Niccolò, everything's fine. Breathe.
The sound of those droplets falling rhythmically onto the rocks was the only thing breaking the silence, a metallic beat that echoed through the cave like a sinister whisper.
His boots slid on the damp floor, forcing him to brace his legs and move with caution. The fear of falling mixed with the dread of whatever awaited ahead.
Why the hell did I dive in after them? More importantly, how am I still alive?
He had made the entire journey underwater and hadn't drowned. His labored breathing merged with that of Shirei and the others, overlapping with the dripping water.
At the center of that spectral scene lay Lyra Morosini, the Saint of the Tides. Her motionless body rested in a pool of dark, sticky blood that seemed to meld with the stone beneath. Her human face, pale and serene, contrasted with the horror revealed beneath the long skirt of her blue dress: the lower half belonged to a massive octopus. Desiccated tentacles, streaked with blue, sprawled limply on the ground, unable to move.
They were the same ones that, just moments before, had dragged the Blendbreeds and other followers into that cavern. After the attack and subsequent fall, they appeared lifeless—a sign that the woman was truly dead. For a moment, Niccolò simply stared at her, unable to comprehend the image of this creature once worshipped as a pagan goddess.
His explorer's instinct urged him to approach cautiously and kneel beside the body. His eyes were already analyzing the small details—from the calm expression to the unnatural way the tentacles curled upon themselves. There was something wrong with that transformation. Was it a conscious choice? A curse forced upon her? Or a desperate act to protect something or someone?
It doesn't look like a voluntary decision, at least not in this case, he noted to himself, studying the glowing streaks running through the tentacles. Or maybe she was forced by circumstance.
In front of him, the Equinox Flowers recovered, shaking off their daze. Havel ran a hand through his damp hair, casting an uneasy glance at Lyra's body. The two women, instead, were scanning the cave with a mix of curiosity and terror in their eyes.
Shirei stood up and turned to the blond-haired companion. "You okay?"
A second passed, and Niccolò saw the confused look on the armored boy's face. "Yeah?"
The violet-eyed Blendbreed nodded and returned to examining the cave. It wasn't a natural formation; even the Venetian could tell that. The curved walls resembled giant ribs, as if they were inside the chest of a colossal being. The arrangement of the rocks and the glowing veins gave the impression of a human body, shaped from head to torso.
Before them, beyond a narrow opening in the cave, the colossal face of a fallen giant loomed with indistinct features. Its proportions were so immense they defied human comprehension, but Niccolò couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, as if those empty eyes still held fragments of life and power.
It's a body, he thought at first, before correcting himself and staring at the face with a frightened gaze.
Not of a giant, but of a god.
At the far end of the cave, where the air grew heavier, lay a large pool of water that emitted a spectral glow. The liquid bubbled, and from its depths stretched chains black as obsidian. Each link shimmered with cerulean energy and seemed to hold something—or someone—at the center of the pool.
The imprisoned figure was only partially visible: a tall silhouette, suspended in water up to the knees, with one arm stretched outward and bound tightly by the chains.
His skin was pale, tinged with cold hues that shifted between gray and blue, as though carved from the same material as the cave. He wore garments that seemed a fusion between a corsair's attire and that of a Venetian nobleman, adorned with intricate details evoking marine flora and fauna. Coral-like embroidery wove along his torn jacket, while dull pearls decorated the cuffs. Every piece of clothing was soaked and tattered, leaving his chest exposed.
The figure raised his gaze toward them, revealing eyes filled with glacial intelligence and restrained ferocity. It was the mask that caught Niccolò's attention: completely cracked, with deep fractures branching out like spiderwebs across its surface. It looked ready to shatter at the slightest touch.
Shirei opened his mouth, and that was when everything began to fall apart. The Venetian found himself a mere spectator to something he could never have imagined even in his most obscure dreams: the presence of a deity.
The very revelation pierced into the young man's soul, making him tremble and stumble backward. As the violet-eyed Blendbreed continued his brief speech, it became increasingly clear that a confrontation awaited them. The Equinox Flowers stepped in front of him, but he suspected it wouldn't make much of a difference.
The god raised his free hand, and the surrounding water rose with it, ready to drown them.
"Now, entertain me for a while."
Niccolò faltered. He brought a hand to his chest, desperately trying to keep control. His eyes were wide open, sweat streamed down his temples, and each breath came harder than the last. "I… can't… breathe…" he stammered, before Havel caught him, holding him up.
