CHAPTER 18

I open it abruptly and look out into the hallway. The air is thick with a pungent smell, like smoke or burning, and the flashing lights cast shadows along the walls.

“Lilia!” I shout, but my voice is lost in the growing noise. A siren begins to wail, a sound that paralyzes me. It’s not a simple alarm: it’s a call to survival.

The doors to the rooms along the corridor open and more begin to pour out. Mutants, Veiled, creatures I can't even identify. They move en masse, heading toward the far end of the facility. I hear someone shouting instructions, but I can't make out the words.

Then I see her. Lilia comes out of her room with an alarmed look.

“Emanuele!” She runs toward me, and when we reach each other, I hold her for a moment.

“Are you okay?” I ask, breathing shallowly.

“What the hell is going on?” she asks, as a stronger jolt sends us both reeling.

Before I can answer, a figure approaches. It is Yaku, still with the bandage on his wrist. He looks at me with contempt, but does not address me.

"There's no time to talk. We have to go to the emergency submarines."

Lilia stares at him for a moment, surprised, then nods. “Where?”

Yaku merely nods. “Follow me.” There’s no hesitation in his voice.

We move quickly down the corridor, trying to avoid the others. The vibrations increase, and I hear a dull noise above us. Another explosion, closer, shakes the structure. Something absurd is happening and my mind struggles to consider it truly real.

“What is it?” Lilia keeps pace beside me. “Who’s attacking?”

I don't have an answer, but the voice coming from behind me is all too familiar.

“Don’t worry, honey. It’s not the end of the world. Yet.”

I turn around sharply. Hermes follows us with his usual smile, out of place as always.

“What are you doing here?” I growl.

“What do you think? I came to save you.” He shrugs and picks up his pace, passing us. “Or at least to enjoy the show.”

Yaku glares at him. “Shut up and walk.”

Hermes chuckles, but says nothing else.

We arrive at a larger room, where a series of small emergency submarines are lined up at the water's edge. The flashing red lights barely illuminate the metal-lined space. There are at least fifty people in a panic. There are limited seats, and I'm not sure there will be enough for everyone.

And then I see her: Savannah. She’s leaning against a wall, her arms crossed and her gaze glowing with a purple light. She doesn’t seem worried. When she notices us, she approaches with a slow, almost theatrical pace.

“Finally. I thought you’d never come.” His voice is sarcastic, but his tone doesn’t hide a certain urgency.

Hermes smiles at her. “Savannah, darling. As always, the drama queen.”

She ignores him, fixing me with her purple eyes. “So, which one of you can fly one of those things?”

Savannah limps toward him. A dark blood stain spreads across the bandage on her left side, and her pale face has an expression that oscillates between pain and defiance.

“So, you genius heroes…” he says, grimacing as he leans against the edge of a submarine. “Do any of you know how to drive these things?”

I look around. People around us are rushing into the submarines, each trying to earn a place. No one seems to care about us, much less seems to know what to do. Yaku grits his teeth and shakes his head.

“No one has ever needed to use them,” he admits, “but we have no choice.”

Hermes raises an eyebrow and glances at Savannah. “Don’t tell me even your royal highness can’t fly a little box like this.”

Savannah responds with a tired but venomous smile. “I don’t even know if I have the energy to get on board, but you’re making jokes. I’m sure they’ll save us all.”

Another jolt shakes the floor, and a metal panel falls from the ceiling, shattering with a deafening clang. Lilia looks around, breathing hard. “We need to get into one of these submarines. Now.”

We all nod, but when we start to move, Lilia stops dead in her tracks. “Calypso.”

Her name falls like a stone in the air. I turn to her, doubtful.

"What?"

“I don’t see her anywhere,” he says firmly. “It doesn’t matter who she is or what she’s done. She can’t die in here.”

“We don’t even know where he is.” I throw up my hands, exasperated.

She is adamant. “It doesn’t matter. I’m going to look for her.”

