The Fall Of The Sea

Eleanor's ears rang with a horrible screeching as she watched her former mentor slowly dissolve in front of her.

His body crumbled into bits of dust as his Erasure spell that he had cast upon Eleanor began to eat away at his life.

Mr. Crab jumped from his perch atop the bench and scurried towards the steaming key that lay on the floor.

Eleanor, who sprawled across the floor, watched as he grabbed it with his claws and began moving towards the spot where Godrick had fallen.

The crustacean stood mere centimeters from Godrick's head as he touched the key towards his dissolving form.

Radiant magenta light spewed from inside the object, enveloping Godrick's form, with Eleanor's view being obstructed.

Her mind raced with possibilities as her hearing slowly returned.

I-Is he absorbing Godrick like he took that sea terror heart? Or is he saving his life?

As she watched the scene, the light gradually faded, with the figure of Godrick nowhere to be seen.

Mr. Crab turned towards Eleanor, scurrying closer to her, holding out the black key in front of him.

"W-What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Aaron?"

She asked with curiosity, observing the small blue crab move closer without so much as a sound.

Well, he's a crab, so I didn't expect a response…

The crab jumped and perched himself atop the bench again, staring down at Eleanor, whose eyes were locked onto him.

Looking up at the crab, Eleanor witnessed his mouth open as if he wished to speak; however, he simply continued to stare.

An awkward silence filled the empty hall as the staredown between the blonde priestess and the blue crab continued.

Eleanor was about to stand up when she saw Mr. Crab move his claw directly above himself.

He released what was inside, with it falling on Eleanor's head with a thud.

"Ouch…"

She looked down at her chest, where the object had fallen, only to jump up in surprise.

"Y-You're giving this back to me?"

In her hand, she held the black key that Mr. Crab had used against Godrick.

It was the same one she had owned; however, it now glowed a strange golden light with hints of purple sparks flowing from inside.

"What the… What did you do to this?"

She looked up at where Mr. Crab was, yet there was nothing but fading blue particles and the smell of the sea left in his wake.

Eleanor sighed and stood up, examining the chamber.

Many of the benches were damaged from the short battle that had occurred; however, at the altar where Godrick had vanished, only a single piece of dust was left.

She stood above the last fragment of her mentor and mumbled under her breath.

"Goodbye, Teacher."

… 

Under the city of Svall, in a large cavern, lay a mausoleum that radiated a mysterious aura that reacted against an illuminated figure in the darkness.

The sound of a monotone voice echoed throughout the cavity as the walls shook.

"Prepare the ritual."

Shrouded in the murky darkness, the being split into tiny fragments that refracted rays of crimson light throughout the chamber.

Each of the pieces reformed into a singular body under the blood-red glow of the mausoleum, revealing two crimson horns that glowed with a dark hue.

His lips curled into a grotesque smile as his carnivorous gray teeth shone with saliva, and his hands stretched towards his jet-black hair that concealed his horns.

"It is almost the Day of Awakening and the time 'he' may return to us."

Deep within his throat, a sound resounded that cracked the floor below him, causing the room to shake.

His laugh brought the servants around him to their knees as they crumbled to the ground holding their bleeding ears in agony.

As his amusement faded, he turned towards the entrance, sensing the arrival of the man he sent to investigate his merchandise.

"So you've returned. Speak now."

Before the servant who had returned even had a chance to speak, the air around him pressed down with incredible force, driving him into the cracked stone floor.

"M-Master, I have returned due to the signs of a powerful presence at the scene."

The man who was slowly sinking deeper and deeper into the stone began to bleed from the eyes as his body was crushed under the gravity.

His eyes began to burn as his throat constricted until he couldn't even breathe.

The horned man slowly stepped towards his servant, who was dying due to his exertion of power.

Around him, the other servants had already passed out, with some even showing signs of perishing upon immediate contact with the floor.

The master spoke to his pathetic servant, who couldn't even turn his head to look at him.

"There is no such thing in this sea that could harm you. Do not deceive me, tell me the truth, or you will meet your end here."

Exerting more of his power on him, the servant's head dug deeper into the hard rock, blood pooling around him; however, his throat had been cleared, allowing him to speak.

"T-There were signs of…"

His voice trailed off as the suffocating pressure once again constricted his throat.

