Chapter 69 - Atrium

  Fire raged here with an iy that made the Atrium seem tame by parison. Fmes danced in and out of the tunnels, creating a hypnotid terrifying light show. The heat pressive, making each breath a struggle.

  As my eyes adjusted to the hellish glow, I spotted two figures locked in bat amidst the inferno. My heart leapt - it was Cillian! But he was battling a man I didn't reize, presumably the Wence I'd heard mentioned.

  Cillian moved with inhuman grace, his sword a blur of silver as it cshed against Wence's own bde. But this was no ordinary sword fight. Dark energy crackled around Cillian, his eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. Each strike of his sword sent shockwaves of demonic power rippling through the air.

  Wence was no pushover either. He matched Cillian blow for blow, his movements fluid and precise. But there was something off about him, something that made my skin crawl even from this distance.

  "You 't win, boy," Wenarled, his voice carrying over the roar of the fmes. "The lock will be mine!"

  Cillian's response was a feral growl as he unleashed a wave of dark energy that sent Weaggering back. "We'll see about that," Cillian spat, his voice yered with demonidertones.

  The two cshed again, their battle intensifying. Pipes burst around them, addis of steam to the already chaotiviro. I watched in awe and terror as Cillian tapped into powers I never knew he possessed.

  But as impressive as the dispy was, I could see that Cillian was tiring. Wence, oher hand, seemed to be getting stronger.

  I knew I had to act. Despite my exhaustion, I summoned what remained of my power. As Wence prepared to nd what looked like a killing blow, I sent a trated burst of fme between them, momentarily separating the batants.

  Both Cillian and Weuro look at me, surprise evident on their faces. In that moment of distra, I realized that the true battle was just beginning. Whatever was happening here, whatever Wence was after, I khat Cillian and I would have to work together to survive.

  The lower deck tio burn around us, a fitting arena for the csh of powers that was about to unfold. As I locked eyes with Cillian, a silent uanding passed between us. We were in this together now, for better or for worse.

  Amidst the inferning through the lower deck, Wence's eyes suddenly locked onto my sprawled form in the distance. A predatrin spread across his face as he leapt towards me with inhuman speed, closing the vast gap in mere seds.

  Just as Wence was about to reach me, Cillian appeared in a blur of motion, smming into the attacker and sending him flying back. "Stay away from her!" Cillian snarled, his voice ced with demonidertones.

  The fire tio roar around us, pipes bursting and sprayis of steam into the already chaotiviro. I focused my will on the fmes, feeling them respond to my trol. With a gesture, I sent a massive wave of fire hurtling towards Wence.

  Cillian, uanding my i, eled his own demoniergy into the attack. Dark tendrils of power iwined with the fmes, creating a terrifying fusion of fire and shadow.

  Weempted to dodge, but the bined assault was too powerful. The fire-shadow hybrid engulfed him, his screams of agony barely audible over the roar of the inferno. When the fmes dissipated, Wence y defeated, his body smoking and motionless.

  As the fmes ed Wence, Cillian stood watg, his expression unreadable. He seemed transfixed by the sight of his defeated foe burning before him.

  From a ptform high above, I looked down at the se. Anger and frustration boiled within me, fueled by Cillian's earlier as and current indifference. Without a word, I summoned a small, bzing fireball in my palm.

  Taking aim, I uhe fireball directly at Cillian. It streaked through the smoke-filled air, a bright et of my fury. Cillian, distracted by Wence's demise, barely noticed the ining projectile in time. He jerked to the side, the fmes singeing his hair as they passed.

  His eyes snapped up to meet mine, a mixture of surprise and something unreadable in their depths. But I didn't wait to see his rea. I had already turned, fleeing from the ptform and leaving Cillian behind with the sm remains of Wence.

  As I emerged from the lower deck, the chaos of the crumbling cruise ship surrounded me. Amidst the cacophony of arms and panicked voices, a haunting melody reached my ears:

  "A little child, and A little kid.

  Gosspel. Gosspel.

  Little does she know.

  Little Little Little.

  Golden Bck

  Obsidian Bck

  Bck Gold."

  The eerie so a chill down my spi was the same tune I had heard earlier from the coral-haired, magenta-eyed little boy in the corridor. Driven by curiosity and a sense ency, I followed the sound through the maze of corridors.

