Resonance [4]

"It's so beautiful."

The kids were looking at the beasts with glittering eyes. Seeing different vibrant colored creatures greatly excited them.

"Let's go there."

Grey pulled the group, and they sneaked away from the class.

"It's dangerous. Won't the glass break?"

Eth questioned in a shaky voice as his feet touched the glass.

"It is a strong glass and won't break."

Despite not knowing anything, Grey assured Eth and others. They were walking on top of a glass aquarium that held aquatic beasts.

The scene of beautiful beasts mesmerized Eth when Grey sneakily signaled the other two.

They walked amongst the crowd and stood in front of an area that lacked a protective glass pane.

It was a circle-shaped area of a few dozen feet. In the middle of that area was a statue of a giant sea serpent with nine heads.

"A nine-headed Hydra. It is a mythical beast that has been found in records of many Ruins. The oldest dated records say that the 12 ancient heroes defeated a hydra in…"

The guide, standing at the edge of the perimeter, explained to the tourists. Eth and others were also standing at the edge, from where the unprotected area started.

Beasts' farms weren't created for tourists' excursions but as hunting grounds for young awakeners. Today was a special day that led the beast farm to be opened for tourists.

The management had tried their utmost to add safety measures for today, like adding the glass pane in the aquatic beast section, but not everything was perfect. The Hydra exhibition was one such area. It only had a simple barricade.

"What is that in the water?"

"Where?"

"There, can't you see it?"

Eth moved closer to the edge as he tried to find the object Grey was pointing at.

Grey walked behind Eth's back and raised his hand.

"Are you sure there is something there?"

"Yes, look closely. It's just there."

Grey raised his hand and smilingly threw his hands forward when-

WEEWWWOOOWEEEEWWWOOO-

WEWOWEWO-

Horns started blaring, and red lights began flashing from the ceiling.

Everyone covered their ears to ear-splitting horns continued. In between the horns, a mechanical voice rang through the speakers.

"Code Black! Code Black!"

Nobody understood what Code Black meant, but the situation was too abrupt. Everyone looked at the staff for an explanation.

Hearing the announcement, the staff turned pale as a sheet and went rigid with fear.

An uncomfortable silence ensued as everyone waited for an explanation. The crowd's patience was reaching its ending point.

"Is something dangerous happening?"

Someone spoke from the crowd. Those words finally broke the invisible barrier that kept the crowd from going into hysteria.

"What is happening!"

"Run!"

"Run for your lives!"

Like a tsunami rushing to destroy everything in its path, people started rushing out of the aquatic beast section.

People pushed others to get even the slimmest chance to escape earlier.

"Hold each other's hand tightly. We can't get separated!"

Eth naturally took command of their small group and ordered them.

The horde that was rushing like a tsunami was especially dangerous for them because of their small sizes. It wouldn't be weird for them to be trampled.

Eth knew he should be in front to lead all of them, but in this crowd, if anyone left the hand, it would spell disaster.

He made Grey walk in front while he was at the end, to make sure no one was left behind.

"Don't stop. Don't slow down. Don't let go of each other. Let's go!"

The four little kids ran with all their might as they tried to flow along the tsunami and not get swept by it.

People pushed them, stepped on their feet, shoved them, but none of them stopped. Whenever the group slowed down, Eth encouraged them to continue moving.

Suddenly, Wim who was directly in front of Eth stumbled.

Eth was prepared for such a thing and swiftly picked Wim up. He noticed a thick vine was the cause of Wim's fall.

They had covered one-fourth of the total distance when the glass floor trembled.

-Thump!

Eth looked below his feet, through the glass.

-Thump! -Thump!

Beasts with deranged red eyes were attacking the glass pane from below.

Extreme panic gobbled the crowd, and the escape turned violent. Sensing the danger much closer to them, they punched, pushed, pulled, and anything else to escape quickly.

"Don't sto-"

C..crunch-

Grey stopped when he heard the noise.

Cr..runch-

"Don't move!"

Eth shouted to Grey when a crack beneath his feet started expanding. But even if Grey stopped, the crowd didn't.

Crrrrrunnnnch-

A loud screech of breaking glass reverberated when someone slammed their foot near Grey and ran.

A horrified expression painted Grey's face.

Eth saw the glass beneath Grey was about to break and his body moved on its own.

Eth hadn't shown it, but he remembered Grey was the one he had fought. Eth was worried sick when he came to know that he was in Grey's group.

However, as if his worries were needless, Grey acted kindly to him and didn't bring the topic back.

"Run!"

Eth was thankful to Grey.

He pushed Grey before he could fall and threw him off the danger area.

Eth was thankful that not everyone was against him.

Plunck-

Unlike the loud noise from before, the end came swiftly. The glass simply broke and Eth fell into the water.

'It's cold.'

Eth continued to sink in the cold water.

Below the glass, he saw hundreds of feet stomping on the glass, vines that kept extending, and his friends.

"Idi…t"

Eth saw Grey speaking something, but he couldn't hear properly. His brain was already freezing from the coldness.

'It's colder than I thought it would be.'

Eth thought as his body slowly began turning numb.

Crunch-

Through blurry eyes, he looked above.

Crunch- Crunch-

The glass began breaking at many points throughout the area. Looking at the scene, Eth's barely working brain processed the information his eyes received.

'The glass is not breaking from the beast's attack but the …vines?'

Suddenly, the entire glass plane broke, and everyone fell into the water.

People started splashing to escape the waters. But all was for naught.

The beasts, as if turned berserk, attacked everyone without mercy. The screams of people had anguish and pain sewn into them.

Everyone was desperately trying to run.

The clear water turned red as the blood flowed.

Eth's consciousness, on the verge of blacking out, saw a large beast swallow him whole.

...

The mayhem continued to ensue, and the number of deaths skyrocketed. The beasts acted as if they were in a frenzy.

Tore limbs, clothes, bones, and entrails filled the water as time passed.

"I'm late, huh? Master will shout at me again."

A woman appeared in the middle of the water and stood there, sighing.

"Damn those long-eared bastards. They are terrorizing the civilians now? Noble race my foot!"

She scratched her head through her disheveled purple hair. As she was brooding, the beasts beneath the water cowered.

The pressure she was excluding made it clear that she was not someone to be trifled with.

But just as they were about to retreat, the red hue in their eyes flared and they attacked the woman.

Groar-

Screech-

Flews-

Grr-

Hundreds of beasts attacked her from all directions.

Sensing the movement in the water, the woman lazily pulls her katana out of its scabbard.

She then slowly, randomly swings her sword as if even moving was a bother.

"Fifth form: Thousand Divine Slash"

Completing her swing, she placed the katana back into its scabbard and everything went silent.

Plop-

Breaking the silence a red drop fell.

Plop- Plop-

Then as if the first drop was a cue, a red shower began.

Blood was spurting from the fountain from the bodies of beasts, all of which were sliced in half.

With a single swing of the woman's blade, hundreds of beats were sliced in half!

"Is there someone still alive?"

Ignoring the raining blood, the woman peered into the depths of the water.

She jumped into the water and dived deep.

At the bottom, she saw a kid inside one of the beasts she killed. Looking at the kid, who naturally looked mean because of his eyes, she spoke her true thoughts.

"Quite a luck you have to survive in this mess."