Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss-Chapter 224: Lake Nihilum

The sun rose gently over Lake Nihilum, its golden light shimmering gently across the still water.

The valley around the lake was quiet. Too quiet.

Birdsong didn't pierce the air, and no wind stirred the tall grass that bordered the slopes of the surrounding hills. It felt like the world was holding its breath.

But if the world truly was holding its breath, it had been holding it for too long, because for the whole week they'd been here, it hadn't changed.

Ren chuckled softly to himself as he crouched at the peak of a boulder atop one of the hills ringing the lake, his hands resting on his knees, and his eyes narrowed as he studied its surface below.

It was deceptively calm. Like a mirror that showed everything around it, not allowing anyone to peek into its depths.

It was hiding secrets. Secrets that Ren had come here to rip out.

He perked up as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. Thorn stretched as he walked to stand beside him, one hand on his lower back.

"Beautiful view." Thorn muttered through his yawn, breaking the silence as he gazed at the valley below. "Almost makes you forget we're about to sneak into a prison that probably wasn't meant to ever be broken into."

Ren didn't take his eyes off the lake. "Yeah. It really is something."

They stood in silence for a moment longer, watching the gentle ripples that spread along the lake's edges as light broke through the clouds.

"You okay?" Ren asked after a beat, glancing sideways at his friend. "Or do you need more food?"

"I'm okay." Thorn nodded. "Back to tip-top shape." He said, rolling his shoulders. "I could probably run from here back to Summerhold if there was a giant monster chasing me."

Ren chuckled.

But Thorn didn't laugh. His expression shifted as he looked out toward the lake. "You know… sometimes I feel useless."

Ren blinked, caught off guard. This was not like Thorn.

"Sometimes, the thought just occurs to me. Why am I even here?" Thorn went on, voice quieter. "It feels like I'm just here to make jokes."

"I'm not strong like Lilith, I don't have a Divine Gift like you or Valen. Hell, even Elias has his sword, which is great at burning down the infected. And me? I make people laugh. That's all I do."

Ren frowned. "You're the one who found Vesper. Back in Rainhold. Without you, we wouldn't have known he was the Prophet. Stop selling yourself short."

Thorn didn't acknowledge the comment. "And even with how… useless I am, you… you used up all six of your Silent Healer healing deals to save me."

He looked at Ren. "I know what that cost you."

"I won't say thank you, because those are just words. And you'll wave them away, anyways. So… I'm going to live my life like it means something. I won't waste this gift you've given me."

Ren sighed. "Even if you drank yourself to death tomorrow, Thorn, I wouldn't regret it."

That finally earned a smile. "You mean that?"

"Of course."

"Well, I'll try not to drink myself to death then." Thorn flashed him a crooked grin. "No promises though."

The moment passed, the two of them returning to the view of the lake. Thorn squinted. "So… where are the defenses? You said the whole thing is underwater?"

"Yeah." Ren nodded. "The prison is designed into the lake bed. Hidden under all this water. No structures above water, no towers, nothing. They wanted it invisible."

Thorn crossed his arms. "Smart. If I were designing a nightmare fortress, I'd hide it too. Any other surprises?"

"Pressure resonances, anti-resonance barriers, and proximity alarms. We can't afford to trigger anything prematurely."

Thorn whistled low. "So we go through the water?"

"We don't." Ren said, pointing. "She does."

They turned to look behind them at the makeshift camp they'd spent the week in.

Valen sat on a rock, meticulously oiling and sharpening his twin blades. Elias dozed with his back against a boulder, arms crossed. And at the center of the camp sat Lilith, her legs folded beneath her, eyes closed in deep concentration.

Her white hair floated slightly above her shoulders. The air around her shimmered like a heat wave as she prepared.

She'd been building her resonance loop for a week now, building enough power in her Pull resonance, enough to part the lake itself.

As if hearing her name spoken, Lilith opened her eyes. They glowed softly, filled with power.

Ren stood. "She's ready."

Moments later, their small party was armored, armed, and standing at the edge of the lake.

Elias adjusted his gloves as Thorn rolled his shoulders again, this time less out of habit and more in preparation.

Ren looked up to the boulder atop the hill, where Lilith stood, and gave her a nod.

She raised both hands, and her lips moved.

"Loop: Full Release."

The ground trembled slightly.

The still lake shivered, and then, the water obeyed.

"Pull: Divide."

A massive trench opened in the lake's surface, a spiraling whirlpool forming around it. Water was sucked aside in a smooth, cyclonic motion, and slowly, the lake parted.

Walls of water rose on either side, held back by Lilith's will. The resonance in the air snapped like glass under pressure. The sheer scale of it all impressed itself in their mind, driving the air from their lungs.

The group stared in awe as a building revealed itself at the bottom of the lake, all its protections still in the water on either side. The alarms were already ringing and the Chosen down there were already preparing for them.

Thorn let out a slow exhale. "Remind me never to get on her bad side."

Ren took a breath, then looked at them. "It won't stay open long, so we get in, strike hard, let me do the talking, and we get out. There would be no Lilith to help us in there, so we're on our own. Got it?"

Everyone nodded.

Ren turned, looking up at Lilith, who nodded once.

And with a smile at her, he turned back to the open space in the lake and jumped.