The Author Reincarnated As An Extra-Chapter 48: • River of Fear

The water rippled softly as their boats drifted down the vast, mist-covered river. Elora and Deremiah, still locked in their stance, blades pressed against each other’s throats, turned their attention toward the loud, uninvited voice.

"Whoo. Oh my, why don’t you two kiss already?"

A girl stood at the edge of another boat, waving her arms wildly as if trying to flag down a carriage.

She had an exaggerated way of talking, her words dragging with a lazy vocal fry. Her voice was loud — too loud — especially in the eerie silence of the river.

"Like, I totally saw that moment. So much tension. Are y’all enemies? Lovers? Rivals? I’d prefer enemies! I looooooovvvvveee a good enemies to lovers story, my uncle says he met his wife that way! But I gotta say, if this were a book, I’d be totally shipping it. Oh, wait — are you guys even listening to me? Hello?"

Deremiah and Elora stared blankly at her, their swords still against each other’s necks, faces unchanging. Deremiah especially was completely irritated by her. She was dark skinned with big curly hair tied with a bandana, and a cheap sword tugged in her waist belt.

She wore a sleeveless vest over a white tunic, brown cargo-like pants, and a pair of boots. Her posture was relaxed — too relaxed for someone in a death game.

She was the kind of person he especially hated. Loud, obnoxious people who were totally unaware of the sound of their own voice, yet made people suffer by hearing it.

Elora shared his disdain in that moment and both their patience drained by the second as the girl continued talking, completely oblivious.

Deremiah’s eyes moved slightly and he noticed another figure, seated at the back of the boat. It was also a girl. But unlike her partner, she was silent.

Short blue hair framed her face, and she wore gleaming silver armor and a matching blue skirt, though she sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around her legs. Her expression was distant, as if she was somewhere else entirely.

But the talkative one didn’t stop.

"Omg, so awkward. Like, do y’all always have this serious, doom-and-gloom energy? We’re literally all stuck in the same deadly game, y’know? You could at least pretend to be social—"

She got louder.

"Hey, I know you, right?! You’re like the Clan descendant who got her title early, aren’t you! What’s y’name again? Alera of Dawwwwnnn! That’s it. What are you doing with snow hair, pretty face over here!"

Then louder.

"I mean he’s cute. If you don’t want him, I’ll take him."

And louder still.

"Come on, say something. Don’t just stare like I’m an opera! Say SOMETHING!"

Deremiah exhaled through his nose, his patience visibly thinning. The only thought in his head was ’Can this bitch just stop talking?’

Elora must have thought the same thing because her grip tightened on her sword.

They were all distracted that they did not even notice when the fog had begun creeping around them once more, enclosing the river in its suffocating grasp.

From above, high atop the water, a pair of colossal stone eyes shifted.

They belonged to one of the massive, ancient statues — a warrior of rock and moss, standing on the sides like a silent guardian. The sound of the girl’s voice reached its ears, a disturbance in the unnatural quiet of the river.

The statue moved.

With a slow, grinding motion, it withdrew its massive stone sword from the depths of the river. Water cascaded down its blade like a waterfall, sending violent ripples through the current.

Below, Elora and Deremiah froze. Their widened eyes reflected the towering figure, its enormous, weathered face staring down at them.

Deremiah instinctively took a step back, at the same time that Elora did.

"By the Dawn," she whispered.

The talkative girl finally stopped yapping, confusion crossing her face as she looked at them. "Okay, why are you guys looking at me like that? I—"

She paused, turning to her side as the girl she was sharing a boat appeared, also staring at the same direction. Pure fear in her eyes.

Her expression flickered from confusion—

—to realization.

Then she turned. Before her was the giant statue and it had already raised its blade in the air like a mallet of judgement.

Her eyes widened in terror. "AHHHHHHHHHH—"

The statue swung the colossal sword down.

The impact was instant.

The girl’s body split in half, torn apart by the sheer force of the blade. Her blood splattered into the air before being swallowed by the river.

The boat was not spared. It was shattered into splinters in a monstrous collision of force, surface tension and water.

The sheer power of the swing sent a shockwave across the water, causing the river to erupt and a massive reverberation tear through the air.

Seeing the catastrophe, Deremiah and Elora prepared for impact as the wave of raw force instantly crashed against their boat, nearly knocking them off course.

Water shot up in great torrents, soaking them instantly. Through groans and grunts, they gripped tightly on the boat, as it rocked violently.

Then — silence.

The statue, now still once more, lowered its blade deep into the river. The water around it calmed.

They had stopped.

Right in front of another one.

Deremiah and Elora both looked up at the boat with terrified eyes, silent and waiting, heart also pounding.

The second statue’s head slowly turned toward them, its stone eyes locking with theirs. But unlike the first, this one did not strike. It only watched.

The tension in the air was suffocating.

Then, they heard a desperate scream. "HELP!!!"

Deremiah and Elora turned sharply toward the river.

The blue-haired girl — the quiet one from the shattered boat. She was still alive. She flailed in the water, desperately trying to stay afloat. Her silver armor weighed her down, her frantic movements only making things worse.

"Help!" she cried louder. "Please."

Deremiah’s looked up at the statue, but they didn’t move. He looked back down at the girl and his clenched.

This was a situation. He thought quickly, and made an even quicker decision; they should leave her.

Deremiah knew three participants in a single boat wasn’t ideal. Besides, she had fallen in the river, which meant she carried the scent now. The Sea Ghosts would come for her soon.

But Elora didn’t know this.

Not even hesitating, she summoned her vines. First tying them around her forearms before shooting them into the ocean. They whipped through the air before also wrapping around the girl’s arm.

"Grab on!"

Deremiah wanted to oppose, but arguing with Elora now wasn’t the best move to make.

The girl held the vine tight, and after demanding Deremiah’s help, they both pulled the girl out of the water and onto the boat.

The girl huddled in a corner, trembling. Water dripped from her soaked silver armor, her breathing shallow and uneven. She hugged herself, shivering violently.

Deremiah and Elora also sat down to catch their breaths. They had not expected things to turn that fast. He shot the blue haired girl a glance. Their eyes met.

He said nothing.

Elora, meanwhile, kept her gaze locked on the second statue as she panted. It had not moved and everywhere was calm and silent once more.

She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. "We’re safe," she said. "...for now."

But suddenly, the sound of splashing water tore the silence and a hand — clawed, wet and slimy — shot out of the water and latched onto the blue-haired girl’s leg.

"Ahhhhhhhh!!!" she screamed.

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