The giant wave came at us with unimaginable force, towering over the building in the safe zone, ready to crash down with all its power.
I watched in shock as the water surged forward like an enormous wall, sweeping everything in its path.
The roar of the wave filled my ears, deafening and pushing my adrenaline into overdrive.
But the safe zone stood its ground.
The green light surrounding it formed a protective barrier, slicing through the water and holding back the wave's fury.
However, the three of us—Ayla, Diego, and I—were just outside its protection.
We kept running toward the ladder on the left side of the building.
The wave was like a wild beast, thrashing and roaring, threatening to swallow us whole.
"Diego..." I whispered, barely audible over the chaos.
My voice trembled, and so did my body.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, but my heart was racing like crazy.
"There's no way out," I thought.
I braced for impact, knowing the wave was seconds away from consuming us.
But then, something completely unexpected happened.
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The wave didn't hit us.
Instead, the water stopped right in front of us and split around us, forming an invisible bubble.
The cold wind carrying the salty sea air vanished in an instant.
I froze, confused, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
What…?
What just happened?
"What is this? What's going on?" Diego called, his voice filled with disbelief.
"I don't know!" I replied, still shaking.
My eyes watched the water continue to churn just outside this space.
I watched as the water churned just outside the space we were in.
We didn't have time to think about it, and I wasn't expecting the shield to last much longer.
Then I noticed it—the protective bubble was shrinking.
There was clearly a time limit, and we had to act fast.
I looked ahead and locked eyes on the ladder, the only way into the safe zone.
It seemed like Lady Luck was still on our side.
Thankfully, the invisible force was also shielding the ladder from the water's assault.
"We don't have time to figure this out. Look ahead!" I shouted, pointing to the ladder leading into the safe zone.
"That's the only way! We have to get inside, NOW!"
We started running, and to my surprise, the area seemed to move with us, almost as if it was following our every step.
At the top of the ladder, I saw a crowd inside the safe zone.
Most of them looked anxious, eyes wide with concern.
Others stood still, their faces a mix of curiosity and fear.
But I couldn't afford to care about their stares.
All that mattered was getting the three of us to safety.
The air around us felt heavier, the tension unbearable.
I acted without thinking.
With whatever strength I had left, I threw Diego's bag up the ladder.
A hooded man at the top caught it quickly, not saying a word.
I climbed the ladder as fast as I could, my heart pounding.
When I reached the top, I turned to grab Diego's hand.
Diego, carrying Ayla on his back, followed close behind.
I noticed the area around us was shrinking, very small now.
"Come on, Diego! Grab my hand!" I pulled him with all my strength while the protective bubble continued to shrink like a deflating ball.
The area shrank and vanished just as they entered the safe zone.
In an instant, the water slammed into the ladder with brutal force, destroying it and leaving a high wall of water surrounding the zone.
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We collapsed on the floor inside the safe zone, gasping for air, drained but alive.
Diego gently lowered Ayla from his back, letting her lean against the wall.
My attention shifted to Ayla, who was paler than Diego.
She was sweating heavily, her body trembling, and her eyes were starting to close.
"Ayla..." I whispered, panic rising in me.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded weakly, her voice barely audible.
"We... we're safe..." she said, her breaths interrupted.
People around us began to gather, forming a circle.
Displaying various emotions, concern, curiosity.
"What happened out there?" asked a white-haired man, his tone anxious.
"What is that... how is that possible?" mumbled a woman, pointing at us.
I shook my head, unsure how to explain what had just occurred.
My mind was still spinning, trying to understand the miracle that had just unfolded.
Then, the hooded man who had caught Diego's bag stepped forward.
The aura around him was powerful, almost overwhelming.
He locked eyes with the crowd, and without saying a word, they immediately backed away, fear in their eyes.
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But I had no time to dwell on his behavior.
My attention was on Ayla, who was getting weaker by the second.
She was drenched in sweat, her body shaking, and her eyes were closing.
With a barely audible voice, Ayla sai,
"Water... I need water..."
I froze for a moment.
"There's some in the bag, wait—oh!" I turned around and saw the hooded man handing it to me without a word.
"Ah... Thanks," I said quickly before tearing open the bag.
I pulled out a water bottle and unscrewed the cap right away.
"Ayla, here... drink slowly," I said, holding it to her lips.
At first, her hands were too weak to hold the bottle, so I helped her take a sip.
Slowly, it seemed like her energy was returning.
She grabbed the bottle herself, drinking it eagerly, as if she'd just returned from the brink of death.
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"Hah... hahh... I'm better now," Ayla said, letting out a relieved sigh.
Diego and I exchanged a glance. Something was definitely going on with Ayla, but we had no idea what.
"Drink too. You must be exhausted," I said, handing Diego another bottle.
Diego nodded.
"Thanks, Kai." He took the bottle calmly, unlike Ayla, and after a few sips, handed it back to me.
"You should drink too," he said.
I nodded, taking a quick gulp, feeling the refreshment slide down my throat.
After a while, we sat there in silence, catching our breath.
But my mind was still racing.
What just happened?
What was that strange force that protected us?
And most importantly... what was going on with Ayla?
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As we rested, the hooded man, who had been watching us, stepped away, seemingly giving us space to process everything.
The silence hung in the air until I broke it.
"Ayla... earlier... was that...?" I asked, trailing off, glancing at her.
Diego looked at her too, waiting for an answer.
Ayla stared at us, looking just as confused as we were.
"Ah, I really don't know…"
"The only thing I can explain is that when the protective barrier appeared, it felt like something was draining my energy really fast," she said, her confusion clear.
We fell silent for a moment.
Maybe people would doubt her words, maybe they'd think it was a lie, or that she was hiding something.
