The moment Kruger's figure vanished beneath the surging water along with the coiling shadow, none of them dared to slow down.
Damon forced his legs to keep moving, his boots slamming against the slick floor as the corridor trembled beneath the weight of the flood. Running beside him, Henry stumbled forward, breathing heavily, while Vincent ran just behind him, his expression taut despite the chaos unraveling at their backs.
At the same time, Vincent was a little worried about Kruger. After all, the priest was a Specter who followed the decree of Destined Death, likely specializing in only the Death and Earth affinities. Unlike Damon and Henry, he was well aware of how much a Specter's affinity dictated what their weaknesses were, and while his impression of Kruger had improved, he doubted the man was adept at underwater combat.
For a fleeting moment, guilt surfaced, pressing against his chest like a dull blade before quickly being suppressed.
"We shouldn't have sent Lady Lorelei to the Cathedral," Vincent muttered, his dirty blonde hair soaked with sweat and murky water.
In contrast to Kruger's abilities, she had inherited the affinities of water and life from the Goddess Olympia. The followers of Olympia were said to be great swimmers and had exceptional water manipulation abilities. They were also quite adept at imbuing life through spiritual energy into living things and restoring damage.
Ultimately, Lady Lorelei would have been perfect for their predicament, but Vincent knew it was too late to have these regrets.
Just as the water surged closer, He inhaled sharply and opened his mouth, reciting a brief incantation in Selyrian.
["When the weight becomes a blight,"]
"Koga do gravé deven blighten,"
["Empower the body, make it light"]
"Enforte do korpus, fa'l lumi."
The recital echoed around them with a surge of spiritual energy, and Damon felt it immediately. The pressure on his limbs lessened as though an unseen hand had lifted a portion of his body weight away.
"Huh...?" Henry let out a startled gasp as he nearly lurched forward, unused to the abrupt change. Luckily, he had experienced something similar earlier when he prayed to Mother Morrigan. He quickly collected himself, instinctively matching the new pace.
Meanwhile, Vincent confirmed the spell had taken hold, then prepared to weave the same effect onto himself. But before he could, the floor beneath his boots suddenly rippled unnaturally. The surface lost all definition as though it had been reduced to thickened water.
"Damn it…!" Feeling his legs abruptly sink, Vincent did not hesitate to bring his blade down in a decisive arc, slicing through the liquefied ground as six shadowy hands burst upward.
The dark appendages clawed blindly, fingers stretching with malicious intent, but they were severed mid-reach, dissolving back into the unstable surface with a hiss.
The sound of water splashing rang. Damon glanced behind him, catching sight of the creature rising once more, and immediately retrieved his blade.
He had anticipated its next attack, but the creature surged forth with terrifying speed, far surpassing what was previously seen.
As its lower body solidified from shadows, it lunged from the murky water, revealing a serpentine form covered in barnacle-encrusted blue scales, and struck Vincent from behind.
"Ugh!.."The force knocked the air from his lungs as its body wrapped around his torso, coils tightening with crushing strength.
Bang!
Before he could brace himself, the creature dragged him downward, smashing through the unstable surface and plunging them both into the depths below.
****
In an Instant the world inverted.
Water enveloped him from every direction, submerging him in its murky, cold embrace. Yet Vincent's mind remained eerily calm. From his Spectology studies, he understood Specters were only capable of complete mastery with a maximum of six abilities, and while he was not as adept at water manipulation, he had luckily chosen to align two of his six mastery slots with the water affinity.
Acting quickly, he activated a skill called Aquaphine Shift, and his body began dissolving into a fluid state as his form dispersed. The crushing pressure vanished as his molecules slipped apart, phasing through the tightening coils that sought to break his ribs and reforming a couple of meters away.
The creature recoiled, its severed arms already reforming themselves back together. As it reoriented, the grotesque hands forming the upper half of its head spread open wide.
Suddenly, a melody rippled outward.
The sound was carried by subtle vibration, a haunting tune resonating a mix of despair and malice through the water itself.
Sensing the gloomy spiritual energy being shot towards him, Vincent made no effort to evade. In his current state, he was confident the attack would simply pass harmlessly through him. Instead, he allowed his form to weaken, feigning vulnerability.
The creature's human lips curled into a grin. Believing it had succeeded in paralyzing the prey, it surged forward and threw its arms towards him.
At that moment, Vincent's form snapped back into solidity. He twisted his body aside by a hair's breadth, causing the creature's strike to graze past him.
Realizing it had been baited, the creature tried to retaliate, slashing three of its arms outward. At the same time, the arms were infused with a cold trace of death affinity and spread towards him.
