24. Hope (1)

The sky churned with an ominous mix of black and sickly green clouds, swirling like a living entity. Fierce winds howled across the coastline, whipping up towering waves that crashed violently against the tower, sending salty spray high into the air. The black ocean, not visible in the beginning was now shown to all, now roared with fury, its surface boiling with chaotic swells. Lightning forked across the heavens, illuminating the scene in brief, blinding flashes, while thunder rolled like the growl of an angry god. The air was thick with the tang of salt and ozone, and the ground trembled as if the earth itself feared what was to come.

Yet, it was not the fury of the ocean that held Ethan's attention, but the presence of a giant monster standing sentinel in the shallows. Its massive form loomed against the backdrop of the storm, scales glistening with each flash of lightning.

"What's that?" Asked Ethan's younger self from within; his silhouette had still grown, as he looked identical to his outside appearance but without numerous scars and black hands.

"The Kraken, a monster from the abyss, it is actually deeper than that... It seems it's trying to ascend to the next realm. Unfortunately, it cannot; it would die eaten by the approaching Abyss," said Ethan; he started stretching his body, preparing his way down.

The creature's eyes, deep and inscrutable, were fixed on Ethan, watching him with an unsettling intensity. Despite its fearsome appearance, it made no move to attack, as if content merely to observe. Ethan felt a strange connection to the beast, a silent understanding that transcended the chaos surrounding them. At that moment, amidst the apocalyptic weather and the monstrous gaze, he stood alone yet strangely unafraid, a solitary figure in a world on the brink of unraveling.

"How are we going to reach the departure hall before the tower sinks?" Asked Ethan's younger self; Ethan pointed down, which his younger self took time to comprehend, and he laughed.

"I can't believe I became so reckless after leaving this long." He was already used to such extremist actions from his older self.

"What next? Suicide is not allowed." He sarcastically spoke towards Ethan; his voice went silent after that, and Ethan walked towards the edge.

"We just need to find a door before reaching the water, it's simple," He said; he heard a grumbling sound, and his foot went forward towards the empty space.

Puff!

Ethan plummeted towards the deep, dark ocean, the wind whipping his black hair into a frenzy. As he fell, he cast a curious glance towards the horizon, where the sky was a roiling mass of black clouds, illuminated sporadically by jagged forks of lightning. Thunder roared like an ancient beast, its deafening cries mingling with the sound of the raging sea below.

In the brief flashes of light, Ethan glimpsed monstrous shapes lurking beneath the waves, their immense forms barely discernible in the murky depths. Some of these titanic creatures clashed violently, their battles sending colossal tsunamis crashing against the tower from which he had fallen. The sheer power of their conflict shook the very foundations of the world, each wave a testament to their ferocity.

But it was the sight of a vast, shadowy mass that truly attracted Ethan's attention. This behemoth, larger than any Kraken, moved with a slow, deliberate grace, its silhouette a dark blot against the churning waters. As he continued his free fall, Ethan realized with dawning horror that this leviathan was the force dragging the tower into the abyssal depths.

The creature's outline became clearer as he neared the ocean's surface, its enormity dwarfing everything around it. It was a nightmarish colossus, its presence exuding an ancient malevolence that seemed to warp the very fabric of reality.

Swoosh!

"Wait what was that?!" Ethan's younger self echoed within Ethan, who looked up silently; he saw it too; a small figure passed them, "A child?" he questioned.

"A door!" A blessing in disguise, Ethan could spot a door not far away; if he hadn't looked at the mysterious silhouette who vanished in thin air, he would have missed it.

"It's time to leave," said Ethan; he used Leviathan to reduce the speed of his fall and shot Halo toward the summit of the tower.

Bang!

With super strength, he smashed on the tower's walls and shot towards the door's location, at the same time, a giant tsunami rushed towards his location.

"We are not gonna make it!" Ethan's young soul glimpsed at the monstrous tsunami, his breath, caught in his throat, despite being in soul form.

"We would!" With one final push, he stumped on the pillar's surface and shot with extreme speed towards the door.

Boom!

The water came crashing at the tower, engulfing both Ethan and the door simultaneously...

A door glowed before someone rushed out, the figure shot and crashed on the other side of the large hall.

Boom!

This awoke the curiosity of nearby people, who stood up and walked towards the impact like flies attracted to dirt.

"What was that?" Asked someone, he was the closest to the impact, this terrified him as his body was pushed away by the shock.

"Ah... That was close." A drenched Ethan with dust on his face and messy hair showed up, and people gave him a perplexed gaze.

"Was the still someone within the tower?" Asked a bystander.

"How did he manage to come here?" Questioned another, in normal situations, it would be easy to swim towards a door and pass through it, however, not this ocean.

"If I was submerged by that, I would have drowned to death." Even Ethan, despite becoming overwhelmingly strong, would have sunk to his death.

"How did you manage to cross the ghost ocean" Asked the man who was almost smashed by Ethan.

"I fell," Said Ethan briefly; the man gave Ethan a confused gaze, "what?" Ethan passed by and looked at the rainbow path leading toward the sky.

"Hmmm... It seems that a lot of people have already taken off," Thought Ethan; he gave a swift glance at the large hall, "so, why are there still many people around?" He questioned.

"Man, you're late; the resources needed to build a ship have already been wasted; there's not much left," Said the man.

"Your name?" Asked Ethan, getting ready for work; he ignored the man's first sentence.

"Eh? Ehmm... Victor, vict..." He did not have the time to complete his name, so Ethan cut him shot by pointing at the people.

"Okay, Victor, gather those who are ready to work; if you know where to get the lumber, get as much as possible," Instructed Ethan.

"Wait what?" Victor took a step back, he crashed his head, "didn't you hear me?" He looked at the crowd, "resources have been wasted; all we can do is wait for our dead," He said with a bitter expression.

"... Are you giving up already?" Questioned Ethan, Victor's frown, "What do you want me to do?" He asked back, Ethan walked towards another door, which was glowing faintly.

"I already told you, get the wood and vines, prepare the minor resources for the remaining two, and I will get it; the floors having those resources shouldn't be too flooded, hurry," Said Ethan; he lipped towards the door and vanished.

"... Is he able to fight the drake fungal alone?" He walked towards a group of people who had heavy expressions as they waited for their dead.

"What did he want Victor?" Asked the man who looked to be the leader, "he looks weird. Is he as crazy as the guys who left?" He asked.

"He sure looks weird... And maybe a little crazy, but my guts tell me to do what he asked for; we better hurry,," Said Etha,n, trying to gather them for the task.

"Why? He might do like that mad woman, ask us to work and later steal the boat and leave," said the man; Victor waved his hand, dismissing him.

"What choice do we have? most importantly, he looks to be strong enough to handle everyone with sweating, so stop talking and move." He turns towards the remaining people dispersed around the hall.

"Listen, we all might still have an opportunity to depart, we need to gather all the resources, wood, harvest them all, get hold of all the ropes, everything, be greedy, our survival depends on it" Victor was desperate to stay alive, for that, he would obey anyone who has a solution and his guts never lied to him.

His call woke up everyone who hadn't lost hope; they all gathered, and with the help of certain leaders, they divided themselves to efficiently get the resources needed.

The Titanic wood ship was getting ready to be built, as the most impressive ship that sailed through the sky, across the ghost ocean towards the flying continent.