Chapter 142 Mystery of the disappearing sea

Chapter 142: Chapter 142 Mystery of the disappearing sea

On the other hand, Rowan and Ethan couldn’t help but jerk their heads toward the sea—or what was supposed to be the sea. There was nothing there anymore.

The enormous body of water that had surrounded them only hours ago had simply disappeared. Nothing about this made sense. The sea couldn’t just come and disappear like that. That wasn’t something either of them could process properly.

Ethan stared at the enormous stretch of exposed ground ahead of them, his eyebrows drawn together as he tried to understand what they were witnessing. His brain kept searching for an explanation. But normal logic wasn’t giving him anything.

So, naturally, he had to resort to movie logic. Based on all the movies he had watched throughout his life, there were plenty of impossible things that happened when the world became supernatural. Maybe this was one of them. Maybe the sea wasn’t actually disappearing. Maybe it was moving somewhere else.

Or maybe—Ethan suddenly noticed something. Light. Daylight was beginning to filter through the clouds.

His eyes widened. "I think I get why the sea disappears."

Rowan turned toward him. "What?"

Ethan pointed toward the sky. "Look."

Rowan followed his finger. The darkness that had surrounded them was slowly fading as sunlight began spreading across the horizon.

"It’s becoming a brand-new day," Ethan said.

Rowan stared at the rising sunlight for several seconds before his expression changed. "That actually makes sense."

Ethan nodded. "If this is how it works, then maybe the sea disappears when daylight comes." He looked toward the exposed ground. "And it returns around noon."

Rowan’s eyebrows rose. "And settles completely at night?"

"Maybe." Ethan shrugged. "That would explain everything."

The funny part was that neither of them had realized something extremely important. They had thought it had been daytime. All this time. But it hadn’t been. They had been fighting monsters, escaping sea creatures, being dragged underwater, and struggling to survive during the dead of night. The strange light around the world had completely destroyed their sense of time.

Now that the sun was actually rising, they were finally beginning to understand the cycle.

Ethan looked around. "Now that we’ve realized one thing, maybe we could try going away from here." He pointed toward the exposed ground. "At least before nightfall."

Rowan immediately shook his head. "That’s not going to work."

Ethan looked at him. "Why?"

"Remember, we don’t have the amphibious vehicle anymore." Rowan counted the problems on his fingers. "Luna can’t reach her system. She’s asleep right now, and we don’t even know if it will come back when she wakes up. We have to assume it’s unavailable for now." He looked toward the huge stretch of land. "And if we start walking far away from this place, where are we going to find shelter when the sea returns?"

Ethan went quiet.

Rowan continued. "Are we going to wait until the water washes us away again and hope we don’t encounter another monster that wants to eat us?"

His words were so reasonable that Ethan had to swallow his earlier plan.

Unfortunately, his stomach chose that exact moment to betray him.

Grrrrrrrrrrr.

Ethan froze.

Rowan looked at him.

Then—Grrrrrrrrrrr.

Rowan’s own stomach answered.

The two men stared at each other.

Ethan sighed. "We need food."

"Definitely."

They hadn’t eaten properly for so long that neither of them could even remember their last decent meal. They didn’t know when they would find another suitable place to eat. And staying here wouldn’t solve the problem either.

"We can’t stay here forever," Ethan finally said.

Rowan looked toward him.

"We were lucky yesterday." Ethan pointed toward the exposed area. "For some reason, those monsters didn’t come out while we were here." He shuddered. "If those sea giants had appeared, they could have dragged us right back into the ocean even while we were hiding under this statue." He looked upward. "So we can’t stay here and keep tempting fate."

Ethan took a breath. "Better to make a run for it and find somewhere safe."

Rowan stared at him. "Safe?"

Ethan hesitated.

They both knew the answer. There wasn’t really anywhere safe anymore. Their own base had once been the safest place they knew. Then it had been attacked. The world outside was worse. The sea was worse. The dungeons were worse. Even the land couldn’t be trusted anymore.

There was no safe place. Only places that were temporarily less dangerous.

Rowan facepalmed. "You’re right that staying here isn’t safe." He groaned. "But isn’t it better than the risk you’re suggesting?" He pointed toward the muddy ground where the sea had previously been. "What if there are creatures hidden underneath those sands?"

Ethan crawled forward slightly. "In this life, risk is what we have to take to survive."

Rowan frowned.

Ethan continued. "That’s why I didn’t exactly drag Luna back when she decided to get us to that supermarket." He shrugged. "We needed food. It was a huge risk, but if we survived, we’d have enough supplies to last for years without constantly worrying about what was happening around us."

He looked at Rowan. "Life itself is a huge risk now." His expression hardened. "So I’d rather gamble with it than sit down and watch myself get eaten because I was too afraid to try."

He stood slowly. "But it’s my idea." Ethan pointed toward the ground. "You can stay here if you don’t like it."

Rowan immediately shook his head. "Don’t be like that." He stood as well. "You’re not doing this alone."

