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The small fishing village of Inaba was nestled against jagged cliffs, where the ocean’s waves crashed relentlessly. The scent of salt hung heavy in the air, mingling with the faint aroma of smoked fish from the market. Evening was falling, casting the horizon in shades of amber and violet, as Kaiza walked into town. His dark cloak was frayed at the edges, a testament to countless journeys, and his eyes carried the weight of centuries. He kept his hood low, avoiding the curious gazes of villagers.
Kaiza had seen countless places like this over the years. Simple, quiet, and untouched by the chaos of the wider world. Yet, no matter how far he traveled, peace eluded him. The curse of immortality ensured that he was always an outsider, a shadow passing through lives that would flicker and fade while he endured.
He approached the market square, where merchants were packing up their wares for the day. A young boy darted past him, clutching a loaf of bread, and an angry baker gave chase, shouting curses. Kaiza sighed, stepping aside to let the scene unfold. These small dramas were meaningless to him now, mere echoes of a life he could no longer live.
At the edge of the square, a woman’s voice caught his attention. “Fresh fish! Straight from the sea! Come before it’s gone!”Her stall was modest, but her enthusiasm was infectious. Kaiza’s gaze lingered on the fish silver scales glinting in the fading light. For a moment, he was reminded of the ocean’s beauty, a beauty he had come to fear.
He turned away, his thoughts drifting to the purpose of his visit. Rumors had brought him here whispers of strange disappearances along the coast and sightings of creatures in the water. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard such tales. Most were exaggerations or superstitions, but sometimes they held a kernel of truth. And truth was what he sought, no matter how dark.
The inn was small but clean, its wooden beams polished from years of care. Kaiza paid for a room with a handful of coins and settled at a corner table in the common area. The warmth of the fire and the murmur of conversation did little to ease his weariness. He sipped his drink in silence, listening to the villagers’ chatter.
“Another one gone,” an older man muttered to his companion. “That’s the third this month.”
“Aye,” the other replied, his voice low. “The sea’s cursed, I tell you. Mark my words, it’s those creatures again.”
Kaiza’s ears pricked up. He leaned slightly closer, careful not to draw attention.
“Creatures?” the innkeeper’s wife asked, setting down a tray of mugs. “You mean the mermaids?”
“Don’t speak of them here,” the old man hissed. “They’ll hear you.”
The woman scoffed but said no more, moving to another table. Kaiza’s interest deepened. It was rare for such rumors to be spoken so openly. He finished his drink and rose, his decision made. The sea was calling, as it always did.
The cliffs loomed high above the shore, their jagged edges silhouetted against the moonlight. Kaiza’s boots crunched on the rocky path as he descended toward the beach. The air was colder here, and the sound of waves was louder, more menacing. He reached the sand and paused, scanning the horizon.
The ocean stretched endlessly before him, a vast expanse of darkness. But Kaiza’s eyes were sharp, and he noticed a faint glow in the water, far from shore. It pulsed gently, like the heartbeat of the sea itself. He moved closer, his footsteps silent.
A sudden splash broke the stillness. Kaiza froze, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword. The glow in the water grew brighter, and a figure emerged, rising from the waves. It was a woman—or at least, it appeared to be. Her hair was long and dark, clinging to her pale skin, and her eyes glowed with an otherworldly light. She was beautiful, but there was something unsettling about her presence.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she said, her voice soft but echoing unnaturally.
Kaiza didn’t answer immediately. He studied her, noting the sharpness of her teeth when she spoke and the faint webbing between her fingers. “I’ve come seeking answers,” he said finally. “About the disappearances.”
The mermaid tilted her head, a smile playing on her lips. “Curious. Most humans run from the unknown. Yet you seek it out.”
“I have my reasons,” Kaiza replied. He kept his tone steady, though his grip on his sword tightened. “Tell me what you know.”
She laughed, a sound like breaking glass. “You think you can demand answers from me? You’re bold, human. But boldness won’t save you.”
