Kalm stared into the crimson light—
Into the presence of that colossal entity gazing directly at him,
its sight piercing, trembling,
as though it peered into his very soul…
The Calm One's hand tightened around the hilt of the black sword,
taking a single step forward—
placing himself between his ordinary self and the creature.
Two bodies, sharing one mind, one consciousness…
Yet even then, fear did not leave him.
Because the moment the Calm One stood in front of him—
He vanished completely.
Gone.
Along with the three Shadows—
And even the sword.
Kalm stared at the space he had occupied just a second ago…
It was empty, void of any trace—
as though it had evaporated from existence.
It was as if the world had *rejected* him.
Denied his presence.
As if saying: *You are unworthy of existence.*
And simply—
Erased him.
A chill crept up Kalm's spine.
He shivered involuntarily.
If there was one silver lining to this cursed farce,
It was that the Calm One had not died—
He had simply returned to Kalm's Soul Sea.
A faint awareness of that flickered in Kalm's mind—
perhaps because they were one and the same…
or perhaps because he *felt* him return to his depths.
He didn't dwell on it.
His focus returned to the danger looming above.
The creature now seemed to be *judging* him—
Deliberating his fate.
Like a judge reviewing the final documents before delivering a verdict.
Kalystra had said it herself—he had already met the condition to pass.
Which meant the decision had already been made.
So maybe this being was simply… *toying* with him.
Testing him on a mental level.
A psychological trial before the gates opened and this nightmare ended.
One comforting thought—
Kalystra and her Shadow had already cleansed the cave of threats.
There shouldn't be any more dangers…
At least, that's what he *hoped* in his heart.
Kalm inhaled deeply, then exhaled—
draining his lungs of air.
His eyes stayed fixed on the crimson light,
his expression composed.
He tried to hide the fear, the trembling,
though his heartbeat pounded so loudly,
he could hear it echo like war drums in his ears.
Time passed slowly—
Minute after minute…
Sweat gathered on his brow and neck,
dripping into a small puddle at his feet.
The river no longer flowed.
Its current had frozen completely,
as though time itself had stopped.
Even the tiniest ripples had vanished—
Everything was utterly still.
As if the entire world was holding its breath,
waiting for the wrathful entity to make its decision.
The silence was suffocating.
Like the calm before a cataclysmic storm that would wipe away all existence.
Kalm waited.
And then waited more.
It felt as though the creature was peering into the very fabric of reality,
searching for something buried deep within.
Then—after what felt like an eternity,
but was only a few minutes—
The current began to move again.
Gently.
Quietly.
A small comfort:
The Shadow Boat had not disappeared,
despite Kalystra's death.
Kalm thanked her silently, deeply, in his heart.
The boat's bow remained still,
cutting through the surface like a blade against soft water.
Kalm stepped forward, moving beneath the source of the light.
He heard nothing but the flowing water and faint wind.
Other than that—
The entire cave was drowned in silence.
He loosened his grip and took a breath.
Just as he allowed his guard to lower slightly—preparing his mind—
**The boat jolted.**
A sudden impact struck its bow,
causing Kalm to stumble forward.
The jolt was mild, given the boat's slow speed,
but it was far from a good sign.
Kalm quickly raised himself, peering ahead to find the cause—
And then gasped.
A sharp, involuntary inhale.
He nearly stumbled again.
*"What in the name of the Creator of Hell…?"*
His eyes widened, breath caught in his throat.
The water—
It was red.
A dark, thick red.
And the smell—
It was blood.
For the first time, the mystery had a cause.
Beside the boat floated the corpse of a colossal beast,
its tentacles countless,
its body a grotesque mess of orange, green, and black flesh—
as though it had fought something… *from Hell itself.*
"A Deep One…"
Kalm tilted his head slightly, confused.
*How had a creature like that reached this place?*
Even Kalystra had said *she* wasn't allowed to pass.
The boat drifted with the current, slowly passing the monster's mangled corpse.
Kalm didn't allow his suspicions to spiral.
Because just a few meters ahead—
Another corpse floated.
Just as deformed.
Just as massive.
From the wounds, they seemed to have been slain in the same manner—
By the *same* force.
Kalm's heart pounded harder.
Unconsciously, his fingers curled into a tight fist.
*"What the hell happened here…?"*
It was a fair question—
But the answer was crystal clear.
**The beast—**
**The crimson light—**
It had killed them all.
Even if he didn't know much about creature rankings,
Kalm had roamed this cave with Kalystra long enough.
He had seen its horrors,
felt its dreadful presence,
and endured its worst.
From what he sensed…
Those creatures had to be Rank Four at *least*—
Maybe even higher.
*"Truly terrifying…"*
The boat passed the two corpses—
But what awaited him ahead was far worse.
The crimson light spread—
Illuminating the entire cave, revealing *everything.*
The river was full—
Hundreds, maybe *thousands* of corpses floated within it.
Of all sizes and species.
Some didn't even belong in the Depths.
Some had massive wings.
Others had so many malformed limbs,
it looked like someone had stitched them together in a nightmare.
The most disturbing part?
The river water was entirely red—
A thick, flowing bloodstream.
Yet from the looks of their bodies,
these monsters had died *a long time ago.*
So why was their blood still *fresh*?
Why hadn't their flesh decayed?
Kalm scratched his chin, eyes scanning everywhere—
trying to make sense of it.
The stones still glowed a crimson red.
And now the river…
had taken on that same hue.
A complicated expression crossed his face.
*"Wait… I'm not going to be cursed again… right?"*
The thought alone was terrifying.
He was already bearing a deadly curse as it is.
*"Where are you taking me now…?"*