Talia burst through the dormitory doors. She barely stopped to breathe, still panting from the sprint she had made from the Slashing Cruster Boss hideout to the building where all the students stayed. Shenned the lobby for any sign of Professor Iakopo.

The dormitory was quiet—most students were still out on their expeditions or resting in their rooms.

Talia’s footsteps echoed off the worn wooden floors as she moved deeper into the building, her eyes darting from door to door, searching for the Professor.

As she rounded a corner, she nearly collided with a small group returning from the Placid Cave. Mira stood at the front, her expression as cold as ever.

Behind her, Fiora and Agalei looked exhausted. Their clothes were stained with cave grime and had what looked like monster blood caked on them.

“Talia?” Fiora’s voice was tinged with annoyance. Then, looking down at all the sand on Talia’s clothes, she frowned. “Where have you been?”

But Talia barely registered Fiora’s question. Her eyes were locked on Fiora’s face, noting something off about her expression. However, Talia didn’t have time to dwell on it now.

“Where’s Professor Iakopo?” Talia asked, her voice urgent. “I need to speak with him immediately.”

Mira’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“The Professor isn’t here. Why? What’s so urgent?”

Talia hesitated, weighing how much to reveal.

“I... I found something he’ll be very interested in.”

Talia knew that most of the people in front of her were most likely not Cultists, but she couldn’t risk revealing what she had found to anyone else but the Professor for now.

Mira, however, remained impassive.

“Interested?” Mira’s tone was skeptical. “What exactly?"

“I need to tell Professor Iakopo first.”

Mira studied Talia for a long moment before speaking. She hesitated momentarily before licking her lips and narrowing her eyes.

“The Professor’s office is on the top floor. You might find him there if it’s as urgent as you say.”

Talia pushed past the group without another word and headed for the stairs. She knocked at the door to the Professor's office, but there was no response.

After a moment’s hesitation, she tried the handle.

To her surprise, it turned out easily.

The room was gigantic—a master study of the entire building.

She neared the desk, curious.

Spread across its surface were various papers and what looked like expedition reports. But something in one corner, partially hidden by a stack of books, made Talia’s blood run cold.

A small pile of reddish powder mixed with what looked disturbingly like dried blood.

Talia’s mind flashed back to Solara, the strange sign Akua had created to attract the Abyssal Scuttlers.

The powder looked identical.

“No,” Talia whispered, her hand shaking as she reached out to touch the powder. “It can’t be...”

Talia activated [Eyes of the Abyss] and [Crimson Wisdom] to assess that it was blood infused with an incredible amount of Mana.

[Crimson Wisdom] was a skill rooted in her Blood Water Talent Tree. Other than increasing her control and perception of magic and Blood Water’s intricacies, it could also tell her what was blood and what wasn’t, something she hadn’t really thought would come in handy until now.

There was no mistaking as Talia touched the powder and rubbed it between her index and thumb.

This was the same substance Akua had used on Solara.

This meant either Professor Iakopo was involved with the Cultists, or they had managed to infiltrate his office without his knowledge.

Either possibility was terrifying.

Talia had thought that not telling Mira, a member of the Kane Family, was rather paranoid—but she liked being paranoid. It had allowed her to survive and thrive up to this point.

In fact, it proved that she had just made a great choice.

She couldn’t know for sure whether Professor Iakopo was a Cultist, and she couldn’t certainly confront a man who already hated her guts because of her mother with the risk that he was indeed one.

Talia looked at the door where she had come from and left the study, descending the stairs and exiting the building.

There were a few benches by a stagnant, rotting pond, and she just sat down.

I need to figure something out.

Can I get word to Riala?

Would she even make it here in time?

And who would she bring, Elder Kahua?

No.

I need to find out more about Iakopo before I do anything.

That shopkeeper, Lana, wanted to tell us things the Mayor didn’t want to be divulged.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

* * *

Mira led a small group of students towards the shoreline, including Fiora and Agalei. She had scouted the area before them to ensure its safety, too.

