Step. Step. Step. Slosh.
Lewis stood with his shoes splashing onto the water of Lake Erie. It was so quiet, so still. It was almost hard to imagine paranormal activities happened here before. Because he had heard he could find the Orb of Life on here, he managed George and the Empress to place the hunting competition at this location.
So that he could withdraw the artifact without a single person carefully watching. They would think he is simply hunting for rare specimens of fishes, but it would not be true.
He crouched down, his white tailcoat turning wet as it hit the water. He didn't worry about it, he could extract the water molecules away from his clothes.
He bend down to touch the water, his fingertips glowed blue as they interacted with the water body. Navy blue lines channeled through the depth slowly, twisting and twirling as they reached the base of the lake. It took a moment or so, until bodies started to appear. Shinny whale tails broke the calm surface, sending ripples that bounced back from his shoes and fingers.
As soon as the first sign had appeared, he stood up and walked backwards, away from the water. Mermaids appeared, blue and green heads bobbed out of the surface and stared at his face.
"It appears it was you who sent a message?" One of them spoke. Lewis stared with a tilt of his head, not responding for a while. He only held out his palm, turning the moisture from his clothes into a levitating sphere of water on his hand.
"Do I need to prove it further?" He asked, with a hint of arrogance at his voice. Although they were mythical creatures, he treated them with harshness. Not afraid even after knowing that if offended, a mermaid could drown you into the depths of the sea.
"No." They replied, hanging their heads in a bow of respect. "Since you have sent us a message, we shall listen to whatever work you have for us."
"Bring me the Orb of Life." He answered straight, without a hint of emotions at his face. "It is just a piece of jewelry for you, and I know that thing has no use for you at all. Don't even try to fool me by saying you can't make more of those."
They nodded in complete silence. "Anything to do for the Prince of the Lakes."
Apparently, although it wasn't a common thing... He was in fact what was said. It was under his command that the creatures inside this lake moves around. It wasn't a thing until he was about five and on his own in this place. His magic too was a thing he had found by himself, founding it in this lake. He was a fast learner, almost like Aefia, and immediately showed signs of being a very powerful leader.
So to keep themselves safe from other humans, who constantly showed threats of selling parts of them for money on the black market, decided to make him a leader who looked after their habitat. Every week as he grew, he would come along with his father to learn how to control his powers until right now, he was rulling it without help.
He may be arrogant, but it is also because of him that the black market situation had gone down. When mythical creatures start to feel less treathened, they start to gain more and more confidence to learn how to fight back. That was all they needed, a sense of protection even if it were from a kid.
"We will be right back after we fetch the Orb of Life." They answered while swimming away one-by-one. Meanwhile, Lewis stood back and settled against the dried leaves, burying his face in his hands while letting out a sigh. He still remembered Cedric's advice.
"Stop drying the soil behind you."
And he scoffed in response. "Like he knows whatever is going on in my life. I suppose he is simply trying to hide my sister away from me. Maybe he is using her as a member in his team. Well? How will I be sure? I am still not certain if Aefia's body has truly been taken by a devil or she is just acting like it.
"Whatever. I am certain I will end up meeting her somehow. Either she is a guest, or she is a hunter. But most probably she is a hunter, knowing she is a battle maniac.
"However, whatever it is she is... I just hope I can see her from a distance. I heard of her at the banquet... I just didn't get to see her."
***
There were places like this in Earth too. But the water there wasn't dark. It was clear, you could see the shadow of your boat at the base of the lake. Lake Erie... The name was taken from a lake of Earth too.
On Earth, that lake was later labelled as a Dead Lake. People polluted it, but it had a fast water recovery time. About two and half a year. Alongside that, it was so shallow, during windy seasons, people near the shores had to evacuate to stay safe.
Because it is shallow, wind can whip up dangerous, choppy waves of up to five to ten feets in a matter of minutes. For boaters and swimmers, these steep, close-together waves can easily capsize vessels or overwhelm those in the water.
When strong winds blow lengthwise, usually southwest to northeast, they push massive amounts of water to one end of the lake. This 'bathtub effect' rapidly raises water levels and triggers coastal flooding on the windward side, while simultaneously dropping water levels and stranding boats on the opposite end.
Variations in the lakebed and strong wind-driven waves create powerful, river-like rip currents that pull swimmers away from the shore. Additionally, turbulent waves crashing against solid piers and breakwalls create complex, intersecting currents that are exceptionally dangerous to navigate.
High winds and churning waters cause bottom sediment to shift, altering sandbars and creating unpredictable, sudden drop-offs or hidden hazards for swimmers.
During colder windy periods, high winds can shatter partial ice coverage. This pushes large, moving chunks of ice out into the open water, frequently stranding or trapping ice fishermen and requiring emergency rescues.
These were all the dangers in the Lake Erie on Earth. Meanwhile, the Lake Erie at Nikoan, had dangers that were more fantasy then basic geography.
Firstly, the water is dark. Not clear like Flathead or Tahoe, or even Baikal in Russia. It was a dark blue and extremely cold like the Pacific ocean would be.
Secondly, it was as extremely deep. Most probably, as deep as Baikal. Because the further you go down, the lesser amount of light reaches you.
Finally, there were not a single life inside this lake. No fishes, not organic life. Even on Earth where the deepest lakes lay, there some sort of a life source moving around, swimming without a care to the world. But here, there was absolutely nothing.
However, that was never the main issue. If there were fishes, then she would have panicked harder.
