The sound of rushing water, crackling stone, and the howl of intense pressure echoed throughout the chamber, tearing through the silence breathlessly.
Magnificent turquoise light reflected like rippling waves off the walls, dancing along the cells like a reflection across glass.
Those who had their eyes gouged out felt a warm hum of mana brush across their faces, creating scenes inside their minds.
It was as if they could see once again, with a phantom-like sight settling into their once-dark world, bringing light where there was once nothing.
From the high cages above, the chained people stared down, mouths agape at the sight they were witnessing.
Rusted chains clattered together as some brought their hands close to their face, praying for salvation from something far below.
In the very center of the chamber, one boy stood alone, facing the grandiose of the room, not backing down for a second at the daunting task ahead of him.
His appearance was ever-so-carefully cloaked with a robe that drooped to the cold concrete floor, sucking the moisture from the surface.
Each movement of his hand commanded such force that the foundations shook and groaned under the weight.
Many of the prisoners backed away, pressing themselves against the farthest reaches of their cells, praying to get away from the monster that waited below.
However, that boy was no beast, nor was he their captor.
He was their liberator.
His knuckles were white with strain as he drew every fragment of power he had left into one, masterful dance of soul and spirit.
Sweat pooled under his hood as a grimace stretched wide across his pale face, and his breath rippled like the sound of a rising flood.
Drops of dew and moisture that dripped down the walls gathered and drew together as if in anticipation.
Then, his mouth opened slightly, spouting two words that reverberated throughout the chamber lifelessly.
『Ocean's Delta』
He spoke in less than a whisper, yet the effects were immediate, with reality itself flickering, for even just a moment, in response.
Moving his blade faster than the observers could watch, his arms arched in thousands of impossible poses, like rivers branching out endlessly, like fractal currents swaying in the wind, scattering the arc of his sword in all directions.
The air became humid as the heat accelerated into tendrils of liquid streams that exploded with a fury of destruction, colliding against the metallic bars.
Metal hissed. Warped. Dissolved.
And then, in the blink of an eye, the bars were steam.
Brilliant multicolored light radiated throughout every crevice, brightening the chamber where thousands had been sent to die.
Thunderclaps of scalding liquid formed currents through the sky, chipping away at the impossibly thick ceiling above.
Each stridation dug deeper and deeper into the hard bedrock while slivers of sunlight broke through the darkness.
Each radiant ray felt like a foreign entity to the people trapped below the ground, for it was something nostalgic, something old and unforgettable.
An old friend who had finally returned to their lives after years of suffering, brightening their very existence with the warmth of its loving rays.
As the rock fell, raging waves caught each fragment, carefully dissolving it into dust and recycling it into a new structure, forming in the very center of the chamber above the figure orchestrating the destruction.
For a moment, the hooded boy's knees buckled, his lips trembling with blood dripping from his eyes.
His entire body and soul were on the verge of collapse, yet he held strong, forging a new path for these trapped men and women to taste freedom once more.
Around him, with each breath the prisoners took, the taste of dust and salt caught in their throats and made them cough; however, oddly enough, all the pains and aches throughout their bodies ceased to hurt.
It was as if the air itself was healing them from the inside out, with tears of joy springing to life across the citizens' faces as they wept.
Massive pillars of reinforced concrete forged from the rubble sprang to life, stretching higher and higher towards the ever-brightening light that itched to be let free.
It was a sight beyond what the imprisoned could believe, leaving them speechless and afraid of the raw strength that exploded before them.
The children stared at the hooded figure with looks of fear and awe, as the images of the Sea Kings themselves blinked through their minds.
Their small hands pressed against the formerly thick bars with their tiny white fingers intertwined with hope returning to their hearts.
Such a scene was a miracle, one that would live on in infamy, known to all in the city of Corvassa.
One tale that would be passed down from parent to child, and that would one day be known by the entire world.