Before Kaiza could respond, she lunged at him with inhuman speed. He barely had time to draw his sword, the blade catching the moonlight as it clashed against her claws. The force of the impact sent him stumbling back, but he recovered quickly, his centuries of experience guiding his movements.
The battle was fierce but brief. Kaiza’s strikes were precise, and though the mermaid was fast, she was no match for his skill. With a final slash, she fell to the sand, her glowing eyes dimming. Kaiza stood over her, breathing heavily.
“You don’t understand,” she whispered, blood staining her lips. “You’ve already lost.”
Her body dissolved into foam, leaving only the faint glow of the water behind. Kaiza sheathed his sword, his mind racing. Her words lingered, a chilling reminder that his quest for answers was far from over.
The next morning, Kaiza returned to the village. The market was bustling, the villagers oblivious to the dangers lurking just beyond their shores. He approached the fishmonger’s stall, his gaze scanning the offerings.
“You were out late,” the woman said, her tone cautious. “I saw you heading toward the cliffs.”
Kaiza met her eyes. “And if I was?”
She hesitated, then leaned closer. “There are things in the sea you don’t want to find. If you value your life, stay away.”
“I’ll take that under advisement,” Kaiza said, handing her a coin for a piece of smoked fish. He walked away, his thoughts heavy. The mermaid’s warning and the villagers’ fear pointed to something far greater than a few disappearances. And Kaiza knew he couldn’t ignore it.
As he left the market, a soft voice called out to him. “Wait!”
He turned to see a girl, no older than twelve, standing hesitantly behind him. Her clothes were tattered, and her eyes were wide with fear. “You… you’re not from here, are you?”She asked.
“No,” Kaiza replied. “Why?”
The girl glanced around nervously. “They’re watching. The ones in the water. They took my sister. Please, you have to help me.”
Kaiza knelt to meet her gaze. “What’s your name?”
“Mina,” she whispered.
He studied her for a moment, then nodded. “I’ll help you, Mina. But you need to tell me everything.”
She hesitated, then nodded, tears welling in her eyes. “They come at night. They sing to us. My sister… she couldn’t resist. She walked into the water, and they took her. I tried to stop them, but they were too strong.”
Kaiza placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I’ll do everything I can to bring her back.”
Mina’s eyes filled with hope, and for the first time in years, Kaiza felt a glimmer of purpose. He had spent centuries wandering, searching for redemption. Perhaps, in helping this girl, he could take one small step toward finding it.
That night, Kaiza stood on the beach once more, Mina by his side. The waves glimmered under the starlight, and the air was thick with tension. He could feel the presence of something watching them, waiting.
“Stay close to me,” he said, his voice low. Mina nodded, clutching his cloak tightly.
The haunting melody began, soft and sweet, carried on the wind. Mina’s grip tightened as her eyes widened in recognition. “That’s it,” she whispered. “That’s their song.”
Kaiza drew his sword, the blade gleaming in the moonlight. The water’s surface rippled, and shadows began to emerge, their forms both beautiful and grotesque. The mermaids had come, their glowing eyes fixed on Kaiza and Mina.
“Leave the girl,” one of them hissed. “She belongs to us.”
Kaiza stepped forward, his stance unwavering. “You’ll have to go through me first.”
The mermaids snarled, their voices blending into a cacophony of rage. The battle began, and Kaiza fought with a determination he hadn’t felt in centuries. This time, he wasn’t fighting for himself. He was fighting for Mina, for her chance at a life free from fear.
As the last mermaid fell, the beach fell silent once more. Kaiza stood amidst the carnage, his chest heaving. Mina ran to him, tears streaming down her face. “Thank you,” she said, her voice trembling.
Kaiza placed a hand on her head, his expression softening. “It’s not over yet. But we’ll face it together.”
As dawn broke over the horizon, Kaiza and Mina turned their backs on the sea, setting out on a journey that would change their lives forever.
