Nyx strolls out of the tent, followed by Andreas and the captain. She then walks up to the pit and looks down at the darkness in the middle of the swirling waters forming the vortex.

  - “How do we get down?” Andreas asks as he turns towards the captain.

  - “I am going to fetch some rope. I would really rather not follow you in, but I do need to monitor what you are plann- oh.” The captain suddenly stops.

  - “What?”

  - “Your daughter.”

  Andreas turns towards the pit, and sees Nyx in the pond, smiling blankly as she is pulled towards the center of the vortex.

  - “Why did you jump down?!” Andreas shouts as he scrambles towards the pond.

  - “It’s- blblblbl!” Nyx tries to reply as water gets into her mouth, and she starts coughing. Quickly enough, she disappears under the water.

  Nyx could see perfectly through the darkness though, and notices a figure at the bottom of the pond, silently floating directly under the siphon. It looked like a small girl wearing a white puffy dress, with very pale skin and very thin legs. But upon closer inspection, it had the head of a pale colored jellyfish, with long white tendrils that looked like lone strands of hair. It had two holes on its front that looked like hollowed out eyes.

  Said hollow eyes look up and seem to notice Nyx descending towards it. The creature swims up, and its tendrils extend towards Nyx, who feels a sharp pain propagating through her body the second they make contact with it. However, the creature starts violently convulsing as if it was also suffering, and all the tendrils latched onto Nyx’s skin suddenly snap. Nyx raises an eyebrow, before inhaling more water. At this point, she was feeling herself losing consciousness, and she raised her hands above her head. A wave of violet colored energy propagates through the water, and Nyx smiles, happy to know she could still do this much.

  On the surface, Andreas had tied himself to a rope that was itself tied to a boulder. The captain was waiting on the side, patiently assessing the situation. However, before Andreas can throw himself in the vortex a dim violet light emanates from the water, before the entire pond is lifted from its basin. The water floats up in a spherical bubble, as if gravity had no hold on it anymore before it’s suddenly pulled to the side by an invisible force. The giant sphere of water crashes on the ground, and most of the water drains back into the pond’s basin. Perched on the branch of a tree was Nyx, still coughing up water, and the monster, desperately trying to crawl back to the water.

  - “Nyx!” Andreas shouts.

  - “Found the- *cough* monster!” Nyx shouts.

  - “Help.” The jellyfish says. Its voice was very quiet and soft, and rather than coming directly from it, it felt like it was resonating around them. It turns towards the captain. “You said you would help me. Help.”

  - “You do not seem at risk of dying.” The captain answers, looking back at his tent. He seemed more concerned by the small amount of water that made it there.

  - “I am. The soul is too bright. Help me.”

  - “Well, now that we’re all here let’s ask the fun questions!” Nyx exclaims before turning towards the jellyfish. “So, why are you doing this?”

  - “...Feeding.” The monster replies after hesitating slightly.

  - “Oooh I see, that’s why you’re lying to him! It all makes sense now, living creatures do need to eat and drink stuff. It’s super inconvenient!”

  - “...Ah.” The monster quietly says as its tendrils freeze up.

  - “Lying to me?” The captain says, suddenly shifting his attention towards the jellyfish.

  - “...?” Nyx pauses before her eyes open wide in shock. “Ah my bad I didn’t mean to spoil the ending!”

  - “Explain yourself.” The captain orders the jellyfish, who trembles slightly.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  - “I don’t know what she. Is talking about…” The jellyfish slowly replies.

  - “Right, humans can’t see them without help. What you call life force are these strands of light right?” Nyx says, her eyes slightly glowing as she follows a thread invisible to everyone else. Her gaze stops on the tent in the distance. “They’re coming from there, and from the village too. They’re all linked to the monster, and it’s actively siphoning it away from them!”

  - “What… You told me you only needed to be fed every month!” The captain shouts to the jellyfish as he realizes.

  - “Sorry. I need to feed every day. More people, less starvation. But they need to stay alive. For me to feed.” The jellyfish replies, seemingly resigned and abandoning all pretense.

  - “...Can you still cure my niece?” The captain asks.

  - “I can’t cure. If I stop feeding, person dies.”

  - “Is this why nobody ever wakes up?” Andreas adds. “Because you’re eating away at their life force every day?”

  - “...Yes. I need to stay alive. I don’t want to die of starvation.”

  - “Then you will die by my hand.” The captain says as he unsheathes his sword, flames covering its blade. The jellyfish recoils in fear.

