Season-1: Echoes From Abyss
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Sherry almost leapt off the bed. Seeing the black-painted walls, for a moment she thought she was lying inside a grave.
Thank goodness light was streaming in through the window—otherwise she might have died of fear.
She got up and opened the window on one side. The gentle sunlight touched her skin. Then she opened the balcony door and stepped outside. One glance at the surroundings was enough to tell her—this was Bangkok, Thailand. Her country. But this was not her home.
She tried to recall what had happened before. The village, the monsters—everything came rushing back. She also remembered falling into the water at the last moment. Beyond that, there were no memories. In her mind, she hurled a couple of curses at the person who had pushed her into the water.
She began thinking about her home.
No—how could that even be called a home?
A strange room. She had lived there all her life. Seen the world only through a narrow window. Occasionally, her so-called parents would come into the room—show a little affection, talk to her, feed her, and then make her take some kind of medicine. After that, Sherry remembered nothing.
Just thinking about it sent a chill down her spine.
Maybe coming here was for the best.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening behind her.
The room lights came on. Sherry saw a young girl standing before her with a food tray in hand. She wore a violet frock; her brown hair was braided.
Smiling, the girl said,
"Oh! You're awake already? That's good. Come on, I brought food for you."
She pulled Sherry over and made her sit on the bed, placing the tray in front of her. On it were a bowl of noodles and a glass of water.
Sherry couldn't understand what was happening. The braided-haired girl spoke again,
"Hi, my name's Naomi. You already know my big brother—the one who brought you here. His name is Ren. Honestly, even I don't know who you really are. Yesterday, my brother carried you home unconscious, and today you've finally regained consciousness. You must be hungry—eat quickly. Let me know if you need anything."
She rattled off everything in a rush and left downstairs before Sherry could say a word.
Sherry was extremely thirsty. The moment the water touched her lips, she spat it out. Something about the taste was off. Even the smell of the noodles felt unbearable. And yet—everything looked perfectly normal.
Sherry couldn't understand what was happening. She stared blankly at the food, as if in a trance.
Suddenly, her entire vision turned black. From her pink lips oozed a black, liquid-like substance. It moved on its own and dropped into the bowl of noodles, like some gelatinous creature. Slowly, strange worms began emerging from it.
No one knows what came over Sherry then. She began devouring the food like a monster—worms and all. A grotesque, horrifying sight.
The moment she finished eating, her eyes returned to normal. She had no memory of what had just happened.
Church bells rang from nearby. Sherry quietly walked back to the balcony.
---
Rex sat holding two bouquets of flowers in front of two cement slabs.
The slabs marked the graves of his father, Philip, and his mother, Illera.
Rex placed the bouquets on their graves. Surprisingly, his eyes welled up—but no tears fell. In a fragile, subdued voice, Rex spoke,
"You're the only people before whom I can't keep my rules, my limits, my boundaries intact. Even after your deaths, I couldn't forget your memories."
He exhaled deeply and added,
"Love you, Mom and Dad. Forever."
Rex stood up quickly, left the place, got into his black Mercedes, and drove off.
---
"So—how are things, Mr. Ren Elion Xovier?"
"As they usually are. But let me say this first—please call me Rex. Okay, Emma?"
Emma, dressed in a black suit, sat on the chair opposite Rex. In a serious tone, she asked,
"So, how's work going?"
Rex replied in his usual calm manner,
"What can I say—James is,..dead, Dorian turned out to be a traitor, Charlotte's whereabouts are unknown, and on top of that, another crazy girl landed on my head. The Rapid Force was sent to save the villagers, and the Elflex team came to extract me. The moment I saw the blue flag on the ship, I knew our team had arrived. Dorian thought it was a friendly ship at first. I realized he was the traitor the moment I read the message. Then, trying to survive, Sherry and I had to jump into the water. Whose brilliant idea was it to fire a missile at a boat? Using a cannon to kill a mosquito."
