Chapter 6: The Only One Who Cares

"..."

My eyes go wide. Tears spill hot down my cheeks—burning, embarrassing. After two years trapped in this game, enduring nothing but disgust and cold shoulders, I never thought my last comfort would come from something not even human. Maybe that’s what I deserve.

My chest heaves, poison burning in my veins, grief and relief tangled up inside me. I turn my head, voice shaking: "Thank you... If you want to eat me, please be gentle. I’m... afraid of pain."

The monster stills, then seems to panic. "No, no... won’t eat. Don’t want you to hurt. Wife, please... don’t cry."

A tentacle blooms into a purple flower—trumpet creeper, delicate as lace—wiping away my tears. More green vines lift me gently, following my tears upward.

"Send you... back..."

When I come to, I’m back on the surface—set down as softly as a mother lays a baby in a crib. I barely have time to process before a whip snaps around my waist, dragging me away. It’s the captain’s Frost Thunder Whip.