Cetas floated aimlessly in the darkness, his head filled with thoughts of regret and giving up. But that immediately vanished as he regained a vitality within him.

Gaining his sanity back, Cetas immediately activated his Zeal.

Seeing the familiar grain of sand in front of him, he propelled his body forward.

How long have I done this? When will it end?

He swam until he reached his limit and then repeated his previous action.

He let the current below control his body, surrendering his actions to the depths.

It’ll be gone anyways..

Although he gained a newfound sense of indifference, Cetas still couldn’t help but shudder in anticipation.

Within a moment’s passing, Cetas’ face suddenly disappeared. And within another moment, it reappeared as if nothing had happened.

This cycle repeated for who knows how long. With each one, a deep sense of fear embedded itself inside Cetas.

Not a fear for pain or a random part of himself vanishing.

But a fear for the darkness and the mysteries that lay within.

Cetas was uncertain as to where he was right now. Even more so, he didn’t have a sense of time, so he had no idea as to how long he had spent in the depths.

The endless darkness that presented itself around Cetas grew more mysteries as each cycle passed. The whispers, too, became more prevalent as Cetas followed Sands of History.

By now, he could hear a sliver of an unintelligible voice every cycle.

Am I even making progress? What If I merely resetted at a singular point each time I regenerated?

He looked crestfallen.

I-I don’t know anymore.

Cetas’ blood vessels disappeared, making his entire body turn pale. Additionally, Cetas’ vision blurred as a result, his mind slowing in turn.

In a few seconds, he was dead.

And in another, he lived.

He gnawed at his neck, finding a way to check if his blood vessels were still there.

No! No! No! No! No more! I can’t!

His neck formed scrapes from the force of his nails, it would’ve dug deeper if not for it regenerating almost instantly.

Once it did, Cetas continued to stay afloat.

"████████████"

Shut up!

He looked towards the direction of the whisper. Then, he swung his fist toward it, pushing the black liquid around it.

Cetas waited for the whisper to resound again. But before he could hear it, Cetas lost all function of his nerves.

His body became soft like a smudgy soup, becoming as fluid as the waters around him.

But then, he gained back his control, extending his joints as if to stretch them.

His heart beat uncontrollably, in fear of what may happen next.

"█████████"

Upon hearing the whisper, Cetas quickly launched himself towards its direction. He didn’t know where he headed, but upon being driven by frustration, he let his instincts get the better of him.

This was the first time that Cetas felt frustration.

A few minutes passed and all he did was chase towards darkness. He didn’t even hear the whisper anymore and still kept swimming toward it.

Along the way, the black scales around his body instantly vanished.

With this, Cetas began to choke.

The cold, numbing water entered his lungs, blocking out any source of respiration that he could gain.

Without those scales, Cetas couldn’t breathe underwater.

His face paled in result, creating a heated sensation in his head, as opposed to the actual nature of the water around him.

In panic, he swam upwards—or what he perceived as upward.

He did so with great agility that he covered several meters in quick succession.

But as 10 seconds passed, Cetas’ body regulated itself. The onyx scales returned, and with it, his ability to breathe.

He held his ribs as he prepared to cough, however, he was immediately halted.

"██████████████████████"

Finding his goal once more, Cetas headed towards the direction of the whisper.

He gritted his teeth, trying to overcome a growing hint of Dread rising upon his chest.

It was akin to the Dread that he felt before—the one introduced by the Great Leviathan Poseidon.

Only that it seemed much more terrifying, and terror-inducing.

The fear of the darkness paled in comparison to the Dread he felt.

Although, based upon his understanding of the world, this feeling could only mean one thing.

A Dreadspawn is here..

Cetas activated his Zeal, entering the Metaphysical Realm. Just as he had already done in his previous attempt, Cetas could see nothing in this world.

Therefore, he activated Sands of History, hoping to find some hint provided by the pale dots.

The grain of sand manifested but within a second, disappeared as if it vanished in thin air.

This!

I can’t even rely on myself anymore.

The fear in his heart grew deeper, paired with the looming Dread of the hidden Dreadspawn near him.

But that wouldn’t be possible, the Prophet of Perfection said that all creatures below were already cleared out. Did she lie?

His face grew worried.

Just then, Cetas vanished from existence, as if devoured by an incorporeal being.

However, just as everything that happened before, he came back with full vitality and Zeal.

Or could it be..

If anyone could see Cetas’ face right now, they would’ve thought that he saw a ghost.

