Its mouth opened wide, revealing rows of needle teeth.I dove sideways. The mutant's jaws snapped shut where I'd been standing. It crashed back into the water, sending toxic spray everywhere."They're getting aggressive!" Casimir had his knife out, scanning the water around us.Two more surfaces. Circling. Their bodies were built for this environment—streamlined, fast, deadly. Each one was easily three meters long.The first one lunged again. This time at Casimir. He sidestepped, slashed with his knife. Caught it across the snout. The mutant shrieked—a sound like tearing metal—and retreated.The second one came at me low. I couldn't dodge in time. It hit my injured leg, wrapping around it like a python. Squeezing.I felt bones grind. Felt my leg start to bend in directions it shouldn't. Drove both Chimera blades down into its skull. Energy discharge flooded through the creature. It spasmed. Released me. Fell back into the water, convulsing.The third one hit the platform from below. T

Chapter 9: The Toxic DeepI thought of Cent and Vivi as we stood on that poisoned beach.My little siblings. Seven and nine years old. Still innocent. Still believing the adults would keep them safe. They'd never seen an ocean. Never felt sand beneath their feet. Never watched waves roll toward shore.They should see this. Not like this—not toxic, not deadly. But an ocean. Real water stretching to the horizon. The way it was supposed to be.The way it used to be, before the Fall."Kae." Casimir's voice pulled me back. "We need to keep moving."I tore my gaze from the ocean. Looked at the hives in the distance. Rocky formations built into cliffs. Ancient-looking. Waiting."How far?" My voice was barely a whisper.He checked his flickering interface. "Ten kilometers. Maybe less."Ten kilometers. Might as well be ten thousand. Every part of me was dissolving. The toxic water had accelerated the poisoning. My skin was covered in chemical burns. My lungs felt like they were filled with aci