Fiora had found the time Mira had been gone a little suspicious. Still, she said nothing, knowing not to jeopardize her standing any further.

They were going to the same beach where Keanu and Talia had fought the Slashing Crusters that had taken place just hours before.

Since even [Blood Siphon] had limits on how many Abyssal Creatures could be absorbed at once, Talia had left quite an amount of Slashing Crusters behind.

Mira had orders from Professor Iakopo to bring the corpses of all the remaining monsters on the beach away, lest they rot and attract more monsters.

That had already happened, but Mira didn’t know that Talia and Keanu had taken care of the second batch of Slashing Crusters.

They’d be brought back to the city and disposed of or turned into valuable materials for crafting.

The sun was high in the sky, its heat beating down on them as they trudged through the sand, pulling carts behind them.

“I don’t understand why we have to do this,” one of the students grumbled, wiping sweat from his brow. “Shouldn’t the locals handle clean-up?”

Mira shot him a sharp look.

“This is part of your training. A Water Rider’s job doesn’t end when the fighting stops. We take responsibility for the aftermath as well.”

Beside Fiora, Agalei walked with her head down, still shaken from the earlier expedition and the ridicule she had faced.

As they approached the area where the battle had taken place, Mira suddenly held up a hand, signaling the group to stop.

Her eyes narrowed as she surveyed the scene before them.

“Something’s not right,” she muttered, her voice tense.

The students crowded around to see what had caught Mira’s attention.

At first glance, the beach looked as they expected - scattered with the remains of Slashing Crusters.

But as they looked closer, they noticed something strange in the sandy slope that divided the beach and the start of the hilly terrain.

There were some Mana pulses that even the dullest students could feel from their position.

Mira went over and started pulling at some tall grass, calling a few students to help her. After a short while, something emerged barely an inch below the sand.

A large circle had been drawn with deep lines.

Within the circle were strange symbols, unlike anything the students had seen before. The sand was stained a deep, rusty red.

Mira’s face paled as she stepped closer to examine the markings.

“This... this is a summoning circle,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“A what?” one of the students asked, confusion evident in his voice.

Mira turned to face the group, her expression grave.

“A summoning circle. It’s a tool used by Cultists to attract Abyssal Creatures.”

A collective gasp went up from the students.

Fiora frowned.

“But... how? When could this have happened? We were here just yesterday.”

Mira shook her head.

“I don’t know. But this explains the unusual number of Slashing Crusters we encountered. They weren’t here naturally - they were summoned.”

Agalei, who had been quiet until now, suddenly spoke up.

“That presence I felt earlier... could it have been related to this?”

“Unlikely,” Mira replied. “Drawing one of these inside a Dungeon wouldn't make sense.”

The students exchanged worried glances, the gravity of the situation sinking in. This was no longer just a training exercise or a simple monster-clearing mission. They were potentially dealing with a Cultist infiltration.

“What now?” Another senior student asked worriedly.

Mira straightened up, her demeanor shifting into one of command.

“Let’s break this up before more Slashing Crusters get here. Someone go fetch Professor Iakopo.”

Mira looked around the beach with narrowed eyes.

“Fetch more students and get all the seniors here. Let’s scour the entire beach for any more summoning circles.”

* * *

Talia walked through Placid City, pondering what she had discovered in Professor Iakopo’s office.

The red powder, identical to what Akua had used on Solara, was a damning piece of evidence.

But against whom?

Was Iakopo involved with the Cultists, or was he being set up?

The man’s a bastard, but he’s not stupid, Talia reasoned. He wouldn’t leave that damn powder in his study like that, would he? Or would he think no students would have the guts to enter his study anyway?

She needed more information, and she knew just where to start.

Lana, the merchant, had seemed on the verge of revealing something before the Mayor interrupted.

It was time to revisit that conversation.