"Who's this 'crazy girl'? And who is Sherry?"
"I don't know. Found her in Ashvale village. Now I'm stuck with the unnecessary hassle of dropping her home. A completely pointless mission. By the way, what's the situation in that village?"
"Under control. All those unusual creatures have been terminated. Our men just shot at them when they saw them and they were finished. A few have been taken hostage for experiments. But they can't ensure us that there is no creatures alive. Listen—I want to see this girl, Sherry. Tonight, Commander Jacob is hosting a party for his birthday. You must bring her."
Rex frowned.
"I'll come, fine. But what am I supposed to do bringing a little kid along?"
"Actually I want to know that if she knows something about ashvale incident. But you said a kid? How old is she?"
"Maybe nineteen. That's what she said."
Emma raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? And you're what—twenty or twenty-one? Being one or two years older makes you feel elderly now? Should I start calling you 'sir' or uncle?"
Rex felt awkward—or maybe just annoyed. He replied quickly,
"I'll take my leave then. Take care, Emma."
Rex left promptly. Emma smiled faintly, shook her head, and returned to her work.
---
Sherry sat on the balcony, staring blankly at the wide road ahead. Waiting had made her restless. Suddenly, her eyes widened with excitement.
A shiny black car entered the garage through the brick-laid garden path. At last—her waiting seemed to be over.
Naomi, the thirteen-year-old girl, ran down the stairs and stood in front of Rex, scolding him lightly,
"There you are! You went to see Mom at the hospital and just got back. How is Mom? And where's Dad?"
Naomi was Sienna and James's only daughter—Rex's cousin. But she wasn't entirely normal; she couldn't grasp the harsh yet eternal truths of the world.
Hiding all truths behind a faint smile, Rex placed a hand on Naomi's head and said gently,
"Your mom is doing fine. Uncle James is busy with work—he'll come later."
Rex buried his pain deep inside.
Naomi said,
"Oh… who knows when that'll be. By the way, the sister you brought is upstairs, in your room. Go check on her."
Saying that, Naomi headed toward the kitchen.
Rex went upstairs to the room where Sherry was staying. Entering the room, he didn't see her. He felt someone standing behind him.
Before he could turn around, Sherry flung the entire mug of water in her hand straight at Rex's face.
Rex stood stunned.
---
"Revenge for throwing me into the water."
Wiping his face, Rex looked at her, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Muttering, he said,
"If I hadn't thrown you into the water back then, we'd have burned to death."
Whether Sherry heard him or not, she shouted,
"Hey! Are you insulting me? You almost sent me to the afterlife—don't you feel even a little guilty?"
Clenching his teeth, Rex replied,
"If we hadn't jumped into the water, none of us would've survived. Dorian was a traitor. My agency's ship bombed him. If we hadn't jumped in time, we both would've died."
Sherry quieted down a bit, but her tone remained sharp.
"Whose donkey-brained plan was it to bomb one guy?"
Scratching his head, Rex said,
"I'm looking for that donkey too."
Then his expression hardened.
"Tonight, there's a birthday event for an important person from our agency. Unfortunately, I have to take you with me. Naomi will help you get ready. After that, my team and I will arrange to drop you home safely."
Sherry almost protested at the word unfortunately, but said nothing. Still—she had no desire to go home.
She shot back,
"Why should I attend a stranger's birthday party? I don't have a hobby of eating cake. And I know my home—I can go alone."
But in truth, she had no intention of leaving.
Rex had already realized that gentle persuasion wouldn't work on her. In a commanding tone, he said,
"My word is final. You are coming with me tonight. Consider it gratitude—for me saving your life twice in the last twenty-four hours. We'll talk later."
With that, Rex left the room quickly. Staying in wet clothes too long wasn't an option. Still, even Rex felt uneasy about being so harsh.
Sherry slammed the door shut and muttered to herself,
"What nerve—bossing me around like that. A thug calling himself a police officer."
What would happen at night—who knew?
