sea creatures are ferocious beasts of the deep—nocturnal monsters whose smallest members tower at least ten feet tall. History books claim they were once ordinary fish, mutated during the Great Disaster.
"Get away from the boat!" Nier screamed, panic surging through him.
There was no time to think; instinct kicked in. He grabbed Annie's arm and yanked her back just as a massive tentacle smashed down onto the deck with bone-shattering force.
The impact sent splinters flying, and Nier felt a rush of air as the boat tilted dangerously to one side. "We have to get off!" he yelled over the chaos, dragging Annie away from the edge.
The tentacle writhed again, crashing against the hull with a sound like thunder. Wood splintered and cracked under its immense weight, sending shards flying in every direction. Nier's heart raced as he watched their home—their lifeline—being shredded before his eyes.
"Run!" Annie cried, her voice barely audible above the roar of the monstrous creature attacking them. They stumbled toward the bow of the boat, but another tentacle shot up from below, curling around their vessel like a serpent constricting its prey.
Nier could only watch in horror as it tightened its grip. The boat creaked ominously under the strain before splitting apart with a sickening crunch. Water surged into the gaps where wood had once stood strong, pulling them down into its depths.
"No! No!" Nier screamed as he felt himself being dragged toward the edge. He fought against the pull of the ocean but was met with another wave of destruction—a second tentacle crashed down beside him, sending him sprawling onto the deck.
Annie was screaming now, her voice piercing through Nier's shock. He scrambled to his feet just in time to see their father reemerging from beneath the waves.
"Dad!"
Their father wore a serious expression. What followed left Nier momentarily dumbfounded. His father shot out from the boat, soaring overhead, but he was quickly brought back to reality when the tentacle that had gripped their vessel hurled them toward him.
With swift hand signs, their father halted their descent mid-air. "Nier! Get on that sea tower and find cover! Don't come back until I tell you!"
Before Nier could respond, his father made more hand signs, and suddenly Annie and Nier were propelled at high speed toward the sea tower. Nier closed his eyes, bracing for a rough landing, but surprisingly found himself cushioned upon impact.
Opening his eyes, he saw Annie beside him. He helped her up and quickly scanned for a place to take cover.
But before they could move, the blue tentacle hurled itself toward them at high speed. It suddenly stopped mid-air as if it had encountered an invisible barrier. The sea monster roared in frustration from beneath the waves.
It battered against the invisible barrier repeatedly with its tentacle. When it realized it was getting nowhere, all seven of its remaining arms shot up from underwater and began pounding against the barrier.
Cracking sounds echoed through the air, fueling the sea creature's frenzy as it increased its assault on the barrier. Then suddenly all eight arms exploded outward, blue blood spraying across the invisible dome.
Looking up, Nier saw that the blood outlined the shape of the dome-like barrier protecting them. Panic surged through him; he spotted an area where he could take cover and turned to check on Annie just in time to see a large pool of blue blood fall onto her, sizzling against her skin.
"Ahhhhh!" she screamed in pain before fainting.
"Annie!" Nier shouted, rushing toward her.
Reaching her side, he saw that although she was unconscious, her body convulsed violently. Crouching down next to her, he quickly stripped away her blood-soaked clothes to free her from harm. The moment his skin touched the blood, burning pain shot through him, but he gritted his teeth and finished undressing her before sprinting toward his earlier hiding spot.
Above him came the agonized screams of the sea creature as it suffered from having all its arms destroyed. As he reached what appeared to be a hole in the sea tower—a concrete shelter—everything began to shake violently around him. Light from above was blocked out entirely; leaving Annie behind for a moment, he stepped outside to see what was happening.
What he saw made him feel like an ant standing before a giant: a creature towering approximately 100 feet above them loomed menacingly.
Its arms were raised in hostility toward their father, who stood defiantly below it while waving multiple hand signs. Suddenly, he pointed at the octopus; a brilliant beam of light shot from his hands and struck it squarely in the head.
The creature screamed as its arms shot out toward their father. But he seemed prepared; waving other hand signs produced a lightsaber out of thin air. He moved forward with precision, cutting through its limbs and spilling blue blood all over the dome barrier.
The sea creature continued to scream as its arms regenerated at an unbelievable speed while red runes began glowing across its entire body. Seeing this transformation unfold made Nier's heart race; then suddenly millions of swords appeared from nothing at his father's command.
Nier couldn't tear his gaze away from them—he didn't even notice that blood was leaking from wounds all over his body until it pooled beneath him. His eyes became bloodshot as if entranced by this spectacle; he didn't realize how badly injured he truly was until his father turned around and saw him there.
"Nier!" His dad waved his hand again; this time, the dome barrier opened up completely. The sudden rush of energy made Nier faint instantly.
---
When Nier opened his eyes again, he didn't remember ever closing them. The last thing he recalled was standing outside watching his dad fight that monstrous creature. He tried to get up but found all strength had left his body.
A wave of dizziness washed over him as he looked at his hands—bandaged tightly around wounds that throbbed painfully—making him remember Annie's fate. Turning around slowly revealed her lying beside him; she too was covered in bandages.
"You're already awake," came his father's voice from nearby.
"Don't push yourself too hard," he warned gently. "You almost died; you still need time to heal."
Hearing this from his father made Nier realize they had escaped danger although heavily injured—but now came time for answers.
"Dad... what wa—"
"Don't bother asking yet; you'll soon know most of what you seek."
His father stood up from where he sat and approached Nier with a repair bag—the one they used for keeping repair materials safe during dives.
"Most of your questions will be answered after reading this letter inside," he said firmly.
"What about you? Why not tell me yourself?"
"I wish I could... but I can't."
"Why?" Nier asked with confusion etched on his face.
"Ugh... just read the damn letter."
He passed the bag to Nier before turning back to watch the setting sun dip below the horizon.
"Hey, Nier... one last thing: keep her safe for me, alright?" As he said this, their father turned around with a smile on his face that radiated warmth despite everything they'd endured.
"You're a man now."
Suddenly, Nier's heart dropped as he watched his father's body begin decaying before his very eyes—turning to ash first at one arm and then spreading rapidly throughout his entire form.
"And... my time is up."
Nier stared blankly at this surreal scene unfolding before him; confusion clouded his mind as everything felt overwhelming—too much for him to handle right now.
"I guess this is my farewell to you... son."
And just like that, his father's entire being dissolved into ash before him—a final goodbye lost in an ocean of despair.