Chapter 182: Problems in the Sea!

The group had quickly swam out of the Noble District, and were now swimming towards the Market District, the descent being like slipping into the veins of a sleeping titan, as the deeper into the water the group had to go to reach the Market area, the heavier the water felt in presence.

It pressed on their minds, their suits, their mana signatures, as though the ocean itself was aware of them. The Noble District’s towering spires and regal boulevards faded behind them, replaced by sprawling arcades and domed halls that once served as the heart of commerce for the Sunken City of Vorago.

Wide, circular plazas stretched out like underwater amphitheaters, and between them ran thoroughfares lined with coral-encrusted stalls, their stone counters still etched with faint sigils that once channeled mana to preserve goods.

Kaen’s formation descended in a tight column, every light on their suits dimmed to a low, amber hue. The faint hiss of rebreathers and the quiet hum of Abyssal Descent Gear were the only sounds, everything else was drowned beneath the vast, omnipresent silence of the deep.

When they reached the district floor, the first thing they saw was movement. Not constructs or shadows of beasts, but actual deep sea life.

Thousands of small fish-like mana beasts drifted between the ruins, glowing faintly in scattered colors, emerald, azure, violet and even black, creating a living constellation that pulsed and scattered as the group approached.

Their movements painted the water in ribbons of bioluminescent light, swirling around the coral-covered pillars before vanishing into cracks and archways.

“They’re everywhere,” Fade murmured, her tone carrying awe even through the static of the comms.

“Mana feeders,” Kaen explained, “They’re the most common deep sea mana beast, as they survive usually by consuming the residual mana in the environment they stay in. So they’re probably just consuming the mana leaking from the city’s ancient conduits. They’re very docile unless startled, but don’t let your mana flare too close to them. If the environmental mana pressure warps too much around them, they’ll explode,”

That warning earned a few uneasy glances as the group continued onwards. The Market District stretched wide, divided by broken walkways that led to floating platforms.

Some of the buildings leaned at strange angles, half-consumed by coral reefs that shimmered with trapped energy. Faint, rune-lit banners still clung to the walls, echoes of trade guilds that hadn’t existed for a millennium.

As they advanced, Kaen raised a hand, “Hold. Another signal, approaching from the east.”

The students halted, forming a loose perimeter. Within moments, a new group of figures came into view, another squad in Abyssal Descent suits, their pale armor outlined by the faint glow of runes.

A familiar voice crackled through the shared frequency.

“Lieutenant Kaen,” came the steady, feminine tone, “I had a feeling we’d run into each other down here.”

Kaen turned slightly, visor reflecting the newcomer’s group as they swam closer, “Lieutenant Serah. I see your team’s still intact. Good.”

The other officer’s armor bore faint gold markings, denoting her as a mid-level commander under Kaen’s command. She was calm, confident, and carried herself like someone used to deep-sea operations.

Behind her floated half a dozen students, and among them, Albedo’s gaze immediately found Lilian and Elara who were standing there behind the Commander.

Lilian’s crimson eyes met his briefly through her visor, faint amusement tugging at her lips even through the distortion of glass and light. Elara waved slightly, or as much as the pressure would allow.

Serah gestured toward a cluster of collapsed archways to her left. “We’ve just finished a perimeter scan of the eastern trade wing. You’ll want to see this. We picked up rhythmic mana surges beneath the foundation there, something’s pulsing, similar to what your group reported in the Noble District.”

Kaen’s head tilted slightly as he heard that, a sinking feeling growing in his stomach as he realized this was more than it appeared, “Another breathing mana source?”

“Exactly,” Serah replied. “Same pattern, same rhythm. It’s like the ruins themselves are alive.”

“That shouldn’t be possible,” Kaen muttered. “The city’s core is sealed far below. There shouldn’t be any residual synchronization patterns this far out.”

Serah’s voice came through, soft but thoughtful. “Unless whatever’s left of the city’s network is… waking up. If those conduits are linked to the Core, the whole thing could be connected like a circulatory system.”

Kaen’s visor turned toward her, and though his face couldn’t be seen, his tone held faint approval. “A fair theory. In my opinion the more likely option is something or someone triggered a vast amount of the Conduits throughout the city, all of whom are drawing energy from the core, which is causing all of these breathing mana sources.”

That last part earned silence across both groups.

The lieutenant exhaled quietly, scanning the glowing runes embedded in the coral around them. “Either way, something’s shifting. Keep recording all readings. Command will want this data analyzed immediately.”

Just as they were preparing to move on, the water changed. It wasn’t sound, it was vibration. A subtle hum that rippled through their suits, faint but unmistakable.

“Feel that?” Lilian asked, frowning.

“Pressure drop,” Fade said. “Mana density’s decreasing.”

Kaen’s visor flicked to his sensors, and his voice hardened. “Movement. Not constructs. Something large, multiple entities, moving away from the city.”

