Boom boom, the sudden explosive sound set Alex's nerves ablaze; his heart started to race against time, a sudden surge of adrenaline pushing him to the limit, activating his do-or-die response.
Without any second thought, he ran toward the exit of the room, opening the door, and then he slammed it with such force that a bang sound resonated.
Why? Why is this lady here? No, that's not worth questioning; already aware of the reason that this evil spirit is attached to him, she would accompany him until properly exorcised.
But Dev hadn't done it already in the morning, so why? Why did she recover so fast? And why did she warn him about danger?
With these questions in mind, he strolled in a dim path. The ever-changing blurry surroundings were proof of his speed.
_Maybe she wanted to harm us by informing me about false danger and guiding us to risky places. But what's up with these explosions? Is she behind them?_
_What the heck is going on?_
Before Alex could delve deeper into his guesses, a shocking sight greeted him. The view in front looked like it was straight out of a dark fantasy fairytale.
Their means of transport, the boat, was facing a large sky-touching wall of fog, obstructing the sunlight and casting a dark looming shadow on the ocean surface.
It spread out far, standing on an endless amount of water from both left and right; it was like the entire ocean had become the fog's territory.
_Is this the place where the surge was initiated?_
"Wear your helmet; this is miasma…"
Alex quickly reached out to the back of his head, grabbing a translucent glassy cap, and pulling it forward to cover his head from forehead to chin. The fabric transformed into a glassy helmet.
The moment he heard the word "miasma," he covered his mouth, already aware of its poisonous nature. If miasma, a typical miasma, refers to a large amount of toxic fog that covers a determined volume of air, replacing healthy oxygen with a dangerous mist.
Boom, another explosion shook the boat.
"What's happening?"
"Not much. There are some high-stage fish underwater colliding with the boat; they seem to be acting like Guardians, blocking our path forward in the centre of the Blessed Land."
"We can deal with it, right?"
The person turned back, facing him with brown eyes and sunken cheeks. He forced a hopeful smile and said, "Of course, I have yet to meet my newborn."
As he finished his words, the boat entered the miasma, and a dark, gloomy mist started to envelop his body, engulfing him.
Alex knew about this person. Ragna Crimson, a 34-year-old stuck in 6th enlightenment for 5 years, is unable to comprehend his true nature. He turned into an average invocar, belonging to a middle-class family. His major source of income helps him survive with limited but sufficient resources.
But what does that have to do with Alex?
Nothing!
With that, Alex too was engulfed by the miasma fog, submerging in a massive dark haze. A thunderous strike resonated in the sky, and the light from it fell into the sea. A remnant white glow from the strike started to illuminate the otherwise dim, dark atmosphere.
The glow fell on the right side, making the area visible dozens of meters away from Alex. Three people stood there, two reloading assault rifles while the third one climbed up on the edge, firing at incoming catastrophes—a large water wave carrying some infectious fish. They were visible from inside the water, accumulated and carried over with the flow of the large oceanic wave. The shadow from it fell on the boat, looming over Rin and the other party members.
The wave dwarfed Rin while she faced it bravely, firing round after round from her rifle.
"Like the taste of it, take it all!!!"
"RAT-TAT-TAT TAAAA."
A crazily menacing smile adorned her face; she truly enjoyed and savoured the moment.
The left side of the boat was also adorned with a large ocean wave. The only difference was that Steve and Seth welcomed it. They too got ready, grabbing some grenades in hand, removing the pins, and throwing them over to the sea wave.
The grenades met with the water wave, exploding apart and shredding the fish into a meaty paste.
—Boom! Boom!. —Boom!
As if the previous wave wasn't ominous enough, another colossal force arose from the front, casting a looming shadow over the entire boat structure. Oddly, no one on the boat confronted this impending threat.
In the heart of this massive wave, a formidable presence lurked. A grand shark, concealed beneath the tumultuous waters, commanded authority over a legion of smaller fish. The shark's eyes radiated an eerie brilliance in a shade of ominous red.
A murky fog emanated from her scaly, pinkish skin as if she had transformed into a wellspring of ever-expanding miasma. The fins on her sides flicked open, pumping oxygen into the water, and her mere presence exuded a theatrical aura.
"Can we really survive this?"
Alex's whispered words hung in the air, trasmforming it into palpable tension.
Before he could process anything more the colossal wave from the front ruthlessly collided with the boat's structure. A deafening thud Abruptly resounded, echoing through.
The forceful impact sent shivers coursing through the vessel,with rush of water covering everything..
Water, water, and water...
Everywhere was water.
Everything turned dark as an electric strike from the sky calmed and disappeared.
Leaving the scene in a ghostly silent dark frame.