Swish! Narrowly swerving the attack, Vincent increased his output and plunged his broadsword down from above the creature. As the reinforced blade pierced through its scaly back, he then unleashed another full surge of azure spiritual energy.
What followed was an explosion that propelled them both downward.
Amid their descent into the deep darkness below, the creature shrieked in an attempt to shift to its shadow form. But its efforts were quickly rendered useless as Vincent muttered another spell inwardly.
****
Above water, Damon felt it all.
A sharp spike of Vincent's energy flared and then vanished beneath layers of water and distortion.
"He's fighting! We have to..." Henry instinctively tried to turn back, panic flooding his expression, but Damon grabbed him and dragged him forward.
"Don't," Damon said through clenched teeth. "We can't."
Henry's protest died in his throat as the corridor ahead began to blur, the water closing in faster now. Damon's thoughts raced, sweat stinging his eyes as he searched desperately for any route, any break in the endless passage.
Recalling the white silhouette he had seen before, a crazy idea started to take shape within his mind.
If that creature were truly a vestige of Cecil Watson's spirit, would it not be possible resonate with her intent? Furthermore, even if his mental intrusion failed, it would surely disrupt the creature's will enough to give Vincent the advantage.
'Master!' he screamed inwardly. 'If I try to resonate with the remnant of Cecil's spirit inside this thing… what would happen?'
["Hah! Throwing yourself into danger? Quite bold of you boya"] Tomoe's laughter was sharp, but not dismissive. ["It could work. If you used your true essence."]
'True Essence…?'
["Everything you are beneath that human shell. There was a reason I called you my rising sun child. In all my long years, you're the second being I have encountered whose spiritual energy shone so brightly yet contained such deep darkness. Although that darkness obscures your perception of the Death affinity, you're naturally a wellspring of warm energy rich with the life affinity. With enough mental strength and the right conduit, you could funnel that warmth into any remnant spirit, restoring them."]
'If my perception of the death affinity was blocked, how was I able to connect with Liz, Gerald, or even Cecil..!?'Although Damon quickly understood what Tomoe was suggesting, this new knowledge also brought forth more questions. He had assumed all spirits possessed the Death affinity, but was that actually true?
["Only those blessed by Destined Death receive the Death affinity. Spirits may be fit for it, but that does not guarantee they will gain it. Now concentrate on your current task."]
'Yes, Ma'am.' Damon nodded cheekily in response.
He then instinctively reached into his Hidden Inventory and emerged clutching the unfinished, purple scarf. Crimson liquid trickled down his nose, and the fabric trembled faintly as he poured his spiritual energy into it, yet he did not stop.
A searing, white-hot pain lanced through his temples.
"He-he-he!"
The girl's giggle danced in his ears as if his very soul was being hooked and reeled in.
"Not this time!'Damon staggered for a moment, almost slowing his pace as he forced his mind to focus on the white silhouette forming in his vision.
The pain crested, and the vision snapped into focus.
She stood before his mind's eye, no longer a blur. Her blonde hair, the jade eyes, the frilly blue and white dress, all of it was a clear reflection of the young girl he had seen in the Watson family portrait. But there was something different this time. The very same knitted scarf in his hand was now lovingly wrapped around her shoulders and neck.
Now he had his conduit!
Without a moment's hesitation, Damon applied his spiritual energy to Henry's body, focusing every ounce of his will through the link the vision provided.
The sensation was instantaneous and horrifying. It felt like his soul was being yanked through a pinhole. He felt Henry gasp as the same tearing dislocation gripped him.
Then it happened. The watery corridor suddenly vanished, giving way to a dense lake.
The Murky, moss-filled water flooded Damon's nose and mouth. He felt it clog his throat, fill his lungs, the vegetation clinging to his skin like cold, dead fingers.
He was drowning.
And then… he wasn't.
Cough..cough..Coughing up the phantom taste of salt, Damon's eyes snapped open, and he immediately began looking around.
He soon discovered he and Henry were seated in a classroom on polished wooden floorboards. The air smelled of chalk, old paper, and sweet rosin. Sunlight streamed through tall, grimy windows on his left, and around them, chairs were arranged in a quiet circle facing an old piano at the front of the room.
Sitting on the edge of the piano with her feet dangling was the young Cecil, with her gaze turned towards a body of water visible through the window.
As if sensing Damon's inquisitive gaze, she tilted her head, fixing her gentle green eyes on them both.
She then flashed a serene smile and asked, "Did you come to hear me play?"