Shrouded Seascape

Crash!

The roaring waves smashed violently against the docks of Divinity's Land. Strangely, it was an extraordinary place located on the seabed yet untouched by the surrounding waters.

As the base of the Fhtagn Covenant, Divinity's Land seemed to be protected by some divine force as the currents surrounding it remained mysteriously calm for centuries.

However, things had changed now. The surrounding waters started stirring; the currents seemed enraged by the events unfolding on the island.

Drip!

A single drop of dark corpse fluid slowly fell from above and landed on the face of an elderly man marked with an octopus tattoo.

He slowly lifted his yellowed eyes toward the towering steel cross looming over the crowd. A decayed humanoid octopus creature was being hung on it. Its wide, decaying eyes with horizontal pupils were filled with defiance.

The more one's appearance resembled that of God Fhtagn, the more God Fhtagn would shower more favoritism upon them. In the covenant, those who had undergone the anointment ritual held significant status.

Yet, all these once-revered figures were being hung like ragged dolls on the crosses.

The old man's gaze slowly shifted to the right as more and more crosses came into sight. The entire Divinity's Land had turned into a forest of death; the trees were made of steel and rotting flesh.

Clusters of humans huddled together beneath the "branches" and "leaves" of this forest. Their faces were painted with despair; their clothes were tattered, and their bodies frail and emaciated. Many of them even bore wounds of varying severity.

Crammed shoulder to shoulder, these people filled up every inch of the entire Divinity's Land. Yet, despite the island being overrun, more islanders were still being herded in.

At the docks, men were cracking their whips, driving yet more people from neighboring islands onto the already overcrowded land.

The old men knew where all these newcomers came from. They were islanders from other parts of the Eastern Seas. Their appearance on Divinity's Land meant that the heretics had completely conquered the sacred land of the Fhtagn Covenant.

The old man's previously expressionless face gave way to new emotions. Trembling, he collapsed onto the ground and let out a despaired, hollow wail.

Beside him, a man whose limbs had been broken lay motionless. But upon hearing the old man's cries, he opened his mouth and began to recite the prayer of the Fhtagn Covenant.

"May the blood of the Great One cleanse me of all my sins. I accept Fhtagn Sawito as my lord and savior. I pray that You grant me the faith to seek and trust in You…"

The man's voice was weak and barely audible due to the pain coursing through his body. However, the others around him soon picked up his words and started to echo the same prayer.

Men's voices, women's voices, the soft, trembling voices of children, and the cracked, broken tones of the elderly all joined in. Their prayers mixed with the crashing of the waves, and for a moment, it breathed a semblance of life back into the dead, desolate Divinity's Land.

Just as they were engrossed in their devout prayers, a massive airborne island slowly descended from the sky with an overwhelming presence.

The prayers of the Fhtagnists grew louder instead of softer. It was as if they believed that their fervent prayers could somehow repel the approaching force. However, it was all futile resistance.

"MASS BEGINS!" A sharp voice pierced through the air and sliced through the chorus of prayers.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

Instantly, every corpse hanging on the metal crosses ignited in flames. The stench of decay was swiftly replaced by the acrid smell of burning flesh.

The fire was no ordinary flame. Unlike normal flames, it cast no shadows as it burned. Instead, the pillars of flames were filled with noxious plumes of greenish, coppery smoke and laced with sulfur and death. No matter how fiercely the flames burned, they provided no warmth. The only palpable sensation in the air was the stifling presence of death and rot.

The bodies hanging from the crosses didn't burn for long before their charred remains crumbled and fell onto the crowd below, allowing the remnant flames to leap from the dead to the living.

Panicked screams filled the air as the people's hair and skin were set ablaze. They tried desperately to flee, but with the island being jam-packed with people, escape was impossible.

In mere minutes, the flames roared fiercer as they were now fueled by fresh bodies. Soon enough, towering pillars of green fire could be seen across the island.

Just then, a creature with black, scaly tentacles descended slowly from the floating island above and hovered above the heart of Divinity's Land.

Some of the scales on its tentacles began to peel away. The raw bloody wounds slightly parted to emit a voice—words twisted in a way that stirred a primal revulsion in anyone who heard them.

Qomer Taytay， Qomer Taytay…

Ama hina kaychu…. Yanapaykuway,

intiqa… pakakuchian?a

Munay Ma… qt'aiki,

Kachay… Cuerpo Rumi!

At first, the creature was the only one chanting. But as its tentacles extended outward in the air, those reciting the prayers of God Fhtagn succumbed to its influence. Their terrified gazes dulled as their lips began to mirror the creature's sickening chant in unison.

Those on the island who were wise enough caught onto the situation immediately. This was a sacrificial rite! And whoever the sacrifice was intended for, it wasn't their God Fhtagn.

They turned to flee, trying to rush toward the surrounding dark waters. They would rather drown themselves than be sacrificed to some other gods.

Unfortunately, the chant was like an infectious plague. It didn't take long before the creature's hideous chant rapidly spread to infect everyone's mouth. Every islander could only stay in their spots like puppets on strings and chant in monotone.

As the chanting intensified, the green pillars of fire on the island began to grow taller with each passing second. The flames leaped and stretched to connect with one another until they formed a grotesque flower of green flame that bloomed on Divinity's Land.

The next moment, the green fire surged upward to engulf the entire island in flames. The flames burned through the people's skin, charred their flesh, and seared their bones. The only thing it failed to do was to take away their lives.

Millions of skeletons danced madly within the green inferno. Their bony hands drummed against their rib cages in a frenzied rhythm. At the same time, their white jaws clattered open, but no one knew if it was in laughter or eternal screams.

Something was climbing out of the sea and onto the island, but they couldn't see it. Only the dark, hollow trails left in the green flames gave evidence of its identity. It was a creature walking with a single foot.

"MASS COMPLETE!" A sharp, silver whistle rang out from the floating island above.

Instantly, the green inferno coiled upward and wrapped around the tentacled creature hovering in the air. Like a living thing, the flames rapidly drilled into its body.

The flames roared as they burned the blood and flesh of the creature's tentacles. Agonized screams rang out from the wounds, intensifying with each passing second and echoing through the surrounding darkness.

The next day, on the sunny-lit Hope Island, Charles sat alone in his dark office in the Governor's Mansion. With his head buried in his hands, his eyes were squeezed shut.

A stack of photographs was on the mahogany desk to his left. But Charles didn't look at them; he seemed to be bracing himself for something.

The door creaked open, and Anna entered gracefully with a radiant smile on her face.

"I heard from Sparkle that you are looking for me. We haven't been apart that long, and you're missing me already?" Anna asked.

However, Charles offered no response. He remained seated with his eyes still closed.

"Hey, what's going on? I'm talking to you," Anna said as she reached out a hand toward Charles' face. However, her hand stopped abruptly just when she was inches from Charles' face.

Charles had opened his eyes and was staring at her. His gaze was cold and detached with an unfamiliar iciness, as though he was looking at a stranger. His prosthetic arm grabbed the pile of photos next to him and flung it at Anna.

Anna crouched down and picked up the nearest one. It was a photo of Divinity's Land being engulfed in flames.