Related Chapters
Tides Of Eternity Episode 2: Shadows Beneath the Waves
The morning sun rose over the village of Inaba, casting golden light across the restless sea. Kaiza and Mina walked in silence along the winding coastal path, their footsteps muffled by the damp earth. Though Mina’s eyes were heavy with exhaustion, her resolve was evident. She clutched a small satchel Kaiza had given her, filled with provisions and a spare cloak.Kaiza glanced at her. “You should rest,” he said, his voice calm but firm.Mina shook her head. “I’m fine. We have to keep moving.”Kaiza nodded, impressed by her determination. Despite her youth, Mina had already endured more than most. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt for dragging her into his world of danger and uncertainty. But there was no turning back now.The trail led them to a rocky outcrop overlooking the sea. Kaiza paused, scanning the horizon. The waves were calm, but he knew better than to trust appearances.“What are we looking for?”Mina asked, breaking the silence.“Answers,” Kaiza replied. “The mermai
Tides Of Eternity Episode 3: The Hermit’s Revelation
The cave was dimly lit, the flickering glow of a small fire casting long shadows across the walls. Strange symbols were etched into the stone, their meanings lost to time. Kaiza and Mina followed the hermit deeper into the cavern, their footsteps echoing faintly.The hermit gestured for them to sit near the fire. He settled onto a rough-hewn stool, his sharp eyes fixed on Kaiza. “If you’ve come seeking answers about the Abyss, you must first understand its origins,” he began.Kaiza nodded. “We’re listening.”The hermit’s voice was low and steady, carrying the weight of centuries-old knowledge. “The Abyss is not a place but a force a fragment of chaos that predates the world as we know it. Long ago, it was sealed away by ancient guardians who feared its power. But pieces of it remain, scattered across the world, each capable of corrupting or empowering those who wield them.”Mina leaned forward, her curiosity overcoming her fear. “And the shard in the temple? What does it do?”The herm
Tides Of Eternity Episode 4: The Sanctuary’s Secrets
The forest’s oppressive canopy began to thin, allowing pale shafts of sunlight to pierce the gloom. Kaiza and Mina trudged onward, their bodies weary but their resolve unbroken. The encounter with the shadowy figure had left them shaken, but it also strengthened their determination to reach the sanctuary.“We’re close,” Kaiza said, consulting the hermit’s map. The parchment was marked with strange glyphs that seemed to glow faintly in the dim light. “The ruins should be just beyond this ridge.”Mina nodded, her eyes scanning their surroundings. Though the immediate danger had passed, the forest’s unnatural silence weighed heavily on her. Every snap of a twig or rustle of leaves set her on edge.As they crested the ridge, the sanctuary came into view. It was a sprawling complex of crumbling stone buildings, overgrown with vines and moss. At its center stood a towering spire, its peak shrouded in mist. The air here felt different thicker, charged with an almost electric energy.“This is
Tides Of Eternity Episode 5: Shadows in the Firelight
The fire crackled softly, casting flickering shadows across the clearing. Kaiza and Mina sat in silence, their faces illuminated by the warm glow. The Blade of the Abyss rested between them, its surface faintly shimmering even in the dim light. The weapon seemed to hum softly, as though it had a will of its own.“What do you think the hermit will say?”Mina asked, breaking the silence. Her voice was quiet, but the weight of her question hung in the air.Kaiza’s gaze didn’t leave the blade. “If he’s still alive, he’ll know what to do. But we need to be cautious. A weapon like this… it’s bound to attract attention.”Mina shivered, though the fire was warm. “Do you think those creatures in the sanctuary were… drawn to it?”Kaiza nodded slowly. “The guardians were there to protect it, but their corruption… it’s possible they were consumed by the blade’s influence over time. Power like this rarely comes without a price.”Mina’s eyes lingered on the weapon. “And if it changes us?”Kaiza fina
Tides Of Eternity Episode 6: The Weight of Secrets
