Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

[Vol.4] Quest 359- Night Under The Sea

The next day.

"H-here…" Callisto hands Ai the compass.

"What is—!?" She could smell Cirrus off it. It was a bit faded, but it was his.

"Grandpa Fels gave it to me yesterday. They said it could find Dad. I’m sorry I said nothing. I just wanted everyone to come together."

Ai wanted to snap at her in anger, but she knew she did it from a good place.

"… I appreciate the sentiment. I know we all have our ways of processing grief, and you did as your father taught you. I know you went where no one could hear you, and you cried your heart out."

"!?!?" Callisto’s face turned bright red. "Y-you know!? Did you see!!"

"Well, Art told me. She has always kept a close eye on you."

"How!? I didn’t notice!?"

"She is the goddess of the hunt. She is scary and good at hiding within nature. If it was in the city, you would be able to maybe catch her if you were skilled and lucky enough. Thank you for the compass. I’ll be sure to bring him back, alright."

"Hm!"

Ai walks to the docks and activates the boots Cirrus gave her for the Levithan raid.

She took a deep breath, and with all of her strength, she kicked off, shattering the docks as she ran across the thin sheets of ice.

Boom~!

Splash!!

Splash!!

"It’s always scary how fast she is."

Callisto looked back to see Bell walking up to her.

"Ah, Uncle Bell." Callisto nods.

"Hello Callisto. How is your mother? Um er Ai, I mean."

"Well, Auberon and Alise call her Fom, so I guess I should get used to calling her that. Tell me, did you know I was… a goddess’s child?"

"Well… Yeah. Your father told a handful of people. Mostly to help ensure your secret is kept for as long as possible." Bells rummaged through his pouches and took out a necklace.

"My necklace!? Why do you have it!"

"We have several. In case you lost it, one of the people would be able to quickly go and put it on you."

Callisto takes it and puts it on. She walks to the ocean to see her reflection, and her hair returns white with fox ears.

"Hmm…" She tried to touch her ears but found she didn’t want to. "Why can’t I touch them? I wanna touch them, but I don’t feel like it?"

"It’s complicated, but I think Cirrus explained it to me once as implanting the thought of overlooking it."

"…What?"

"In short," Circe said, walking up to them. "It makes it so that you won’t actually touch or even think of touching the fox's ears. It’s more complex to explain further." She walks to the shore and takes off her shoes.

"What are you doing, Aunty?"

"Simply remembering the day I met your father. How terrible that he would be taken by the sea while poisoned. If I had a Valis for every time that happened, I would have two, which is weird. It happened twice."

They could see a serene look on her face and demeanor.

To Bell and Callisto, she looked so lonely when painted by the sea, yet it fit her so well.

"…We should get ready," Circe said. "Tell everyone to get ready to place him in a coffin. Three days have passed in the sea, so expect it not to be pretty."

Running across the water, Ai followed where the compass was pointing.

‘Hmm… It seems it's tracking his blood. Cirrus…’

"Kuh… I will bring you back. I will always come and get you."

She ran for a good half an hour. In that time, she had gone well beyond the horizon.

All around her was just the sea.

"You were dragged this far out? You enjoyed your quiet places." She looked at the compass to find it spinning. "I am here." She reached into her bag and pulled out a flare gun. "Circe said she changed it, so let’s see."

She pointed to the sky and fired.

Bang!

The flare shot high into the sky, and then—

Boom~~!!!

—Exploding into a powerful cloud of red upon the sun high in the sky. Blasting even some of the clouds away.

"…" Ai looks at the flare gun and shakes a bit. "Wow… That’s pretty scary how big that is."

She puts it away and dives into the sea.

Splash!!

She swims deep into the sea. As a level 8, her strength and body were more than enough to handle the pressures of the sea and even its currents.

Swim!! Swim!!

Swim!! Swim!!

Swim!! Swim!!

Swim!! Swim!!

Swim!! Swim!!

'How far did your body go?!' You only walked... It was so shallow. If it wasn’t for Fels tool, it would have taken decades.’

She went deeper and deeper.

"Gah!?"

'I'm running out of air!?’

She had reached the end of the bathypelagic zone. The only way she could tell up from down was by the air bubbles.

A thick sheet of ice formed beneath her, and she kicked off it, quickly using those footholds to return to the surface.

"Huff!! Huff!! Huff!! Dammit!!!" She jumped out of the water, and she could see everyone coming to her. "Good, some help."

They dove again. This time with Undine Clothes, but even then, it wasn’t enough to reach the deeper depths.

"Dammit. The sun is setting." Said Tiona. "It’ll only get harder from here."

"If only we had more air," Tione said.

"Then I suggest getting Ais to make an air bubble," Circe said.

They all look at Ais.

"E-eh!? I—Circe, you know I can’t swim!!" she said, latching onto Bell. "A-and my magic control is not that good to handle that amount of pressure!"

"Gah!? You're squeezing—!?" She squeezed Bell a bit too tight.

"I know that very well." Circe shakes her head. "I tried to teach you to swim, but that phobia is as ingrained in you as a wine stain on a white rug."

