Livia didn’t want to acknowledge it. She couldn’t acknowledge it. She didn’t want to accept the fact that she had become weak because of such things.

And so Livia stubbornly endured again.

She endured.

She en…dured.

En….

‘….’

Livia’s expressionless face slowly contorted. Her body, parched from refusing to drink water, couldn’t produce tears.

How much time had passed? She crawled out and frantically dug up the ground where she had buried Tuktuk. Perhaps not as much time had passed as she felt. If there were still traces of Tuktuk in this sand…!

“Ah….”

But there was nothing under the sand.

“Ah…. Ahhh!”

Tuktuk had disappeared without a trace. That small life had already decayed and become part of the desert. That’s how much time had passed. That’s how much time she had spent here.

Ah, this cursed god of the sea.

Livia, swallowing her tearless cry, stumbled and collapsed on the ground. The rough floor seemed to undulate up and down. It looked just like the sea, like waves, and it made her grind her teeth.

Bastard.

Bastard….

A small beam of light touched Livia’s head as she sobbed. Livia noticed it was someone’s touch. As she suddenly rose and glared at the empty air, she had to admit. She wanted to wake up from this insufferable nightmare.

So, get me out of here now.

“…Triton.”

At that one name spoken in a suppressed voice, the world stopped.

The nightmare that had imprisoned Livia crumbled. Through the gaps of the fake world scattering like ashes, in that pitch-black darkness, a man appeared silhouetted against a hazy light.

With skin that seemed immune to heat, glistening as if moistened, and silver-blue hair that flowed beautifully like the finest silver thread, the man stood alone, proud in the pitch-black darkness.

“Though you knew the answer, you called quite late.”

Though she knew the answer to escape the trial, how stubborn of her. But she had finally broken. Despite all her resistance, hadn’t she finally called his name?

A satisfied smile spread across the face of the man who lifted up the parched and haggard Livia.

A beautiful smile that contrasted with his dark and sinister eyes.

***

Livia opened her eyes to a headache that felt like her head would split. Looking up at the sky with bleary eyes, she saw the familiar water-colored ceiling and small clownfish swimming through the air.

‘…I’m back.’

Just as relief washed over her, chills ran down her spine.

‘Back? This isn’t even a place I should feel relieved to return to…!’

Though she hadn’t eaten anything, she felt like she would be sick. Livia jumped up from her spot and wrapped her arms around herself with a small groan. Every movement made her acutely aware of each ripple that touched her skin.

Was it because she had endured places that were cold, hot, and burning? Her sense of touch had become hypersensitive.

Normally, after such hardship, shouldn’t one become more numb…. Though Livia found it strange, she couldn’t question anyone since she didn’t know the cause. Her breathing became ragged as she curled up tightly. Her hollow eyes reflected a mixture of anger and fatigue.

She was exhausted.

She wanted to end this quickly. Just as she staggered to rise from her spot, a long black snake suddenly slithered out from under the bed.

“…!”

Livia’s face froze when she saw the snake.

The black witch Echidna’s snake. Something that shouldn’t be here was present.

The snake flicked its tail playfully in front of Livia and wrapped around her ankle once, displaying an unsettling friendliness. Friendliness – it was an absurd situation.

However, regardless of whether Livia was frozen in surprise, the snake opened its mouth wide and regurgitated something. A small black bottle shot out from inside the snake’s mouth.

The snake extended it toward Livia while opening and closing its widely spread mouth. As its split tongue made a metallic sound in the air, the snake’s language echoed in her mind.

“Triton.”

…Was it telling her to feed this to Triton?

Livia picked up the small bottle the snake had left with her cold, stiff hands. The snake that had been watching turned its body. Livia quickly grabbed the snake.

“Wait.”

While the snake stopped, Livia quickly reached her hand over the snake’s head. Though she wasn’t sure if it would work, she believed the goddess hadn’t spoken meaningless words. Livia drew letters in the air with her finger.

Hydria.

Light began from Livia’s fingertips, drawing lines that soon became letters. The letters transformed into multiple lines, and the lines suddenly became a jar-shaped drawing that enveloped the snake.

“Kyaaaaaaaaah!”

The snake trapped in the jar drawing let out a horrifying scream. Soon there was a bone-chilling sound of breaking bones, and the snake’s head split into three. While a startled Livia stepped back, the snake that had split into three began attacking itself.

‘What, what is this?’

One neck was severed, one eyeball burst. Meanwhile, one snake head began strangling the other two heads by wrapping around them. Black snake blood splattered inside the jar, but none escaped.

Soon, with a thud, even the snake’s body burst. A black finger fell in its place, but even that exploded inside the jar and disappeared without a trace.

The jar, where all the snakes had died and vanished, shook slightly and crumpled, then turned into a single point. And that point cleanly disappeared as if it had never existed in this world.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

While she was blankly staring at the empty space, someone entered the bedroom. Startled, she turned to see Audike, holding a large tray of food, staring at Livia with wide eyes.

“Oh my, you’re awake! I was just told to bring some food and wondered if maybe…!”

Audike approached Livia in one breath, her face clearly showing delight. She set down the tray and gently caressed Livia’s cheek with her cool hand.

“You collapsed suddenly and slept for days, your face looks so gaunt. You must be hungry. Quickly, have something….”

Audike, who had been pouring out worried words, froze in surprise. A tear had dropped from Livia’s expressionless eyes that still seemed half-asleep.

“Why, why? Are you in pain? Did you perhaps have a bad dream while sleeping?”

“…Bad dream.”

Livia, who had been echoing part of Audike’s words, let out a bitter laugh.

Days, she said…. Just, only days have passed?

All that painful and lonely time Livia had experienced was just ‘a few days of bad dreams’? Her despair and frustration, her loneliness, all felt like bubbles bursting. What had she endured it all for? Why was she even here?

The answer was already set. To harm Triton and avenge her family…!

Livia gripped the black bottle the snake had left behind and clenched her teeth. Something hot seemed to block her throat, making her feel nauseous. With her current state of mind, she felt capable of anything.

After a silence, Livia quietly asked Audike.

“Do you know where ‘he’ is?”

***

Aack-!

Echidna screamed and grabbed her trembling wrist where the flesh had burst. Her pale face looked in disbelief at the hand that had instantly lost three fingers.

“What, what is this….”

Two fingers that should have been there had vanished. To lose them raw, without even using them for a spell!

It was impossible. Moreover, it shouldn’t have happened. This would disrupt her plans.

“Damn it, who, who…!”

Echidna’s sea snake had been perfectly hidden. It had even stayed outside the palace when that human woman wasn’t around, concealing itself completely.

The Golden Palace was Triton’s domain. Of course, all seas were his domain, but the palace was completely in the palm of his hand. That’s why the snake sent there was Echidna’s most meticulously crafted snake, and the one she had imbued with the strongest power. But even so, it shouldn’t have cost three fingers when it was destroyed.

Then someone must have amplified her power and sent it back.

Who could it be? Who? Could Triton have discovered it?

Though she wanted to absorb the snake’s final memories, it had disappeared without leaving any trace, making it impossible. Echidna paced anxiously in the darkness before suddenly stopping.

Her wrinkled face trembled as she glared at the curse spell that was staining the cave floor blood red.