The last sliver of sunlight disappeared as we plunged deeper into the murky waters. Ye hummed faintly in my grip, reflecting the glow of my halo and casting a weak light through the swirling darkness. Nicole swam ahead, her eyes glued to the soggy map, barely visible now as the ink bled into the damp parchment.

“We’re close,” she sent through the link, her link waves muffled by the water and the sense of foreboding that pressed against us. “But if we’ve learned anything by now, it’s that ‘close’ means nothing good.”

Wade hovered beside her, sword raised. Its familiar orange glow flickered like a flame on the verge of being snuffed out by the oppressive weight of the deep sea. He gave a silent nod, his gaze sharp.

I tried to steel myself for what was coming. "Let’s just hope the welcoming committee isn’t too big this time."

Nicole smirked, but her focus was already shifting. Her neon green gun was ready in her hand, swirling with the dangerous liquid. "We’ve never been that lucky."

As if on cue, a slithering shape passed just outside of our halos’ light. My muscles tensed. Something massive loomed in the water ahead—no, many somethings. Their green, glowing eyes blinked at us from all directions. Dozens of creatures emerged from the depths, sliding and writhing through the dark, their luminous eyes flickering like sickly lanterns.

The monsters were far bigger than I expected—like they always were every time—their slimy bodies coated with algae and dripping venomous green liquid. Each was a grotesque blend of eel and nightmare, and the water around them bubbled with the poison they spewed from their fangs.

"They’re here," I sent, my heart thudding louder than I wanted to admit.

"Monsters," Wade said calmly through the link, his grip tightening on his sword as one of the beasts lunged forward, breaking the silence with a shrill screech. He swung his glowing blade, slicing through the water like fire. The orange light split the creature’s slimy form in half, its body disintegrating into a cloud of green ooze.

But that was just the first. More were closing in, their eyes flaring brighter as they moved in for the kill. For each one that fell, two more took its place. But this wasn't exactly bad—it only proved that we were close to our target.

I spun around, slashing Ye through the thick of them. My blade sliced cleanly through the creatures, the water clouding with their green venom. A large one came at me head-on, its jagged teeth bared. I swung upward, splitting it down the middle before it could sink those fangs into me or swallow me whole.

"Don’t let them get close!" I called out, barely dodging another attacker. I had learned that the hard way. The venom in the water made everything slick and chaotic, as though the very sea itself was turning against us. Wade was moving with precision, cutting down beasts left and right, his sword a blur of orange light.

Nicole was firing in quick succession, the glowing neon liquid from her gun searing through their slimy bodies. One particularly vicious beast lunged at her, its mouth wide and dripping. She sidestepped just in time, delivering a lethal shot to its head. It convulsed before sinking into the murky depths.

More kept coming.

"How many of these things are there?!" I sent, slashing through another beast that coiled around me like a snake. Its glowing eyes dimmed as it released me, its body slipping away into the dark.

Nicole gritted her teeth, firing at the endless swarm. "Too many!"

We pushed through the horde, our muscles burning with the effort. Every movement felt heavier, like the water itself was trying to drag us down. Just as we were starting to feel overwhelmed, I spotted it—the faint glow of the third gem nestled beneath a jagged rock at the base of an ancient pillar.

"There it is!" I pointed, slashing through the final few monsters that tried to block our path. My scythe cleaved through their bodies, the venom spraying harmlessly against the blade.

Wade grunted, cutting down the last of the attackers. "Go get it, Vampire Girl."

I didn’t waste time. I swam forward, reaching out for it. It was a gem, which pulsed faintly in the water. As my fingers brushed its surface, a strange warmth filled me, surging through my body like a shockwave. The gem was rock-hard, dead, and I could feel it vibrating against my skin.

"We have it!" I called out, adrenaline still pumping. Nicole and Wade swam over, both exhausted but alive.

Nicole exhaled. "Let's get out of here.” We dodged the horde’s tentacles, venom, and all.

We surfaced with the third gem in hand, but the weight of what was still to come hung heavy over us. Tomorrow would be worse, and we all knew it.

°*°

The next day, we returned to the shore. My muscles still ached, and my mind was foggy with exhaustion, but there was no room for complaints. The next gem was waiting.

Nicole was back to poring over the map, her brow furrowed in frustration. "The trench is deeper this time, and from what I can tell, there’s something bigger down there."

"Bigger?" Wade asked, his tone calm, though his sword was already at the ready.

"Bigger," she confirmed. "And nastier. If yesterday was bad, today’s going to be hell."

I took a deep breath, forcing my sore body to move. "Nothing we haven’t handled before."

But as soon as we dove into the trench, I realized how wrong I was. The water here was darker, colder, and the creatures were more aggressive—if that was even possible. Immediately, we were swarmed by dozens of monsters, each more vicious than the last. Their glowing eyes were everywhere, their venom swirling through the water like thick clouds.

This time, they didn’t just attack from the front—they came from above and below, surrounding us in a suffocating mass of fangs and tentacles.

"Here they come!" Wade shouted, slicing through one of the larger beasts. Its venom sprayed in all directions, sizzling against his armor but leaving him unharmed.

Nicole fired her gun, but the creatures were moving faster, dodging her shots with terrifying precision. "They’re smarter," she said through gritted teeth. "More coordinated!"

I swung Ye in a wide arc, cutting through two monsters at once. But for every one I killed, three more took its place. I could barely see through the green venom that filled the water, making everything a blur of shadows and light.

Wade was slashing left and right, his sword blazing like a torch in the darkness. But even he was starting to slow, the sheer number of monsters wearing him down.

"They just keep coming!" I yelled, trying to break free from the swarm.

Then, through the chaos, I saw it. The fourth gem was embedded in the chest of a massive creature, its body half mist, half solid. It towered above us, shifting between forms like it couldn’t decide what it wanted to be.

"That’s it!" I pointed, dodging another attack. "That’s the guardian!"

Nicole’s eyes widened. "We need to distract it—draw it away from the gem!"

Wade charged at the creature, his sword glowing bright orange. He slashed at its shifting form, trying to draw its attention. Nicole fired at its limbs, her shots exploding against its misty body with bursts of neon green light.

I swam toward the gem, Ye raised. The creature was fast, but I was faster. I slashed at its chest, the blade cutting through the mist and hitting solid mass. For a moment, the creature froze, its glowing eyes widening.

With one final strike, I cut the gem free.

The creature let out a deafening roar, dissolving into nothing as I clutched the fourth gem in my hand. The water around us stilled, the remaining monsters retreating into the dark.

"We did it," I gasped, holding the blue gem tight as Wade and Nicole swam over, both of them looking just as battered and bruised as I felt.

"Let's get out of here before anything else shows up," Wade muttered.

Nicole nodded, her breath ragged. "I don’t want to know what else is lurking down here."

As we began to ascend, a surge of adrenaline pushed me forward, and I felt a spark of connection with my friends, even amidst the chaos. Through the link, I thought, "We did what we set out to do."

"Just keep swimming," Nicole replied, her voice strong and reassuring through our bond.

"Yeah, just a little longer," Wade added, determination radiating through the link.

We surfaced together, the fourth gem in hand. I could feel the weight of victory, but also the weight of what lay ahead. There was more to come—more danger, more mysteries. But for now, we had two more gems, one left. For the first time in a long time, I let myself believe we might actually win this.