They looked out at the Sea, noticing a strange man holding a bottle in one hand and a paper in the other, standing on the shore and staring at them with a wide and welcoming smile.
His hair, a lustrous cascade of silver, fell to his shoulders, glinting like threads of moonlight.
Phoenix-shaped eyes, a striking shade of coral blue, elongated and slightly upturned, further accentuated by his smiling expression, adding a mischievous air to the aura of mystique and intensity exuded by his intriguing features and unique demeanor.
A high, aristocratic nose and a sharply chiseled jawline gave his face a commanding presence, each feature perfectly sculpted as if by an artist’s hand.
His skin, slightly tanned, bore a paradoxical pallor under the Sun's rays, creating a mesmerizing contrast that made his complexion appear almost ethereal-
[Alice: Bruh… you writing a romance or something? What’s up with that description? You didn’t put in that much detail for us, and we’re the MC’s! Don’t tell me you have a crush on your own character?!
Author: … No comment.
Alice:!
Alice: That’s kinda cringe…
Author: …Agreed]
Noticing he had been spotted, the man gestured with his neck to follow after him, breaking the group out of their transfixed state from having gazed upon this –
[Player: Stop it.
Author: Yes…]
Before they could react, his bare feet sunk slightly into the damp sand, before lifting off the soft surface. The grains clung to them, lightly trickling down.
He moved towards the tranquil waters, but as soon as he touched the white sea foam, the calm sea vanished. The water bubbled, and the waves shifted into a violent rage, seemingly angered by his intrusion. The enraged sea began seeking to destroy everything daring to set foot in its territory.
The man chuckled, placidly strolling until he was waist-deep in the tempestuous waters. The high waves collided, crashing into each other above his head, trying to swallow him whole until there was nothing left. He turned his head toward the group observing from the cave, giving them a serene smile, as if he was taking a leisurely walk in the park rather than being drowned under these violent waves.
He slowly raised his arm, no panic in his movement. His palm flowed to the point the waves appeared to be colliding.
A single word escaped his mouth, in a low and powerful voice, heard clear and loud over the thunderous crashing, 'Stop'
Beneath his palm, the blue sea began to solidify. Its shadow wrapped around his body, and the wave burst, water splashing down like rain.
The tranquil waters rippled, replacing the violent tides.
The group standing ashore stared in shock, not believing the scene they had just witnessed. This strange person, whoever or whatever he was, seemed to have just tamed the Sea.
Once again, he gestured to follow him, smirking at their bewildered expressions.
He turned his back, continuing to the deeper Sea. His figure began to sink, gradually disappearing under the deep blue waters.
They gazed at the breathtaking view of the sun hanging in the clear blue skies, shining on the still waters sparkling under its light. The previous intensity was nowhere to be seen, as if the event they had just witnessed was simply an illusion or perhaps a hallucination stemming from an overactive imagination that previously didn't exist.
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It reminded Seo-Jun of a scene in a movie he had watched as a child, before the apocalypse. He remembered thinking it was a scene he wanted to experience in person. Who would've expected that while his wish would one day come true, it would be in this novel-like situation?
On the other hand, Jason was overwhelmed with nostalgia, as the scenery reminded him of the city he grew up in, the place where he fought for his dreams and crushed them himself when he almost lost everything. His memories of home couldn't exactly be described as pleasant, and yet he missed it. He wanted to go back... back to the place where someone was waiting for him.
The two got lost in their flashbacks, while the rest who had no such attachments were left wondering if they had finally lost it, but that was not the case.
Snow said encouragingly, "Well, go on, follow after that seaman! We don’t have all day, you know."
They glanced at each other, as Alice asked the question plaguing their minds, but was yet to be voiced, "Was that real?"
Zhiren nodded and shook her head, not quite sure about the answer. She turned to look at Daiki, who seemed the most unbothered, yet had a storm brewing inside, genuinely worried, especially after the whole potential memory loss revelation. This just added to his worries regarding the side effects of their gradual awakening.
Snow just sighed and rolled his eyes at these slow humans and decided to take matters into his own hands before they spent precious time mulling over existentialism or ontological realism or whatever it was they did.
For he, who had been there 2000 years ago and was still present at the same place, knew that this was a security system that only deactivated for a few minutes at best before the Sea resolved to rip apart everything in its path, whether friend or foe.
But they’d already wasted enough time, so he decisively picked them up and threw them in, one by one.
Before they could react, they had already entered the waters, slowly being pulled into the depths by an unknown force.
The sudden change in environment made them forget that they could breathe underwater. Seo-Jun was the first to be thrown in and ended up swallowing a mouthful of seawater, which caused his eyes to sting and a burning sensation to creep up his nose.
Zhiren's hair obstructed her already compromised vision while underwater. She flailed to get it out of the way so she could at least try to get a better grasp of her surroundings.
Daiki, who was already sensitive about the prospect of dying since he had been instructed to do so by the orb, felt this was an unavoidable fate. He decided to come to terms with it and he stopped struggling early on. He believed that perhaps this was a better end than slowly losing himself, only being able to dread the possibilities and unable to do anything about it.
Alice and Jason adamantly resisted, struggling to escape the inevitable pull towards a watery grave. Despite their efforts, they continued to sink.
They were suffocating due to their mental error in an instinctual effort to survive by holding their breaths.
The heaviness exuded by the pressure added to their distress, and their vision began to turn dark.
Snow observed this ridiculous situation with a blank expression, unable to comprehend their foolishness. However, considering whose successors they were, he thought it made sense.
He shook his head and swam towards the individuals who were supposed to succeed after foolish yet great and all-powerful heroes. He decided the only solution here would be to smack them on the back of their heads. Being the only one there, he took on the difficult task with a heavy heart.
He slapped them back to their senses, jolting them into taking a deep breath and saving them from a rather tragic and embarrassing end—death from holding their breath.
They gasped at the pain, feeling embarrassed at what they were doing. Jun bashfully said, ‘Thanks’, covering his mouth, eyes widening in shock, ‘I-We can talk?’
Snow rolled his eyes and turned to swim down, the group following after.
Now that they stopped fighting it, it was a smooth dive down. The water seemed to hug them from all corners, wrapping them in its warmth as if to show mutual acceptance.
Their bodies felt weightless, as if they were floating in a void of nothingness, no longer existing in the physical world, merely reduced to spectral remnants; no more than souls drifting along. However, the increasing feeling of pressure, coupled with a strange fishy smell, was a constant reminder that they were underwater.
Their surroundings kept getting darker and darker as the light from the Sun entering through the surface had long since ceased, the only source of light being the strange creature occasionally seen swimming by.
They swam downward for what seemed like hours until a bright light ahead caught their attention. Like moths drawn to a flame, they swam towards the source until they finally caught sight of the mysterious stranger they had been following, who was waving at them.
To be continued…
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Snow: The hell were you doing?
Players: *embarrassed*
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