The other Blendbreeds didn't seem to be faring much better. The two girls stayed close together, their faces tense, while Shirei's fists clenched tightly around the hilt of the Blade of Discord.
Then, the prisoner moved. A slight tilt of the head was enough to unleash a torrent upon the entire group. The being's long seafoam-green hair flowed like algae in an invisible current, swaying lazily. Everyone present was hurled backward against the cavern wall, which quaked from the impact.
Slam!
The water receded, but the boy could see the bodies of the mortals—and of Lyra—move like inanimate objects, at the mercy of the aquatic current. The sight chilled him so deeply he couldn't get back on his feet.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee…
His mind was too shocked to finish the prayer. He had forgotten all the words, despite them being a cornerstone of Christianity. He still couldn't believe what he was witnessing and tried to burn the images into his memory. A god—a term he had, until then, only used for the Holy Father—was attacking them.
Sir Shirei even looks ready to fight him.
"Congratulations. You're alive," said Nerio, as if mocking them. "Now, tell me—what's stopping me from removing all the water in your bodies and killing you? From turning your skin to liquid or transforming you into a few liters to add to this spring?"
His voice seemed to invade their minds, seeping in like a relentless echo. No one dared answer immediately. Even Havel, usually the first to act, stood still—aware that one wrong move could mean death for all of them. But the ancient being didn't seem in a hurry. He merely looked at them—or perhaps judged them—while the water in the pool below him bubbled slowly, as if responding to his thoughts.
The silence was broken by Niccolò, whose response came out more like a stammer.
"If you meant to kill us, you could've done it before speaking."
Nerio tilted his head, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"And you, mortal, do you doubt that I possess this power? Don't you believe I could annihilate all of you with a single gesture?"
"No. That means there's something you want from us—your humble servants?"
The simple, direct admission seemed to please the god of the abyss.
"Good. At least that. It comforts me to know your mortality isn't paired with the illusion of invulnerability." He paused. "I've flooded this place many times, during my periods of boredom. I must have killed you once or twice. A shame—you seem quite amusing as a pastime."
Niccolò said nothing, but his gaze drifted toward an undefined point in the cave. It was Havel who spoke up, his voice as sharp as the axe in his hand—the other lost once again, who knew where.
"So, Lord of the Abyss… why do you want to kill us? And why are we still alive?"
Nerio didn't answer. His gaze shifted to Shirei, and a hint of interest flickered across his face. Before he could speak, it was the Blendbreed himself who broke the silence.
"For me."
Everyone turned toward him, surprised. Even the deity looked intrigued—his smile widened.
"Interesting."
Ada tightened her grip on both blades, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the boy.
"For you?"
"Because he fears my power. Just like all the gods."
A heavy silence followed, thick with tension. The darkness of the cave seemed to grow denser. In Nerio's eyes, there was a spark—not fear, but something more complicated.
"You say that? Strange. I see the fear in your eyes," he taunted, his tone a mixture of mockery and resignation. "And you're right to fear. You are in a place meant to serve as my prison for eternity. This is the Cave of the Abyss, born from the death of the primordial Galia—the god who ruled the oceans before your world knew light. Every wall, every glowing vein, is part of his dead body. No Blendbreed has ever survived after entering."
The mortals stood frozen, their eyes drifting across the cave walls. The colossal ribs and limbs that formed the cavern's structure seemed to pulse faintly, as if they were still alive. Elaine, the first to find the courage to speak, whispered: "It's not possible… Galia isn't dead. He's only dormant, like all the gods who've passed on their masks."
A cold smile crept across Nerio's face, so evident it was recognizable even behind the cracked bautta.
"Dormant? Is that what they've sold you? Galia is dead—I witnessed his death with my own eyes. From his corpse, this cave was born. A sanctuary for a power long lost."
He laughed.
Cold rivulets of sweat ran down the skin of the Blendbreeds.
"Don't worry: you're not the first to be deceived by your own history, by the gods you so blindly trust."
The Equinox Flowers exchanged uneasy glances. That revelation overturned everything they had studied, every truth they held sacred. Niccolò understood even less—for him, those words were like inscriptions in a foreign script.
"To protect this sacred place," continued the god, his tone filled with satisfaction, "I personally created the Angels of the Abyss. Don't be fooled by the name—they're anything but celestial. They are fragments of my ichor, implanted into the bodies of foolish mortals who followed the cult invented by Lyra. They know no emotion, and they do not allow passage to those lacking divine blood. If you are here, it is only because your lineage has permitted…"
A pause followed.