The appearance of the hooded 'Angel of Waves', who single-handedly freed three hundred and forty-eight civilians from the arms of death.
Aaron Grimstall's first time in the eye of millions and the beginning of a chain of events that would change the fate of the planet forever.
…
One hour later, stumbling through the maze-like hallways of the casino, a certain blond-haired boy was on the verge of total collapse yet again.
His eyes drooped and waned; however, the only thing keeping him going was a promise he had made not only a few hours ago.
I-I promised him… I'd save her…
Aaron's head was a mess of two voices bantering back and forth, repeatedly driving him to groan in pain.
Penelope's quiet and worried words calmed him, yet the Apex creature urged him to further the destruction and drown the world itself.
I-I'd cut more if I could…
As his thoughts flickered in and out, the feeling of his core slowly reaching its limit sent throbbing and agonizing pain throughout his entire body.
Every ounce of mana inside his body had been extracted along with the last reserves that the magical blade had gathered for hundreds of years.
He was at rock bottom with no possible way to defend himself with any form of self-defense or swordsmanship.
So as he stumbled his way through the dark hallways, his eyes widened in shock as the one thing he feared appeared before him.
T-The mercenaries…
After walking for what seemed like forever, he had finally returned to the entrance to the dungeons that he had once sneaked by.
This time, however, he wasn't invisible, and the heavily geared men bearing guns and blades stood around something just slightly out of Aaron's sight.
As he inched closer, the sound of muffled voices wafted through the halls, hitting his ears softly.
"Use fire magic!"
"No, use an enchanted knife!"
"Try healing her!"
Laughter exploded out after the last comment as a small group of the mercenaries surrounded a central point.
From the blond boy's position, he could barely make out a shape, forcing him to decide to move closer.
What could they be—
Gasping aloud, he fell backwards, slamming into the floor with an audible thud that grabbed the armed men's attention.
"What the hell was that? Jerry, go inspect!"
In the center of the ring, someone whom the boy presumed to be the commander of the division shouted out an order to the man closest to his hiding spot.
Without any hesitation, the mercenary responded to the command while moving closer and closer to Aaron's position.
The boy breathed in and out heavily as the image of what he had just seen flashed through his mind.
A-Abigail…
In the brief moment he had seen the girl, he had first noticed her body coated in a strange blackened material like charcoal.
Her eyes fluttered open and closed rapidly with her pupils darting around in total fear as she tried to struggle against the men around her.
One of the men held a glowing knife while another summoned a magical flame to his palm, hovering it only inches from her face.
It was a sight too cruel for Aaron's heart to bear, leaving him nauseated and disgusted behind a pile of wooden crates stacked in the corner.
Behind him, the footsteps of the approaching man echoed on the cold concrete floor, signaling his impending discovery.
T-This is bad… I have nothing left…
Attempting to tap the band wrapped around his index finger, a single spark of turquoise ejected from the gemstone before fading away.
He was completely out of options with only one path ahead of him.
I-I'm going to die…
With his heart rate accelerating in one last burst of strength, he prepared to lunge at the man approaching from behind; however, a sudden scream broke his concentration.
BOOOOOOM!
An explosion so large that it illuminated the entire chamber burst forth, drowning out the screams of the mercenaries.
Sunlight rushed into the room as the sound of gunshots, blood splatter, and death reverberated through the room.
Aaron had contracted his body into a protective ball in case any debris were to fall from above; however, a rush of wind made him break from his shell.
Opening his eyes gently and peering over the burning crates ahead of him, a figure moving at a speed that made her look like she was dancing, weaved through the herds of men, cutting them down in quick strikes.
Heads fell to the floor one after another with bullets being uselessly deflected with her beautifully crafted dagger that she swung around with precise accuracy.
It was a scene that Aaron had watched hundreds of times during training, yet this time, he finally grasped the magnitude of each strike.
The work of a seasoned professional and one of the strongest people in the world, his mentor and friend, Cam.