For a moment, no one moved.

No one knew what to do.

Althea's gaze remained fixed on the water's surface, wide with disbelief. She desperately waited for Acheron to emerge from the depths, to have somehow freed himself and was making his way back to the surface. He couldn't be gone. Not like that. Not so fast. He wouldn't do that to her.

"No," she shook her head. "No—no, he's not—he's not—!"

Refusing to stand idle, she dashed to the corner where Atticus had kept her bow and snatched it up. She rushed back to the edge in a flash, her fingers trembling as she nocked the arrow.

Worried she might hit Acheron if she tried anything in a rush, Revana tried to stop her, but Esme held her back. She shook her head, as if saying she should let Althea do what she wants.

Tears streamed down her face, but Althea forced herself to breathe and focus. She aimed at the water, willing her instincts to guide her as she begged for any signs, even a flicker of movement beneath the surface of the water. It was difficult to tell due to the way the surface had turned dark, as though someone poured black ink into the water. The sight manifested out of nowhere. The only difference was that it kept spreading at an alarming rate.

"Where is it?!"

And then she fired.

She fired again.

And again.

And again.

"Althea–stop! Too much, you might hit him!" Revana lunged forward and seized her before she could fire the next arrow, pulling her back away from the edge.

Althea didn't resist her sister's pull. Her bow slipped from her hands as she sank to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

"It took him," she choked, looking up at Revana. "It moved so fast. But why didn't I move away fast enough? This is all my fault, bring him back!" She rested her head against Revana's chest, pleading with her sister to bring him back, but even Revana felt utterly helpless at the moment.

By now, other crew members had begun to gather, drawn by the shouting and panic. Orion had already left to inform the Alpha, while Atticus was busy assembling a search party that would descend in search of Acheron beneath the sea's surface.

Esme barely knew how to react. Her eyes remained fixed on the water, her heart clenching against what her eyes refused to accept. This couldn't be the end. She would not let it be. Her mind raced as she tried to think of anything that would help. But then, her pupils dilated when she noticed a sudden ripple from the water's surface.

Just as Atticus was ready to lower the rope ladder, Esme raised her hand, halting them all.

"Wait," she said, keeping her voice sharp and clear, but the urgency was not hidden. "No one goes under. I need six of you who can handle a bow and arrow, or a spear if we brought any. Find one and bring it back here as fast as you can. There's no more time left for hesitation. Go!"

The authority in her voice caught through the confusion like steel. Even Revana and Althea, though uncertain of her intent, obeyed without question.

In a matter of seconds, the ship's edge bristled with drawn bows, every arrow and spears aimed at the dark, churning waters below as they anticipated her next order. A heavy silence fell, stretched with waiting impatience. But to everyone's surprise– a ripple disturbed the surface again. Despite the darkness spreading, a shadow surged upward, swift and violent.

A splash followed.

Then came Acheron, bursting through the waves after somehow, successfully escaping the creature's clutches. He was soaked, bloodied and gasping for air– but unmistakably alive. He was barely aware of the fact that his protectors had lined the ship's edge, waiting to snap.

"Hold," Esme breathed, her voice low yet commanding. She raised a hand to stop them from reacting, quietly urging the archers to stay their fire. All eyes remained fixed on the water, observing, until finally, a movement stirred the sea again.

The creature emerged, swimming towards Acheron with a speed that had everyone bewildered. And this time, it was going for the kill.

"Now!" Esme cried.

The command loosed a storm. Arrows rained down, whistling through the air and striking true. Spears rained down as well, and Althea, who was naturally a pro when it came to handling arrows, aimed at the creature and struck it squarely on its spine. The siren shrieked, a sound sharp enough to rattle bones, but the arrows kept raining down.

A rope ladder had already been cast down on a safer side, whilst Acheron seized it, hauling himself upward while the onslaught continued.

Arrow after arrow plunged into the water's depths without fail, chasing the beast as it thrashed and screamed– until at last, the sea fell silent.

Everyone seized fire after Acheron hauled himself back onto the deck, soaked to the bone and gasping for breath. By then, Donovan and Lothar had arrived at the scene. He had shown up earlier, but when he saw Esme was already leading the group, he made his way to the helmsman who was busy discussing the safest route with Leonardo and Cora. Thankfully, the ship hadn't started moving yet, or else, who knows what would have happened the moment Acheron fell into the water.

His gaze fell on Acheron who had dropped to one knee, coughing up seawater, and something darker, almost like the only substance staining the sea's surface. Donovan's eyes lingered on him for a moment before he asked,

"Can you stand?"

"Just barely," Acheron rasped, attempting a weak chuckle through the pain after getting that out of his system.

Donovan offered no smile, but there was a hint of relief in his expression. He offered a firm clap to Acheron's back before striding to the ship's edge.

He raised a hand, summoning Atticus and Lothar with a short gesture. "Bring the corpse aboard. And use the net."

The two nodded in unison and immediately went to do as told. His attention shifted to Esme who was still staring at the darkened water. She only turned to him when she felt his hand on her hand, gently patting her as though he was acknowledging what she had done earlier.

"Good job. I'll take it from here."

Esme gave a silent nod as he moved away, watching as he headed toward Lothar and Atticus whom he had sent to bring the corpse aboard.

Everyone's cry of relief brought her attention back to Acheron as everyone crowded him. The young man was trying to reassure them in-between coughs that he wasn't severely harmed, but then, Althea pushed through and threw her arms around him, making him tense as he felt her emotions through the hug.

"You idiot," she murmured, clutching him tighter. "Don't ever do that again!"

Acheron remained frozen. His expression softened at last. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her in return, as if just realizing she hadn't been hurt.

Everyone was too preoccupied with checking on Acheron to notice the black liquid—except for Esme. She saw how the dark substance only tainted the sea when the creature emerged from the depths. Something was wrong.

Quietly slipping away, she followed Donovan's trail to where the crew had hauled the monstrous corpse aboard using a net. The creature's body was torn and brutalized, its glistening scales smeared with blood. Esme's gaze drifted along its length, eventually settling on the tail, where a lone silver scale shimmered unnaturally.

"We'll have to gut this one," Donovan murmured, his eyes narrowing at the siren. "Earlier measures weren't enough. In the meantime, someone get me a cutter. I need this thing opened. Merely looking at it—we can tell it's clearly been infected with demon blood."

"But doesn't it have to make contact with a demon to be infected?" Lothar asked, frowning. "There are no visible bite marks. Makes me wonder what's really happening along the shores of Mariana. This might be proof someone's over there turning them into demons. Acheron seemed to have consumed the dark water too…"

"Can we keep the scales?" Atticus chirped, a bit too eagerly at the sight.

The deadpan look Donovan gave him made him wilt on the spot.

"I— I mean… Right away, Alpha."