Rising from the Ashes (Andrew) novel Chapter 2578

Soon, ten minutes passed.

Andrew watched the surface with growing anxiety since nothing stirred, and he worried that Shiloh might be in real trouble after going down alone. He checked the cave again and confirmed there was no exit except the underwater passage.

"If that's the only way out, then I'll have to go down too," he mumbled.

Gritting his teeth, he also plunged into the water. This time, he made a small precaution: he wrapped a length of tough waterweed around his waist.

The cave ceiling and walls hung with long strands of waterweed, and he guessed those plants had been growing for ages; most were about seven meters long, and some stretched over ten.

That gave him a little insurance and steadied his nerves as he sank deeper into the dark water. The depths were pitch-black, and the bottom invisible, yet the water seemed calmer for a moment, which allowed Andrew to breathe easier as long as there were no weird currents or strange forces pulling at him.

As he went deeper, the waterweed began to strain quickly. He sighed as he realized the pool was even deeper than he thought. So, he decided to untie the weed and go further down.

Not far ahead, there seemed to be a dazzling halo of light that flashed and disappeared.

Andrew was certain that this was definitely not his eyes playing tricks. His legs churned violently in the water. He kicked hard with his legs and shot forward like an arrow toward the glow.

The space opened up in front of him, and when he pushed his arm up, he felt no water at all. Instead, it was like he had passed through into a bubble. All around, the water had been pushed aside, and moist air hovered at his nostrils.

Andrew nearly gasped in surprise. He looked back and saw deep blue water half a meter beyond him, separated by an invisible wall that he could neither see nor touch, yet it clearly divided the inside from the outside.

The empty air space was only partially covered with dense waterweed and dark green water beyond it.

Time passed, and Shiloh still seemed to find no clue. However, at least the bubble held breathable air, so neither of them was in a hurry.

Finally, Andrew suggested, "Why don't I try to pull it out?"

Shiloh gave him a warning look and said, "Don't you dare touch it."

Andrew stepped forward without answering her. "This isn't getting us anywhere, you've been rubbing that pedestal until it's worn smooth, and we still have nothing. Might as well pull the sword and see what happens. If we get it out, we can take it with us, and you can study it on your own."