“Wait!” I grab her arm, but she pulls free with a quick movement. I see a determination in her eyes that leaves no room for argument. “If you want to come, fine. If not, go ahead without me.”

Hermes smiles, almost amused. “What heroic madness. I like it.”

“It’s not crazy,” Lilia replies, with a brusque wave of her hand. “It’s the only right thing to do.”

I look at the others. Yaku looks like he’s about to say something, but then just clenches his fists, while Savannah slumps against the edge of the sub, too exhausted to argue.

“Okay,” I say finally. “But we can’t get lost. Ten minutes, no more.”

Lilia nods and we enter the chaos of the base.

We trudge forward, panic growing by the second. The floor shakes beneath our feet, and the sound of metal bending and breaking fills the air, mingling with the thud of water seeping into the structure.

The flashing lights make everything more difficult. Sometimes the corridor ahead is lit up by a flash of red, other times it is shrouded in darkness. Every now and then, I hear the distant sound of something collapsing and I freak out at the thought that something might happen to it.

“Where could he be?” Lilia asks, her breathing shallow as she looks around with wide eyes.

“She probably lingered to figure out what was going on,” I say, pushing forward. “She’s not the type to abandon ship without knowing why it’s sinking.”

We turn a corner and are met with a scene that leaves me breathless. A section of the hallway has completely collapsed. Large panels of metal and concrete are piled up in the center, and water is gushing out of a crack in the ceiling, forming a waterfall that spills onto the floor. The air is colder here, and the humidity plasters my hair to my forehead.

“Calypso!” Lilia screams her name, her voice filled with anxiety.

No response.

We advance through the rising water, the cold biting my legs, and the incessant sound of collapsing structures. When we see Calipso's hand emerging from the rubble, I feel Lilia holding her breath.

“There! It’s her!” he shouts and without waiting for my answer, he runs closer.

I kneel down beside her and see Calypso, unconscious, pinned under a large metal beam. Her head is tilted to one side, her hair is soaked in blood. The water is already lapping at her face, and there is no time to waste.

I try to lift the beam with all my strength, but it is impossible.

“It’s too heavy!” Frustration burning in my throat. “We can’t do this like this.”

Lilia turns to me, her eyes filled with terror. “We can’t leave her here. You can do this.”

I breathe, once, twice. I know I have no choice.

“Stay back,” I say, sounding calmer than I feel.

She moistens her lips, uncertain, but does as I say.

I focus, letting the mutation take over. My body begins to change, muscles deforming, bones breaking and recomposing into new structures. My skin turns gray, thick and scaly, while my hands transform into powerful claws. I bend onto all fours, my neck elongating, and I find myself in the form of a creature similar to a sea dragon, with strong arms and a tail that skims the water. I am not human, and in moments like this I feel it in every fiber of my being.

Lilia stares at me with a mixture of horror and admiration. “My God…”

I don't answer, and I couldn't anyway. There's no time for explanations. I grab the beam with my claws and lift it with all the strength I can muster. The weight is immense, but this shape is strong enough to resist.

I roar, my voice guttural.

Lilia rushes in and pulls Calypso out, struggling against the rising water. As soon as I'm sure they're both safe, I let go of the beam, which falls with a dull roar.

I return to my human form, and my legs give out for a moment. Lilia grabs my arm.

“You did it,” he says, sounding either incredulous or… sickened.

I avoid his gaze and watch Calypso. She is unconscious, but still breathing, albeit faintly.

“Let’s take her away,” I say, picking her up.

“Let’s go.” Lilia presses her lips together.

He precedes me, making his way through the ever-deeper water. Every step is a war against time.

The walls of the base seem ready to collapse, and the air is thick with smoke and humidity. The water is now almost knee-deep, and the sound of distant explosions continues to shake the floor beneath our feet.

“Let’s get back to the submarines, quickly,” I say, turning to Lilia.

She nods, her eyes fixed on the flooded corridor.