Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss-Chapter 271: Raw And Laughing

The Lady Rill drifted through the giant cavern like a ghost gliding over a sea of glass.

As always, the still waters of the sea below the boat reflected nothing, and above, the glow from the moss lighted up the whole place like an aurora trapped inside.

The crew moved quietly, the silence broken only by the occasional splash of water or the creak of old wood.

They were fishing.

Thorn dangled a line over the edge of the boat, a chunk of dried ration tied to the hook. Zuzu sat cross-legged beside him, her chin on her knees as she watched the bait sway in the water.

Occasionally, she dipped her fingers in, checking if there was anything near but it was as if all the beasts in the dark sea had vanished into thin air.

"Why does it feel like we're trying to feed ghosts?" Thorn muttered.

"Ghosts or Dish, either way, we're eating it." Ren said from the helm, arms folded as he scanned the dark. "You sure the meat will attract something?"

"It's protein. It's food." Elias said from where he stood on lookout. "If anything down there has a mouth, it'll sniff it out."

Lilith sat at the front, her fingers nimbly playing with her throwing knives, sometimes manipulating one or four with just one hand.

Zuzu broke the silence. "Why do you glow?"

Everyone turned.

She looked at Lilith. "When you fight, you glow blue. And Ren glows purple. Why?"

Thorn grinned. "Lilith's glow is from her Divine Gift. It's called Soul Dominion. It lets her… weaponize souls."

Zuzu nodded slowly, eyes bright with interest. "I've heard of Divine Gifts but never seen anyone with it before. And Ren?"

Thorn shrugged. "We still don't know. He didn't glow before Elnoria. After Elnoria, he did."

"What happened in Elnoria?" Zuzu asked, scooting a little closer. She pulled her knees up and leaned forward with genuine interest.

Thorn smirked. "Ah, the great Elnoria disaster. You sure you want to know?"

"Why wouldn't I?" She said. "I'm trying to get a read on you people. So far, it's mostly chaos."

"Correct." Thorn said proudly. "Chaos and near death experiences. So... it started with a library."

Zuzu blinked. "A library?"

"A haunted library," Thorn corrected. "Where the books screamed and tried to bite you."

"That sounds fake."

"Tell that to my hand." He said, wiggling his fingers. "Still got a scar from a book about agricultural reforms."

Zuzu snorted. "Dangerous policy changes, huh?"

"Deadly." Thorn said, deadpan.

"And still fake." Zuzu smirked.

"Okay, okay. You caught me." Thorn chuckled. "There was a magical plague in Elnoria and we had to infiltrate the church prison to destroy it. But we ran into some trouble."

"Let me guess." Zuzu said. "Monsters?"

"Well, everybody." Thorn said. "The Chosen, which I still think is a dumb name, by the way."

"Agreed."

"The Pope, the monsters, and… someone. A man."

Nobody said anything but Thorn could tell they were listening in. Till today, they still knew nothing new about the Chained Man and the Three. Even Ren. And that was scary.

"The man fought against Ren, and as you can see by Ren still being alive, Ren won." Thorn said. "But the battle charged up Ren's powers. Literally."

"And that made Ren glow?"

"We think so." Thorn said. "Whatever happened, it changed his Gift. Ever since, he glows purple when things get intense."

Zuzu glanced at Ren again. "Does it hurt?"

Silence.

"No." Ren said quietly. "But it feels like something is watching me every time it activates."

"Creepy." Zuzu muttered.

They fell into silence again, the bait still floating.

Then Thorn leaned forward. "Wait... did you see that?"

Zuzu followed his gaze. There was a flicker of motion below the surface.

"Something's circling the bait." She whispered.

Thorn gripped the line tightly. "Come on, you ugly miracle."

The line jerked.

"Got it!" He shouted, reeling hard.

The water broke. A fat, bloated fish with too many eyes and a mouth full of jagged teeth burst from the water, flailing wildly.

Its skin was mottled grey and green, and slick with slime. The eyes blinked in different directions, unnerving to look at.

Ren and Elias moved instantly, helping haul it onto the deck.

It hit with a wet slap.

Lilith rose, eyes narrowing.

The fish convulsed once. Then went still.

Everyone stared at it.

"That's our dinner?" Zuzu said, wrinkling her nose.

"It looks... aggressive." Elias said.

"It looks delicious." Ren said flatly. "Lilith, clean it. Fast. We have maybe nine minutes."

She moved forward without a word, knife in hand. Her knives flashed with the kind of confidence that could make anyone believe she'd been training for this from birth.

The fish's skin peeled back with a wet squelch, revealing flesh that shimmered faintly blue. The smell was unpleasant, but not unbearable.

"Still slimy." Thorn muttered. "Still cold. Still disgusting."

"You first." Ren said.

"Wait, what?" Thorn looked around incredulously to see everyone staring at him, with Ren and Zuzu having big smiles on their faces.

He gulped. "Fine. But if I die, I'm haunting you."

He picked up a strip of meat, held it like it might bite him, then took a bite. Slowly. Chewing with exaggerated drama.

"Oh gods." He gasped. "It tastes like guilt."

Zuzu laughed. "That bad?"

"No." Thorn admitted. "It's not terrible. Just... weird. Chewy. Cold. Kinda like soggy rubber wrapped in shame."

Elias took a strip and bit in. He nodded. "It's food."

Ren took his share. Lilith did as well, without hesitation.

One by one, the others took their portions. They ate quietly, eyes darting to the water around them.

But nothing stirred. No bubbles. No shadows. Just the still cavern and the cold, unnatural peace.

Their bellies filled.

For the first time in two days, they weren't starving.

Thorn leaned back with a satisfied sigh. "That's right. We eat horrors for breakfast. We are unstoppable."

Zuzu shook her head. "You're lucky your ego isn't edible. We'd never run out of food."

He grinned. "Careful. Keep talking like that and you'll earn a seat at the sarcasm table."

"Thought I already had."

They shared a laugh, lightening the atmosphere for a moment, and distracting themselves from the feeling of watching eyes.