"Permitted you to stand before me and fulfill your purpose."
His words weighed on Niccolò like a stone. When the dark creature of Messer Shirei had appeared before the tavern, he had discovered the truth about his origins—and the father he had longed to know. If it had been a man who'd told him, he might not have believed it. In fact, he certainly wouldn't have. But the shadow itself had been proof of what he had seen throughout his life.
I am a Blendbreed.
The god of the abyss turned his gaze to the son of Cragar, scrutinizing him with an intensity that made Niccolò shudder.
"And you… you are him," the god said, tilting his head slightly, as if analyzing him.
Shirei clenched his fists but said nothing. His fingers twitched slightly, ready to react at the slightest sign of hostility.
"You don't deny it—it's clear you're beginning to doubt your true identity," the voice continued, carving into the boy's thoughts. You're right. There's a power inside you that terrifies me. Have you never wondered why Rakion chose you as his favorite pawn? Or why every step you take seems to follow a path laid by someone else?
The name Rakion echoed in Shirei's mind like thunder. "I'm no one's pawn."
The immortal laughed, a deep and cruel sound. "Oh, you are. And you're the finest one they've ever had."
Before the boy could respond, he raised his free hand, silencing him. "But that's not the point, and not the reason why you're still alive. Don't worry, we'll get there. Let's focus on the reason your heart still beats. As you can see, I am on no one's side." He shifted the chains that bound him. "The problem is that Rakion feared me. He tried to destroy my mask and condemned me to be imprisoned in this rift to guard monsters—forever. Free me, and I will help you kill him."
The tension in the cavern became a tangible nightmare as Nerio raised his free arm. "Alternatively, you may leave me here," he continued with a voice like ice, "but if you do, your existence will hold no value for me."
The water in the center of the pool began to boil furiously. "The choice is yours."
"What is he doing?" exclaimed Mardi's daughter, her voice cracked with panic.
Shirei stepped forward, eyes fixed on the god of the Overworld, struggling to stay calm. "He's flooding the cavern. He wants to drown us."
"We can't decide under pressure," Elaine said.
"We don't have time to argue!" Havel snapped. "If we don't free him, we drown. We're cornered!"
"But if we do, he might kill us anyway."
"Might?" Ada turned toward Mardi's daughter with a sharp gaze. "He's a chained god with maniacal desires for vengeance. If we free him, we're already dead!"
Another roar of water made the cavern tremble. Stones began to fall from the ceiling.
"Decide!" the deity snarled. "Every second matters—Rakion used to say that."
Niccolò glanced at the Blendbreeds. "Freeing him doesn't mean trusting him. It means making a choice aimed at our survival. God teaches that showing mercy will always lead to the greater good."
Shirei nodded slowly, still unconvinced.
"Fine! Then we'll help you," said Havel, staring at the god. "Did you hear me? We'll help you!"
The Venetian stepped forward, the water now up to his knees. "How do we destroy them?"
The water surged upward, forming a liquid wall that began to fill the cavern. The Blendbreeds looked around, searching for an escape, but their only hope was the entrance through which they had come.
Niccolò, already weakened by Nerio's aura, collapsed to his knees, his breath ragged and his lungs seemingly unable to draw air.
Resurfacing without the current and the saint's strength would've been impossible. That was the only option.
The god's smile vanished the moment Shirei stepped closer. His eyes glittered with impatience.
"Use your weapon. Only the strength of a Blendbreed can break them."
The Forbidden Heir grabbed the Venetian by the arm and pulled him back. A tremor of doubt ran down his spine like a thin blade. He turned toward Ada, but she was already shaking her head.
He clenched his jaw. "You're lying. You're trying to manipulate us like Rakion did to you."
Nerio's gaze turned merciless.
"Wrong choice," he hissed.
The water exploded. A column shot up from the pool and struck the boy with precision, hurling him against the cavern wall. The sickening thud of his body breaking against the rock made everyone's blood run cold.
"No!" screamed Elaine, trying to reach him, but a wave slammed her to the ground.
"You have rejected my offer. You will die."
The entire pool now boiled like a living creature, and tongues of water rose like serpents ready to strike. Havel lunged at Ada, pulling her away just as a jet sliced through the air where she had stood a moment earlier.
"Out of here! We need an escape route!" he shouted.
Shirei felt the ground trembling beneath his feet. He reached Niccolò and knelt beside him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him.
"Niccolò. Niccolò, look at me. It's going to be fine. Hold onto my arm."
The Venetian clung to him, his eyes full of tears and terror.
