"Eli! Are you okay?!" Mio's voice cut through the ringing silence, sharp and worried.
Eli blinked slowly—carefully—trying not to get any more of the octopus's glowing blue blood into his eyes.
Every inch of him was drenched; his hair clung to his face, his clothes were soaked through, and the metallic-sweet scent of monster blood filled his nose. It was warm, thick, and almost sticky on his skin.
He looked down at himself, dazed.
The world felt muffled, distant, like he was underwater.
Across from him, Kairo stood tall amidst the ruin, just as blood-soaked—but unlike Eli, he didn't seem to care.
His chest rose and fell steadily, his face calm, unreadable, almost serene under the flickering light.
The octopus's corpse lay motionless behind them, its enormous body half-submerged, the water around it glowing faintly from the leaking blue veins.
The entire cavern still trembled faintly from the aftermath of the fight.
