Struggles of the deep

Darkness. I float in the vast, endless water. I do not move. I do not breathe. But I exist. The water is cold, pressing in from all sides, weightless yet heavy. There is no sound, no light. Only the slow, steady movement of the currents. I do not know where I am. I do not know what I am. A whisper lingers in my thoughts—something strange, something distant. Memories. I cannot see them, cannot recall them, yet they feel wrong. As if I was something else before this. A world without water. A world where I moved differently, where my body was not like this. The thought is alien. It slips away before I can grasp it, dissolving into nothing. What does it matter? The past means nothing. Because something else takes hold of me now. Hunger. A twisting, empty ache coils deep inside me. It is not a thought. It is not a feeling. It is a command. I must feed. --- I stir for the first time. A slow flick of my body sends a ripple through the water. My form is long, sleek, moving with the current rather than against it. Instinct takes over. I do not need to think to survive. The water flows through my gills, pulling in oxygen. I do not need to surface for air—I simply breathe, effortlessly. I have no arms, no legs. Instead, I am built for the deep, my muscles designed for swift, fluid movement. It feels right. As if I was always meant to be here. And yet… There is something unnatural inside my mind. A voice that does not belong. --- Shapes drift nearby. I sense them before I see them. Small, fragile creatures, suspended in the water like me. They do not move much, their bodies swaying gently with the currents. Some are like me—newly hatched, barely aware of their own existence. Others are still trapped in thin, translucent shells, their small forms curled inside. A flicker of familiarity tugs at me. Kin. I do not know them. Yet… I do. A strange connection lingers, something deeper than thought. As if we were meant to be together. And yet— That feeling does not last. Because I begin to understand. There is no safety here. No warmth. No shelter. No protection. Only the endless abyss. And the hunger never stops. --- The water shifts. A deep, low tremor rolls through the abyss—a slow, heavy movement. Something is coming. I do not hear it. I feel it. The pressure of the water changes—thickens. Instinct takes over. Danger. A shadow moves above. It is massive, blocking out what little glow the abyss offers. It does not hesitate. It does not wait. It only devours. Jaws slam shut. The water explodes into chaos. A sudden rush of force sends me tumbling as half of my kin disappear. The predator moves like a storm—fast, overwhelming, unstoppable. Bodies vanish, pulled into the gaping maw. No struggle. No sound. Only the silence of the deep swallowing them whole. I do not move. I hide. I press myself against the rocky seafloor, forcing my body still. I become nothing. The predator lingers for a moment, its powerful body cutting through the water like a living current. Then, as suddenly as it came— It is gone. The world is silent once more. --- Only a few of us remain. And we do not hesitate. The moment the predator leaves, the others turn on the unhatched eggs. Jaws snap. Shells crack. The unborn never take their first breath. The instinct is not cruel. It is not malicious. It is simply survival. And yet, something inside me pauses. I watch as my kin devour the motionless bodies, consuming those who could not hatch in time. A part of me resists. Then, the hunger wins. I lunge. My tiny teeth sink into the soft flesh of a broken egg. Warmth fills my body as I swallow. It is not satisfying. It is not enough. But it is something. And in the abyss, that is all that matters. Eat, or be eaten. --- The current pulls me forward. My body is too small to resist. But I see. Shapes flicker in the dark. Some are prey. Others are hunters. I must become a hunter. A tiny shrimp drifts ahead, pulsing with weak light. I lock onto it. I do not think. I do not hesitate. I strike. My jaws clamp down on the shrimp's back. It thrashes, legs kicking, tail whipping, trying to break free. I do not let go. My teeth are small, but they are sharp. I bite harder. The shrimp convulses, its glow flickering. Then—stillness. I swallow. The warmth spreads through me, dulling the hunger slightly. But I know it will return. It always returns. And next time, my prey will not be so small. --- Then—something changes. A deep pulse rolls through the water. It is not a predator. Not the current. Something else. And then, a voice—inside my mind. [ SYSTEM INITIALIZING… ] I freeze. The abyss is silent. Nothing moves. Then, more words appear. [ Welcome, Abyssborn. Your survival has been recognized. ] My small body tenses. What is this? [ Basic Status Acquired ] ▶ Name: Veyrn▶ Species: Abyssborn (Hybrid Conger-Moray)▶ Age: Hatchling▶ Health: 99%▶ Hunger: 80% (Recently Fed)▶ Abilities: None I do not understand. The abyss does not explain. The system does not guide me. It only watches. Then—just as I start to ignore it— A single line appears. [ Your skin is dark. You blend into the seafloor. Stay still, and predators will pass you by. ] I blink. I already knew that. But I had not thought about it.The system does not give me anything.It only reveals what I already have. Before I can think further, the voice fades. [ Survive. Grow. Adapt. The Abyss is watching. ] Then—silence. The deep is unchanged. But I am not the same. I was not meant to be here. And yet—here I am. And I will survive. --- End of Chapter 1