  - “Oh you’re gonna kill it captain man? That’s an interesting ending, I wonder how you’ll react when you realize that you have no way of waking up Josephine after that!” Nyx says as she kicks her feet in the air from her branch.

  - “What does that change?”

  - “Hmmm? Oh I said too much again.” Nyx says as she looks away.

  The captain stops his motion, staring at Nyx.

  - “What would happen if I spared it?” He asks.

  - “Not telling!” Nyx replies, pouting. “This is what happens when I meddle too much, now the story is all jumbled up.”

  - “Tell me.”

  - “Never!”

  - “Nyx, please tell him.” Andreas intervenes. The captain turns to him with his eyebrows raised, visibly surprised.

  - “What is the meaning of this?” He asks.

  - “I don’t like you, but you look like you’re about to make another mistake. And a damn big one, I’ll tell you that much.”

  - “Are you sure father?” Nyx asks.

  - “Yeah, do it.”

  - “Hmm… I guess that’s not a bad development!” She turns towards the captain. “The monster doesn’t know how to wake up people, but I’m sure it can! It just needs a little bit of help managing the strands of life force. I’m sure I can do it, I’ve got some experience modifying that type of light!”

  - “Just who are you…” The captain starts before shaking his head. “No, if you can help my niece then do it. I will repay you in any way I can, should it cost me my life.”

  - “Please no.” The jellyfish cuts, its voice carrying a sliver of panic. “I will starve.”

  - “Then starve to death, you wretched creature.”

  - “You can feed on my life force if you want, I don’t mind!” Nyx replies.

  - “Can I?” The jellyfish’s tendrils fly around its head disorderly. “Your soul… too bright. You will kill me.”

  - “I won’t! Uh… what was it again? Right, I promise! I think! Does that make you trust me?”

  - “...No.”

  - “Right, promises are a human thing. My bad!”

  - “I don’t think that’s the problem here…” Andreas comments.

  - “Then what is it?” Nyx tilts her head to the side.

  - “You wouldn’t understand.”

  - “Hmmm okay! In that case, the next best thing humans use is threats, I think!” Nyx turns back to the jellyfish. “If you don’t feed on my life force I’ll kill youuu! Like, kill kill. Super kill even, I will also extinguish the light of your existence and stuff! And I will kill your family! And your close friends! And the not-so friends, and the-”

  - “Huh, Nyx I think that’s enough.” Andreas cuts.

  The jellyfish was cowering in fear, trying its best to make itself as small as possible on the tree branch.

  - “Oh did it work? Are you going to do it now?” Nyx asks.

  - “...Yes.” The jellyfish vigorously nods.

  - “Perfect!” Nyx turns to Andreas. “Look father, I’m starting to act more human!”

  - “I ain’t going to comment on that.” He replies. “Let’s get back to the village. You too, captain. What’s your name?”

  - “You wish for me to come with you?...” The captain answers, confused.

  - “Well how else are we gonna heal your niece huh? I’m not about to make my daughter walk back and forth between the village and that decrepit place. Also you’re on your own to haul the ice crate there.”

  - “...I will not forget your generosity. My name is Cassius.”

  - “That ain’t generosity, you’ll have to work hard to make it up to the rest of the village after their family members wake up.”

  - “Understood. Eric, let us…”

  The captain stops, looking around for the one armed soldier. He eventually spots him, lying against a tree, seemingly knocked out by the wave of water that washed over the area.

  - “Ha, guess he ain’t that tough after all.” Andreas mockingly comments before looking up at the branch Nyx was sitting on. “Come down Nyx, let’s go. They’ll probably catch up.”

  - “Sure!” Nyx falls down and unceremoniously crashes on the ground. She flips on her back, her forehead bleeding. “Ouch.”

  - “What happened?!”

  - “My legs aren’t working for some reason. It’s like yesterday, I’m really tired. That’s inconvenient.”

  - “You really need to learn how to use your magic more carefully. Lifting lakes is impressive and all but you can’t just flop down like a wet towel every time you do something like that.”

  - “This body puts a bunch of limits on me!”

  - “Well you better get used to it then!”

  Andreas picks her up and gives her a piggyback ride back towards the village, lecturing her on how she should be safer while wiping the blood from her forehead. Cassius is left behind, with an unconscious Eric and the jellyfish staring down at him from the tree branch it was still perched on.

  - “What a bizarre turn of events.” He comments before returning to his tent to fetch medical supplies.