THE PEAK OF OBLIVION - A Cultivation Adventure Novel

Chapter 3 - Endless Ocean

Chapter 3 - Endless Ocean

Kaeya gritted his teeth as his vision began to fade at the edges. From the corner of his eye, he saw something that nearly made his heart stop. Nayla suddenly went limp. Her aura faded, and she dropped from the sky like a rock, plummetting toward the dark waters below.

Using the last ounce of his strength, Kaeya forced himself to move. He shot through the air like an arrow, reaching out desperately toward the falling figure. This forceful action caused him to cough up blood and nearly lose consciousness, but Kaeya didn't care.

"No!" Kaeya let out a furious and unwilling roar as the hem of Nayla's dress slipped through his fingers.

In the end, he was still too slow. Exhaustion had dulled his reaction speed, and he moved a fraction of a second too late. The raging sea seemed to reach up and swallow Nayla whole. She vanished beneath the dark waves.

Kaeya cried out in anguish, his vision blurring with tears. As he dove towards the water, Kaeya coughed up another mouthful of blood and finally lost consciousness.

The white-robed old man suddenly appeared beneath Kaeya, catching him in his arms. He stood in the air for several minutes, gazing down at the sea with a weary expression. Finally, he turned away, sighing heavily.

"I'm sorry, Kaeya. This old man was too useless to protect her life. This burden is mine to bear. I will accept the despair and hatred in your heart. Use those feelings to drive you forward. I know you will make her proud..."

...

A solitary figure drifted slowly, lost in the depths of a dark and endless ocean. Her eyes were tightly shut, and she hugged her knees against her chest, her long black hair trailing behind her. She was breathtakingly beautiful but also gave off a sense of icy coldness. It was like no warmth could touch her heart.

Her pale skin and white dress would have stood out starkly against the dark waters, but in this place, there was only darkness. No light could reach these depths. But even if it had, there was nothing to see except the endless, roiling waves.

[Why am I in this place, what have I done to deserve this?]

She didn't know.

[How long have I been here?]

She could not remember.

[Nayla... My name is Nayla.]

She clung to this single truth like a lifeline. It was everything she knew and all she remembered; the only thing that occupied her mind and prevented her from losing her last shred of sanity.

Perhaps once, long ago, there had been more to her existence than this endless void, drowning for eternity. But all of that was long, long gone. Nothing remained except her name and the endless ocean. All she could do was drift aimlessly, pushed by the ocean currents. Always moving, but going nowhere.