Chapter 12: The Ocean of Fear

The sky was a dim greyish purple, and the earth beneath them still hummed from the impact of their fall. Cracked, dusted stones and scattered debris surrounded the five figures sprawled along the rough cavern floor. The air was thick with silence—an unnatural kind of silence that seemed to smother even the breath in their lungs. "Wake up," Ravaa’s deep, even voice broke the stillness as he stood upright, not a scratch on his golden skin. "We’re safe… for now." One by one, the group groaned and sat up. Zayn coughed, brushing dirt off his jacket. “That was a hell of a way to travel.” Kael stood, checking his sword. “Did anyone see where those giants went?” “We fell into the abyss,” Riven said, helping Nyra to her feet. “They didn’t follow.” Nyra gave a suspicious glance at Ravaa. “Convenient. You always seem to know the one way out, don’t you?” Ravaa didn’t answer, simply turned his head toward the horizon ahead. There, a forest loomed—except it wasn’t a forest at all. It swirled with heavy, rolling smog, thick like smoke, yet alive like mist. Lilu squinted. “What… is that?” Ravaa’s voice was calm, but held a weight of dread. “The Ocean of Fear.” Kael scoffed. “Ocean? That’s a damn haunted forest.” "You people really love naming things dramatically," he added sarcastically. Zayn adjusted the gun on his belt. “Alright. Let’s keep moving. The sooner we’re out of this, the better.” They began walking. The ground turned softer, sponge-like, and the smog grew denser with each step. It wasn’t long before the first hallucination hit. Kael stopped abruptly, eyes wide, fixed on something only he could see. From the mist emerged a tall figure—a man cloaked in shadows, yet unmistakable to Kael. "F-Father…?" The figure pointed a rotting finger. “You let me die… You ran.” Kael fell to his knees. “No, no, I tried— I—” Zayn rushed to him. “Kael! Snap out of it!” Kael’s eyes were wild. “You don’t see him?! My father… he’s right there—” Zayn grabbed his shoulders. “It’s not real! None of it’s real!” Ravaa, unfazed, said coldly, “The Ocean of Fear feeds on what you hide. Your guilt. Your grief.” Nyra narrowed her eyes. “Can it kill us?” “No,” Ravaa said. “But it can make you wish you were dead.” They pressed on, more cautiously now. But the visions came faster. Zayn froze, his mouth trembling. Before him, a massive serpent slithered from the mist, coiling around two motionless figures—a man and woman. His parents. “No—Get away from them!” Zayn raised his gun, firing at nothing. Click. Click. Click. No bullets. No serpent. Just mist. He collapsed to his knees. “They begged me not to leave…” Lilu’s eyes welled up with tears as she staggered, whispering names under her breath. Shadows swirled around her, forming shapes she dared not describe. Kael reached out, pulling her close. “You’re not alone,” he said gently. Then it was Riven’s turn. Her pupils dilated as the mist parted to show a great hall of black marble, lit with flames. She fell silent, mouth agape. Her homeland. The palace she once called home was engulfed in fire, her mother and father chained, screaming, faces melting in the heat. “No…” Riven whispered. “Please, not again…” She collapsed. Her body crumpled to the ground. “Riven!” Kael shouted. He rushed to her side, lifting her unconscious body. “We have to move. Now.” Nyra took point, slicing through the thicker patches of mist with her energy star, and they continued forward, each step heavier than the last. Finally, after what felt like hours of walking through their worst memories, they saw it—a faint glow in the distance. “The edge,” Zayn said, nearly crying with relief. But Ravaa… He was gone. Nyra turned in every direction, her star pulsing. “Where is he?” “He was just here,” Kael said, eyes narrowing. “No footsteps. No sound,” Zayn added. The golden man had vanished. As if he were never real at all. They stared at the mist behind them—writhing, hissing, waiting. And ahead, the glow of something unknown. But none of them said a word. Not even Lilu. Because for the first time in this journey… They were truly afraid.