When Talia found a bloodied man close to where she had tracked down the villagers, she knew she would need to make some hard choices that day.

She scoured the vicinities with [Eyes of the Abyss], making sure that no Abyssal Scuttlers were in the vicinity. She had spent too much Mana and energy to reach the center of the island, and even though she could replenish the latter with [Blood Syphon], the fatigue was starting to kick in. She feared that soon, she would actually pass out from the mental exhaustion.

That’s why she needed to check whether this guy was still alive, attempt to help him, and then reach the rest of the villagers.

When she turned the man onto his back and saw Mataku’s almost unrecognizable visage, she knew she had an even harder choice on her hands.

This wasn’t about whether she would be capable of saving the man or not – especially since she already saw Mataku’s chest slowly rise and fall.

No, the problem here was completely different.

If she helped Mataku by transferring vitality from some nearby carcasses of the Abyssal Scuttlers into him, there was a very good chance he would realize that her powers were eerily similar to the Kraken’s.

She was sure that as soon as she finished healing him, he would run over to his father, Noelo, and tell him everything Talia had tried to hide since coming back from her self-Initiation.

And then, everyone would look at her knowing that she was a monster – knowing that the fact that she had hidden her powers from them pretty much proved them right.

And she wasn’t sure what would happen to her then.

Nonetheless, she shook her head, chasing those thoughts away.

Mataku was still alive, and she couldn't afford to let him die.

The fact that he was an ass didn’t mean Talia wanted him to become feed for the monsters crawling all over the island.

She decided to take the risk that the idiot would tell everyone that she was a monster, rather than become a real monster out of fear of being treated as one.

That’s why she briefly looked around with her eyes glowing with Mana, locating some residual vital energy from the nearby dead monsters.

Then, she pointed her hand at two Abyssal Scuttler carcasses and channeled [Blood Syphon].

Halfway through the healing process, Mataku regained consciousness and immediately screamed at her.

The wounds on his chest and arms had completely disappeared and when he came to his senses, he saw a red flux of Mana traveling from the bushes to Talia, and then to him. Out of all the Kraken’s powers, the one that was better documented was exactly the one to heal and absorb monsters and humans. Which was why Mataku immediately put two and two together in his head, especially since he already considered Talia the Scourge’s spawn, shot to his feet, and ran toward where the rest of the island was holding their own against the monsters.

He didn’t even stop to thank her or look back once – he just kept screaming at the top of his lungs.

“She’s a monster! She’s a damn monster!”

Talia followed Mataku through the last stretch of the vegetation, with her head low, already having an idea of what was about to happen next.

She had not wanted to showcase her powers to others. That’s why she had initially decided to go to the Deep by herself, preferring to hunt monsters on her own and level up her Primary Mana Channel to the Academy’s requirements, perhaps even picking an actual water-based ability on the way. But the arrival of the Abyssal Scuttlers had been like a giant, sharp underwater reef tearing through her plans. But in reality, the coming of the monster had actually not been that worrying to Talia, apart from the secret she had uncovered on the northernmost shore and the disconcerting, cryptic vision of her mother.

No, the worst was just about to come.

In fact, as soon as she reached the islanders, she found Mataku screaming to the closest guards about Talia’s creepy powers.

“She used the Kraken’s ability! She sucked the life out of the Abyssal Scuttlers, and they turned to dust! I saw it!”

The other guard was listening to Mataku, stunned.

“Look, look at my wounds!” The man said, tearing his already tattered clothes off, showing a bloody but smooth skin beneath them. “She healed me with the Kraken’s ability! You saw my wounds! You were there! I thought I was dead!”

Mataku kept on screaming and attracting the attention of pretty much every guard standing close-by who wasn’t fighting.

Soon, a small circle had formed around the man, with even the civilians starting to ask questions about Talia.

This had been a moment Talia had feared for years. In fact, this fell short of her worst nightmare only because they hadn’t tied her up with ropes and thrown her onto a giant pyre yet. But other than that, the maliciousness she could perceive as the people started turning to her with judgmental eyes—that was exactly what she would describe as her biggest fear. When you live your entire life trying to prove that you’re not a monster, having someone trying to prove the opposite was almost as bad as it could get.

She could feel her body rapidly turn to jelly, just waiting for a mob to form and capture her.

Suddenly, though, Fiora, sweaty and far from her usual composed self, stomped her way up to Mataku and the rest of the guards that had been eyeing Talia viciously.

The blonde hit Mataku on the back of his head so strongly that the young man immediately passed out and she started barking insults.

“Have you idiots lost your mind?! What is this cretin babbling about?! He just said Talia saved his life, no? Would the damn Kraken do that?”

That barrage of questions immediately poked holes in the nonsensical rambling that Mataku had made.

And what came after all but wiped out Mataku’s accusations from their mind.

“Why are you abandoning your posts?! Go back to take care of the monsters instead of listening to this ungrateful bastard before I fry all of you!”

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Without a word of protest – which stunned Talia – all the guards dispersed in an instant, save for one that picked up Mataku and leaned him against his shoulder and – under Fiora’s orders – and carried the man to where the Elders were staying in the distance.

Talia had no idea how Fiora had just managed that.

The blue-eyed girl knew very well how little guards considered girls. There were no women in their ranks, and among the Uninitiated, men were infinitely stronger than women – something that wasn’t the case after people had learned some Attributes, though. But among the common people, it was very, very normal and sensible for women not to take on physical jobs or leader positions.

That’s why Talia was flabbergasted by Fiora’s exploit.

Grabbed by the blonde, Talia was taken to a tent where she found Takai and Lani.

On the way over, she quickly asked, “Did you level up?”

She had seen with her [Eyes of the Abyss] that Fiora’s energy looked brighter and denser than before.

