Darkness kept calling him and the world wished for him to accept the invitation.

As his body hit the surface of the water, crushing cold surrounded him while holding the girl in his embrace and refused to disappear even after cycling flames around his body, enveloping it in the barrier of pure heat.

It was so penetrating and unnatural that he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and sleep.

Lighting fell and illuminated deep darkness showing him parts of the world hidden under the water. The long seaweeds stretched from abyssal depths, fishes swam around them, and then hundreds of corpses with black eyes watched him while hanging down from the same seaweed fishes swam around.

Their small mouth would tear some human flesh and then swim deeper into the water. Before Hildebrant could observe more, the light disappeared submerging him back into harrowing shadows.

World paused for a second, his mind perceiving minutes as years counted time with wide open eyes filled with fear and then water began to push his body up as if it wanted to spit him. Time slowly began to return; years became minutes and minutes became seconds until while he still held the girl in his embrace water catapulted him out of water.

His body passed through the line created by the surface of the water and then hit it again but this time he held himself above the surface with his hands while the girl clung to him like a koala.

Taking a deep breath his mind finally cleaned up but when he lifted his gaze to the distance, he could not help but be paralyzed.

At the bow of the ship, hundreds of people with black eyes watched his and the girl's figure slowly floating away without moving an inch, and then when they noticed his gaze one of the people standing at the bow spread his hands and jumped down into the water with a smile.

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Immediately after others followed suits, spreading their hands and jumping, one after another filling water that echoed with the perfect song with additional laughter.

Shuddering Hildebrant turned around and began to swim while listening to the sound of water parting its way for people to pass.

Wave kept hitting his chest and refusing to let him go and rain that fell on his face not once almost submerged him down. The girl on his back also did not help but Hildebrant still had his eyes only on the towering monument that stood like a beacon in the distance.

It was his only hope and with each move of his hand, his mind thought about reaching it.

Slowly however he began to slow down and the laughter behind him became cleaner and cleaner, and he was unable to concentrate on anything other than swimming with all his might.

His hand hurt, his muscles ached and then his feet stepped on wet sand and his hands grasped hard rock.

With a raged breath he clawled his way onto white sand and then while kneeling without any energy to continue he turned his head around and gazed into the eyes of hundreds and maybe even more black-eyed humans.

They swam in deep water more than hundreds of meters away from shore and observed him with a smile.

None of them came closer and Hildebrant was unable to tear his gaze away from them until the girl on his back began to couch out water.

Finally waking up he took her down from his back and then carefully put her down on white sand.

Touching her chest, she gave him a resentful look, but she still clung to him before starting to tremble. Her small body was like that of a branch, thin, soft, and weak enough for him to break anytime he wanted.

Understanding what she wanted he poured flames into his skin, not much just enough to release heat without burning his skin immediately, and then hugged her while searing pain continued passing through his body. They exchanged warm and after the girl stopped to struggle in his embrace and her heart calmed down, he turned his gaze back to the sea.

Hundreds of humans still observed them, watching their figures hug each other but none of them came closer.

Then he turned to the other side and after lifting his gaze, cold sweat fell from his back.