"Sir, if… if it happens again, if this rift rewinds… promise me you'll come find me. Wherever I am."
Cragar's son hesitated for a moment.
"I'll find you," he said at last, with a nod. "I have a promise to keep—saving your mother."
But Niccolò's body had already gone rigid. His head fell back as the water continued to rise, now lapping at the knees of the Blendbreed.
Nerio watched the scene with a satisfied sneer beneath his mask, his right hand raised as the water twisted into a violent spiral.
"This is only a glimpse of the end that awaits you. Say goodbye to your insignificant lives, Blendbreeds!"
The Scarlet Sparrows rushed toward Shirei just as the spiral reached its peak, flooding the cave. Cragar's son looked at the god of the Overworld and noticed a new crack on his mask—a diagonal cut nearly splitting it in two.
"Purple!" Havel shouted, though his voice was already a gurgle. "Get us out of here!"
Before the boy could attempt a Spectral Travel, something shifted. The space filled with a pulsing, unstable light, as if time itself were fracturing.
The reset… he thought, recognizing the now-familiar signs.
The water, which just moments before had threatened to consume them, froze. Every element in the cave seemed to slow, then reverse its course. The bluish lights fused with the shadows, enveloping everything in a vortex of indistinct forms.
"Not yet!" shouted Nerio, his voice distorted as he tried to resist.
A blink.
The Blendbreeds found themselves back in the streets of Venice. The cavern was gone, replaced by the entrance near the Verardi tavern—the same point where the cycle always restarted.
For a moment, no one spoke. The air was still thick with the tension they had left behind, and with the death of Niccolò. Elaine collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, as Reno appeared beside Shirei, his expression dark.
"And here we are again. Another reset," he announced, his voice laced with restrained bitterness. "Look on the bright side, boss."
The Forbidden Heir's mind was still fixed on the image of Niccolò—lifeless in his arms.
"What bright side?"
"You noticed it too, didn't you? The mask—it's nearly broken."
"Yeah," Shirei murmured, rising to his feet and staring at the horizon. "Nerio's still there. We have to find a way to stop him for good."
The other Blendbreeds gathered around him.
"You mean you want to stay? There are no monsters leaking out, there's nothing to worry about, that's it…" Elaine countered, almost in disbelief.
"You just watched a boy die right in front of you—don't you want to stop this?" she wondered.
"It's the only way to close the Temporal Rift. The anchor is his mask—I'm sure of it."
"That doesn't justify—" Mardi's daughter was cut off by Ada, who shook her head. They still hadn't discussed the blonde's new powers, but Shirei suspected they had chosen to postpone that conversation for a more fitting moment.
Nerio's words vibrated in the dark-haired girl's mind. The more she thought about it, the more it all made sense.
"Shirei, what's bothering you?"
"The rift was created for a reason. We don't know what it is, but that's not a reason to leave it open."
"Because we don't know the extent of Rakion's plans and powers…" Havel concluded. "It checks out. You're absolutely right."
Silence spread among the Scarlet Sparrows like a suffocating blanket as they regrouped not far from the cycle's origin point. The air was heavier than they dared admit. They were so worried that the words of Sidal's son and his kindness toward Shirei had faded into the background.
"What matters now is closing the rift before another reset. If the rifts were opened to distract us while the enemy gathers strength, we can't waste more time."
Everyone nodded, though reluctantly. The urgency in his words was undeniable.
Elaine clenched her fists.
"How do you plan to destroy the mask while fighting a chained god? That's madness."
"We don't have a choice," Cragar's son replied. "We know where it is, and we know Nerio can't move freely because of the chains. That's a weakness we have to exploit. If we focus on the mask, we can end all of this."
Ada looked at him with dark eyes.
"He's proven he can defeat us easily, even without moving."
Shirei didn't look away.
"But at a cost. The mask fractures when he uses his powers—if it's that fragile, he has to weigh his choices."
"Okay, Purple, the mask breaks. Then what? He'll kill us anyway."
The Blendbreed shook his head.
"At that point, the rift will collapse, and I'll take us out with Spectral Travel."
Havel eyed him with doubt, arms crossed.
"Are you really sure about that?" he asked. "We can't afford a mistake—our lives are on the line."
"I'm sure."
Rutia's daughter stepped to the front of the group, locking eyes with the Forbidden Heir.
"If that's the case, then let's end it. I don't want to stay trapped here a second longer. Let's destroy this rift and go home."
Without another word, the group moved toward the battle.