“I’m already level 5,” Fiora said, “but I’m low on Mana. You can’t restore Mana with your skill, can you?”

It was strange for Talia to hear her creepy skill being talked about so casually by the blonde.

Still, she shook her head.

“No, [Blood Syphon] can’t do that. Not for now, at least.”

“That’s bad,” Fiora commented as she pushed open the tent where the only other Initiated on the island and his mother were located.

“See if you can talk some sense into her. There’s still too many monsters around, Talia. We need Takai to help.”

With that said, Fiora left.

“Hey, Talia,” Takai said weakly.

The girl turned her eyes to her friend only to see that Takai’s torso had been bandaged and his mother was currently applying herbs all over his body.

The herbs that she was using made his flesh sizzle and they were closing a large wound on his chest even faster than [Blood Syphon] would, making her eyebrows shoot up.

Most importantly, though, all the assumptions that Talia had been building up in her mind had basically just been confirmed. And so, she could go ahead with what she was plotting.

Before she could take care of her business, though, she heard the woman speak up.

“You won’t go back out there,” Lani told Takai.

“Mom, Fiora said—”

“I don’t care what that uppity girl says! You’re wounded!”

“Your herbs already healed me!” Takai protested.

“You need to rest, Takai! You’re only Level 2! What do you think you can do?!”

“Mom, I’m not a kid!” Takai said, actually sitting up and moaning in pain. “I’m always going to be Level 2 if I can’t fight!”

“Don’t move! You’re going to reopen your wounds!”

“I’m not a kid!” Takai shouted again, his face red.

“I won’t allow you to throw your life away like this, Takai! I will do anything to prevent you from being as stupid as your father!” Lani shouted, completely beside herself.

Talia, finding her position more and more awkward, excused herself.

She left the tent and reached Noelo where several other Elders and some wounded guards were staying.

She found them in a huddle around Noelo, with Mataku being laid to rest not too far from them. However, the conversation that was going on did not regard the young man knocked out by Fiora, but rather, what to do to save everyone on the island. And while Talia got a few disapproving glances, she was allowed to stand among them and listen to them talk.

She found the options being discussed very limited.

“We can make a break for the shore,” an Elder suggested.

“We have too many wounded already,” Noelo sighed, “and the path to the closest ship is too narrow. We would have to walk in a single long line and the monsters would pick us apart with no problem. No, that’s not an option.”

“We can send someone to call for the Water Riders,” another Elder suggested. “We can try and keep our position here and wait for help.”

“Our guards are growing increasingly tired. What happens when the night comes and we can barely see? We don’t even have any food with us here. And while some guards might be able to retrieve some food from the village, it would leave us exposed,” Noelo picked apart that argument as well.

“There’s no good option,” the head Elder said, “if we stay, we might be torn apart before the next dawn. If we don’t, we might die in the troves anyway.”

Frustration was evident in the air.

But someone came forward with a different proposal.

“Noelo Alovai,” Akua, the merchant, spoke with deep respect. “You might not remember me because I don’t usually stay on Solara for more than a few days. I’m Akua, a merchant.”

“Akua?” Noelo frowned. “What do you have to say?”

“I have a stash of supplies and wares that I keep close-by. They're by the river where I keep my enchanted ship. There’s food and water for the entire village to live off for multiple days.”

“That doesn’t solve the problem of sending too many guards away to retrieve it,” Noelo harrumphed.

“Furthermore, Noelo Alovai,” Akua said, using the honorific that was usually reserved for children addressing adults, “I have enough rare herbs shielded by an artifact in my warehouse that turning off the protection spell I have on right now might attract many of the monsters toward there, leaving everyone else free to flee the island.”

Everyone looked at Noelo in excitement after hearing that.

“Even if what you say is true and you could attract the monsters there, we wouldn’t have any supplies to make the trip after we reached the shipyard. And the ones you have on your boat can’t be transported if you plan on gathering the Abyssal Scuttlers there. You would never be able to leave with the ship where you keep the food.”

“I have a Deep Chest,” Akua smirked. “All the food is in a chest I could carry back by myself. And as for the escort, perhaps I don’t even need your guards.”

“You don’t?” Noelo raised an eyebrow.

“No, I was thinking of taking someone else,” Akua said, turning her head and prompting everyone else to do the same.

For the first time today, as everyone looked at Talia, there was not hate in their eyes but surprise.

In fact, before anyone could say anything disparaging, Akua seized the moment.

“I heard that the young girl has her mother’s talents and has been Initiated. She came here after healing your son, no?” It was a question Akua didn’t let Noelo answer. “So, if she’s so capable and strong, I would bring only her. She could help me carry the Deep Chest to retrieve the supplies and use the herbs to attract the bulk of the monsters to my stash. That would leave you plenty of time to leave the island in complete safety.

“Well,” Akua continued, “as long as Talia accepts to be my escort.”

Talia looked around, finding everyone's eyes on her that, for the first time, gleamed with something she had never seen directed at her before.

Hope.

Noelo broke the silence.

“Talia, is this something you can do? Would you be willing to escort Akua?”

Talia took a deep breath, steadying herself.

This was her chance – not just to help save the village, but to prove herself once and for all.

She nodded firmly.

“Yes, I can do it. I'll keep her safe and help retrieve the supplies.”

A collective sigh of relief rippled through the gathered crowd.

Noelo's expression softened slightly, though concern still creased his brow.

“It will be dangerous. Are you certain?”

“I am,” Talia replied, her voice stronger now. “I've been training. I can handle this.”

Akua clapped her hands together.

“Excellent! We should leave immediately. Every moment counts.”

“If you don’t mind,” Talia said with a smile, “I just need a moment to make a few arrangements.”

“Sure.”

As Akua left, Talia turned to Noelo with a cryptic expression.

“Elder, may I have a quick word?“