Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss

With a loud splash, the group broke through the surface of the water, taking big gulps of air.

The moment they'd entered the water ceiling, instead of falling right back out, gravity had reserved, telling them that they were at the bottom of a large body of water.

And now that they were at the top, it was easy for Zuzu to control the water and guide them onto the only shore that they could see.

They emerged from the water one by one, their limbs feeling sluggish, and their hearts thudding in their chests.

Gasping, coughing, and soaked to the bone, they dragged themselves onto the hard, dark rock of the shore.

Each movement was heavier than it should be. It was as if they were walking around with huge rocks tied to their backs. The exhaustion they'd ignored for days had returned with a vengeance that could not be ignored.

Ren was to stumble onto the island, carrying Lilith in his arms. Her body was still warm but limp, her hair clinging to her cheeks and shoulders.

He staggered slightly as his boots scraped over the jagged rock, then dropped to one knee beside the others, laying her down gently on a smooth patch of stone.

They'd made it.

Or at least, they were no longer in the maze.

The air here was thinner but still wet, tinged with salt and the faint scent that could only be described as old. It was the same scent of a place that has been sealed away for years, except it was amplified here. Like something that had waited too long to be disturbed.

The ground beneath them was jagged, dark stone, as if it had once been volcanic. Thick bones larger than a full grown adult jutted from the ground, shaped like massive ribs sticking out of a buried giant.

Some were bleached white, and others were blackened and cracked. It was as if the skeleton of some long dead leviathan had fused with the earth.

Behind them, what could only be called an ocean stretched without end. It was like a dark mirror reflecting the glow of what was before them. The water churned gently but there was no monster or danger within it. For now.

But before them was the reason why it had looked as if the water was glowing while they'd been in the courtyard at the exit of the maze.

Across the expanse of the dark island, rose a wall of faintly glowing energy. It shimmered translucent blue, like sunlight through glassy water, and stretched endlessly in both directions, as far as the eye could see.

Beyond it, somewhere far in the distance, a bright light pulsed like a beating heart, obscuring the sight of everything that laid beyond the wall of energy. The glow of it sent pale ripples across the barrier, like a signal.

Zuzu was the first to speak, her voice low and awed. "This is it. We made it. The heart of the Deep. It's on the other side of the barrier."

Ren stared at the light. It was so close now. The heart of the second Calamity. But for now, it was unreachable.

He turned his attention back to Lilith, kneeling beside her and brushing the wet strands of hair from her face.

"Lilith." He said softly. "We made it. Come on, open your eyes."

She stirred. Her fingers twitched.

"Lilith. It's me. We're safe now."

Her eyes fluttered open, just slightly, and her gaze met his. She blinked once, then twice, as if seeing him took effort. A small smile appeared on her face.

"You're okay." She whispered.

"So are you." He said.

Her eyes closed again. She didn't speak.

Ren touched her cheek gently. "She needs rest. We all do."

Thorn dropped down onto a slab of rock, clutching his wrapped stump. "Yeah, no argument here. My soul feels like someone took it out, scrubbed it with sandpaper, and jammed it back in upside down."

Elias nodded, lowering his pack to the ground and sitting beside it. "We've gone beyond exhaustion. If anything attacks us now, we won't last."

Ren took a deep breath, then pulled off his spatial pouch pouch from his waist. He set it on the ground and opened it, dipping his hands deep within it.

The opening of the pouch yawned impossibly open as he pulled out thick folded cloth, tools, and poles. He tossed a bundle to each of them.

"We'll set up camp here. Don't wander. And don't go near the barrier."

Zuzu accepted the bundle, still glancing toward the glowing heart in the distance. "It's beautiful."

"So is a lightning storm. Doesn't mean you want to hug it." Thorn muttered.

Despite their weariness, they set to work. The tents went up quickly, simple but stable structures nestled against the natural curve of the rib bones for shelter. With Elias' flaming sword speared into the ground in the middle of the small camp, warmth quickly spread through the dry air.

Ren assigned watch shifts but insisted the first few hours were for sleep. They needed it. Elias took the first watch anyway, his eyes sweeping the horizon like the faithful guard that he was, sword resting beside him.

Ren laid Lilith in one of the tents, covering her with a blanket and adjusting the blanket over her gently so she would be warm. Then he stood outside, watching the barrier pulse gently.

Zuzu came to stand beside him. Her voice was low. "I've never felt anything like what's behind that wall. It's water but it's also... alive."

"It's the Deep." Ren said. "The real Deep. The one that watches, learns, and waits. The one that controls the… machine around it. The heart."

She glanced at him. "Can we beat it?"

He didn't answer. Not right away. He looked up. The cavern ceiling was so high above them, that all he could see was darkness.

Finally, he said, "That depends."

She blinked. "That's not comforting."

"Didn't mean it to be."

She gave a tired laugh and turned toward her tent. "Wake me if anything tries to eat us."

Ren nodded, but his eyes never left the barrier.