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“Containment?” I echoed, disbelief creeping into my voice. “Council?” What was she talking about? I felt a surge of anger, a burning irritation at the absurdity of it all. This entire situation was madness.

My eyes narrowed, my voice roughening with growing discontent. “You mean lock me up? What place is this?”

Containment? What was I, a prisoner now? The more I tried to understand, the more it felt like I was drowning in questions with no way out.

Her deep emerald eyes locked onto mine with an unwavering intensity that unnerved me.

“You’re not a prisoner,” she said, her voice calm yet firm, “but you will remain here, at least until we understand who you are and whether you’re a threat to our existence.”

Her words sent a chilly shiver through me, though I fought to keep my expression steady.

A threat? To their existence?

What the fuck I got myself into? Had I seen some shady business? Was she the head of some illegal shit? No, my father had ties with all illicit activity in Thalassa and they don’t host base on this island.

Instead of backing down, I stepped forward, closing the distance between us, feeling the heat of my frustration boiling over. Her silvery hue seemed to brighten, almost like she was preparing herself for a fight.

“You think I’m a threat? You hardly know me.

” I drawled, masking the confusion and anger tearing through my veins with mockery.

“You know that I’m not going to just sit here and be ‘contained,’ as you put it.

Right?” My lips formed a grin even as the word left a bitter taste on my tongue, branding me with something I didn’t ask for, didn’t deserve.

I turned sharply, frustration boiling within me.

Screw this.

Sick of this mess, I stalked toward one of the narrow gaps between the walls, expecting it to lead anywhere but here.

But it didn’t. It led nowhere. A dead end. I huffed, the sound echoing in the cave like some mocking reminder of how trapped I was. Jaw clenched, I pivoted and headed toward another passage, determined to find an exit, a way out of this insanity. There had to be a way. There always was .

But I was wrong.

Each twist and turn brought me to the same disheartening result, a dead end. My frustration mounted with every failed attempt, the disorienting twists blurring my sense of direction.

After what felt like hours, I found myself back at the turquoise pool. Its serene beauty, which once felt enchanting, now stood in stark contrast to the storm brewing inside me. I leaned against the cool rock, my situation finally sinking in.

This is insane.

I was a prisoner, and the only person who could give me answers was nowhere to be found. But hey, at least she’d left food and water.

A small comfort amid the panic creeping up my spine.

Alone and feeling trapped, I retraced my steps, frustration gnawing at my edges, regret tightening its grip around my chest.

I had come to this island to escape the agitation of the city, the suffocating confines of my life. The politics, the constant expectations, the pretense, it was all too much. I just wanted some peace. So, I hiked along the rugged coastline, hoping that solitude would clear my head.

When I stumbled upon the entrance to a cave, curiosity got the better of me. The cool air had felt like a relief then, a welcome break from the relentless sun. My lantern flickered as I descended, the light dancing off the stalactites, shining like they held the answers I sought.

But the deeper I went, the more suffocating the darkness became. I should’ve known better, wandering into a cave alone with no gear, no backup, no way to communicate.

What was I thinking? I was smarter than that, more careful. Yet here I was, trapped in a labyrinth of my making, with no way out.

The walls felt like they were closing in. Each path, each narrow gap in the rock, led me right back to where I started. It was maddening .

The food and water, left so neatly beside the natural pool, were temporary solutions, a band-aid over a much larger problem.

How long can I survive here?

My mind raced with possibilities, none of them good. The eerie stillness of the cave, the quiet drip of water echoing off the stone, all heightened my growing sense of dread.

I was running out of time.

What made things worse was the nagging thought at the back of my mind, the woman, Iryen.

She spoke of councils, threats, and containment as if it were some vast conspiracy beyond my understanding.

And now, here I was, at some mysterious cave, utterly lost. Why me? What situation had I gotten myself into? And more importantly, how to escape?

I stood at the edge of the pond, staring into its depths as chaos swirled within me like the turbulent currents of the ocean. This place felt utterly foreign, strange, and beautiful, yet filled with secrets I couldn’t understand.

“What the hell am I doing?” I muttered, resentment boiling over. The cave felt like a prison, every stone a reminder of my helplessness. I could practically hear the whispers of the high society back in Thalassa, their judgmental eyes on me.

I glanced back at the water, heart pounding in my chest as I caught a hint of salt in the air. The ocean . Relief surged through me, mingling with an undercurrent of dread. If this water connected to the sea, I could swim out. I could escape this maze of dead ends and confusion.

Without another thought, I stepped closer to the natural pool, my feet sinking into the slick stone beneath me as I crouched and tested the water. Salty. My instincts were right, but the uneasy feeling twisting in my stomach refused to settle.

My way out… or my way to drown.

A sharp breath escaped me, and I forced my mind to focus.

Stay calm. This isn’t the time to panic.

I’d survived worse. The pit of terror nagged at me, its teeth sinking deeper with every passing second. This was a risk I wasn’t entirely ready to take.

“Fuck it,” I growled under my breath, shaking my head as if that would clear the rising storm of doubt from my mind.

I waded deeper into the water, feeling the cool, briny liquid rise around me like fingers wrapping tight, cool and inviting, yet threatening.

My muscles tensed as I fought the growing urge to second-guess my decision.

There’s no time for hesitation now.

With each step, the water grew heavier, its weight pulling me deep. The sea calling to me, promising freedom. But there was danger here too, something lurking in the depths, waiting for me to falter.

Be quick and you won’t drown.

That singular thought propelled me forward.

I dove into the water, my body moving with purpose, powerful strokes carrying me deeper and deeper into the pool’s murky embrace.

The salt stung my eyes, blurring my vision as I searched for the exit, twisting and turning through the tight, dark tunnels. It has to be here. It has to.

But with each turn, there was nothing but endless rock. I swam faster, my breath growing more labored, my lungs scream for air.

Where is it?

I twisted again, pushing harder, my heart thundering in my ears, the silence of the water suffocating, overwhelming.

And then a dead end.

I crashed into the wall. The impact piercing my ribs, leaving me gasping in shock. Panic gripped me, cold and merciless, spreading through my body like wildfire.

No, no, no .

My hands slapped against the jagged stone, nails scraping at it as I thrashed in desperation, trying to claw my way out. But there was nowhere to go.

No path. No escape.

My second mistake today, and this one would take my life.

A bitter laugh bubbled up inside me, the sound distorted and swallowed by the water. I felt it now, the inescapable truth sinking in as fast as my oxygen was depleting.

I thrashed harder, as if sheer willpower could break through the solid rock. My muscles ached, burning from the exertion, my mind racing in a thousand different directions, yet unable to find a way out.

How could I have been so careless?

Relief had been so close, almost tangible, and now it mocked me from the other side of this stone tomb. I had been so sure, so stupidly certain, that this was my escape. That I would swim out of here, leave this place behind. But all I had done was dive headfirst into my demise.

And for what? Pride? Stubbornness? Stupidity?

In the last moments, I thought of the ocean, endless and free. The place where I had always felt most alive. But this… this was not the freedom I had sought. This was the price of my arrogance.

This is how it ends.