Sinner of the Spades

For a few hours, Lumière sat by the shore, still wearing Ophelia's regal aesthetic over himself. He watched the pitch-black waves of the dark sea lap against the pearl sand, contemplative and rested. He was almost in awe of such a place, that it could exist in such a dangerous, twisted environment. Was this meant to be a safe haven from the perils of the other Zones?

So then, it must be the case that there was the possibility of more such 'safe zones'. Perhaps Lumière didn't have to worry too much in the future. 

Or… rather, he didn't have to worry at all. It was quite safe here, and he supposed there was an abundance of food, at least as far as Poe's Gnosis had said. Couldn't he stay for just a bit longer? The ocean was far too beautiful to tear his eyes away from. 

It was in Ophelia's nature to be contemplative, so there was no harm in sitting idly. Those were just the whims of a Demon.

He smiled softly as he looked out at the black sea. He had been through far too much recently. Ever since he had enacted his performance, it seemed like things had begun to ramp up as pertained to the Phantom Syndicate and the Nameless. Of course, this was something he had likely set into motion himself. Whether or not they had been acting without care of his provocation, he had certainly forced Heaven's Roses, and by proxy himself, to start delving deeper into the matter.

Suddenly, in the silence amidst the waves, he heard the chirp of a cricket. He glanced back towards the forest beyond the shore, his eyebrows raising.

'I thought there were no 'entities' in this Zone. Does the 'Entity Count' only include monsters?'

Then, more crickets chirped. Another, and then another, all echoing out into the air like a symphony. Composed, calm, tranquil. One of these chirps resounded right beside him. Lumière glanced downwards to realise that a cricket had settled in the open palm of his hand.

Static flashed across his vision, the sound shivering and roaring as if massive gusts of wind were booming around him. A massive wave of blurriness and dread hit him all at once, making his vision spin and his ears deafen. It was intense, it was terrifying! He couldn't bear to keep up the act of 'Ophelia'. After all, this was really a threat! How could he not?

'The strange wave of phenomena! I completely forgot about it! Why did it slip my mind? Am I exhausted still!? I completely forwent finding a cavern to hide in! Not only that, I didn't even leave the shoreline!'

Then, the world went dark.

The massive black waves rushed forward, engulfing the pearl shore in shadow. Lumière was swept up into its waters, falling backwards along with the tide into the torrential sea. He unconsciously sucked in a deep breath, the cold water flooding over his tastebuds, strangling his inhalations until he couldn't stand its presence.

'Fuck! How could I have been so foolish! '

This time, when Lumière ingested the seawater, it began to twist, turning foul and bitter. Instead of peace and calm, he felt exhausted and anxious. 

In the dark abyss of the sea, massive writhing tentacles suddenly lurched forward from its depths, grasping at the tips of his feet, yet unable to reach completely. He kicked away from them, his body twisting and turning in the churning tides. He heard the echoing roars of a beast, a creature incomprehensible, and his heart seized up with true fear. He could feel 'Despair' resonate within him. It was to a terrible extent!

This was an unfortunate turn of events! He was caught up in the Sinner's Labyrinth without a blade! Because his sword from the Fencer's Association had been broken during the fight against Mammon and the Nameless in the Eighteenth floor of Etten-Leur, and he had only just arranged for the making of his blade by Juno, he was unfit to fight such a beast, even if he had the strength necessary to do so! The bullets fired from Cerces likely wouldn't work if he was underwater. If only he could augment the weapon with starlight, like an Astrologer, or equip alternate runes to it, like an Alchemist!

'What can I do!? I can't just stab at it!'

As a tentacle lashed out at him from the murky abyss, Lumière grinned.

'No, I'm not Lumière right now!'

The proof of that, his long cloud-white hair, waved about underneath the rushing water. His violet eyes stared down the sharp inky tentacle as he reached out his arms. It slapped against his chest, forcing the remaining strength out of his lungs. Still, he clasped tight to the slippery tendril, its suckers clinging to his flesh, beginning to tear his skin away from his flesh.

'You bastard, I don't need a blade!'

