Chapter 2: First Blood in the Abyss**
*(Elara's POV)*
The First Hunt
Water filled my mouth-*my new mouth*-as I screamed.
The sound came out warped, a distorted ripple in the dark. My tail thrashed, sending me spiralling through the cold. *Pink scales flashed*, casting ghostly light on the trench walls.
**"Calibrating motor functions,"** CHIP intoned, its voice a needle in my skull.
**"Recommend: Stabilize. Observe."**
*Observe?*
Something moved below me.
A shape-long as a submarine,armouredd in black chitin-uncoiled from the seabed. Its eyes were clusters of bioluminescent dots, locking onto *me* with terrifying focus.
*Oh God. It's not just watching.*
*It's hungry.*
### **System Alert**
**[WARNING: HOSTILE DETECTED]**
**Species: Abyssal Maw (Juvenile)**
**Threat Level: Moderate**
**Suggested Action:**
- **Flee (Low Survival Chance)**
- **Fight (Unlocked: Predator's Instinct? Y/N)**
My pulse pounded in my gills. *I've dissected squid, tagged sharks-but this?* This was a *monster*.
The Maw lunged.
Blood in the Water
Instinct took over.
**"Y!!!"** I shrieked mentally.
Pain exploded down my spine as my fingers *sprouted claws*. My tail muscles *reconfigured*, sleek and serpentine. The hologram flashed:
**[Predator's Instinct Activated]**
**New Traits:**
- **Retractable Fangs**
- **Enhanced Reflexes**
- **Adrenaline Surge (Temporary)**
I *moved*.
The Maw's jaws snapped where I'd been, teeth screeching on rock. My claws raked its flank-*black blood billowed*. It *screeched*, a sound that vibrated through my ribs.
The Abyssal Maw twisted, its massive body undulating in the dark currents. It recovered fast—too fast. Its bioluminescent eyes pulsed, locking onto me again.
I had seconds.
My transformed muscles coiled, and I darted, weaving between jagged rock formations. The Maw followed, its body undulating like a nightmare given motion. My vision sharpened, instincts screaming calculations I'd never made before—angles, currents, weak spots.
There.
I spun, kicking off a boulder and lunged straight at it.
Claws raked deep into its side. Black ichor sprayed into the water, thick and oily. The Maw shrieked, its tail thrashing, sending shockwaves through the trench. A boulder cracked loose from the seabed above—danger. But I had no time to retreat.
It struck back, jaws unhinging, a vortex pulling me toward its gullet. Rows of jagged, inward-hooking teeth glistened, hungry to pull me in.
Adrenaline spiked.
I twisted, dodging at the last second. My tail lashed, slamming into its eye cluster. The creature reeled, shrieking.
The cave trembled. That boulder—I spotted it too late. It hurtled down, crashing toward both of us.
Move or die.
I dived. The Maw, disoriented, hesitated for half a second too long. The rock struck its back with a sickening crunch.
It convulsed, its tail whipping out blindly. Pain seared through my ribs as I was flung into the reef. My vision flickered, but I forced myself up.
The Maw was pinned, writhing under the weight of the collapsed debris. Its glowing eyes flickered, dimming. It wasn't dead—but it wasn't coming after me anymore.
I didn't wait to find out if it could free itself.
With one last glance at the dark, thrashing shape, I turned—and fled into the depths.
The fight was over. For now.
"First Blood Bonus,"
CHIP announced.
"Evolution Points: +5."
The Coral Labyrinth
I fled into a forest of glowing coral, my pink scales dimming to near-invisibility. The Maw thrashed behind me, but the narrow spires trapped it.
*Breathe. Just breathe.*
Except I wasn't breathing-I was *filtering water*, feeling its currents like a second skin. *Hydrokinesis?* I flicked a webbed hand, and the surge shoved the Mawbackwardsd.
"Adaptation Progress: 12%,"
CHIP noted. "Query: Explore Coral City (Risk: High) or Seek Surface (Risk: Unknown)?"
I peered through the cobalt gloom. Beyond the coral, *structures* loomed-too symmetrical to be natural. Towers of fused bone and shell, pulsing with slow, *alien* light.
And then... I *heard* it.
A *song*.
Not the Maw's rage. This was... *beautiful*. A voice threading through the water, tugging at my chest.
"Alert,"** CHIP said.
"Acoustic Pattern Matches: Siren's Song (Stage 2 Evolution). Proceed?"
My claws retracted. The choice was obvious.
*Follow the song.*
*Find the singer.*
*Learn why it sounds like... crying"*