Artemia: Journey To The Thirtieth Floor

48. Tragedy of the Nymphs

"The waves are getting stronger every minute," I pointed out as I sheathed my katana, feeling anxious.

"Ivory..." Kai called my name as if he was trying to stop me from thinking too much. "The battle is not over just yet. Are you letting your guard down already?" Kai inquired, pressing his hand on my chin, pushing me to turn to him and look into his eyes.

I raised my brows, resolute about not budging from my position. "Oh, really? And what if I am?"

He clenched his teeth and avoided my eyes, well aware that he would be unable to argue his way out of this conversation with me if he continued. We just sat there and waited for Yuki to snap out of her trance and return to us, which might not happen just yet. Every minute that went by, I could feel the atmosphere getting more dismal and oppressive. The sky has turned completely black as if it were a mirror for the approaching tragedy that is about to befall us.

When I looked down, the first thing I saw was those blood-splattered fingers of mine, which were actually Fuyumi's. Aside from that, there were wounds on my palm that were created as a consequence of my clenching them too tight. I couldn't feel any pain that had been inflicted on this body before because it was a corpse. But now...all I can think about is how much pain this body has endured. Or...perhaps I was making an effort to distract myself by concentrating on the physical pain I was experiencing.

"Yuki...!" Enkai muttered under his breath as he locked his eyes on the person who stood next to me.

"I apologize for being late," Yuki said as she held her katana that was dripping with blood.

"Yuki..." I trailed off.

"Hmm?"

"How do you feel right now?" I asked, even though I knew what her answer was.

"Just...fine."

Liar.

As I raised my eyes to the sky, I couldn't help but laugh a little bit. Something was glittering up there, but it was difficult to make out exactly what it was. Besides Yuki and myself, everyone else does not seem to be able to notice it. As I turned my focus back to Scylla and Charybdis, who were riding on sea monsters that were swimming towards us, I could feel my nerves beginning to quiver. It was unlike any other fear because I knew what would happen after all this.

My whole body was shivering, and I was clenching my teeth the entire time. Ah, I think I'm starting to feel nauseous already. The only thing I want to do is get out of here and vomit somewhere else, but there's no turning back now. With a blank expression on her face, Yuki looked at me, and I had to swallow the lump that had formed in my throat. Is she...giving up her humanity for the sake of Artemia?

"I am..." she whispered as she looked forward, but I was able to make out her words.

"Sorry..."

No words came out of her mouth. Instead, her attention was drawn to the sea in front of her, and she slowly began to walk towards the water. I kept up with the twins, who seemed to be aware of everything that was going on already, and I could swear they were not pleased. The other warriors insisted on accompanying us, but I persuaded them to return to the camp instead. Yukina, who was aware of it as well, forced them to leave this place.

When we were about to get close to Scylla and Charybdis, a spear came crashing from the sky. Everything in front of me appeared to be moving at a glacial pace, and all I could do was gaze at what was happening. Each and every one of us was rendered speechless, including the two people who had been targeted by the kings. My breathing hitched as I clutched the hilt of my katana, waiting to see what would happen to the nymphs in the room. Yuki, on the other hand, remained calm throughout the situation.

"Princess...Yuki..." Charybdis muttered to Yuki as she sank slowly into the ocean, transforming gradually.

"Forgive me..." Yuki said as tears ran down her cheeks.

While Scylla was slowly transforming like Charybdis, she was looking at her with wide eyes as she went through the motions. In the blink of an eye, she had transformed into a...monstrous being the size of a mountain. Six serpents protruded from her torso, while twelve legs arose from her lower body, for a total of twelve legs and six serpents as heads. In the midst of her attempts to speak with Yuki, tears ran from her eyes, almost as if she were asking for help. On the other hand, Yuki looked down as she bit her lips, looking hella devastated.

