Chapter IX- 1: Plunge into the abyss

With a wicked grin, she dashed up the stairs, leaving Einar behind in the dark waters, where he would find nothing but his death.

"Lifeboat... lifeboat..." Severa muttered to herself as she walked along the ship's railing, peering down in search of salvation. There! Her eyes locked onto a small boat suspended by ropes from what appeared to be a wooden davit, about two meters below the railing. She traced the ropes to a crank and turned it as quickly as she could. The boat descended to the water's surface.

Severa cast a glance at the captain's cabin; Einar hadn't emerged. Swinging her legs over the railing, she climbed down a narrow rope ladder. "That's what you get for trusting, Einar. You're better off siding with evil," she hissed under her breath.

She tossed the sack of food into the lifeboat and settled onto one of the wooden benches—little more than planks laid across the hull. Drawing her machete, she cut through the first rope. She knew it probably wasn't the proper method, but it was the only solution she could muster.

Crawling over to the opposite bench to cut the second rope, her eyes flicked upward to the rope ladder. Something gnawed at her. She could picture Einar struggling in the frigid water, hoping against hope to be rescued.

A part of her wanted to wait—to delay her decision until the very moment Einar appeared at the top of the ladder, making it too late to leave him behind. It was as if two voices in her mind were locked in a bitter argument.

A loud crack split the air, and the ship groaned ominously. The tilt of the deck steepened sharply, and the rope still securing the lifeboat to the ship pulled the bow of the small vessel upward. Severa quickly slashed through the rope, and the lifeboat dropped onto the water with a resounding slap. No, Einar's fate was sealed. She wouldn't risk her life for his.

Her hands trembling, she let the machete fall to the floor of the boat. She stared downward, but from the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but see the ship sink with alarming speed. The current tugged at her lifeboat, and she gripped the oars, driven by a fierce will to survive. Despite her limited experience, she managed the primitive form of rowing well enough to get to a safer distance.

From there, she watched as the ship plunged further into the abyss. The bow jutted upward like the outstretched arm of a warrior, resisting the sea's grasp. But the waves clawed mercilessly at the last remnant of the vessel's struggle until it disappeared entirely beneath the surface. Of Einar, there was no trace—no cry, no struggle as he succumbed to the depths.

And then the eerie silence returned, a silence that had become a defining feature of the sea. It blanketed the dark water's surface like a flawless black canvas, a stage where evil could manifest without warning.


Would it come for her now, punishing her for sparing no mercy for Einar? Or had it all been her imagination, only to strike now that she was truly alone?

Severa wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. Adrift on the black expanse of the sea beneath the dark sky, she felt empty and cold. Her heart felt like stone—frozen and shattered. It had been a long time since she'd felt the agony of that hollow chill. Once, it had been a part of her, unable to hurt her because she had forgotten what warmth felt like.

Now, as if the last ember of warmth within her had been snuffed out, she felt hot tears streaming down her cheeks, turning to cold, salty droplets that stung her skin. She had never felt so weak. Her quiet sobs and reddened eyes couldn't be hidden—not beneath the song of woodland creatures, nor behind an ancient tree. Out on the sea, there was nothing but her and her small boat, left to the mercy of whatever fate the darkness had in store for her.

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