The sun crept over the horizon, casting its golden light across the still waters of the oasis. The morning air was warm, but Xin shivered as he sat on the cracked earth just beyond the treeline, his breath coming in slow, controlled exhales. His hands trembled slightly, though not from the cold. The weight of the past few days pressed down on him like a stone, crushing his resolve with each passing hour.
He lifted the leg of his tattered pants and stared at the scars covering his calf.
One hundred and twenty-nine.
Yesterday, there had been sixty-six.
His stomach churned. It was getting worse.
The truth was undeniable now. He had wasted too much time questioning, searching for explanations. This place—this trap—was bleeding them dry. The oasis, with its serene beauty and tranquil waters, was a lie. It was a predator, and they were its prey.
Xin clenched his jaw. It needed to end.
He turned his gaze back to his companions.
Belial hadn't stirred all morning. His chest rose and fell in slow, shallow breaths, his face unnervingly serene. The once-vibrant fighter, the sharp-tongued warrior who could always be counted on for reckless bravado, was now a husk. His ether had dwindled to nearly nothing, leaving him in a comatose state. Xin could still remember the way Belial had laughed just days ago, his voice full of life as he boasted about their chances of survival. Now, that laughter was gone, replaced by an eerie silence.
Raven, on the other hand, was still awake—if that word even applied anymore. He sat by the water's edge, as he had for hours, his armored fingers gliding lazily across the shimmering surface. His presence, once immense and heavy, was now a whisper of what it had been. Raven had always been the quiet one, but this was different. This was emptiness.
Xin swallowed hard. If he could see Raven's eyes through the visor of his helmet, he had no doubt they would be empty. Lifeless.
He had considered every possibility. The outcropping had given him no answers—only more questions. The wasteland beyond the oasis was endless and barren. There was nowhere left to search.
Nowhere, except—
Xin exhaled sharply.
The lake.
Of course. He had checked everything except the water.
His grip tightened around the crystalline spear he had taken from Belial's side. He didn't know what he was going to find down there, but he knew one thing for certain:
He wasn't leaving without answers.
The water was cool as he waded in, the liquid lapping at his ankles, then his knees, then his waist. With every step forward, the weight of the air around him seemed to lessen. It was as if the oasis itself was encouraging him to go deeper, to surrender to its embrace.
Raven did not react as Xin passed him, his golden-eyed companion still lost in the gentle ripples he traced with his fingers. He did not speak, did not move, did not acknowledge Xin's presence at all.
Xin steeled himself.
Then, with a deep breath, he dove.
The world beneath the surface was silent.
Light fractured in delicate, shimmering patterns as it filtered through the water, illuminating an expanse of crystalline formations that jutted from the lakebed like the ruins of an ancient cathedral. The deeper he swam, the more breathtaking it became—glowing flora drifted like embers in the currents, their soft radiance casting an otherworldly glow through the depths.
But Xin did not let himself be enchanted.
He forced himself to focus.
And then—
A shadow moved.
A vast, shifting darkness loomed below, so immense it seemed to swallow the light itself. Xin's breath caught in his throat, bubbles escaping from between his lips as he instinctively gripped his spear tighter.
The shape surged upward.
His muscles tensed. He kicked hard, propelling himself backward, away from the encroaching void.
But it was too late.
It saw him.
A pulse of energy vibrated through the water. It wasn't a sound, but Xin felt it—a deep, resonant hum that rattled his bones. His vision blurred for a fraction of a second, and when it cleared, the thing was closer.
A single, massive eye opened.
It was not human. It was not animal. It was something else.
The eye was colorless, like a fractured mirror reflecting a thousand unseen horrors. Xin's mind recoiled as something slithered at the edges of his thoughts—an awareness, vast and ancient, pressing against the walls of his consciousness.
It was watching him. Studying him.
And worse—
It knew him.
A shudder ran down his spine. He kicked off the lakebed, swimming hard toward the surface, but the water had thickened around him, as if the entire lake had become alive.
The thing did not move, but its presence alone made Xin's body feel heavy.
His lungs burned. The surface felt impossibly far. His fingers clawed through the thickened water, each stroke more sluggish than the last.
No.
No, he wouldn't die here.
With a final surge of strength, he thrust himself upward—
His hand broke through.
A moment later, his head followed, and he gasped, coughing, dragging himself onto the shore with shaking arms. His body felt numb, his mind hazy. The warmth of the oasis did nothing to thaw the cold that had settled in his bones.
He lay there, panting, staring at the sky.
The thing in the water had let him go.
Why?
Slowly, he turned his head.
Raven was still sitting there, tracing circles in the water.
And Xin knew, in that moment, that Raven had seen it too.
Or worse—
He had always known it was there.
Xin's stomach twisted. His breath came in sharp, uneven exhales as he forced himself to his feet. His legs shook beneath him, but he ignored it.
He turned to Belial, still unconscious beneath the tree, his ether nearly drained.
And then back to Raven.
Xin's fingers tightened around the shaft of his spear.
"Raven," he rasped.
No response.
He swallowed. Took a step closer. "You knew."
A pause. Then, at last, Raven spoke—his voice soft, almost distant.
"We belong here."
Xin's heart pounded. "No," he whispered. "We don't."
Raven finally looked at him. His visor reflected the lake's surface, but Xin didn't need to see his eyes to know the truth.
Raven wasn't Raven anymore.
Not completely.
Xin took a shaky step back. His mind reeled, scrambling for a plan, a way to wake him up before it was too late.
Because if he didn't—
They would never leave.
And soon, neither would he.
The realization hit him like a physical blow. This place wasn't just draining them—it was changing them. The scars on his leg, the way Belial had slipped into unconsciousness, the emptiness in Raven's voice—it was all connected. The oasis was a predator, and they were its prey.
Xin's thoughts raced. He had to act quickly, but what could he do? The thing in the lake was beyond his understanding, let alone his ability to fight. And even if he could, what would it accomplish? The damage was already done.
But he couldn't give up. Not yet.
He moved to Belial's side, kneeling beside the unconscious warrior. "Belial," he said, shaking him gently. "Wake up. I need you."
There was no response. Belial's breathing remained shallow, his face pale and drawn. Xin placed a hand on his chest, feeling the faint rise and fall. He was still alive, but for how long?
Xin turned back to Raven. "What did it do to you?" he demanded, his voice rising. "What did it do to all of us?"
Raven didn't answer. He simply continued to trace patterns in the water, his movements slow and deliberate.
Xin's frustration boiled over. He grabbed Raven by the shoulder, shaking him roughly. "Look at me!" he shouted. "Fight it, whatever it is! Don't let it take you!"
For a moment, Raven's hand stilled. He tilted his head, as if considering Xin's words. Then, in a voice so quiet it was almost inaudible, he said, "There's no point."
Xin's grip on Raven's shoulder tightened. "There's always a point," he said, his voice trembling with desperation. "We can't let it win. We can't let it take everything from us."
Raven's head tilted again, and for a brief moment, Xin thought he saw a flicker of something—recognition, perhaps, or defiance—behind the visor. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by that same hollow emptiness.
"It's too late," Raven murmured. "We belong here."
Xin's heart sank. He released Raven and stepped back, his mind racing. He couldn't accept that. He wouldn't. There had to be a way to break free, to fight back against whatever force was holding them captive.
He turned his gaze to the lake, its surface now still and unbroken. The thing beneath the water had let him go, but for how long? And why?
Xin clenched his fists. He didn't have the answers, but he knew one thing for certain: he wasn't going to sit here and wait for the oasis to claim him.
He would find a way to fight back.