The hermit’s cave grew darker as he spoke, his voice weaving a tale of power and peril. Mina leaned closer to Kaiza, her unease mounting with every word.“The Blade of the Abyss is bound to an ancient pact,” the hermit explained, his frail hands tracing patterns in the air. “Its power comes from the blood of those who sought to defy the gods. To wield it fully, you must prove yourself worthy. This requires a sacrifice a part of yourself you cannot reclaim.”Kaiza’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of sacrifice?”The hermit’s gaze turned somber. “That depends on the wielder. The blade will demand what it deems most precious to you. For some, it is their strength. For others, their memories or their humanity.”Mina’s hand tightened on Kaiza’s arm. “There has to be another way. We can’t keep giving pieces of ourselves to something so… so dangerous.”The hermit shook his head. “The blade is not just a tool. It is a living force. If you wish to undo your curse, you must confront the cost of your
Tides Of Eternity Episode 7: Whispers in the Dark
The forest was a maze of towering trees and tangled undergrowth, the faint light of dawn struggling to pierce the canopy. Kaiza led the way, his movements deliberate and cautious. Mina followed close behind, her eyes darting nervously at every rustle and shadow.“Do you think they’ll come after us?”Mina asked, her voice barely above a whisper.Kaiza’s hand rested on the hilt of his sword. “If they know what we carry, they won’t stop. The blade’s power is too great a temptation.”Mina shivered. The memory of the mermaid queen’s voice in her dream still lingered, a chilling reminder of the dangers they faced. “What if she finds us again? What if she…”“She won’t,” Kaiza interrupted, his tone firm. “Not if we stay ahead of her. The queen’s reach has limits, even if her power doesn’t.”They pressed on in silence, the forest growing denser with each step. The air was thick with the scent of moss and damp earth, and the distant call of birds added an eerie undertone to their journey. Mina t
Tides Of Eternity Episode 8: The Trial of Fire
Dawn broke over the forest, casting golden rays through the trees. Kaiza and Mina packed their camp in silence, the weight of their journey heavy in the crisp morning air. Oran stood a few paces away, his gaze distant as if lost in thought.“Are you sure you want to come with us?”Kaiza asked, breaking the silence.Oran hesitated before nodding. “I’ve come this far. If there’s even a chance I can make things right, I have to try.”Kaiza’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t fully trust Oran, but the man’s desperation felt genuine. Mina watched the exchange quietly, her own doubts simmering beneath the surface.“Let’s move,” Kaiza said, turning toward the path ahead.The forest grew denser as they walked, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves. Every step seemed to pull them deeper into an otherworldly realm, where the line between reality and myth blurred. Mina couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.“This place feels… wrong,” she murmured.Kaiza glanced a
Tides Of Eternity Episode 9: Shadows of Betrayal
The forest was quiet, unnaturally so, as Kaiza, Mina, and Oran continued their journey. The aftermath of the Trial of Fire lingered in their minds, a mix of triumph and unease. Kaiza led the way, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, ever vigilant. Mina followed closely, her eyes scanning the trees for any sign of danger. Oran trailed behind, his expression troubled.“How far until the next trial?”Mina asked, breaking the silence.Kaiza glanced back at her. “Not far. But the trials aren’t just physical. They test your mind and spirit as well.”Oran frowned. “What does that mean? Are we supposed to solve riddles or something?”Kaiza didn’t answer, his focus shifting to the path ahead. The forest seemed to close in around them, the trees growing denser and the shadows deeper. Mina felt a chill run down her spine.By midday, they came upon a small village nestled in a clearing. The houses were simple, made of wood and thatch, but there was something off about the place. No one was o
Latest Chapter
Chapter 112: The Name That Should Not Be Spoken