Aefia managed to break the surface of the water for a few seconds. Her hair and clothes drenched and she took a look into the edges of the lake.
It was raining. The sky was dark and the water was darker now than before. Trees dissapeared and the shore was not visible. This time, it truly felt like an ocean where she was far from land. She struggled to stay upright, her head bobbing up and down on the water.
She had thalassophobia. It made her want to swim towards nowhere, looking for a shore to climb onto. The fear was a very fast reaction. If she was in a water body, her feet suddenly couldn't touch the ground or the water levels were rising to above her throat, she would instantly start to panic. Throwing her hands up in the air, trying to I grab into something.
This was one reason she was not a good swimmer. Once in water, she needs her feet to touch the ground. But if the ground is swallowing her up or she touched an unfamiliar texture, that too triggers her attacks.
Meanwhile, she was currently stranded in lake which suddenly turned into an endless water body. With no one else alongside her to help, except for a ghost. And no one else there who could come over and save her.
It is almost impossible to describe the fear. But it feels like something below you is about to come out and swallow you whole. Something from the far distance is rushing towards you with a wide open mouth. Something is going to grab onto you.
That was exactly how Aefia was feeling right there. Panicking, afraid of the void below her limps. She didn't understand why she chose to get rid of a ghost for such an expensive price. Was it her sheer determination back then?
As she struggled to breathe, the ghost surfaced from the water in front of her.
"It is all because of you!"
The ghost sighed while grabbing onto Aefia's wrist. "You can only send me away by grabbing that artifact. Otherwise... I can't go to the Spirit Realm."
Aefia bit her tongue, trying to stop her frantic breathing, but she just couldn't. Until, she felt a long slick tentacle wrapping around her feet again, making her gasp a large amount of air and follow its pull downwards. Once inside the water body again, she reached into her sleeve and pulled the sword sword out.
She tried her best, bending over and sliced the tightly wounding tentacle out of her leg. Slightly cutting her ankle along the way, but the pain didn't stop her. Her eyes fell to the dark bottomless ground, and felt a sudden panic spike inside her. But the determination fought back to prevent it. She shut her eyes and swum her way downwards as fast as she could. Reaching her hand outwards to search for the sea ground.
The ghost helped her most of the way, pulling her forward towards the place where the artifact rested.
Finally, after nearly losing her breathe, her fingertips interacted sand. And she immediately started digging with all her might. She felt suffocated, her panic may have decreased, but she was fighting for her life to get out of the water body right this second.
Apparently, even after that extra pull that the ghost had helped, it took two straight minutes to swim down to the base. This, is the maximum capacity of human lungs, subtracted the amount that she had panicked and let out breathe from her mouth.
From the constant fear, she suddenly lost all motions. Her eyes were wide open, but she was suddenly hyperaware of the dark lake. She started searching faster, until her hand landed on a circular small object the size of a regular pearl. She clasped it, vanishing it into her inventory while landing on her feet on the sand.
Immediately, she tried to jump upwards.
It worked as a push, helping her reach for the surface a little faster. The short-sword was draining her energy, asking as an extra weight. The ghost beside her didn't help her anymore, for some reasons. As Aefia used up the last of her breathe when she reached the brighter regions of the water. She was between the limits of drowning and instantly dying due to suffocation. She could feel her fire element slowly burning away, the coldness if the water was causing her to shiver.
Oh, I fucked up.
She thought to herself, looking sideways at the woman who was only a silhouette. She offered a smile, cupping the half-conscious Aefia's face and pressing a kiss to her forehead.
Aefia's blurring eyes were half-closed, but she managed to register the words the ghost said before fading away.
"Now give that artifact to your brother, Lewis."
She watched the last of the silhouette dissappear, she felt frozen in the water, opening her mouth as her mind shot multiple words at her at the same time.
She made me go through such a hassle just to fetch this artifact for someone who can control the Whale element.
But how do I give it to him? I am dying here, drowning out of suffocation. I am having an ongoing panic attack and there is exactly no one who can help me in this situation.
I am stranded in a lake that is so deep and there is no shore near me, how do I get out of it.
What if I just die? And then my body is discovered where Lewis will someone eventually find the artifact. Wait... Is this what the ghost intended?
Was the ghost honestly looking out for my death?
There are certain who want people to die, so did she want me to die because I died on her hand?
Then why did she kiss my forehead?
Am I failing my twenty day trial of becoming the third Aethalgard?
Why do I keep losing everything?! I can't achieve anything for myself!
She grit her teeth and looked up, at where the water was supposed to meet the air. She tried to reaching out just once more, but she was too drained to move anymore.
Besides, some weird large fishes starting to swim above her, then towards her. Their tails were shiny, of colours between blue and green.
There are no large fishes that are blue and green...
But she failed to realize that mermaids leave in this lake. She squinted her eyes, trying to look carefully at their figures.
However, that was also when those sleek, black, slippery tentacles wound around her neck. Making her gasp and immediately swallow a lot of water, it all filled her lungs. More tentacles wound around her limps, dragging her down to the depths.
She tried to fight back, but her short sword was trapped and she couldn't move her hands to reach it or even pull it off her.
Right... I was always supposed to die.
She looked down at the bottom, where the sea suddenly looked deeper. It made her realize, that the sand is always shifting here, sometimes stacking on top of each other to lessen the depth and moving away to deepen it.
It was a mythical beasts' nest too, so it was obvious it could detect unwanted presence. At the very last second, as the mermaids held up a spear at her neck, she went unconscious. Possibly dead, since she swallowed a huge amount of water earlier.