Chapter 51 Water monster
Sebastian POV
Morning came slowly, like the forest was reluctant to admit we’d survived it. Sleep didn’t come easily. But at least I got a few hours while Luther took over watch.
A thin wash of gray light filtered through the canopy, catching on the dying embers of our fire. The air was damp and cold, carrying that metallic scent that lingers after blood has soaked into soil. For a moment, I lay still on my back, staring up at the shifting leaves overhead.
No attacks.
No movements.
Just quiet.
Something hard to come by in here, I’ve noticed.
Luther sat propped against a tree a few yards away, flicking rocks at a tree a few feet ahead. He’d taken last watch. His eyes flicked to mine the second he realized I was awake.
“Everything’s good,” he said, his voice cracking a slight bit.
I nodded once and pushed myself upright. If we were just wolves, we’d be spent after a fight like that. Dead. Even with our healing, they took a lot out of us.
Around us, the others stirred.
Aven groaned dramatically as she rolled onto her side. “If we don’t get to fight anything today, I’m filing a complaint with the Goddess. Yesterday was fun.”
Edgar snorted, though he winced when he stretched his shoulder. Sybil was already awake. Of course she was. Sitting crisscross applesauce near the remnants of the fire, the crown shard rested in her palm, its faint glow muted now that she’d severed its link.
“Man, I’m hungry,” Luther said, reaching into his pack and pulling out one of the several meals he packed. I roll my eyes. I’m sure he’s already eaten this morning.
Not only did we pack food, water, and everything we needed in this one simple sack Sybil brought.. but we laid out traps to catch more game just in case. Besides, Luther and Edgar like hunting. Reminds them of old days.
I can see the rabbits we caught yesterday are already about half gone. Cons of being a Lycan, you’re always hungry.
“You guys feel that?” I ask, a strange feeling suddenly washing over me.
Everyone pauses, trying to figure out what I mean. But when they were all shaking their heads in confusion, it’s my turn to be confused.
“It’s like.. vibrations,” I say as I stand.
Then I feel it again.
A tug.
Subtle. Quiet. But undeniable.
I stilled.
It wasn’t the shard of the crown. It was something else. A resonance. Like striking one bell and hearing another answer somewhere far underground. My entire body buzzed ever so slightly.
My head turned slightly to the right.
Southwest.
The sensation sharpened.
Not danger, though.
Direction.
I stood slowly.
Sybil’s eyes lifted to mine. She must have seen something shift in my expression because her fingers tightened around the shard.
“You feel it,” she said quietly.
It wasn’t a question. She’s talking about the artifact.
I’m not even sure how I know, but I do. “Yes.”
Luther rose immediately, reading the tone more than the words. “What are we dealing with?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I think the artifact is that way.”
Edgar blinked. “That way like ‘I have a hunch’ or that way like ‘ancient king crown fragment is whispering sweet nothings into your skull’?”
I didn’t answer him. I didn’t need to.
I grabbed my sword and started walking.
“Right. This is going to go so well.” He sighs, grabbing his spear and the rest of rabbits.
Everyone followed.
The forest shifted as we moved. The terrain gradually sloped downward, roots thickening underfoot, moss creeping over stone. The air cooled with each step, dampness seeping into fabric and skin. Even the birds were quieter here. I wish I hadn’t shifted and ripped my armor so quickly.
Sybil slowed once, eyes closing briefly.
“There’s water ahead,” she murmured. “Deep water.”
The pull in my chest tightened in confirmation. It’s got to be this way.
We moved another quarter mile before the trees thinned abruptly, revealing a rocky outcrop rising from the earth like the spine of something buried.
A cave mouth, half swallowed by hanging moss and creeping vines stood before us. Dark and still, breathing out cold air that carried the scent of stone and mineral.
Inside, the cave narrowed before widening into a cavern lit faintly by shafts of daylight filtering through cracks above. The sound of dripping water echoed softly, rhythmic and hollow.
At the center of the cavern sat a pool.
Black.
Perfectly still.
No ripples. No visible bottom. Just dark glass stretching across stone.
Sybil moved to the edge slowly, crouching. Her fingers hovered over the surface without touching it.
“It’s in there,” she confirmed. “The second artifact.”
Aven swallowed. “How deep?”
Sybil’s expression tightened. “Deep enough.”
I stepped closer, staring into the water. The pull intensified the nearer I stood, vibrating through bone and marrow.
Edgar leaned slightly to peer inside. “I vote we send someone small and expendable first.”
Aven elbowed him. “You’re the most expendable.”
He gasped in offense.
I stepped forward, ignoring them. The pull wasn’t frantic. It was steady. Patient.
“Maybe I should, since I’m the one who feels the pull.”
“I’m not sure, what if you get stuck or.. run out of breath before you reach anything?” Luther asks.
Sybil walks toward me, wrapping a necklace with a blue pendant around my neck and sighing.
“This will give you light and extra breath. Not much though, it only buys you a minute or two.” She steps back and crosses her arms, eyeing the water warily.
“What? Scared of water?” I ask, a slight chuckle playing from my lips.
“Actually, yes.” She pinches her lips together and deadpans.
“Oh.. uh- sorry?”
I hear snickering behind me and roll my eyes.
“Is it protected?” Luther asked.
“Yes,” Sybil said softly. “But not in the same way as the shard. This one is.. sleeping.”
“Sleeping sounds friendly,” Edgar muttered.
She looks at him, “It isn’t.”
The cavern felt heavier the longer we stood there. Like the water itself was aware of us.
Silence settled between us.
The pull wasn’t painful. It wasn’t malicious.
It felt ancient.
Old power. Buried power.
And if anyone went down there unprepared.
It should be me.
I crouched at the edge of the pool, already untying my boots.
The surface remained perfectly still. That alone sent chills down my spine.
Luther caught my wrist before I could strip off the rest of my gear.
“Don’t be reckless,” he said quietly.
“I’m not,” I replied, pulling free. “I’ll go in, get the artifact, and get out. Don’t worry.”
Edgar crouched beside the pool and poked the surface with the end of a stick.
The water rippled.
“What do you think is guarding it?” I ask, looking towards the dark water.
“I’m not sure, just be quick. I just know that right now, whatever it is, it’s not awake or moving.” She says. I nod, though that wasn’t very reassuring and she knows that.
Goddess, I hope this goes smoothly. I don’t want to get eaten by some mysterious water monster.
I take a few breaths before taking one last big one and slipping into the cold water.