Perhaps something worse than a ghost.

As his brain continued to run, the whispers came back.

"████████████████████████████████████████████"

Cetas covered his ear almost instantly.

Did a cycle happen already?! I haven’t noticed!

He looked in the direction of the whisper.

Argh! With my Sands of History malfunctioning, I can only have these whispers as a guide from now on.

But this looming Dread inside of me only happened because I followed the whispers.

Perhaps, I was meant to follow them from the start..

With great danger, lies great treasures.

Although Cetas didn’t know where he heard that from, he thought that it’d probably be something that Skadi would say.

With that, he decided to go forth once more.

Back at the serenity of the dim shores, Elishia continued to stare at the horizon, waiting for Cetas’ figure to come back.

She sat in the dark sand, her feet carefully planted in its cold embrace.

In her perspective, only a few minutes have passed.

Her voice, solemn and soft, brushed off in the gentle breeze.

"Humanity..killed a God?"

What the Prophet of Perfection told Elishia stuck in her mind. As a devout believer of Helios, she wouldn’t even dare think that humanity would be so blasphemous.

And to add to that, that action caused the entirety of the world to befall under a curse—Divinity.

Before she could think any longer, the Prophet of Perfection slowly walked toward Elishia, not leaving any footprints behind.

"Have you finally sorted out your thoughts?"

"My mind tells me that what you’re saying is true but something deep inside is urging me that I’m missing a clue.."

Elisha looked up at the Prophet of Perfection, "You haven’t told me the complete story, haven’t you?"

"It’s not good to raise a curious child, there are some things that you shouldn’t pry upon, especially as a Low-Level Acumen."

"Tsk!"

The Prophet of Perfection neared, her black hair swaying along the winds and revealing her purest parts.

"But yes, I haven’t told you everything. Doing so will only do more harm than good. If I were to tell you the complete truth, then you’d turn into a Dreadspawn in an instant."

Elishia clicked her tongue again.

Once the Prophet of Perfection got closer to Elishia, she turned around and stared at the waves. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"You’re still so curious.. What preposterous minds these new generations have.. Back then, we feared knowledge as it may consume us.."

She paused for a moment, as if to remember something.

Then, her lips grew into a curl, "But now.. The generation seeks knowledge as if it were a treasure. A pity. Many of you will never see the light of day if you continue to tread upon such a preposterous path.."

She turned to Elishia, studying her face carefully, "After all I’ve said, you still thirst for knowledge? What is it that you think of?"

Elishia didn’t trust the Prophet of Perfection a single bit. Not even a cell in her body wanted to be near the callous woman.

But still, many questions arose in her mind and only the woman before her could answer it.

So, she used what she learned from her childhood and maiden days.

"What is your name?"

The Prophet of Perfection was dumbfounded, stunned for a second.

"A most eerie question.. Out of all the things you ask me, you seek to know my name?"

"Yes.."

Elishia’s eyes remained astute, only staring at the Prophet of Perfection’s face to study it for any unusual reactions.

"I have no name, child. I am merely known as the Prophet of Perfection.."

"How can a human not have a name?"

"A human?"

The Prophet of Perfection laughed, holding her smooth-skinned stomach.

"I am a Dreadspawn, child.. I am not a puny human!"

"A Dreadspawn?"

Elishia grew increasingly cautious.

"You lied just now, a Dreadspawn cannot talk or have consciousness."

"You think I’m lying?"

The Prophet of Perfection raised her hend towards her cheek.

Then, she submerged her nails inside her pearly skin, revealing the crimson flesh beneath. Within a second, she ripped her skull open, letting out liters of blood.

Elishia saw this and her body immediately froze. On instinct, she reached for her Flintlock Pistol.

Inside the Prophet of Perfection’s skull, myriad butterflies fluttered out. It was as if they had just finished the final step of metamorphosis.

The insects floated along with the winds, guiding them to wherever it will bring.

Although it was dim, Elishia clearly saw what was happening inside the Prophet of Perfection’s skull.

Replacing the butterflies, several worms emerged out of her tissues. They squirmed around and moved, eating away at the Prophet’s brain.

Then, after 5 seconds had passed, they grew hard as a rock, covering themselves in their own silk with unimaginable speeds.

As this process transpired, the Prophet of Perfection’s skull regrew, conjoining her bones and skin together.

In an instant, the woman destroyed and regrew the side of her head.

Regaining a sense of beauty, the Prophet of Perfection cracked her neck and looked at Elishia.