In a distant place, before the sun touched the edges of sunset, beneath the surface of the sea lay the ruins of gigantic buildings, surrounded by an ancient silence that carried the marks of time upon them. Seaweed crept over their cracked walls, while living lights emerged from their crevices, coming from the creatures that had made these decaying remains their home.
In the depths of these sunken buildings, a group of creatures moved with fluidity and speed. Their bodies from above resembled those of humans, and the strands of their long hair resembled the legs of an octopus, twisting and swaying with the water currents. As for the lower part of their bodies, it extended in the form of finned legs, giving them a strange and frightening appearance.
At the front of this group walked a mysterious woman bearing burn marks that covered parts of her upper body, giving her a distinctive and imposing appearance compared to the rest of her group. She led her followers swiftly through the ruins of the sunken city, heading toward a dilapidated building that resembled a palace, its walls covered with algae and its pillars eroded by time.
At the massive gate of the building, a number of guards stood firmly. Their bodies were covered with green scales, and sharp fins protruded from their sides. As for their hair, it was long and tangled like seaweed, and the sharp features of their faces gave them a frightening appearance.
When they saw the woman, they bowed their heads respectfully, and one of them said in a deep voice,
"Welcome back, Princess Kalisa."
The mysterious woman raised her head with pride, and her eyes shone with strong determination, while the burn marks on her body made her appear even more mysterious and powerful in the eyes of her followers.
The guards moved quickly, making way for the princess and her group, and led them all toward the upper part of the palace.
When they reached the top, where the water ended, they emerged into a room that contained a large basin in its center.
As soon as they entered the room, one of the creatures said in a trembling voice,
"He moved."
Another replied in astonishment,
"Really? That means there is hope for his recovery."
Princess Kalisa stepped toward the basin, which was surrounded by a faint green light. Inside it lay a deformed creature, its body covered with wounds and burns, and half of its face was horribly disfigured. Bubbles rose to the surface, indicating that he was still alive.
Suddenly, his hand began to move with a slight tremor, as if his body was trying to regain consciousness.
Kalisa looked at the basin and began to speak in a serious tone,
"His body must recover completely. We need a cure or special blood that can restore his features and heal him from his injuries."
Another creature replied with a worried voice,
"But where will we find this cure? We have tried everything and found no solution."
Kalisa answered seriously,
"There is one thing that can return his body to its original state. Something rare and powerful… it will require special blood, blood capable of reviving him."
Silence filled the room, and everyone realized the difficulty of the task awaiting them. The mysterious woman, their leader, looked at the basin with determination and resolve, determined to find the cure no matter the cost.
Elsewhere inside the palace, calmness filled the corridors, and the kingdom was drowned in the stillness of the night, as everyone was immersed in sleep.
Meanwhile, Basil was asleep in his room, but something strange happened. The mark on his hand began to glow in an unusual way, and he started to sink into dark and terrifying nightmares.
In the nightmare, he found himself in a palace whose walls were decorated with golden carvings, and whose high ceiling was adorned with ancient paintings.
Suddenly, heavily armed soldiers stormed the palace and destroyed everything in their path.
The sounds of women and children screaming filled the place, and blood flowed across the white marble floors.
Basil felt terror seize his entire being as he watched that chaos and destruction.
He saw children hiding behind the pillars, and women trying to protect their young ones with trembling hands. The scene was chaotic and frightening, and the faces before him were unfamiliar to him.
After everyone was killed, the bodies slowly rose, transforming into terrifying creatures with empty white eyes. Then the corpses turned toward Basil with heavy steps, repeating in a unified and frightening voice:
"All of this is because of you… our blood is on your hands… you are the reason…"
Fear gripped Basil from within. His heart pounded rapidly, its echo almost audible in his ears, while his eyes searched desperately for the faint light piercing the dark corridors.
He ran without awareness, trying to find any exit, any ray of hope that could save him from this nightmare. But the corpses were drawing closer and closer to him, the coldness of their bodies brushing against his back with every step. The dread in his heart grew each time he turned around, until suddenly the shock tore him out of the dream.
He woke up gasping, sweat pouring from his forehead as he tried to catch his breath between the rapid beats of his heart.
Basil sat on the edge of his bed, trying to comprehend what he had just seen.
While he was trying to calm himself, he suddenly felt a slight tremor shaking the place.
He got up from his bed and left his room, heading toward the dark corridors where the palace was lit by only a few lamps.
In the corridor, he met one of the maids and asked her,
"Did you feel that tremor?"
The maid replied,
"I did not feel any tremor, sir."
After she told him that she had not felt any tremor, Basil felt confused and decided to return to his room.
At the same time, elsewhere in the palace, the man who was being held captive beside a device that was emitting an alarm sound woke up in panic. He quickly turned off the device and said in fear:
"It seems they are getting closer!"