Deviant: No Longer Human

"Finally, we\'re here..." Ericka murmured, her voice carrying the weight of a thousand steps, each one regretted the moment it was taken.

Her declaration, however, was met with a gentle, almost a frown from Seraphine.

"It\'s still a kilometre more," Seraphine corrected, her tone suggesting this was merely a minor detail Ericka had conveniently overlooked.

"...what?" The disbelief in Ericka\'s voice was so tangible, it almost warranted its own set of thermal clothing.

Seraphine, unable to resist, allowed a grin to play on her lips. "You\'re the one who wanted to see the ends of the earth, remember? And now you want to turn back because it\'s a bit farther than expected?" Her amusement was clear, the situation too ripe with irony to be left unacknowledged.

Ericka, momentarily lost for words, could only muster a look that was a mix between \'I will remember this\' and \'I\'m too tired to retaliate\'.

The realization that their trek was far from over, the vast glacier continuing to loom ahead, indifferent to their plight, stretched on, a seemingly insurmountable barrier to their goal.

__________

While Ericka and Seraphine were engaged in their own frosty duel, Wang Xiao found himself confronting the mystery of Dragon Canyon, his expectations clashing with reality.

"This is Dragon Canyon?" he questioned, a note of disillusionment in his voice as he hovered in the chill, the snowflakes swirling around him like a dance of disappointment.

Yin Yue added in, her voice a thread of skepticism in the icy air, [It doesn\'t look that interesting.]

Indeed, Dragon Canyon, despite its grandiose name, revealed itself as nothing more than a vast chasm carved into the ice.

It stretched over a kilometer, its depths shrouded in darkness, a bottomless void that defied exploration.

Its name, a grim homage to those it had claimed, offered no tales of dragons or fiery breath but spoke of a cold, merciless grave for the unwary.

Wang Xiao\'s expectations had painted images of mythical creatures, of dragons entwined with the elements of fire and air, not this silent, frozen abyss that seemed to mock his anticipation. Yet, as he descended toward the dark waters, the allure of the unknown tugged at his curiosity.

[Are you going inside?] Yin Yue\'s inquiry broke through his contemplation.

With a nod, Wang Xiao committed to his decision. "Since we are here, might as well take a look."

Splash!

His form broke the surface, plunging into the icy waters below. The immediate shock of the cold was a visceral challenge, his body protesting against the intrusion.

Though he managed to stabilize, the realization dawned that his control over his body\'s temperature, while top notch, was tested by the continuous chill of the abyss.

\'It\'s not looking good,\' he acknowledged internally, his adventurous spirit undeterred by the physical discomfort.

Wang Xiao decided to venture further, experimenting with his abilities in this new, unforgiving environment.

As silence enveloped him, he allowed himself to float, surrendered to the embrace of the icy depths, his eyes closed in concentration.

Whoosh!

In an instant, the abyss beneath Wang Xiao transformed.

His eyes, previously closed in serene contemplation, flashed open, heralding a shift in the water around him.

It recoiled, parting before him as though repelled by an invisible force emanating from his very being.

A slight, triumphant smile touched his lips, a silent acknowledgment of his newfound technique. \'Why hadn\'t I considered this earlier?\' he mused, marveling at the simplicity and efficacy of his actions.

[It would consume more and more energy, the deeper you dive,] Yin Yue\'s voice echoed in his mind, laced with caution. [If you lose control at the wrong time, you might be compressed to nothingness.]

\'That\'s alright,\' Wang Xiao declared with a confidence that bordered on recklessness.

He was undeterred, ready to push the limits of his exploration.

Swish!

With resolve steeling his every move, he propelled himself deeper into the canyon\'s depths, eager to discover its secrets while his strength permitted.

Woosh! Woosh!

The silence of the deep was shattered by the swift passage of aquatic creatures, a flurry of life in the cold, dark waters.

Then, something utterly unforeseen occurred—Wang Xiao found himself amidst orcas, their sleek forms cutting through the water with lethal grace.

The presence of these apex predators in such frigid depths defied logic, sparking a surge of confusion and awe in Wang Xiao.

