Snow tumbled from the sky in sheets. Inside, the mansion glowed with warmth while Frost Demons slithered down from the cliffside clouds.

After a feast filled with laughter, Asahi felt the weight of truth pressing in. The time had come. He braced himself, determined to speak with unflinching honesty.

"In less than four days, Primrose, Trid, and Grandpa will..." He was reluctant to share at first, knowing that no one would give the answers. But after several hours of commotion, "...will die."

Uneasy glances darted around the table, silent disapproval flickering in every eye. Asahi scrambled for words, knowing he had to act fast. Pancakes slipped from stunned hands as Trid, Stephen, and the others stared at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Because I shattered the Orb of Immortality..." Immediately, glances shook about, wondering why on earth he would share or shatter that relic. Some were plain out confused, while others were just disappointed.

"You shattered the Orb of Immortality?" Ignatius said, tilting her head in protest. "Impossible. I thought it was just a myth."

"Yes, and now, Primrose..." His eyes leered over at the victims. "...Trid and Grandpa... will die."

A silence erupted from the room.

"Where did you get this information?" Trid said, pushing his chair back.

"From the cultists. They said that mortal bodies are unstable to hold immortality." Asahi thought, as Primrose and Grandpa looked shocked, biting into the pancake. "If they don't find a way to extract the shards out... as they said, they will die."

Asahi had really regretted his choices. He thought he would be safe, knowing the three would be secure. But if it weren't for that cultist member, he would have been caught in a situation like the Massacre of Snowstorms or even worse, his first loop. Asahi took a cold gulp and looked into everybody's eyes, announcing as...

"Does anyone have any idea how to extract the Orb of Immortality from a human?"

. . .

Like again, the room fell entirely silent. The loud clamor of clashing plates and silverware drew to a close. The loud shouts came to a hush. Asahi's eyes darted back and forth, yet not one person, not one...

"I have an idea."

Suddenly, the entire room turned over to Grandpa.

"They mentioned in those damn prophecies of a way to extract the Orb of Immortality from..."

Asahi hurriedly rushed to the table, eyes desperate.

"You know?"

"Damn son, hold your horses." Grandpa brushed his gray hair back and furrowed his brow. Clearing his throat, he threw a copy of the map on the pancake-filled table and stabbed a spot near Sleepy Serpent Shores. The knife drew in with the syrup, sticking onto the surface as he proposed his next initiation.

"Legends tell, damn it, that located in the deepest depths of the city beneath the ocean, a pyramid capable of extracting the Orb of Immortality out of a person rests at the core of that underwater city."

Asahi was about to interrupt him, but he let Grandpa continue.

"Then, damn it, if you can find a way through the Weeping Sirens, Mermaids, and Devouring Beasts, you may finally reach the damn core of the damn city."

As soon as he finished speaking...

. . .

The waves crashed onto the frozen shore, pushing the sand back and tolling on the stone. The carriage arrived. Four had followed him out of the mansion to the carriage: Primrose, Grandpa, Stephen, and finally Asahi. As they saw the glacial blue sea shimmer in the frozen landscape, Asahi retraced Grandpa's words as he prepared and fastened sails on the small boat, holding onto the syrup-covered map.

"From there, you make your way to the shore and sail until you reach this exact point," Asahi remembered Grandpa using multiple knives to pinpoint its destination. Asahi, wondering how he could survive underwater, asked Grandpa as the waves rolled in the misty air.

"So, if the place is underwater, how are we supposed to breathe for more than five minutes?"

"Look at my damn hand," Grandpa said, holding onto two bottles filled with blue, shimmering liquids. "Drink this. It'll make you breathe underwater for more than eight hours. Plenty of time to find the damn thing. If it doesn't work out... here..."

Grandpa handed over two more bottles of shimmering water-breathing potions, fastening them to Asahi's belt.

"These are very expensive, damn it. Be careful when using all of them. Got it, damn it?"

"Understood," Asahi answered.

Now clad in obsidian armor heavy enough to plunge to the ocean's depths, Asahi marveled at his timely purchase. Primrose, meanwhile, clung only to her scarf and simple clothes.