The world cracked open.A heavy silence fell over the Hollow City, thicker than death, more complete than the void.For a heartbeat, even the Devourer appeared to pause.The name still lingered; it trembled with an unimaginable heaviness.Azelith.Kaiza barely registered the move before Mina, or whatever was inside her, stumbled one step back, and her blackened eyes widened.Something flared in her face: recognition, rage, fear.The figure in the hood stood still, their sword as dark as a starless night.The blade thrummed, the very air curving away from it as if trying to avoid its touch.Kaiza’s lungs felt like ash, his ribs howling as he pulled himself up from the rubble.The mind was still reeling, trying to make sense of what he had just coursed through.The Hollow King was gone.Eaten.Not dead. Not even erased. Just… unmade.The Unseen Devourer had not slain him.It had merely behaved how it always did, devour.A deity rendered null in mere seconds.And now it loomed, its impos
Chapter 111: The Unseen Devourer
A new presence placed a burden between Heaven and man.It was no mere arrival itas an invasion, a subversion of reality itself.The sky trembled; the Abyss quaked; everything in the Hollow City shook in the embrace of some inconceivable power, as if the very being of things rebelled at what had entered in.Kaiza swayed, ragged for breath, body yelling in wounds already delivered.That thing in Mina had nearly torn him asunder.Where her hand had passed through him, his soul still burned angony beyond that of flesh, beyond the physical.But this… this was worse.The Unseen Devourer didn’t descend from the sky like a deity.It did not emerge from the underworld like a demon.It was a vacuum untilt wasn’t.A crack in the world, a wound deeper even than the broken sky, gaped open like torn flesh. It did not step through. It never existed.It ate its way into being.Kaiza didn’t so much see it as feel it theunger.One that not only wanted to eatbut only wanted to gorge. A kind of energy t
Chapter 110: Just Beneath the Surface
The sky split open.Not a crack, not a tear a WOUND.Reality itself screamed through jagged fractures slicing the Hollow City’s abyssal skyline.The eddying darkness distorted, pulling apart at the frayed edges, spiraling into something worse.Kaiza sensed it before he saw it.A pulse. Not of abyssal energy, not of flame, but something else. Something older than both.And it came from Mina.She was close.Her presence seared his senses, unrefined and unrefined. But something was off.Something within her that’s not supposed to exist.Kaiza gingerly gritted his teeth and sat despite himself.His body objected, the Judicator’s wound still gnawing on his being, but that was irrelevant.Nothing else mattered but reaching Mina.The Hollow King had stood from his throne.His golden gaze raged, but for the first time, it wasn’t trained on Kaiza.Their eyes were fixed on the fractured sky.On her."Impossible." The Hollow King’s quiet voice took on something, not amusement this time.Not with
Chapter 109: The Hollow King’s Judgment
Kaiza had little time to react.The blade arrived faster than was thought possible a silver line, a ribbon of flame and destruction, splitting the air. His instinct screamed to move, but his body, still bruised and raw from the chasm, was too slow.A stabbing pain detonated in his side as the edge of the blade tore flesh, the impact slamming him down onto the vibrating black streets. Blood spattered in all directions, sizzling against the living ground on impact.Not abyssal. Not shadow-forged. Something else.Kaiza ground his teeth, his breaths harsh and erratic as he shoved himself upright, glaring at his assailant.And there they stood.A gauzy figure, draped in silver and fire, their form rippling in the half-light of the Hollow King’s domain. Their armor was not solid but fluid, shifting like seeping metal, pulsing with sinuous lines of deep crimson. As was their sword the weapon that had shredded him, tauntingly, bloodless of the same stuff, swinging between solid steel and liqu
Chapter 108: The Devouring
Silence.Thick. Absolutely.Not even breath, not even motion, not even time: just a vacuum.Kaiza fell through it.Or maybe he stood still as the rest of the world went on.He couldn't tell.There was no ground, no sky, no up, no down only the suffocating embrace of nothingness collapsing around him like a coffin lined with whispers.Mina was gone.The last thing he heard her make wrenched from her throat, guttural and pained, as the gullet of darkness devoured her.He had reached for her. Clawed at the darkness.But his fingers had encountered only empty space.And then Nothing.Now he floundered in that nothingness, the remnants of his corpse aching, the wounds raw and open.Where the masked figure had touched him, his chest still smoldered, as if something had been clawed out of him or ripped from him, something that was inside him and had been a piece of him, something vital.Was he dead?No. That would have been a mercy.A movement in the void something shifted.A shake, gentler
