Panic, cold and sharp, clawed at Adam's throat. The boiling crimson water, now shoulder-high, swirled around them, threatening to drag them under. The monstrous shapes in the depths grew bolder, their glowing eyes fixed on the shrinking island.
"The water's still rising!" Harry shrieked, his voice thin with terror. A massive tentacle, thick as a tree trunk, slapped against the island's edge, sending scalding spray into their faces.
"Look!" Panchenko yelled, pointing frantically towards the center of their precarious island. Amidst the barren rock, a single, gigantic, gnarled tree, unlike anything they'd seen, jutted towards the perpetual gloom above. Its branches, though devoid of leaves, were thick and strong. "The tree! We climb the tree!"
Without another word, they plunged back into the scalding water, pushing towards the ancient arboreal giant. The lake monsters, invigorated by the rising tide and the encroaching night, became a frenzied pack.
"Swim! Fight!" Julian commanded, his blade a blur, cutting through tentacles and snapping jaws. Adam, his sword slick with monster ichor, felt the burning water against his skin, the constant pull of the currents, and the terrifying nips of smaller, unseen creatures. Jones and Ylva became bulwarks, their sheer strength holding back the largest of the beasts, allowing the others to push forward. Astrid and Lee, nimble and quick, darted between the monsters, their attacks distracting and vital. Harry, submerged up to his chest, fired arrows with desperate accuracy.
It was a grueling, agonizing chase. Every inch gained was paid for in sweat, blood, and searing pain. The monsters were relentless, their numbers seemingly endless. Adam felt himself weakening, the exhaustion from the day's earlier fights compounded by the boiling water and the constant threat.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they reached the colossal tree. Its rough bark offered purchase, and with desperate energy, they began to climb. Harry, thin and agile, scrambled up quickly. Julian, with surprising speed, found handholds. Jones used his sheer brute force to haul himself up.
Lee, however, was struggling. His injured leg, combined with the treacherous water, slowed him down. He reached out, his hand barely brushing a low branch, but the water was now at his chest, threatening to engulf him. A grotesque, fish-like monster, its teeth like daggers, surged from the depths directly behind him.
"Lee!" Ylva roared. She was already halfway up the tree, but she saw his plight. Without a moment's hesitation, she dropped back into the boiling water. "Grab my hand!" she screamed, extending her arm.
Lee reached out, his eyes wide with fear and gratitude. He grasped her hand, and Ylva, with a mighty heave, began to pull him upward. But just as Lee's feet cleared the water, a monstrous shark, far larger and more terrifying than any other beast they had encountered, burst from the crimson depths. Its black eyes fixed on Ylva.
There was no time to react. The shark clamped its massive jaws around Ylva's body. Her scream was cut short, a horrifying, gurgling sound that echoed in the steamy air. A sickening tear, a violent thrashing, and then silence.
Adam and the others watched in frozen horror. The water stopped rising, a cruel mockery of their desperate struggle. And then, slowly, agonizingly, they saw it. Ylva's half part through thigh to feet, severed cleanly, floated grimly on the surface of the now still, crimson water.
On a distant platform, Ursa threw his head back and laughed, a deep, guttural sound that carried even over the sounds of the lake. "Yes! This is much better! The despair… it is delicious!"
Adam and the remaining group huddled on top of the tree, panting, bleeding, and utterly defeated. Their bodies ached, their spirits shattered. Lee was severely wounded, a gaping, bloody wound in his belly that simply would not stop bleeding. He lay slumped against the tree trunk, his breathing shallow, his eyes glazed.
The reality of their situation pressed down on them, heavy and suffocating. Pao gone. Now Ylva, savagely ripped apart. Lee dying. They were on top of a tree, exhausted, wounded, and vulnerable, stranded in a boiling lake infested with nocturnal monsters. The cruel game of Kazakhar had shown its true face, a horrifying, unyielding reality that mocked their every hope.