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A sharp grunt escaped me as I was yanked backward into the freezing water, my head cracking against the rocky edge on the way down.

Damn it!

My vision blurred, a smear of red clouding the murky water around me. Pain shot through my leg where the monster’s tongue had coiled tighter, searing even through the water.

I could feel it–a slow burn gnawing away at my skin, digging deep.

Just when I thought I couldn’t bear it, a familiar chill trickled down from my earring, snapping me out of the haze. Everything sharpened, all the panic and pain shoved down into something cold and manageable.

Survive. Get out. Kill this thing. Nothing else mattered. The Exira rose within me, a pulse of sheer defiance pushing back against the agony.

Gripping my sword with every ounce of strength I had left, I raised it and hacked down hard at the tongue wrapped around my leg. The blade cut through with a sickening tear, and the pressure around my leg released as the tongue recoiled back into the darkness. A grunt of relief almost escaped me–almost–until I felt a new sting. It was everywhere.

Shit. The water around me had gone acidic, thin plumes of the monster’s corrosive blood mixing with the depths, biting at my skin through what was left of my armor.

“Damn you, you ugly sack of bile!” I cursed under my breath, kicking backward to gain some distance. But the water churned with acid, every movement leaving a faint, burning trail along my skin.

This bastard’s not going down easy.

Just as I steadied myself, something flickered in the darkness–a pair of sickly, greenish-yellow eyes glaring through the clouded water.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

Before I could react, another slick appendage latched onto my other leg, yanking me down with brutal force.

Hell no, not like this, I thought, clenching the sword tighter in my grip. But every inch of my body was on fire, the acid eating into my armor, my skin. Even as I struggled, the cold grip of dread settled in. I was sinking, and with every second, the monster was drawing me closer to whatever awaited in the shadows below.

The bastard was trying to drown me in its own acidic soup.

With a surge of determination, I forced Exira into my limbs, letting it push back the burn as best it could. The pain dulled, replaced by a focused, almost mechanical numbness.

Stay sharp, Lexi. Don’t let it drag you into the depths.

I kicked hard, but the thing only tightened its hold, dragging me down faster. The water turned darker, shadows swallowing any trace of light above. I thrashed, feeling the acid slicing across my skin like a thousand tiny knives. My pulse hammered in my skull, but I shoved the panic down, gritting my teeth.

Let. Go. You miserable piece of filth! I growled, wrenching my body around to bring the sword down again, aiming for where the tongue had coiled around my leg. But it was slippery, the damn thing writhing every time I tried to get a clear shot. Come on, just one good strike.

The eyes loomed closer, staring at me with a twisted sort of hunger. Another chill radiated from my earring, icy and grounding, and in that instant, I felt everything else fade–the pain, the panic, even the cold of the water. Exira surged to a new level, my will honing in with deadly intent. I didn’t need finesse. I just needed to hit hard.

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With a snarl, I swung again, and this time the blade met flesh, cutting deep. The monster’s tongue slackened, releasing me. Without wasting a second, I kicked upward, lungs screaming for air as I forced my body to rise, to fight against the pull of the depths.

But before I could break free, I felt the familiar sting wrap around my waist. The damn creature had latched onto me again.

You relentless son of a—

A new thought jolted through me–a desperate, insane idea.

Let it pull you, just for a second.

I tightened my grip on my sword and let the tongue drag me back toward the monster. I could feel the acid tearing into me, burning deeper with each second, but I pushed the pain aside, focusing on the pulsing Exira within me, my only weapon now.

The monster’s eyes were close, gleaming with a twisted, insatiable malice. Its jaws opened wide, teeth glinting as I felt the suction of its mouth pulling me down. The water around me wasn’t just cold; it burned. Every inch of my skin screamed in pain, the diluted acid seeping into every pore, clawing past even the Exira shield.

My eyes squeezed shut as the raw agony rolled over me in relentless waves.

Focus. Don’t give in. Keep calm, I reminded myself, breathing through the agony as my earring emitted that familiar chill, settling the edges of my mind.

I forced myself to stay still, letting the monster pull me closer, deeper into its lair. The pain was a relentless roar, but somewhere in that dark, burning abyss, I found a single anchor: the unyielding will to kill this thing. The rage, the instinct for survival–all of it melded into one purpose.

You’re not getting me, bastard.

I felt Exira surge within me, a power rising from some hidden well of pure defiance. It grew, stronger and stronger, a torrent building with every heartbeat. My mind strained, each second dragging me closer to breaking. The monster’s claws clenched, yanking me down faster, its vile eyes locked on me. I opened my own eyes, glaring right back, every ounce of my hate meeting its gaze.

But I needed more than just strength. This wasn’t about stunning it–it needed to be eradicated. I remembered, then, that moment when I’d managed to reach into the essence of the monster, connecting with the twisted darkness that made it what it was.

With a deep breath, I reached out through Exira, forcing my will forward, tearing through the water to grasp at the creature’s very origin.

Darkness surrounded me. No sound, no light, just an overwhelming presence of pure malice.

Images–memories, instincts, and rage–came at me in a frenzy, the monster’s psyche trying to consume and obliterate my own. No. Not today. My mind stayed rooted, the chill from the earring grounding me, pushing back that storm of darkness.

Then, everything froze.

A cold force radiated out from me, meeting the monster’s essence and snuffing it out in a silent, merciless wave. I gritted my teeth, locking my focus as I felt the monster’s origin pulse under my grip. With a calm that felt like a blade, I crushed that darkness, shattering its connection to the beast in a brutal silence.

My vision cleared, and there it was, the monster’s face inches from mine, its expression warped in some grotesque snarl of fear and anger. Its body thrashed, but I tightened my grip on the hilt of my sword, drawing Exira into every inch of the blade, feeling the force burn along its length as cracks spread across the steel.

"Die," I snarled, voice low, my words more of a command than anything else. The Exira pulsed, the sword humming with power, its blade barely able to contain the raw energy surging through it. Holding onto the last strands of my consciousness, I summoned every ounce of power left in me, enchanting the blade to tear apart the monster from the inside out.

The sword’s light grew until it glowed with a blinding, deadly brightness, practically vibrating in my hand. Without a second thought, I released it, letting it fly toward the monster’s chest, aimed true with the intent to destroy. The blade struck home, stabbing deep, embedding itself into the creature’s core.

A heartbeat of silence followed, the water around us eerily still. Then, everything exploded.

Exira erupted in a cataclysmic surge, ripping through the monster’s body. Its chest shattered outward, chunks of flesh and bone scattering into the water like a gory storm. The blast sent shockwaves rolling through the depths, a violent, spinning torrent that dyed the entire cave in a sickening greenish-red.

I tried to hold on, but the force of the blast slammed into me, launching me backward with the pressure of a tidal wave. My entire body screamed in agony as I was flung through the water, my skin burning anew as the acidic remains seared into every exposed inch. My mind teetered on the edge, the pain finally breaking through Exira’s defenses, a relentless surge of fiery torment.

The world spun, blood clouding my vision, the green-red storm a blur as I was tossed through the cavern. My mind faltered, every thought drowned in the flood of pure, raw pain.

And then, silence.

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