Ethan looked at him.

"Remember, we’re with Luna." He glanced toward her sleeping form. "And we still have to find the others." His expression softened. "Something tells me they’re alive too."

Ethan nodded.

"So we do this together." Rowan continued. "We protect each other, and we protect Luna."

"That’s the goal." Ethan smiled slightly.

"So you’re not going alone."

They both looked toward the ground. It was still extremely muddy, but the sunlight was already drying it surprisingly quickly. The sun had risen far faster than either of them expected. And the heat was becoming intense.

Rowan wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. "Does it feel like the sun has a personal plan to fry us?"

Ethan laughed weakly. "Seriously." He wiped sweat from his own forehead. "I don’t know why the morning sun is already this harsh." His expression became more serious. "I just hope it doesn’t turn into that obliterating light from weeks ago."

The memory alone made him uncomfortable. That sunlight had been capable of killing them. They could have been engulfed by it without even having the chance to fight back.

"This might actually be better," Ethan said, trying to stay positive. "At least it will dry the ground and make walking easier." He moved toward Luna. "I’ll carry her."

Ethan reached down. But before he could pick her up, Luna shifted.

Her eyes slowly opened. For a moment, she looked confused. Then she saw Ethan. Her eyes widened. "You’re back."

Ethan smiled. "Luna—"

"Oh my God." Luna immediately wrapped her arms around him. "I thought for a moment that I lost you at sea."

Ethan froze. Then he slowly hugged her back. His heart began beating strangely fast. There was a tingling sensation in his chest. He wasn’t sure why. Maybe because Luna had never hugged him like this before. Or maybe she had, and he simply couldn’t remember.

They had never been particularly close. Ethan had always been stubborn. He didn’t listen. He argued. He questioned her decisions. And Luna had definitely hated that about him. But things were changing. Faster than he had expected.

Ethan gently tapped her back. "I’m okay."

Luna pulled away slightly.

Ethan smiled. "And we’re about to make another attempt to escape."

"Escape?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "We’re going to see if we can find Kai and Adrian." His expression became hopeful. "I have a feeling they’re alive too."

Luna nodded. She was glad they were going to make a move. But then she remembered the sea. She turned toward the horizon. Her eyes widened.

The sea was still gone.

"Wait."

Ethan and Rowan both looked at her.

Luna stared at the enormous exposed ground. "So we’re walking through this?"

Ethan nodded. "That’s the plan."

Luna looked at Rowan. He nodded too. "Apparently."

The three of them carefully climbed down from the statue. It was much higher than it had appeared from above. The enormous structure rose so high that climbing down was dangerous. Rowan stayed directly beside Luna the entire time, ready to catch her if she slipped.

Eventually, after an exhausting descent, they reached the bottom.

Luna stepped onto the exposed ground. And immediately sank. "Shit!"

The mud swallowed her foot. Rowan grabbed her.

Then Ethan stepped forward. His foot disappeared as well. "Quick sand!"

Everyone jumped.

Rowan immediately grabbed Luna around the waist and pulled her backward. But Ethan wasn’t so lucky. His body began sinking rapidly.

"Ethan!"

Luna reached for him. His legs disappeared. Then his waist. Then his chest.

"Grab my hand!"

Ethan stretched upward. Rowan caught his hand. Luna grabbed Rowan’s arm.

Together, they pulled.

Ethan continued sinking until only his head and one hand remained above the surface.

"Don’t let go!"

"I won’t!"

Rowan pulled harder. Luna used what little strength she had left to help.

Finally—Ethan’s body came free.

All three of them collapsed onto the ground. They were exhausted.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Then Rowan suddenly looked toward the sky. His eyes widened. "Wait."

Luna looked up. The sun had moved. A lot. Far more than it should have.

Luna’s expression changed. "Fuck." She looked toward the horizon. "Fuck, fuck!"

Ethan stared at her. "What?"

"Now I understand." Luna pointed toward the sun. "The sun didn’t rise normally." She looked around. "The day is moving too fast."

Ethan’s eyes widened. "Which means..."

"It’s already noon."

Rowan looked toward the ocean floor. "And soon the sea comes back."

As if the world itself had been waiting for them to figure it out—a deep rumble echoed beneath their feet.

Everyone froze. The muddy ground trembled.

Then they heard it. A distant roar.

Water.

The sea was returning. And it wasn’t returning slowly.

It was rushing back with terrifying speed.

"Climb back to the statue!" Rowan shouted. "Both of you!"

They immediately turned. The exposed ground began disappearing behind them as an enormous wall of water surged across the horizon. It slammed into rocks. Dragged debris. Swallowed trees. And raced toward them like an unstoppable beast.

Luna grabbed Ethan. Rowan grabbed Luna. Together, they ran toward the statue.

The water continued gaining on them. Faster. Faster. Faster.

"RUN!"

The ocean crashed through everything in its path.

And behind them, the muddy ground they had just crossed vanished beneath the returning sea.