"S-Signs of a Sea King…"

Stuttering out the words, the force against him gradually began to fade, allowing him to turn his gaze upward.

The pale-skinned, horned man narrowed his eyes and looked at the injured boy who lay sprawled in front of him, speaking calmly.

"Well, that indeed does pique my interest. Tell me, boy, what led you to this conclusion?"

Attempting to turn into a low bow, the servant spoke in a submissive voice that radiated fear.

"O-On the ship, there were traces of holy magic, and also a note was written on the deck."

The master furrowed his brow and laughed under his breath.

"Holy magic and a note? Pathetic, only the pontiff of the Church of the Depths can use divine blessings to the level of a King, and there isn't any possibility of her showcasing that power with her current situation."

Raising his black-leather boot above his servant's head in preparation, he waited a moment before retracting.

"What was written in that note?"

The frightened servant shook rapidly as he stuttered out a response to his master, careful to choose his words to prevent his death.

"I-It spoke of a ship with flaming blue sails…"

As soon as the words left the man's mouth, he heard a word come from his master that he had never heard in his many years of servitude.

"I-Impossible…"

In shock, the horned man's pupils dilated as he stumbled backwards, tumbling onto the ritual platform, shaking profusely.

Still prostrated on the floor, the servant turned his head towards his master, watching the unbelievable scene.

"M-Master, are you alright?"

He watched as the black haired lord reached up with his hands towards the back of his head, touching a small spot behind his left horn.

The master looked at his servant before regaining his senses and standing above him.

"You have seen too much."

The servant's eyes widened as he tried to scream, but his voice was cut short as a large black boot appeared above his head.

"N-No!" 

Loud crunching echoed throughout the cavern before a deep roar burst through the terrain, loosening large boulders that fell from the ceiling onto the mausoleum.

"Tsk, it isn't possible that it's truly 'that' being. If 'it' was truly against me, then I wouldn't still be standing here within 'its' Mausoleum of Chains."

Raising his right hand towards the ceiling, he snapped his fingers, causing black smoke to emerge from the darkness.

Within the fog, two figures emerged, stepping over the disfigured corpse in front of them.

The taller of the two figures was an olive-skinned man who appeared to be in his late twenties, with a crimson red beard that had blotches of black mixed in. 

His eyes were the color of fire, glowing in the shadows of the fog, revealing pitch black wings mounted upon his back.

To his right was a silver-haired woman with pale white skin and red eyes that illuminated the air around her, causing distortions. 

Both knelt in front of the horned man, bowing their heads to their lord.

The woman spoke first in a serene voice, not at all bothered by the bloodied corpse behind.

"My Lord, the mission you assigned me in Sea Fallen was a success. I have located Lepaie's Vault and gained the combination to…"

Next to her, the winged man spoke without waiting for her to finish,

"Dammit Arianna, you had to speak first huh? Well, master, you will be pleased to know that my mission in the Sea of Souls was successful as well."

She scoffed at his interruption before mumbling under her breath.

"Adam, your foolish hunt for that traitor is pointless…"

As he was about to rebuke her comment, they heard the master clear his throat and speak.

"You both have done well. Now I have a high-priority mission for you both in the city of Sea Fallen."

Adams' eyes widened at the location before turning towards Arianna quickly.

"What the hell did you do in Sea Fallen for Master to issue us a level one mission there?"

He snickered under his breath before he was quickly silenced by a glare from the master.

"You both must execute stage one of the plan in one week; however, be wary of a certain being that could be in the area. The fool behind you interacted with it, and it led him to an… unfortunate end."

Arianna and Adam turned their heads towards the crushed corpse behind them before coming to the same conclusion.

What could he have learned for the master to do such a thing…

Returning their gazes towards the master, Adam asked a simple question out of curiosity.

"If we must be careful, then can you enlighten us on what we must avoid?"

He spoke respectfully, careful to prevent the master's rage.

The dark-haired man stared at Adam before responding in a cold, deadpan tone.

"Beware the ship with blue flames."

Adam's brow furrowed in confusion; however, to his right, Arianna's eyes widened in shock as she remembered a strange blue-haired boy she had met only moments before her summoning.

She looked into her master's eyes carefully; however, what she saw frightened her deeply.

The emotion refracted deep within his unyielding pupils, which had never wavered, was that of fear.