Kasai was begging Yuki to save Scylla, gently shaking her shoulders in frustration. We are still at Yuki's side, but it will be too much for everyone to stomach at this point. But we have to leave her side in order for her to fulfill her duty. Despite the fangs of pain that I was feeling because of this, I tried to pull the twins away from Yuki. A duty has been placed upon her, and she has promised to do it. Many people sacrificed themselves in order to protect the dimension from certain destruction. And we can't allow her to waste them at this point.

"Ivory, what are you doing?! We have to save them!" Kasai shouted as he tried to wriggle from my hold.

"Can you please shut up for a moment?! Do I look like I want to do this?! Does Yuki look like she's okay?! Stop complaining for a moment and allow Yuki to do her job!" I screamed at Kasai when I couldn't tolerate it any longer. It just felt like...no one could understand Yuki and me. His lips were apart as he stared at me with horror in his eyes, his hands trembling. "Sorry..."

"Your eyes..." Enkai muttered as he squeezed my hand.

Because of some strange phenomenon, I felt that I knew what it meant. But I couldn't stay still without seeing how I look right now. I was scared to see myself looking like someone I would never expect to meet. This is the first time I'm going to take a hard look at myself because I never had time to do so, and what I saw doesn't sit well with me at all. My jaw fell when I saw that I looked exactly like Freya, but with red eyes. What the hell is this form...?

I tried to keep my calm, but I could feel my fangs growing and getting sharper. My claws have extended in length, and I am certain that I could tear anyone down if I so chose. No, what is this? Freya doesn't look like this in the present time. Why...do I feel like there's something demonic within me? I am well aware that Fuyumi and Freya are not like that, but there was something hiding inside this body. My lips quivered a little as I stared at my reflection.

"No..." I muttered.

"Ivory!"

When Yuki yelled my name, I turned around to see what was going on. The way she looked at me made me feel like she was begging me not to leave her side. But I was frozen in place, entirely ignorant to the fact that I was meant to be doing something else. When Scylla began to go on a rampage, I was immediately drawn to her plight. She kept on attacking Yuki and her evil intent of murdering her. Given her inability to fight back against Scylla, the spells that Yuki cast was just an effort to defend herself.

Although Yuki tries to detach herself from her emotions, she is unable to attack Scylla. I cursed under my breath as I stood in front of her to help her out. Yuki was forced to take a step back as I placed a barrier between Scylla and the rest of the group. Scylla was extremely strong, so I reckon that she would break through it soon. But Yuki has to make her sleep before Charybdis emerges.

"Hurry..." Yuki was just standing there, so I pleaded with her to do something. But she just looked at me with a pained expression. "Charybdis...will come up soon. I can't hold up for long. Yuki, you have come all the way here already. Don't waste everyone's sacrifices, please..."

Yuki clenched her teeth in frustration while approaching the twins and requesting their assistance. I took a deep breath and began to work on dissipating the barrier that stood between us while defending myself. Scylla needed to focus all of her attacks on me, so I had to push myself to the limitations to do this. As the water splashed around, I was given a chance to see my reflection, even for a brief moment, which surprised the s**t out of me.

Why are horns growing out of my head...?

As a consequence of my preoccupation with something else, I was hit by one of the snake heads. I coughed blood, which is my fault for not paying attention, but I didn't have time to wipe it off. As soon as Scylla launched an attack at me, I sprang to my feet and blocked it. As much as I don't want to further hurt Scylla, I can't just keep dodging and defending myself this way. I had to freeze some of the heads and break them, especially the ones trying to reach the three. All the strain is on me, but I need to endure it so that we can end this.

She's way too big! Sure, attacking her in this way is simple, but it is just as tough as defending oneself! Even taking offense is out of the question since I don't want to cause her any more pain. Scylla keeps on groaning, and it's as if she's in so much pain. That...broke my heart. It was at this moment that I finally realized that she was actually crying. The humanity within her...is still alive. She hasn't completely transformed into the ferocious beast that people make her out to be! Scylla...was in the midst of a battle with herself.

"Yuki! Please hurry while she's still there!" I shouted as I froze her body.