As the store, on the first floor of a rather dilapidated building, came into view, Talia took a deep breath and got herself ready.

She pushed open the door, the bell chiming to announce her arrival.

Lana looked up from behind the counter, recognition flickering across her face.

“Oh, it’s you again. The Water Rider student, right? How can I help you today?”

Talia approached the counter, offering a friendly smile.

“Hello, Lana. I was hoping to pick up a few supplies, but also... I had some questions about Placid City, if you don’t mind.”

Lana’s expression tightened almost imperceptibly.

“Oh? What kind of questions?”

“Well,” Talia began, keeping her tone casual, “I’m curious about the city’s history. It seems like such an interesting place, but there’s clearly been some… trouble.”

Talia let her words hang, waiting for Lana to pick them up.

Lana’s eyes darted to the window, then back to Talia.

After hesitating, she stepped out from behind the counter and moved to the front door, flipping the sign to “Closed” and locking it.

“Come to the back,” Lana said quietly, gesturing for Talia to follow her into a small stockroom.

Once they were alone, Lana turned to face Talia, her expression a mix of wariness and resignation.

“You’re asking about the Catastrophe again, aren’t you?”

Talia nodded, not wanting to interrupt now that Lana seemed willing to talk.

Lana sighed heavily, leaning against a stack of crates.

“It’s always… whenever we see him come back here…” Lana muttered. “It reopens the old wounds.”

"What old wounds?"

“It happened about twenty years ago. Placid City was thriving then - a bustling port full of life and commerce. But there was always the Placid Cave…”

She’s being very forthcoming, Talia noted to herself. Maybe a little too much.

“I was a little girl back then. I remember my parents didn’t want me to go play on the beach—ever. They were afraid that some monsters would spill from the Dungeon. Back then, the Dungeon had many entrances, many underwater, too. And monsters would constantly come out. It wasn’t rare that they would harass the port itself. Children could be snatched just by walking too close to the water.”

“What?” Talia frowned. “How’s that possible? Water Riders keep Dungeons safe.”

Lana lowered her gaze.

“Water Riders keep Dungeons safe closest to the cities where nobles live. We are… far from the closest nobles and not very important on our own.”

Talia balked at the implication.

“You’re telling me that Water Riders don’t clear places that are not, like, politically relevant?”

Lana shrugged.

“They didn’t come to Placid City. Or at least, they didn’t come before the Catastrophe.”

Talia scrunched her brow.

“I—”

“You’re her daughter, right?” Lana suddenly asked.

“Sorry?”

“You’re the Kraken Slayer’s daughter. The eyes—I’ve heard about them.”

Talia looked into Lana’s own simple eyes and slowly nodded.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“That’s why I wanted to tell you. I… I met your mother.”

The last time a merchant said they knew my mother, it didn’t end well.

“She was the greatest hero I’ve ever seen. She’s probably the only reason some of us even survived.”

Oh, ok. Not everyone hates her, then.

“I wouldn’t talk about this with just anyone,” Lana said almost in a whisper. “I wouldn’t trust them. But I know that you… you’re her blood. You’re in this for justice.”

“I—”

“Please,” Lana said, suddenly grasping her hands. “Please, don’t let that man do it again. We’ve seen more monsters circulate in the waters lately. Please, please. Don't let us die!”

“What—” Talia was caught by surprise.

“Don’t let that man kill us,” Lana said, tears starting to sprout in her eyes. “I beg you. Something’s going down. I can’t do anything about it. But you… you’re her blood. You’re the Hākai Po’s blood. I beg you, save us.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand—”

“Iakopo,” Lana suddenly said, tears streaming down her cheeks. “He killed my parents.”

“Professor Iakopo?” Talia said with wide eyes.

“He killed my parents—he killed… everyone.”

“I—”

“He’s the one who caused the Catastrophe,” Lana said with a hiccup. “And I think he wants to finish the job this time.”