Anya fell out of the quicksand and landed with a thud on a cold, hard surface. Groaning, she blinked, her eyes adjusting to the dim light that surrounded her. She pushed herself up, wincing as her muscles protested the sudden movement. Looking around, she realised she had fallen into what appeared to be an underground cave. The air was damp and heavy, and strange rock formations jutted out from the walls.
"Nereus?" she called with her voice
echoing through the cave. She began to panic when there was no answer. "Nereus!"
Just as she was about to shout again, a hand
clamped over her mouth. Startled, she flailed, ready to defend herself, but when she spun around, she saw Nereus standing behind her. His blue eyes were wide with urgency, and his expression was tense.
"Shh," he whispered, removing his hand.
"There's something down here… a creature. It guards the crescent symbol. We need to stay quiet."
Anya's pulse quickened as she glanced around nervously. "How do you know?" she whispered back.
"I can sense it," Nereus replied with his voice
barely audible. "It's nearby, watching us."
Anya nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. The atmosphere was thick with an almost palpable tension. Every step they took
seemed to echo louder than the last as they ventured deeper into the cave. The
only light came from faint, phosphorescent moss growing on the cave walls that casted
eerie shadows around them.
"How are we going to get out of here?" Anya whispered after a while.
Nereus glanced at her with a grim expression. "Let's focus on finding the crescent symbol first. Then we can worry about getting
out."
They continued walking, their footsteps soft but steady. After what felt like an eternity of wandering through the maze-like
tunnels, Anya finally saw something glinting faintly on the far wall. Her heart skipped a beat as she rushed over. There, etched into the stone, was the symbol of a crescent moon. Below it was a word she had never seen before: "Aelystran."
Anya squinted at it as her brow furrowed in
confusion. "What does this mean?" she asked Nereus, pointing to the strange word.
Nereus shook his head. "I've never seen
that word before."
As Anya stared at the inscription, she reached out, her fingers brushing the stone. Suddenly, without warning, something
shifted beneath her hand. There was a loud thud as a hidden mechanism inside the wall activated. The sound reverberated through the cave like thunder, making both of
them freeze in place.
Nereus's eyes widened in alarm. "Run! Now!"
Without hesitation, Anya and Nereus bolted down the tunnel. The sound of something large and heavy came behind them. The vibrations of its movement shook the ground beneath their feet. Anya's heart raced and her
breath came in ragged gasps as they sprinted through the darkened passages. Her legs burned with exhaustion, but she pushed on, knowing that whatever was following them was getting closer with every second.
Just as they rounded a corner, Anya tripped. She stumbled and fell hard to the ground with her head slamming against the rocky floor. And the world around her faded into darkness.
Nereus skidded to a stop. "Anya!" He
turned back and saw her lying motionless on the ground. He rushed to her side with his heart pounding in his chest. The creature's thundering footsteps were drawing closer. Desperately, Nereus scooped Anya up into his arms and continued running, though the weight of carrying her slowed him down.
The creature's shadow loomed large behind them, but up ahead, Nereus spotted a narrow passage that led back to the surface.
Gritting his teeth, he forced his tired legs to keep moving. With the creature hot on his heels, Nereus finally burst through the passage and out into the open air. He could see their ship docked in the distance.
But there was no time to rest. The creature was still coming, and there was no way he could outrun it while carrying Anya. In a
split-second decision, Nereus ran toward the shore and threw Anya into the water, hoping it would protect her. As the creature roared behind him, Nereus leaped into the sea just as its massive claws swiped at the space where he had stood.
Underwater, the world was calm. Nereus quickly swam toward Anya with panic flooding his chest when he saw her floating
lifelessly, water already filling her lungs. He pulled her to the surface, but she was unresponsive. His mind raced—he knew what needed to be done, but something held him back.
Maximus, who had been watching from the ship, began barking furiously when he saw them. The little dog whimpered, running
frantically back and forth along the edge of the boat. Nereus could feel Maximus's panic as though it were his own.
"I—I can't," Nereus muttered, looking
down at Anya. "I'm not going to put my mouth on hers."
Maximus's barks grew louder, more insistent. Nereus knew exactly what the dog wanted and he also knew that Maximus wasn't going to stop barking until he did it.
Nereus sighed, his hesitation breaking under
Maximus's relentless barking. "Alright, alright," he muttered. He carefully laid Anya down in the boat and leaned over her, pressing his lips to hers to give her CPR. It felt awkward, but he knew it was the only way to save her.
After a few tense moments, Anya suddenly
coughed, water spluttering from her mouth as she gasped for air. Nereus pulled
back, relieved at the sight of it.
Anya blinked, disoriented. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. "What… happened?" she croaked, still dazed.
Maximus, ecstatic, rushed over and nuzzled her face, his tiny tail wagging furiously. Anya laughed weakly with her hand resting on the dog's head.
"You don't have to worry. You're safe
now," Nereus said softly with a gentle smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Anya looked up at him with a soft expression. She jammed her hands together and bowed, the same gesture Nereus made when she helped him with his wounds.
Nereus smiled back with his heart feeling
lighter than it had in days. "You're welcome."