\'???\' His mind trying to rationalize the implications of this discovery.

The realization that he might inadvertently provoke a confrontation with a pod of killer whales forced a rapid reassessment of his situation.

Such an encounter would not only be dangerous but could deplete his reserves, leaving him helpless in the unforgiving embrace of the abyss.

Whoosh!

With a sense of urgency driving him, Wang Xiao made the decision to ascend.

Swoosh!

In that moment of decision, an unexpected disturbance rippled through the water. \'Hm? What?\' Wang Xiao tensed, bracing for a confrontation. He anticipated the orcas\' sleek forms to charge, to collide with him in their domain where he was an uninvited guest.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

However, rather than launching an assault, the majestic creatures began orbiting him, swiftly transforming his solitary dive into the center of a living, moving cyclone.

Their sleek bodies blurred into a vortex that obscured his view, leaving him in awe and confusion.

??

Bam!

The sudden impact against his back sent a jolt of alarm through Wang Xiao.

An orca had propelled itself towards him, its massive form a shadowy figure in the water\'s dim light.

But instead of the expected collision, the force was absorbed by the bubble of air he had unconsciously maintained around himself—a shield that should have been as fragile as a whisper against the might of the whale.

Yet, the anticipated breach never came.

The orca\'s touch was surprisingly gentle, a mere nudge that sent Wang Xiao spiraling deeper into the abyss, his mind struggling to grasp the nature of this interaction.

Bam!

\'Wtf!??\' The shock of a second, equally soft push left Wang Xiao bewildered, his descent into the depths accelerating under the whales\' guidance.

"kekekkeke!"

The surreal turn of events reached its peak as what sounded like laughter echoed through the water.

"Kekekke!"

The orcas, their mouths curving into eerie semblances of grins, seemed to revel in the game they had devised, batting Wang Xiao\'s bubble back and forth with the joy of children at play.

\'The hell is happening!?\' Amidst the chaos, a sense of déjà vu struck him, the orcas\' actions reminiscent of that of three eyed grizzly.

They treated his protective bubble as nothing more than a toy, their pushes guiding him ever deeper into the waters of Dragon Canyon, leaving him to wonder at the wild situation.

\'No, they aren\'t normal!\' Wang Xiao\'s mind raced as he scrutinized the creatures encircling him. A chilling realization dawned upon him—they bore only a superficial resemblance to orcas.

These beings were abnormal, their behaviors and appearances veering into the uncharted territory, \'What the hell are these!?\' His thoughts spiraled into confusion as the creatures tightened their formation around him, crafting a living dome that blotted out the scant light filtering through the water\'s surface.

!!

A cold dread gripped Wang Xiao, a shiver coursing through his spine as a terrifying thought emerged: \'Wtf? Do they intend to push me to death?\' The playful nudges now seemed sinister, a concerted effort to drive him to an unseen, possibly fatal, end.

"Kekekke!"

The eerie laughter echoed again, but this time it was followed by a sudden, resounding Boooom!

In a burst of resolve, Wang Xiao shattered the watery cage confining him. He propelled himself upwards with all the force he could muster, breaking free from the dark depths and the circle of creatures.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The orcas—or whatever they were—pursued him with a speed that bordered on the supernatural.

Their teeth, now visibly larger than any orca\'s should be, glistened menacingly in the dim light, transforming them from mysterious escorts to apex predators on the hunt.

__________

Booom!

Amidst Wang Xiao\'s frantic ascent, the tranquil abyss of the North Atlantic stirred with ancient power.

From the darkest depths, where light dared not trespass, a colossal force awakened. An entity, dormant for eons beneath the ocean\'s surface, roused from its slumber.

Its eyes, glowing with a baleful red luminescence, pierced the shadowy waters as it awakened.

The ocean floor trembled, sending ripples across the deep, as this behemoth—a leviathan whose sheer size eclipsed any known creature, a relic from a bygone era—launched itself with purpose.

Boooom!

With an astonishing burst of speed, the leviathan tore through the water, its massive form cutting a path through the sea as if it were nothing but air.