When I glanced at the three of them, I realized that the ceremony was about to be complete. Scylla will be put into a decade-long sleep and plunge into the ocean floor, where she will stay until the seal is entirely worn down. That way, she will not have to endure the pain for a period of time. She will be imprisoned in a dungeon for the rest of her life when she emerges from her coma. The choices are bad for her, but at least she doesn't die a miserable death along with everyone. Of course, it wouldn't justify what we had done.

Even after the ritual had reached its halfway point, Scylla's sobs continued to escalate in volume and intensity. I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat as I took a few steps back. She had her hands around her head, and she looked like she was about to tear her skin off. I was begging Yuki to hurry up because I could no longer bear this sight inside my head. All of those scenes where Scylla helped me kept playing inside my head like a broken plaque. f**k, please just end this. My heart constricted in pain as I looked at Scylla, whose cries kept ringing in my ears.

"I'm sorry...for everything..." I muttered in between muffled sobs.

"You can do it, Fuyumi!"

"Are you hurt?"

"Please remember to keep your personal safety in mind when attacking someone else. Make sure you don't injure yourself, understand?"

"You're amazing!"

"I'm sorry..." I whispered to Scylla as I stood there watching her struggle to try and destroy the pillars that had fallen from the heavens.

She was shouting incoherent sounds, but I recognized them as her calls for help. When it came to the conclusion of the ritual, Scylla's movements became more sluggish, probably because she was being put to sleep. Her gigantic figure began to shrink, but she had not returned to her previous form yet. The barrier that had been built around her was slowly dissolving into the water as if it had never been in the first place.

I had a blank look on my face as I looked at the exact spot where she had gone, wondering what would have happened if I had persuaded Yuki to save Scylla instead of her Artemia. What would occur in the future? Would that attack on the beach kill me? If so, what could have happened to Artemia? Would the dispute have been brought to a close if I had died at that moment, in that case? Would all of this happen? Those were the questions circulating inside my head, but I could not quite sort them out properly. Right now, I feel like I have become hollow.

Just as I was thinking about that, the waves became stronger. Ah, Charybdis is going to emerge any moment now, and it scared the s**t out of me. Just as I was going to say something, a big whirlpool erupted at the same spot where she sank earlier. Yuki walked up to the door and gave me a sideways glance to signal me to go with them. I sighed as I followed her, expecting to assist her in bringing Shiro back to life, and I sighed again.

Kasai built a strong barrier around us in order to ensure that we wouldn't die the moment we plunged into the whirlpool. As soon as we saw the egg, a couple of sea monsters appeared to try and kill us. Oh, they're the nymphs' closest friends...? Rather than putting them to death, we just put them to sleep for the time being. We should stop taking everything away from them anymore.

"This will be quick," Yuki said as she knelt in front of the egg inside, tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Right. It's where Charybdis's body is located. Yuki closed her eyes hard in order to build a mold of a cat out of water and ice, which is probably Shiro. It took her no time to pour a considerable amount of her life force, as well as her memories, into the molded body of the cat. Following the completion of the kitten's body, it softly faded into thin air, most likely in order to disguise itself.

"Are we going back up now?" Enkai asked as he looked at the egg with a sharp gaze, clenching his fists tightly while trying to get himself to calm down.

Yuki nodded as she threw the egg another sad expression. "Forgive me, Charybdis..."

As soon as she muttered those words, an explosion occurred underneath us, throwing us to the surface of the water. Each of us tried to save ourselves from the fall and ended up getting thrown into the blood-stained sand. Ah, that was one hell of a ride, wasn't it? I pushed myself to my feet and began going towards the water. My legs were wobbling as if I were under the influence of alcohol.

I smiled as I looked up at the sky and questioned the kings about their stupid feeling of greed, hella pissed off after what they did. The main root of all this...is Leon's desire to become Artemia's deity, and I will never forgive him for that. His own greed has resulted in his own destruction. I...will become his greatest demise. I swear that to everyone who lost their lives for this. That's something I can promise him. I'm willing to go to any length, even if it means giving up my own life in the process. The deaths of all those who have died in this fight will not be for naught.

Vengeance will be ours...