Asahi recollected the plan Grandpa shared.

"First things first, damn it. Since there are three relics, I will share this. Primrose, you come with Asahi to the city beneath the waves. I will prepare the damn boat and take you there myself." Grandpa then locked eyes with Trid. "Next, we must find an opening to a cavern, from there that'll be the second damn piece."

"And lastly, damn it, I will go with Asahi myself, to..."

Though he longed to remember, the words slipped away. Now, icy waves hurled salt spray into the air before him. The first and hardest task was simply to launch the boat. With such weight, it seemed almost impossible to pass through the wall of water. But luckily enough, with Stephen's strength, Grandpa launched the boat and pushed it through the waves. Then all watched as waves clashed before finally reaching the end.

After that, the journey smoothed out. Asahi gripped the map, Grandpa rowed, and Primrose scanned the icy waters for lurking threats. Glaciers crowded the ocean, nearly blocking their way, but a narrow crevice let them slip into the open, frigid sea. Memories crashed over Asahi—trauma from when he and Aletha first returned to this world, the sea vast and alien. Now, the ability to breathe underwater changed everything, shifting the odds in their favor.

At last, they reached the marked spot and prepared to descend. The ocean's sharp, salty tang filled Asahi's senses. Primrose shrank from the surging waves, fear in her eyes. Armored and resolute, Asahi turned to Grandpa, waved, and drew Primrose close.

"Be safe with Trid's daughter, damn it," Grandpa said with a salute.

Asahi nodded, braced himself on the boat, and gently pulled Primrose close. Together, they slipped beneath the waves and plunged downward.

. . .

The watery ceiling receded above him, sunlight dancing in shifting patterns through the endless blue.

.

They drifted ever closer to the deep blue abyss.

.

Sunlight barely grazed the ocean floor.

.

Down they plunged, sinking ever deeper.

The armor's weight threatened to drag Asahi down too fast, pulling them toward the ocean's depths at a dizzying speed.

A muffled, echoing silence swallowed their descent.

Clutching Primrose, he glimpsed strange sea creatures gliding through the blue abyss.

Sharks and other shadows prowled nearby. Despite his nerves, Asahi drifted into sleep within moments.

Then, as sunlight faded to nothing, a vision echoed in his mind.

. . .

Grass plains. Beautiful castles. Beautiful people. This was their home, paradise. A giant cascade flew down into the Exordium, connecting Cleira to the world. And the world danced in harmony with its fourteen moons.

. . .

After that vision filled his mind, he opened his eyes to find himself in a strange room, air above and water swirling below. Droplets echoed through the walls as Asahi gripped his armor, questions tumbling through his mind: How deep had he gone? How had he arrived here? And most urgently, where was Primrose?

Asahi squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again, staring upward as the water's pressure pressed in. Claustrophobia crept over him in the confined room. Swarms of fish gathered at the opening. With no other choice, Asahi plunged downward, desperate for answers.

A massive, shattered stone tube plunged downward, water surging and swallowing the chamber whole. He swam by and followed the gentle current. Only to find something even more beautiful.

. . .

Below, a watery horizon revealed a cityscape hidden by the sea's veil. Buildings of every size dotted the ocean floor, some crumbled and entombed, others gleaming as sunlight spilled over this submerged symphony. Stones drifted in the water, and at the heart of it all, a castle and city stood at the center of the underwater world. Even the distant sun managed to touch this deep realm.

Asahi gasped, awestruck by the spectacle. A distant chorus echoed through the water, underscoring his approach to this wondrous marvel. He pressed his steel boot to the ground and stepped slowly from the hallway, following the creatures as they swam by. He heard nothing but the melody of sea creatures passing closely. And that, plus the chorus, was enough to be considered lovely.

But this gaze upon the city was swallowed up by urgency as Asahi desperately searched for Primrose.

If he wanted to get out of this place alive, he would have to suggest something more substantial than a weapon. In such depths, it was only closer for him to be ambushed by monsters.

Who knew what could lurk in the deep?

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