The lake looked peaceful. Too peaceful.Which, in our case, meant something horrible was about to happen.
Issac adjusted his diving mask (a cheap one from Cupp's "bargain bin of destiny") and looked at Shin."Ready?"
Shin sighed, staring at the icy black water. "I'm starting to question all my life choices, but sure. Let's find some ghost corpses and trauma."
They both dove in.
The water was freezing. It swallowed sound, light, and reason.Shin shivered violently as their flashlights cut through murky depths filled with floating debris—rusty cans, tangled weeds, and… a shopping cart?
Issac pointed at it. "Bro, is that a 1970s rice cooker?"
"Yeah, and look—jewelry!" Shin grabbed a chain half-buried in silt. "It's like a haunted thrift shop down here!"
Then they saw it. A shimmer of light in the distance—silver bracelets, hairpins, and pearls all drifting together like they were waiting.Elena's jewelry.
Issac reached out to grab one, but the water turned colder. The surface above them rippled unnaturally.Something was watching.
Shin mouthed underwater, "We're leaving. NOW."Issac nodded furiously.
They shot back up, gasping for air—only to freeze at the sight in front of them.
Cupp, Aiko, Elena, and Grim were on a giant inflatable duck.Yes. A giant yellow duck.
Cupp was wearing sunglasses again, sipping juice through a straw like he was at a divine resort.Grim was floating lazily on her scythe like a pool float, teasing Aiko about her swimsuit choice ("Darling, you could kill a mortal with those denim shorts~").Elena—glowing, ghostly, and drenched as ever—was splashing around yelling, "Nyaa~ look, I can make whirlpools!"
Issac's jaw dropped. "We were literally drowning five meters below and you guys are having a lake party?!"
Cupp peeked over his shades. "Correction—divine cleansing ritual. You mortals call it 'fun.'"
Aiko laughed nervously. "Grim insisted… said it'd 'raise morale.'"
Shin, still panting, threw his mask down. "Morale?! We almost became lake ghosts!"
Elena pouted. "Aww, don't be mean. I was cheering for you!""You were throwing water balls at me!""That's cheering in ghost language!"
Issac pointed at the jewelry in his hand. "We found this. It's all yours, right?"
Elena's expression changed. She floated closer, touching the necklace. "Yeah… I wore that on the night I—"
Splash!
Cupp cannonballed into the lake, interrupting the tension. "WOOO! GOD OF SPLASH HAS ARRIVED!"
Grim sighed dramatically, shaking her head. "You know, for a god, he's remarkably good at ruining serious moments."
Aiko smirked. "It's kind of his divine gift."
Issac rubbed his temples. "Why do I hang out with you people…"
The sky started to darken again. A ripple went through the water—not from Cupp's idiocy this time.The jewelry in Issac's hand began to glow faintly blue.
Elena's eyes widened. "That's… my memory."
Everyone went silent as faint echoes filled the air—laughter, splashing water, a scream, then silence.
Grim's tone dropped, suddenly serious."The lake remembers."
"Thanks for reading chapter 12"