It was just a small casket.

I accepted a job to purify a lake. I have Doris with me and she did say that I would need her help. I was wondering if I would need her help but the opportunity presented itself. She is really gung-ho about this job.

We have passed through the north gate. This is the first time I have come here. It looks more imposing as a gate. But the road is much wider and it has tire marks. Probably a main route of trade.

"Doris, should we go to the lake immediately or leisurely go there?"

"We can hurry back but we don't have to go there as soon as possible. I want to enjoy our walk there." (Doris)

She holds my hand starts pulling me. I match my pace with her. She is unusually happy. Normally she would act reserved. But if she is enjoying herself then I don't have to think much of it.

She pulls me along and I let her take me. We did stop here and there. The road is clear and trees aren't near the road. So it is probably a major road.

It took us about 20 minutes to reach the lake. It's probably one corner of the lake.

There are a few trees around the lake. And this lake is huge. I mean, I can barely see the opposite side of the lake. How big is that lake?

"Hey Samantha, how big is this lake?"

And no answer. What? She used to answer me immediately. I didn't have to ask before. She used to answer that on her own. She hasn't been talking to me lately. I wonder of anything os wrong on her end.

"Master, who are you talking to?" (Doris)

"Well, I tried asking Samantha about something. She didn't answer."

"Samantha, you mean that horrifying person?" (Doris)

"Horrifying? She is just the unknown. Even I don't know what she is. But she has been with me for a long time. Although I don't know much about her."

But why did Doris call her horrifying?

"Master, to me, she is a monster. Her aura is so horrifying that I can't even look at her. Which is why, I tend to stay away when she is in the vicinity." (Doris)

So she is a horrifying monster to Doris. I will talk to Doris later about Samantha. Let's focus on the job.

"Doris, what are you sensing? Visually, I can't see anything. No abnormalities for now."

I have taken a look. The water is clear. No visible impurities.

"I am sensing something. It's weak but it's there. In the water, there is something." (Doris)

"Then I will go and check it. Exactly where is this reaction coming from?"

"It's at the bottom of the lake. Master, I can take care of it." (Doris)

"No. I want to look at the bottom of a lake. I have always wondered what it would look like."

This has always been a wish of mine, so to say. What lies at the bottom of a lake? I use mana to create a thin layer of air around me. It's like a thin sheet of air. I can hold my breath as well. I walk into the water.

The layer of air is keeping me dry but the water is cold. It won't hinder my movements though.

I sink like an iron hammer. I was walking on the ground but then suddenly fell. I keep falling. It's getting darker. How deep is this lake?

I look down and see that it's totally dark. This lake must be at least a thousand meters deep.

I keep sinking and sinking. I have created a small ball of light for some illumination. It's way too dark.

I am still sinking but suddenly I felt something under my feel. I look down and see the floor. It looks like I have arrived at the bottom of the lake. It took me full 15 minutes to sink to the bottom.

I look around. It's dark. Except the ball of light which I made, everything is pitch black. But sun light should be here. It should not be this dark.

(Doris, I am at the bottom but it's pitch black.)

(Master, can you link with me?) (Doris)

(Link? How does that happen?)

(I will connect with your consciousness. It's called spirit dive.) (Doris)

(Then do it. It's too dark here. I can't make anything out of it.)

Suddenly I felt like someone entered my consciousness. My motor functions have been overridden. I think that just Doris.

(Master, you and I are connected now. It went surprisingly well.) (Doris)

(You did give me a heads up. I had no reason to resist. So, what's the situation?)

(I can feel a dark aura. I think someone dropped something a little ahead. Let's go.) (Doris)

My feet started moving. I have yielded the controls to Doris. I am just the backseat driver now. After walking for a few minutes, she stops.

I can see a casket on the floor. It's sealed. It has chains around it.

(This is the source, master. Let's take it and go up.) (Doris)

She takes the casket and I teleport us out of the water. After coming out of water, she undid the spirit dive.

"The question is, is the lake back to normal?"

"I will ask the water spirits of this lake to purify the lake. The spirits were gone before but they are coming back here." (Doris)

I can see small blue dots of light around the lake. Probably the water spirits are coming back. But not around us.

Is this casket blocking the spirits?

"What could this casket hold inside of it?"

"I think it's a curse of sorts. Spirits are rather sensitive to curses. If they sense a curse, they will leave." (Doris)

Doris herself was cursed by a god. But hers was a delayed curse and she is a great water spirit. It probably affects her less than normal spirits.

"I will keep the casket in my singularity for now. We can leave now, can't we?"

"Yes. The lake is basically purified. It will take 2 days for the water to be back to normal. We can leave now." (Doris)

This job was nothing special. And the bottom of the lake was empty. It had nothing of note. Aquatic creatures were there but nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe I was hoping for a bit too much. For now, let's return to the guild. I can hand over the casket to Ms. Maria. This day is going swimmingly.