The holographic minimaps projected in each visor pulsed with faint blue motes, indicating life forms.

Dozens, no, hundreds, of smaller readings were streaming upward and outward from the city perimeter. The fish-like mana beasts that had been lazily drifting through the streets now began scattering in tight, erratic swarms.

“Sir…” one of Serah’s soldiers said, his tone tense, “they’re fleeing.”

Kaen’s jaw tightened. “Stay calm. Don’t emit mana. Let them pass.”

Through the water, the swarms of glowing fish streaked away like shooting stars, forming dazzling currents of light that vanished into the endless dark above.

Within moments, the Market District that had been teeming with life moments before was left barren and still, an eerie emptiness replacing the dance of light.

Only the distant hum of ancient machinery remained.

Lilian drifted closer to Albedo, voice low. “You think they’re running from something?”

“Or toward something,” he said quietly. His gaze remained locked on the shadowy expanse beyond the ruins.

A faint rumble echoed through the water, deep and resonant, so low it vibrated through their bones. The very ruins seemed to tremble in response. Sediment drifted up from the ground like dust disturbed in a forgotten tomb.

Kaen’s eyes narrowed behind his visor as the low rumble deepened into a resonant quake that rippled through the entire district. Dust and debris lifted from the ocean floor, clouds of shimmering silt billowing through the water like smoke.

The ground itself groaned, the faint creak of stone echoing through the deep as ancient pillars began to splinter.

“Command, this is Lieutenant Kaen,” he said sharply, his voice cutting through the comms. “We have artificial seismic activity in the Market District. Requesting confirmation and status of the surface link.”

Only static answered.

Kaen’s brow furrowed. “Command, respond. Do you copy?”

Static again, then nothing. Not even the usual background hum of the uplink line. The channel had gone completely dead.

“Signal’s gone,” Fade said after a tense moment, tapping at her wrist console, “Not interference. It’s like the relay itself was cut off.”

Kaen’s gaze flicked toward Serah, ” Confirm?”

Serah’s fingers moved rapidly over her forearm pad. A thin glow pulsed over her visor as her systems attempted to ping the uplink channel. After several seconds, she cursed under her breath. “Same here. Full connection loss. HQ’s gone dark.”

The students exchanged uneasy glances. The water pressed closer, heavy and cold, as if listening.

Albedo’s eyes glowed faintly through his visor, Source Code instinctively flickering, “It’s not natural interference. The signal field around the city is fluctuating, no, collapsing. Something’s overriding the mana network.”

“Overriding?” Kaen’s tone sharpened. “You mean deliberately?”

“Possibly. Or the Core is reacting to something,” Albedo replied. His gaze turned toward the horizon, where faint lights pulsed in the deep, steady, rhythmic, like the heartbeat they’d seen earlier. “If the conduits are linked, this could be a chain reaction.”

Before Kaen could reply, the seafloor lurched.

A thunderous crack tore through the abyss as a wall of sediment exploded outward. The ruins quaked violently, coral-covered spires snapping apart like brittle glass. The ground split open beneath them, a massive fissure yawning through the plaza.

“Earthquake!” Serah shouted, gripping onto a fallen column. “Brace!”

The group fought to stabilize their formations, activating the grav-field stabilizers in their Abyssal Descent suits. The water churned violently around them, thick with shattered debris and flaring runes that blinked erratically as if the ancient city itself were convulsing.

Mana currents tore through the streets, visible whirlwinds of blue light and black mist, spiraling upward as if something massive had just exhaled from below.

Kaen’s voice came through the static-laced comms, calm but commanding. “Maintain formation! No panic, pair up and stabilize! Serah, get a reading on the epicenter!”

“I’m trying!” Serah’s visor flickered as data streamed across it. “The quake’s originating deeper, somewhere beneath the Commercial Conduit Ring. That’s near, ”

She didn’t finish. A distant boom shuddered through the deep, powerful enough to send a new shockwave rolling through the ruins.

“The western perimeter,” Serah finished grimly, “That’s where the other squads were headed.”

Another explosion tore through the water, this one so bright it lit up the entire horizon for an instant. A blinding sphere of violet flame erupted from the opposite side of the city, illuminating the shattered towers and fallen bridges in ghostly light.

“Multiple detonations,” Kaen said, eyes narrowing. “Not natural. Someone’s triggering the conduits.”

The water still vibrated with the echo of the blast. Even from this distance, they could feel the surge of mana washing through the currents, raw and ancient.

Kaen made the decision instantly, “All units, form up. We’re heading to the west perimeter. Serah, you take point on your flank. We’ll move in tandem. We need eyes on what’s happening before the next detonation.”

“Understood,” Serah said, her tone cold and clipped. “My team’s ready.”

Kaen turned toward his students, voice steady even as the ruins around them continued to tremble. “Stay alert. No unnecessary mana flares. If the enemy’s coordinated, they’re watching us too.”

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