their attention, and they turn around and look behind them. The sight of the massive vortex ceases their breaths as their eyes widen and jaws hang open.

"Oh, God!!" Gregory screamed as he stood frozen, almost dropping the paddle.

"Row away! Row away!!" Oliver yelled as his face contorted with terror.

     Oliver and Gregory quickly grab their paddles and stab at the water with all their might. They pull their oars and row with every ounce of strength as their breaths turn into ragged gasps. As they strain against the current, Oliver glances behind him and sees the swirling vortex drawing ever closer.

"It's no use!!" Oliver screamed as he furiously paddled with his friend.

"Oli! Use your powers! Use your powers!!" Gregory shouted as he rowed, his voice becoming hoarse from exertion.

     Oliver's oar slipped from his grasp as he turned around and saw the gaping maw of the vortex looming nearer. It nestled only a few meters away from their raft, and he could feel the current growing more powerful each second. Oliver clenched his fists and gritted his teeth as he felt a sharp change in the raft's angle as it teetered on the pit's edge.

"Use. Your. Pow—" Gregory shouted, his voice trailing off as he braced himself for the inevitable fall into the vortex.

     As the raft teeters on the brink of the vortex, Oliver raises his arms and chops the air, pointing towards the pit, where fiery red magma boils beneath the surface. Oliver's palms release a violent force of water that surges towards the bottom of the hole. It then propels the raft and its passengers into the air, lifting them out of danger and towards safety.

"Gaah!!" Oliver and Gregory screamed.

     The raft soars through the air, lifted by the forceful element that Oliver has summoned. Oliver and Gregory tightly cling to the raft as they scream. They watch in horror as their paddles slide down into the depths of the vortex, disappearing in a swirl of red and black.

     With a sudden jolt, the raft falls back to the water, slamming hard onto the lake. The prodigious impact throws Oliver and Gregory forward, and their heads strike the wooden planks with a sickening thud. Pain explodes through their skulls as they slump to the floor.

     The raft landed with a thud, sending shockwaves through Oliver and Gregory's bodies as the water splashed. Oliver and Gregory remained unconscious, lying motionless on the planks with numb limbs as the remaining force propelled them away from danger. The raft floated slowly and steadily on the lake's calm waters. Meanwhile, the whirlpool growled, but it no longer posed a threat.