Chapter 107: Unleashed
The void roared.Black flames licked at the ground, devouring the creatures of the abyss as embers at the end of life are sent out upon the wind.The wails of the damned rampaged ever and ever, ringing in the desolate void, as the horror of noumenon mixed and knotted, their forms rotting in the gluttonous conn.And at the heart of it, standing in the inferno, was Mina.But she was no longer only Mina.Kaiza could hardly stand, his body bruised and bleeding, but his breath caught when he saw her.The fragility of the girl he had vowed to protect was gone.The trembling voice that had called his name in the dark was gone.What was left is something older. Something raw.Her form was still human in outline mostly but the air around her hummed with something worse than abyssal corruption.An ultraviolet light burned behind her eyes, cosmic and blistering, crowded with something incomprehensible to my feeble flesh.Her dark hair lashed in the wind, the energy circling her limbs, a moving t
Chapter 106: Dark
Kaiza barely had time to respond before the form of the abyssal entity washed over him like a tidal wave of pure void.It felt as though an avalanche of darkness was going to consume him whole.The shadows wound tighter, binding themselves around his limbs like living chains, burrowing into his skin and burning with cold fire; his ribs screamed their protest.A cough tore from his throat, thick and wet. Blood trickled down his lips, red on infinite black.His vision swam, fading in and out of consciousness, but his fingers still tightened around his sword.He wasn’t done. Not yet.The figure towered above him, the mask cocked slightly as if in amusement.“Still fighting?” Its voice gliding along, the sound of a thousand voices crawling into his skull.“Pathetic. “Your void does not give, Kaiza. It does not bargain. It only devours.”With a flick of that wrist, a spire of obsidian-black tendrils burst from the ground to skewer Kaiza through the shoulder.He hardly had time to register
Chapter 105: The Eclipse of Hope
The void crackled in unnatural, eerie silence. It was a heavy weight, cold, suffocating in the air. The blue flame of Kaiza’s sword flickered in the stifling dark as his chest rose and fell with every ragged breath. It had been the blast from Mina that very titan that had devoured her that had slammed him down onto the broken earth, the impact leaving him aching from the force of the attack. A single thought raced through his mind.She’s still in there. She has to be.The darkness writhed around him, beating with an unstuck beat. He climbed onto his knees, fighting back the weight of the bottomless well. His gaze darted back to Mina no, no longer Mina but the monstrous, void-soaked shape she’d taken on. Her body shimmered with dark matter, her movements sickly smooth, as if she were a piece of the shadow itself.Her armor, once silvery, was now a collection of black and shadow, a jumbled mess of the power of the void. Her eyes were sick with ancient hunger, a lust for destruction, but
Chapter 104: The Fallen Star
The sky was torn asunder.Mina no, the titan now occupying her body stood in the distance like a dark star. Her once glowing golden armor tarnished a dark, devilish red, and her eyes glistened with a void-like hunger that devoured the very light around her. With each movement, every breath, it was as if she was remaking reality itself, with the void creeping up and crawling from within, claiming her for itself piece by piece.Kaiza stood, frozen, his heart breaking bit by bit. His breath labored; his hand shook on the hilt of his sword. He knew this wasn’t Mina anymore. His praise for the girl who had stood by him, he counseled, the girl that first had shown him the light, was lost. The girl he’d battled tooth and nail to protect was something else now something terrifying, something beyond his comprehension.And yet… her voice Titan’s voice, but still Mina’s still rang in his mind.“The girl is gone, forsaken one. Now, only I remain."Kaiza’s sword shimmered with a ghost of blue flam