A raccoon?
No, that's not right...
A rabbit?
Doesn't seem right either...
Ray stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the little creature that had popped out of thin air, his mind completely blank.
When exactly did it appear? How did it appear? He had no clue.
The only thing clear was that the moment this little thing showed itself, the previously raging, rampant Dark Tide actually turned into a gluttonous feast before it, devoured bite by bite until nothing remained.
In no time, the rampaging Dark Tide was completely eaten up by this little creature in the blink of an eye.
Not even leaving a single trace.
"The Dark Tide... was eaten up?"
Ray, holding Phrolova in his arms, looked bewildered at the little creature.
"~Burp."
The little creature let out a satisfied burp and patted its round belly with its tiny paw.
It turned around, flew in front of Ray, looked down at the girl in his arms, then gently landed on his shoulder, blinking its big eyes and staring at him with a cluelessly cute expression.
"You—"
Ray turned his face, about to speak.
But that small figure had already turned into a stream of light and instantly burrowed into the tacet mark on the back of his hand.
This unexpected development startled Ray.
'This little thing... actually came from my resonance mark?
So, it's been living inside my body all along?
Could it be... it's my resonance ability?
The times I could absorb frequencies before, was it because of it?'
He had no idea.
Besides, right now, Ray didn't have much time to ponder this.
As the Dark Tide was completely devoured, the frequencies supporting this space also collapsed.
The sea and sky were about to collapse.
Faintly, the roar of seawater could be heard, like a dirge from hell, screaming in his ears.
"Mr. Ray!"
Phoebe's call came from behind.
"The Cetus will take us away! Hurry!"
Hearing this, Ray moved. He picked up Phrolova and rushed toward the girl and the massive whale.
Behind them, towering waves were already howling in pursuit,
At the critical moment, the Tidebreaker Whale exhaled a crystal-clear bubble, gently enveloping the three of them.
The waves crashed down with a roar, but ultimately were a step too late.
...
...
By the time the three of them surfaced with the Tidebreaker Whale, the sky was already fully bright.
The massive whale returned them to Serene Bay's island. Even the previously missing gondola was quietly moored in its original spot, likely, it too had been drawn by the Tidebreaker Whale's call and had been waiting here for some time.
"Finally... is it over?"
Ray lifted his head, looking at the azure, cloudless sky, letting out a long sigh of relief.
Though the time was brief, the oppressive feeling brought by facing the Dark Tide was far heavier than at any previous moment.
Of course, except for those times the Second Young Miss caught him teasing her about her height.
Phoebe stood on the shore, softly thanking the Tidebreaker Whale.
Phrolova in Ray's arms still hadn't woken up, her breathing steady and long.
It was less like unconsciousness and more like falling into a long-awaited, peaceful sleep.
He didn't know if it was his imagination, but Ray always felt she looked especially sweet sleeping curled up in his arms.
Though his arms were getting a bit sore... but who told him he owed her a favor?
Let her sleep a bit longer.
"Phoebe." Ray walked to the girl's side, his gaze still fixed on the massive whale ahead. "How is the situation underwater now?"
Phoebe turned around, her voice gentle. "The Tidebreaker Whale says it went berserk before because it wanted to help that Echo entity share the pain of the Dark Tide but was nearly backlashed and lost its mind. Thanks to you, Mr. Ray, the residual Dark Tide has completely disappeared. It also wants to formally apologize for the unpleasantness it caused at sea earlier."
"Oh? So it remembers." Ray gave an ambiguous smile, looking toward the Tidebreaker Whale. "Forget it. You helped me out this time too. Between us... let's call it even."
"By the way, Miss Phrolova... is she alright?" Phoebe's gaze slowly lowered, falling on the still-sleeping girl in his arms, concern in her tone. "Could she have been affected by the Dark Tide?"
Ray gently shook his head. "I'm not too sure either. But—"
He lowered his head, looking at Phrolova's hand unconsciously gripping his clothes, occasionally hearing her soft murmurs: "Don't go..."
Does Phrolova make such cute sounds too?
This isn't like the usual her at all.
"She should be fine, right?" He lifted his head, his tone softening a bit. "Seeing her like this, she seems more like she's just asleep."
"If it's really like that, then that's great." Phoebe's expression eased slightly, though she still carried a trace of caution. "But I think we should still properly check her body to be sure. Oh, Mr. Ray—"
As if suddenly remembering something, her tone turned curious.
"Earlier, at the bottom of the sea, how exactly did the Dark Tide disappear? I think I saw... it was eaten by a little creature? Where did that little thing go?"
Ray stiffened slightly, looking down at the back of his hand, confusion surfacing between his brows. "I'm not sure either. But it seems... to be living inside my body."
"Living inside your body? What does that mean?" Phoebe showed a puzzled expression.
After all, the vast majority of Echoes were digitized and stored within terminals. Although records did mention a few rare cases of symbiotic existence with humans, such situations were exceedingly uncommon.
"It means exactly what it says," Ray shrugged helplessly. "That little thing finished eating the Dark Tide, then whoosh, right back into my tacet mark. As for what's going on now, I really don't understand."
"Oh, right, Phoebe." He paused briefly, his tone turning serious. "About this matter... could you keep it a secret for me?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Think about it," Ray sighed. "If the Order or anyone else found out I can handle the Dark Tide, what if someone got the wrong idea? Phoebe wouldn't want to see me dragged into that kind of trouble, would she?"
A flicker of confusion passed over Phoebe's face. She didn't quite understand why Ray held such reservations about the Order, but the girl still nodded gently. "Mm, I understand. I promise, when I return to the Order, my report won't contain any records about you, Mr. Ray!"
"That's good."
Ray secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
If the Order noticed something odd and slapped a 'heretic' label on him, wouldn't he be screwed?
He really didn't want to go work for the Fool's Troupe; staying by the Second Young Miss's side and enjoying the easy life was just fine.
Less trouble was better than more.
Secrets like this, the fewer people who knew, the better.
"...Mmm."
The girl in his arms let out a muffled whimper, carrying a hint of a coquettish nasal tone. The hand gripping his clothes unconsciously tightened a bit more, as if confirming his existence even in her dreams.
Feeling that slight tug, Ray looked down at her defenseless sleeping face and ultimately just let out a helpless, soft sigh.
"Let's go." He adjusted his hold on her and said to Phoebe, "Let's head back to the island first."