  As I navigated the colpsing ship, I stumbled upon Kryll and Remi. They were clutg a box and some papers, looking equally surprised to see me.

  "Princess?" they excimed in unison.

  I paused for a moment, torween staying with them and pursuing the mysterious song. My determination to find the little boy won out.

  "Go on. I'll catch up," I said hurriedly, already moving past them.

  As I tinued my search, the ship groaned and shuddered around me. I kime was running out, but I couldn't shake the feeling that finding the source of that song was crucial.

  As I followed the haunting melody, it led me through a maze of corridors, eaore damaged tha. The ship groaned and creaked arouhreatening to colpse at any moment. But I pressed on, driven by a sense end curiosity.

  Finally, I turned a er and spotted the coral-haired, magenta-eyed little boy. He was sitting on the floor, his eyes fixed on some invisible point as he sang the eerie song. The sound seemed to emanate from him, filling the air with an otherworldly energy.

  I approached him cautiously, not wanting to startle him. As I drew closer, he looked up, his eyes log onto mine. For a moment, we just stared at each other, the only sound the haunting melody still eg in my mind.

  Without a word, I reached out aly took his hand. He didn't resist, his small fingers ing around mine in a surprisingly firm grip. Together, we began to move through the corridors, navigating the chaos aru.

  As we walked, the boy tio sing softly, the song weaving in and out of the background noise of the ship's colpse. I couldn't help but wonder what significe this song held, or why it seemed to be ected to him.

  But for now, I just focused oing us both to safety. We had to find a way off this ship before it was too te.

  As I rushed through the corridors with the coral-haired boy, I suddenly spotted Cillian, Kryll, and Remi ahead. They were huddled together, looking battered and worried. Before I could call out to them, a deafening crack echoed through the ship, and water began gushing in from multiple breaches.

  The cruise ship was sinking fast, reminding me of the tragic fate of vessels like the MTS Oos. Half of the ship was already submerged, and I could hear the distant whir of rescue helicopters outside. Most passengers had evacuated, leaving just the five of us trapped in this rapidly flooding corridor.

  Suddenly, the ship lurched violently, splitting in two. The break separated us from Kryll and Remi, who clutched tightly to some papers and a small box. They exged a quick, meaningful gh Cillian before taking an alternate route to safety.

  As the ship lurched and split in two, I tightened my grip on the coral-haired boy's hand. Cillian's eyes darted between us, registering the child's presence for the first time. Without hesitation, he scooped up the boy in one arm and grabbed my hand with the other.

  "We o move, now," Cillian said, his voice steady despite the chaos.

  We raced through the flooding corridors, Cillian carrying the boy who g tightly to his neck. As we emerged onto the tilting deck, all the lifeboats were gone. With no other options, Cillian pulled us towards a massive piece of debris - a se of the ship's hull that had broken free.

  We leapt onto the makeshift raft just as the remaining structure of the cruise ship slipped beh the waves. The coral-haired boy huddled between us, his eyes wide with fear but still humming that eerie melody under his breath.

  As our raft bobbed iurbulent waters, I looked around for any sign of Kryll and Remi, but they were o be seen. Cillian sed the horizon, his face grim but determined, while keeping a protective arm around the boy.

  As the helicopter desded onto the water's surface, a rescue diver was lowered down to our makeshift raft. He quickly assessed our situation and began the process of lifting us to safety. I went first, carefully handing the coral-haired boy up to the diver. Together, they were winched up into the helicopter.

  Cillian followed, his movements slow due to his injuries. As he was lifted aboard, he gave me a reassuring nod. The helicopter's rotors whirred loudly, creating a whirlwind of spray and debris as it hovered above the waves.

  Once we were all safely ihe helicopter banked sharply and headed towards the shore. Below us, the wreckage of the cruise ship was slowly disappearih the surface, a grim reminder of the chaos we had just escaped.

  As we flew over the water, I couldn't help but feel a mix of relief and uhe coral-haired boy sat quietly beside me, his eyes fixed on some distant point. Cilliae his injuries, maintained a watchful gaze, his expression unreadable.