"Have you seen your character profile?" I asked, trying to give her a hint.
"Ah... is that the weird blue screen thing?" Ayla asked, hesitant.
"Yeah, haven't you checked it?" I asked again.
"Actually, I didn't get a chance—"
"Before I could understand anything, the earthquake hit, and the building collapsed. I got trapped under the rubble and was just focused on asking for help until you guys came to rescue me—"
"Such bad luck..." I muttered, feeling bad for her.
"Thank you so much, I really owe you guys," she added, her face full of guilt as she looked down, like she thought everything was her fault.
"Can you check it now?" Ayla asked, sounding eager to understand everything.
"Yeah, try checking your character profile," I replied.
I watched as Ayla tapped the air in front of her, as though trying to access that screen.
A few seconds later, she read it carefully.
"It says my name is Ayla Moreau, born on October 9, 2005," she began, reading aloud, her voice shaking slightly.
"It says I'm a Hydromancer. At the start, individuals chosen are given the ability to connect with water. We can control and interact with it, for attacking or defending." She paused, collecting her thoughts.
"They said it comes with a cost... the longer I control the water, the more it dehydrates me."
"And... my skills are locked." She went quiet for a moment, her face serious.
"Ah, now it all makes sense, thank goodness you're with us, thank you, Ayla," I said, smiling.
"Yeah... thank you, Ayla," Diego added, also smiling.
Ayla seemed surprised by our gratitude.
"But you guys should've gotten here faster if you hadn't helped me..." she said, still looking guilty.
"Hey... we don't regret helping you. That was our decision," Diego said, his face serious but warm.
"Exactly. We don't regret it. If anyone owes anyone, it's us to you. You saved both of us," I said, giving her a sincere smile.
Ayla stared at us, confused.
"Ah... you don't owe me anything. I'm the one who owes you," she said, her voice determined but still full of guilt.
"How about we just call it even?" I said lightly.
"We helped you, you helped us. No one owes anyone anything."
"Yeah, we're in this together," Diego added.
"B-but..." Ayla hesitated.
"Shhh, just consider us even," I said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
"Thank you... thank you so much again..." she said, her voice full of sincerity.
But I noticed something shift in her. There was a sudden sadness in her eyes.
"Now that we're safe, you don't need to take care of me anymore. You can leave me," she said, her voice heavy with sadness, as if she didn't want to burden us.
Diego immediately looked at her, his face full of concern.
"No! How could we leave our savior behind? Your leg isn't even healed! How would you survive if we left?" I said firmly, worried.
"Like it or not, we're forced to be friends in this messed-up situation. And friends don't leave each other in trouble," I added, my voice strong.
Diego beside me smiled proudly, his emotions clear to me like a father watching his child act wisely.
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Diego... I should've known there was something wrong with his brain...
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I tried not to focus on his proud expression and kept my attention on Ayla.
Suddenly, I saw Ayla shedding tears, her face full of emotion.
"Friends, huh..." she whispered softly.
"Thank you... thank you... I'll repay you one day, I promise..." she said, sobbing.
I didn't try to comfort her because I knew this was Ayla's way of releasing her emotion.
Diego seemed to agree with me, letting her cry to release her sadness.
I stood up, then looked towards the green light forming a water wall, which was about as high as Diego from the floor we were standing on.
It felt like we were trapped in a dry aquarium, while outside, the water surrounded us.
"Now, our focus is to survive. How we should survive from here on out," I said with a grim, bitter smile, then turned to look at the crowd that was starting to gather in the middle of the field.
They were discussing, trying to plan their next steps.
Ayla, who had calmed down a bit, also shifted her gaze toward the crowd, as did Diego.
As I looked at the countdown clock ticking away, I realized that our time was running out.
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00:00:55
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"Should we join them?" I asked, my voice trembling just a little.
I glanced at Diego and Ayla, the two people who had become my allies in this mess.
Time kept ticking away, the seconds pressing on us like a drumbeat, each one heavier than the last.
Diego didn't hesitate. He just stared straight ahead, his jaw tight like he had already made up his mind.
"It's better this way," he said, his voice steady.
"We can't do this alone. If we want to survive, we need to work with them. They might know something we don't."
Ayla hesitated, her eyes darting around like she was fighting off the panic. But after a moment, she nodded, her voice soft but determined.
"I agree... Diego's right. We have to try."
Diego's lips curled into a small smile, as if he'd just won a quiet battle with himself.
"Alright, let's go." Without waiting for us, he carefully lifted Ayla onto his back.
"Hold on tight," he murmured to her.
I nodded, grabbing Diego's bag.
My hands were still shaking from everything that had happened, but I forced myself to push through it.
Each step toward the crowd felt like it could either bring us safety.
Or drag us into something worse.
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As we got closer, I spotted the hooded man from earlier.
He was lounging on an empty barrel, his posture casual, but his presence still held an air of something deep, something hidden.
His eyes were locked on the crowd, scanning everything with a kind of cold understanding.
Diego paused to let Ayla sit on another barrel, giving her a moment to rest.
Then, one of the people from the crowd walked up to us.
He looked like he was in his 40s, with a thin beard and piercing eyes that commanded attention.
He spoke low, but there was power in his voice.
"Ah, you three must be the new arrivals. Welcome. We're glad you're safe."
The words were friendly enough.
Maybe even convincing.
But I felt something else underneath them.
The wave of emotion too strong to hide, even with that smile.
A burning frustration, almost like an ember covered by a thin cloth—it was faint, but unmistakably there.
It wasn't gratitude.
It was more like… a burden.
Like he was thinking, Not again, more people to take care of.
How am I supposed to survive with all these strangers?
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Ah... this kind of emotion feels so familiar...