BOOM... BOOM... BOOM!
Gigantic waves battered the steel hull of the NRS Orion mercilessly.
A light drizzle swept across the deck. The mana-lamps flickered, dying out. The ship's engines down below shrieked, roaring loudly as they pushed against an invisible pressure creeping up from the seabed.
That night, the Sea of Mist lost its fragile peace.
On the aft deck, Rumina Sudrath pressed herself tightly against the iron railing. Her dark gray work gown was drenched by splashing saltwater and freezing rain. Her neat hair bun had completely fallen apart.
Rumina's fingers gripped the railing until her knuckles turned deadly white. Tears leaked out silently, blending with the pouring rain. There were no sobs. Just a body trembling violently, enduring an ancient terror.
Beside her, Riven stood as tall and firm as a stone tower.