  Finally, the helicopter touched down on a crowded beach where other survivors had gathered. Kryll and Remi arrived shortly after, their faces etched with relief as they reunited with Cillian. Everyone seemed to be smiling and celebrating, except for me and the silent child beside me. I stood apart, feeling out of pce, still trying to process the events that had led me here.

  As the group huddled together, relief etched on their faces, I felt a surge of anger. Without warning, I stepped forward and threw a solid punch at Cillian's jaw. He stumbled backward, caught off guard, and fell onto the sand with a thud.

  The otion around us tinued, survivors too preoccupied with their own relief to notice our drama. Only Remi and Kryll's eyes widened in shock, while the coral-haired boy watched impassively.

  I leaned over Cillian, my voice dripping with venom. "ime you decide t someoo your mess, at least have the decy to expin what the hell is going on."

  Tightening my grip on the boy's hand, I turned on my heel and marched away from the group. I spotted a nearby bend led the child towards it, my mind rag with questions.

  As we sat down, I softened my voice. "My name's Luxana. I know your name?"

  The boy remained silent, his magenta eyes fixed on some distant point. He offered a slight nod, then began to hum that eerie melody under his breath. The ghostly tu shivers down my spine, a stark trast to the relieved chatter of survivors around us.

  "A little child, and a little kid. Gosspel. Gosspel. Little does she know..."

  His soft voice trailed off, leavih more questions than answers.

  As I sat on the bench with the coral-haired boy, Remi approached us, her eyes filled with . "Princess, are you okay? That was quite a punch," she said joyously ughing with child-like excitement.

  I nodded curtly, still trying to process everything. The boy tio hum his eerie song, oblivious to our versation.

  Cillian, now standing, winced as he tested his jaw. "I think I deserved that," he said wryly.

  Kryll chuckled. "Well, we should get some ice for that. And maybe some snacks. The beach stalls are still open."

  Cillian nodded. "Yeah, let's go. We could use some refreshments after that ordeal."

  Together, Cillian and Kryll walked off towards the nearby beach stalls, which were surprisingly bustling even at midnight. The sound of ughter and music drifted back to us, mingling with the distant hum of beach activities.

  Remi sat down beside me, her eyes on the coral-haired boy. "What's with him? He seems...unusual."

  I shrugged. "I have no idea. He just started singing that song, and I followed him here."

  Remi's gaze lingered on the boy.

  The boy's humming grew louder, drawing our attention ba. His eyes seemed to be fixed on something far away, his small body swayily to the rhythm of his song.

  After the rescue of survivors from the cruise ship, chaos and fusion tin on the crowded beach. The se was remi of the aftermath of the Costa cordia disaster, but on a smaller scale.

  Survivors huddled in groups, many still ed in emergenkets and visibly shaken. The sound of helicopters tio fill the air as seard rescue operations persisted into the night. Emergency personnel rushed bad forth, tending to the injured and cataloging the rescued.

  Impromptu medical stations were set up on the beach, with doctors and reating everything from minor cuts to more serious injuries sustained during the evacuation. The air was filled with a cacophony of different nguages as passengers from various nationalities sought information about loved ones.

  Local authorities struggled to mahe influx of people, setting up temporary shelters and coordinating with nearby hotels to house the dispced passengers. Volunteers from the unity arrived with food, water, and dry clothing for the survivors.

  As news of the disaster spread, worried family members began to arrive at the beach, adding to the otion as they frantically searched for their loved ohe atmosphere was tense, with a mix of relief, fear, and uainty palpable among the crowd.

  In the background, the partially submerged cruise ship loomed as a stark reminder of the night's events, with coast guard vessels cirg it to prevent any potential enviroal disasters.

  As Cillian and Kryll returhey were den with snacks and drinks from the beach stalls. Cillian held a pack of ice close to his jaw, wing slightly as he moved.

  Kryll handed out snacks to the group, though I deed, still feeling disected from their camaraderie. The coral-haired boy, however, accepted a small cookie, his eyes lighting up momentarily before he returo humming his eerie song.

  As we sat there, the chaos of the beach tinued around us. Survivors were being teo, and the sound of helicopters still echoed in the distahe atmosphere was tense, with a mix of relief and uainty hanging in the air.

  To be tinued...