Pressure began to fill his head, the lack of oxygen eating away his psyche. Still, he had succeeded in the first condition of his survival! He would definitely make it!

He opened his mouth wide, seawater swirling against his tongue as he bit down on the tip of the tentacle, tearing away at its flesh. The tentacle thrashed madly as he did so, but it didn't matter. It had already latched onto him with its suckers! Lumière continued to bite deeper into its flesh, gnawing away gradually until nothing but tendons remained. A few seconds later, the tentacle's tip was severed, releasing Lumière from its grasp, a cloud of crimson erupting into the water around him. Not only was Lumière now cloaked from the view of whatever resided in the depths, but the second condition of his escape had been completed!

Lumière reached his hands out, handing away the tip of the tentacle. It was grasped away from him, and he immediately burst forward out of the crimson cloud, drawing away the attention of the underwater creature. He smirked as he faced down the remaining tentacles writhing in the darkness.

He couldn't bear it much longer, but it soon wouldn't matter. As his vision darkened, blackness spreading out from the edges, he awaited the signal.

His body suddenly shivered. That was it!

Another tentacle lashed out at Lumière, but by then it was too late. He fell backwards into the cloud of blood, his form collapsing into nothingness as he appeared back on the shoreline. Underneath him, blood pooled outward, the tip of the tentacle lying beside him. Lumière's blurry form stared down at him with a blank, unthinking expression. It was a mirage!

Lumière coughed up a mouthful of seawater, struggling to catch his breath as his mind raced.

He had done it! He had survived the strange wave of phenomena!

By commanding his mirage to carry the tentacle to the surface, it had spilled out the remaining blood, creating two points- the first being the cloud of blood that had spilled underwater- for Lumière to use 'Blood Teleportation' with.

As soon as he recovered, he immediately dissipated his mirage, climbing away from the shoreline. In the grass, Lumière ducked. His body felt weak from repetitive ability use. It seems he hadn't truly 'recovered' when drinking the black water from the sea.

Once Lumière had abandoned the pearl shore, he was able to look clearly over the sands, he watched as the pitch-black waves receded. Every fiber of his body wished to return to the shore and place his lips upon the lapping waves, but he actively resisted the urge and continued to scan the area for remnant danger. 

Could he have been wrong? Thomas had once before said that Poe's Gnosis likes to lie, but he didn't think it would lie about such a danger! What kind of 'peculiarity' was that! That wasn't a 'strange occurrence', that was an attempt on his life!

He reached into his pocket, flipping through the countless unmarked pages until he came to the page pertaining to the pearl shore. His eyes widened as he reread the lines, an unconscious shiver erupting through his body.

— [Zone, Beta-5]

— [Class 4 Danger]

— [Entity Count: Moderate]

— [Notable Hazards: The Black Water surrounding the island should be avoided at all costs. Consuming it will cause one to experience its hallucinogenic properties, and develop an extreme urge to stay beside it. Many die simply from starvation because they find themselves unable to search for food, only staying and staring at the shoreline. The shore itself is rife with edible hanging fruits, but all of the plants littering the ground are poisonous and should not be consumed. At night, a wave of strange phenomena will rush over the shore. Anyone caught within the wave will suffer strange occurrences, and it must be avoided at all costs, as it will cause the creatures lurking along the shore to converge on one's location. These occurrences may happen now, or in the future, and will follow one caught in the wave outside of the labyrinth. The wave of phenomena might or might not be avoided by ducking into a cavern.]

'The water is dangerous!? It falsely cured my exhaustion, and Poe's Gnosis didn't say anything about it previously! Not just that, but the danger class was completely wrong!'

Lumière glanced up from the ancient black-leather book, looking out at the shore as the waves receded. Those same grey stones that littered the shoreline stared back at him with hollow, receded eyeholes. They had jagged teeth lining their jaws, and holes where noses should be placed. 

They weren't rocks! They were skulls!

'I had no motive to seek shelter, to even eat… is that what killed these people too?'

'If I hadn't this urge to survive, to continue forward, would I have ended up succumbing to hunger just like those poor fools…?'