"Or like a cat not liking water." Said Tione.

"Or like a drunkard not spending his money on booze." Said Bete.

"Guh!?" Ais felt their words pierce her deeply.

"I am sorry." Riveria bowed. "If only I wasn’t so blunt with my teachings."

"So Ai, here you go." Circe tossed Ai a helmet. " A magic tool I call the Diving Bell, a magic tool that will let you breathe enough to reach his body."

"Why didn’t you give it to me sooner?" Ai said.

"Because I have been fine-tuning it," Asfi said. "Using the blueprints Circe gave me, I was able to upgrade it."

"So, can it help now?" Riveria asked.

"Yes. But know that when you reach a certain point, it will break. As good as my skills are, making a magic tool to survive an entire ocean’s weight is beyond what I or Circe could hope to achieve in a lifetime."

"Hmm… Alright." Ai puts it on, and it secures itself tightly around her neck. "My ears are a bit cramped, but oh well."

"Press the button on the forehead and get going," Circe said.

"Hm! I’ll be back before you know it!" She jumps off the boat and takes a deep breath. "Fuu~," And then chanted quickly. "(Rage. Eighty-thousand men cannot quench my thirst. Two arrows pierce my ribs and throat, one swing of the blade. Today I will live; tomorrow I will not lose my life.)!! [Yonbi Kōgō]!!!!!!!"

As she is dyed blood-red, she jumps into the water, and they can see the ice form, followed by her kicking off it.

SPLASH!!!!!

Shooting deep into the water.

Ai cuts through the water. She makes it to the bathypelagic zone far faster than before. Thanks to her Beastification, she could see far better, and her glowing tails only made it easier.

‘It’s so dark!? I never thought about how terrifying the sea was. And this weight. It’s really starting to get—’

—Kirk~

The helmet began to creak.

‘I need to move!!!’

She goes to the depths, making it past the Abyssopelagic Zone.

Kirk~ Kirk~

She wore the helmet until it was crushing her head. She held on as long as the helmet could last.

The moment it was about to break, Ai took the deepest breath and kept going, removing the helmet and bearing through the pressure of the sea.

‘Come on!! Come on!! Where are you!!’

She went so far as to reach the Hadal Zone.

She could feel her body being slowly crushed and pressed down all around her. She calmed her heart to extend her breath, but even that was soon to come to an end.

‘More… I need to—!?’

She could see several twinkling lights coming at her.

‘What the!?’

Ai immediately puts up her guard as the twinkling lights rush past her and darkness swallows her.

Ai opens her eyes to see a radiant blue flame that illuminates the abyss.

‘That fire! It has to be him!’

She looked around to find that she was in the same night sky she would see at night. She then looked at the source of the blue flame.

Lying at the bottom of a pile of wood, stacked like an altar at the bottom of the sea, engulfed in a blue flame, was the one she was looking for.

‘Cirrus!!’

Cirrus’s body lay there while several fish swam around him as if to guard him.

Ai noticed that the scar over his right eye was still gone as if he never got it.

‘I’m coming Cirrus!!’

She quickly swam over to Cirrus, and as she got closer to the flame, she could feel the weight of the sea lift off her slowly.

Her swimming became faster and smoother.

When she actually reached Cirrus, she found he was wearing old clothing with a thin layer of frost covering him like a protective plastic seal.

‘How did you get this—!?’

She could see several large octopuses come out of the darkness.

Ai lacked both weapons and the ability to fight back.

‘I will bring him back!! I will fight and—’

"Wahahaha!!" A childish laugh filled the sea around Ai. "Don’t worry, they're very nice!"

Ai looked to see past the octopuses and into the abyss. A pair of ruby, serpent-like eyes gleamed out from the darkness. Ink-like darkness began to passively float past her tendril-like hair.

'What the hell!!’

"Don’t worry!!" She said it with a cheery tone of voice. "So long as you are within Elpis’s protection, you can breathe as you do on land!"

Ai took the female voice up on it. After all, she was going to lose her breath anyway.

"Fuu~" She breathed out and then back in. "Huh? I can. Tell me who you are!!" She points at the pair of eyes.

"My name is not important. I simply came here to keep his body safe for retrieval. As his late wife—"

"I am still his wife. There is no late. Now and until I am dead. I am his wife, and he is my husband."

Ai sternly spoke, glaring at the eyes without a hint of uncertainty.

"I like your attitude, girl! Just what I like! Well, you better get going. I am doing this out of the goodness of my heart. When the night ends, you're not gonna be breathing. Bye-bye!"

Her eyes then fade away, melding back into the darkness. The sea life then dispersed.

"…Hmph."

Ai goes over to where Cirrus lies.

She kneels over and parts his hair. The frost breaks away.

"Hello, my love. I came to get you again." She picked him up and hugged him so tightly as to never let him go again. "I miss you so much." Had they not been under the sea, her tears would have dripped onto Cirrus’s face. "Hic!! Hic!! Hic!! I miss you so much."

She strokes his hair and kisses his lips, hoping his eyes will open and would return her affection.