The number of monsters was distinctly decreasing in a fast speed. Suddenly, the megalodon seemed to get some inspiration. It gently left Fiona and took away the spiders besides to keep her safe.
The megalodon found Ryoichi, and blood flowed over his body. With all the blue blood, a streak of red blood showed up clearly.
Ryoichi was hurt by the spiders.
He didn't know whether or not he would turn into a monster himself, but right now he was really tired and leaned himself on the megalodon to rest for a little while. The monsters were so many that even Ryoichi with the sacred power would never kill them all unless he exhausted all of his power.
"Is she safe?" He asked about Fiona.
The megalodon answered with a murmur.
"Thank you."
He was too tired to say more words. He could not lift his hand, but the work was not done yet. He never felt like this. If he had to say, the feeling, instead of excitement or fear, was more like peace and numb.
He started to stop thinking in the process of mechanical killing. No pride for saving the world, no gratitude for meeting old friends, no anger for being wronged and no emotional touch for name being cleared. Everything didn't not really matter. So he had made his minds - release all of his power of vessel to clear the monsters and cure the megalodon.
The truth was, all three vessels of Poseidon - the trident, the megalodon, and Ryoichi's body - had the equal status, which meant the power of ones could be used to cure the others.
Ryoichi could absorb all the power of megalodon to recover but he didn't want to. Didn't know when, he had lost that spirit that never gave up when he found himself reincarnated in a whole different world, when he fell into the Mariana Trench and suffered from being bitten for thousands of monsters, or when he experienced hundreds of dying ways just to pass the Poseidon's test.
He realized that since when, he had also became one monster created by Poseidon, who never died and got empty inside forever, just like those spiders who never died or got full.
This time, he kinda of just wanted to give up for once, just to let it go.
So he closed his eyes and put his head on the megalodon. His whole body started to burn and finally emitted a light wave. The wave spread so far that it seemed cover the entire ocean. Those spiders left immediately vanished as soon as they touched the light. The golden spots fell on the megalodon, whose wound had already been cured, didn't know when.
Ryoichi's body completely disappeared within the light, and the trident left. The megalodon swallowed it inside his stomach and swam to the direction of the Mariana Trench.
Fiona also saw that and felt the gradual lost of Ryoichi's smell. She realized that she might never get the chance of listening to him to explain the whole situation himself. She also knew that there was not much time left for her to sorrow. She had to take the responsibility and support the country by herself after all these.
She had to become the light for all of her people and took them out of the darkness!
To be the light...
Light...
...
"Ryoichi, time for supper." Someone called.
Ryoichi took off the VR helmet and answered: "Right there."
He shut down the game and unplugged the power.
He went to the kitchen, and a pretty woman was having some food while watching the TV.
Saw him coming, she asked: "How's the game going?"
"Not bad. I just run through the new hidden line of story."
"Okay," the woman still focused on the TV program, "that's good. Can you make time for this Saturday? It's my daddy's birthday."
"Sure."
Ryoichi checked the surrounding again. What happened in the past was like a dream.
Three years ago when he fell into the water, he didn't expect that he would be reincarnated in an ocean world. After few months, he dispersed all of his power to kill the monsters and then went back to the current life.
He could still remember the sound of breathing after the strong light.
...
What was that?
"Beep, beep..."
What was that sound?
The light was so dazzling.
"He's awake!"
"Doctor!"
...
Ryoichi opened his eyes. The surrounding was just like a normal ward of a hospital.
"Ryoichi San? Ryoichi San? Can you hear me?" A nurse asked.
Ryoichi couldn't say a word with the oxygen mask, but he slightly nodded.
"Thank God. Finally you wake up." A doctor came and said.
"What...happened..." Ryoichi tried to use his mouth and tongue and squeezed out two words.
"Few months ago, you accidentally fell into the ... fountain. It should be just normal choking by water, but you just fell into sleep somehow. We've used all sorts of therapeutic instrument but just couldn't find why. Thank God you're awaken. I've informed your company."
Because his situation was too strange, Takeshiro Company didn't want the bad reputation of malicious dismissal of employees which lead to disability. Therefore, instead of firing him, the boss Takeshiro San also promised to the press that the company would take care of him.
At that time, Takeshiro Company tended to spread their business and develop a video game with the famous Teninto Company. Ryoichi, then, proposed an idea of an VR game where players could simulate the situation of living under the ocean. He helped to create the entire model of the ocean world according to his experience and added some story lines.
After two years of development, the game was finally issued and went viral. Takeshiro, therefore, thought highly of Ryoichi and married his first daughter Hana Takeshiro to him. Before marrying to Ryoichi, Hana had married to a handsome model but got divorced very quickly. Ryoichi then started to live with Hana's family. Because of his good performance, he became the director of Takeshiro Company soon after. After the death of Takeshiro San, Hana Takeshiro successfully inherited the huge property, so that Ryoichi also got into upper class.
Many many years ago.
Ryoichi Chow and his wife Hana were aging and living in a mansion by the sea. One day, their daughter took their grandson Stephan to visit them.
"Grandpa!" A cute little boy came to Ryoichi's chair with a book and said: "Could you please read this book to me?"
Ryoichi hugged him and took him onto his thighs. "Of course, Stephan. Let me see what it is."
He found his glasses and started to read: "Oh, The Little Mermaid. Far out in the ocean..."
After a while, little Stephan interrupted Ryoichi: "Grandpa, is there really little mermaid in the world?"
"To be honest, I don't know, my kid. But, you'll never know what's in there down the deep ocean."
"Mama told me that's only in the story. But I wish they were real. I want to make friends with them so that maybe they can take me down the sea to see all the fish! Like the game you made, grandpa! Do you believe that we can live under the water just like the mermaids?"
Ryoichi smiled: "I don't know. Maybe. Maybe you have to find out by yourself when you grow up."
"Okay." Then the little kid pointed to the window and said: "Look, grandpa!"
The huge window in front of them was facing the blue ocean. At this time, both Ryoichi and his grandson were watching the ocean through the window. The sea was dyed red by the setting sun. Looking far, at the place where the sea met the sky, there seemed to be something jumping out of the water. It was a shape of a girl with long hair, while she seemingly had a huge fish tail...