What attracted all of them to come here anyway? This isn't normal. Predators don't just gather like this… do they?
I frowned, unease creeping into me as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. Is there something here? Maybe a territory? Food? Resources? Or…something else?
I stiffened as the thought lingered. No matter how I look at it, this is just wrong. These aren't the type of creatures that share space. They hunt differently, move differently, each one dominating its own territory. And yet here they are, drawn to the same place at the same time.
A cold realization hit me, subtle and unsettling. What if it wasn't the place they were drawn to?
Then what?
I closed my eyes and focused, letting my perception stretch outward. The surroundings came into view in fragments like a sonar map. All I saw were water, rocks, coral, scattered fish… and the cave where the one-eyed cyclops had been lurking.
Nothing was out of place. Nothing that should have attracted something like this. My thoughts slowed. Then what are they here for?
A faint unease settled deeper in my chest, creeping in without reason. Then something shifted.
The long creature slowed down. Not by much, just enough to notice. Its huge paddles stopped for a second before starting again, heavier this time, more deliberate, like it was testing the water instead of swimming through it.
The spider-like thing reacted next. Its sharp, metallic legs paused mid-step, pressed against the seabed like it was anchoring itself. The tentacles beneath it curled inward slightly, tightening, holding.
Even the cyclops changed.
Its one eye drifted, not toward the swarm, not toward the other predators, but somewhere else. Its feelers lowered closer to the ground, brushing the surface in shorter, cautious movements.
They didn't attack or come closer, but they didn't leave either. They just lingered, waiting. My body tensed up. This feels like the calm before the storm.
I don't understand it, but something about the way they held themselves... the way the water seemed to thicken around them...
It felt like they were searching. Not for something far away, but for something very close.
Close to me?
The surroundings tensed as if the entire seabed was holding its breath. The creatures lingered in place, each one watching the other, waiting for someone to make the first move.
Then the cyclops fearlessly lunged. Its massive mouth opened wide as it surged toward the cluster, ready to devour everything in one gulp, but before it could even reach us, something struck.
A blur cut through the water, fast, too fast to follow. In the next instant, the cyclops was gone. Devoured. Just like that. And then all hell broke loose.
Creatures hidden in the shadows surged forward, colliding in a frenzy of violence. The water churned violently as bodies slammed into one another, tearing, biting, and crashing across the seabed.
The spider-like creature moved with terrifying speed, its sharp legs stabbing into the seabed as it rushed straight toward me.
F***!!
I burst in the opposite direction just as it slammed into the coral I had been clinging to. The impact shattered it instantly, one of its legs slicing clean through as if it were nothing.
I didn't dare look back. I couldn't.
The current seized me, dragging my body away as the long-bodied creature crashed into the spider, its massive jaws clamping down onto its body.
A sharp, grating shriek tore through the water. The spider thrashed violently, its legs driving forward, piercing into the long-bodied creature in a desperate attempt to break free. It struggled, relentless, brutal, until it finally tore itself loose, retreating just enough to regain balance.
Then it steadied. Repositioned itself and prepared to strike again.
Then, without hesitation, it lunged forward.
Shrieks and growls filled the abyss, colliding into a chaotic roar that made my entire body tremble uncontrollably. The seabed had turned into a battlefield, and I was right in the middle of it.
I forced myself forward, pushing toward the cave with everything I had. Burst after burst, I drove my body to its limits, each movement sharper, faster, more painful than the last. I didn't care anymore. Not the pain. Not about what it was doing to me. Not even if something inside me broke the moment I stopped.
I just needed to escape this hell.
But every movement they made sent violent waves crashing through the water, throwing me off course again and again. The cave should have been close… yet it felt impossibly far, as if it were slipping away the harder I tried to reach it.
I wanted to curse the heavens for putting me in this situation. My body ached all over, every burst taking more than I could give. My thoughts were starting to slip, blurring at the edges. I couldn't keep this up for long. Still, I pushed forward, forcing my body to move faster, harder, using whatever strength I had left.
Then something happened.
The pressure stopped and the water stilled.
It was as if the battle had never happened. I slowed…confusion overwhelmed my panic. So I turned back and regretted it the moment I did.
Every creature was looking at me.
F***!
Why are they looking at me? My body went cold. This is bad, like really bad. This is so f***ing bad.
Then I noticed it, something bright on my forehead. A faint glimmer, pulsing. I tried to cover it, curling my body, turning away, anything, but nothing worked. It was still there.
Still shining.
My heart raced. Every part of me trembled. How could something this small draw all of their attention? I'm just a weak snail… so why me? Before I could even think any further, an oppressive aura spread through the water.
And then they moved. All at once. Every creature lunged toward me.
Good God…Save me!
The current pulled me along, and I twisted my body as claws and gaping mouths tore through the water behind me. Huge bodies slammed into each other, colliding, biting, cutting, but none of them stopped. None of them cared.
They were all coming for me. It felt like being thrown into a feeding frenzy like bait dropped in front of starving fishes, except these things were massive. Ferocious. And I was the only thing they wanted.
I grabbed the chance and burst towards the cave as the current pulled me closer to it. I didn't care what was inside. Anything was better than the swarm behind me. Anything was better than getting ripped apart by those monsters with their big claws or mouths.
The moment I reached the entrance, I pushed myself again and went deeper inside. I barely had time to get steady before the cave shook hard.
The entire entrance collapsed as massive bodies slammed into it from outside, sealing it off in an instant.
I really felt like crying.
A sharp leg pierced through the rubble beside me, missing me by a hair. The force of it sent debris flying, and I couldn't help but curse as I pushed myself away, my body trembling uncontrollably.
Then I saw it. A small hole, narrow and barely enough, but it was something. I didn't hesitate. Even if it killed me. I had no other choice.
I gathered what little strength I had left and burst forward one last time, forcing myself into the opening. The movement tore through my body, pain flaring everywhere, but I made it. I slipped inside.
Then I rolled once, twice, again and again, deeper into the darkness, carried by what little momentum I had left. Everything turned. My thoughts blurred. And then everything went black.