---
Rex wore a deep navy-blue coat. A shiny Rolex adorned his wrist—one with a secret feature. His brown hair was neatly styled, sharp and handsome as ever. Yet something was missing—there was no smile on his face. He stood before the mirror with such gravity, as if he were heading into battle rather than a party.
His phone rang. Commander Jacob.
Rex answered quickly.
"Hello, Rex?" the Commander's voice was busy.
"What is it, Commander?" Rex didn't hear a birthday greeting.
"Are you ready?"
"Not yet—but I'm heading out." He glanced at the clock. Seven o'clock.
"The event's at eight. It takes half an hour to get there—why should I arrive thirty minutes early?"
"A renowned scientist has joined us at our request—Dr. Barnes Frederick. Famous biologist—you know him, right? He arrived early. It's a good opportunity. Before the event starts, take your time getting acquainted. If possible, convince him to take on some of our projects. Got it, Rex?"
"Yes, Captain. I'm coming."
The call ended.
Dr. Barnes Frederick, Rex muttered.
Since his room was occupied, Rex was staying in the guest room. As he stepped out, he heard laughter from upstairs. Naomi's friendly nature had surely turned Sherry into her new best friend.
Rex called out loudly,
"Naomi?"
Naomi rushed out with a comb in hand—she had been acting as a makeup artist.
"Yes, brother?"
Seeing the situation, Rex realized they weren't ready yet.
"I need to leave early. You two come later with the driver."
Naomi hesitated, but agreed.
Rex drove off in his black car. One by one, lamppost lights passed as the car sped along the wide road.
His phone rang again—Louis flashed on the screen.
"What's up, Your Eternal Seriousness? How much longer till you arrive?"
"Ten seconds. Hang up."
Rex smiled crookedly and stopped the car. He stepped out, straightened his tie.
A palace-like mansion stood before him. On a marble slab beside the main gate gleamed the words: Watson Mansion. After climbing twenty to twenty-five steps, one reached the entrance hall.
Standing midway on the stairs was a young man—blond hair, brown coat—Louis Watson. Commander Jacob Watson's only son.
The moment he saw Rex, Louis's face lit up. Like an excited child, he rushed forward and hugged him—as if reuniting with an old friend after ages.
Rex, however, didn't return the hug. He slipped his hands into his pockets instead. Louis wasn't surprised—he knew Rex well.
"How are you, Ren? I couldn't check on you for a long time because of that Philippines mission. I heard about your uncle and aunt—I'm really sorry. I think Naomi should be told."
Rex replied calmly,
"You know she's not mature enough yet. I'm afraid she won't be able to handle it. I've spoken with the church committee about Aunt Sienna's burial. For now, it's better to keep this from Naomi."
Louis didn't object, though a question lingered—how could Rex attend a party after losing two loved ones in a single day? Didn't he feel pain? But he also knows, his own father didn't cancelled this party even his colleague had died one day before.
Looking around, Louis suddenly asked,
"Hey—did you come alone? Why didn't you bring Naomi?"
At the mention of Naomi's name, Rex frowned slightly, smiled dismissively, then said,
"She'll come later—maybe in ten or fifteen minutes. If she doesn't, what difference does it make?"
Louis caught the jab and quickly changed the subject.
"Come on—Dad, I mean Commander Jacob, and Dr. Barnes are waiting for you."
Rex raised an eyebrow lightly.
"Oh? Then let's go."
They headed into the hall together. The white mansion gleamed like gold. Two staircases rose from opposite ends of the hall. Chandeliers sparkled across the ceiling, intricate designs everywhere. Moonlight streamed through large windows, dancing on the floor.
At the center stood Commander Jacob and Dr. Barnes. The Commander wore a white coat; the Doctor, black. Somewhere between forty and fifty, Rex guessed.
Louis stood beside his father.
The moment Dr. Barnes saw Rex, he smiled strangely and said,
"So—you must be Ren Elion Xovier? I didn't mistake you, did I?"
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