Feeling the Dark Eldritch Energy drain from her palms, Namora stared at Tyrone in surprise for a moment.

Tyrone was similarly perplexed by the blue-skinned woman in front of him, but she had saved his life at the last moment, and he was thought to never look a gifted horse in the mouth…

Unless, of course, you suspected the horse didn’t have any teeth and you were being taken for a fool, but to Tyrone, Namora was a horse with too many teeth so his mind was at ease.

Namora couldn’t tell exactly what Tyrone was thinking, but she still had the vague urge to slap him…

Sadly, she was forced to refocus on the battle immediately.

The furious Dark Crab directed its huge pincers towards Tyrone and Namora…

Namora’s aqua blue pupil narrowed as her hands darted forward, isolating a strand of water current amongst the many in the Ocean, and then curving her fingers in a circular motion that caused the water to spin in place immediately.

Moments before the pincer blow landed, the water in front of Namora and Tyrone spun with force unrivaled as it created a noticeable shield of centrifugal force, stopping the pincer in place.

Tyrone’s mouth gaped, but it was not the most surprising thing he had witnessed in the past fifteen minutes since entering the water.

Just a few minutes ago, he thought Spryta was drowning…

Then he dove to the bottom of a lake that transformed into an Ocean…

He almost died from the Ocean pressure but was saved by a talking stone of darkness…

He battled with the darkness for his soul and somehow won…

But he was beaten as a result, and almost killed until an Aquatic woman showed up to save him…

Needless to say, Tyrone’s life had been a shit-show since traveling back in time, and the thing that irked him the most was the fact that he didn’t see Spryta at all.

He honestly doubts she was even in the lake to begin with…

Tyrone recalled something Spryta liked to say ‘I am the best trick of your life…’.

Spryta may not be the best trick of his life, but she would definitely be the trick that cost him his life.

Namora didn’t mind Tyrone’s gaping and instead opted to spin her fingers twice more, causing two more water shields to stall the bombarding pincers of the Darkness Crab.

Still, the Darkness Crab seemed unwilling to give up, putting more force behind its pincer attacks until Namora’s shield could not withstand any more blows.

Fortunately, the spin of the water shield managed to divert the pincer attacks by a couple of degrees, just enough to completely miss both her and Tyrone.

Namora grabbed Tyrone under the arms and swam away using her fastest speed, leaving behind a trail of bubbles and hot water; however, she didn’t make it very before Tyrone’s wails were heard.

“AAAAARRRGHHHH!”

Tyrone yelled in pain as he felt his skin boiling from the heat of friction caused by Namora’s speed.

Namora was moving nearly sixty meters per second, and Tyrone felt as if his organs had already been left behind at the previous position.

Namora sighed and slowed down a bit, but her gaze remained firm “Sorry, but this is battle so you have to bear with it!”

She was not about to risk her life for a human, even if he had an exotic skin color she had not witnessed before…

With that said, Namora left behind a bubble trail as she darted away once more.

Tyrone gritted his teeth to keep himself from yelling because he could tell from Namora’s eyes that she would abandon him given the smallest reason to do so.

He was pretty sure that she would have abandoned him already if he hadn’t extracted the Dark Eldritch Energy from her palms earlier.

Maybe, she still found him somewhat useful and would kill him after all his worth was extracted?

Namora was a hardened Atlantean soldier through and through, so Tyrone’s wellbeing was not a major concern to her at the moment.

Her intention was to get Tyrone as far away from the battle until she figured out just how a human could end up at the depths of the Ocean and not die immediately.

This could mean that humanity was preparing for a direct attack on Atlantis…

Though, she doubted that guess very much since Humanity was weak to Atlanteans, even with the new technology of destruction they had recently devised.

WHOOSH!

Namora did not make it very far when the tail of a Dark Eel, pulsing with electric current, struck a fast blow in her direction.

Namora could not make any complex maneuvers with Tyrone in tow.

Increasing her speed and performing acrobatics would probably just separate Tyrone’s body into the top and bottom half.

With limited options available, Namora tossed Tyrone to the right and darted to the left, barely managing to dodge the Dark Eel’s tail.

Yet, the electrified water near the Dark Eel’s tail still blasted her away like a baseball, creating another line of destruction through the garden of corals.

Tyrone was blasted unconscious by the electrical currents, but luckily, he didn’t collide with anything due to Namora’s quick thinking to separate themselves.

Tyrone’s mind sunk into the darkness where his memories were ripped apart to create space for the knowledge he had absorbed alongside the Dark Eldritch Energy of the Unforgotten Stone.

The Dark Eel had briefly considered attacking Tyrone since he was the easier prey, but something about Tyrone just gave the Dark creature the chills.

The Dark Eel did not relent and quickly slithered in Namora’s direction, arriving at her still drifting body like a blur.

The Dark Eldritch's enhanced physique was demonstrated to its fullest as the Dark Eel was primed for another strong attack.

PRRRRR

Witnessing Namora was about to be attacked, Kharsa’s muscles bulged as she concentrated her meager magical power to activate one of the many runes on her spear, and threw it with pinpoint accuracy.

Kharsa wasn’t aiming to hit any of the Dark Eels assaulting the group, she instead threw the spear into a nearby current that took it near every Dark Eel without touching any.

The rune that lit on the spear attracted all electrical currents in the water, siphoning all the electricity from the Dark Eels, leaving the creatures defenseless for a split second.

Despite popular belief, everyone had access to their own source of magic, also known as Life Force, but those who could manipulate the energy were few and far between.

Yet, Kharsa found a way to access her magical potential without harming her Life Force at all.

Kharsa’s spear was forged by the greatest blacksmiths in Atlantis and was specifically made to be used by her small but exceptionally concentrated magic pool.

Of course, Kharsa was still young and could only manage to use a single siphoning rune on the spear that consisted of nearly thirty runes, but she still had time to master her weapon.

Atlanteans lived for nearly three hundred years after all.

Namor, Sycorax, Attuma, and the others took advantage of that gap in the Dark Eels’ defenses, tossing water blades, water blasts, and water tornados to finish the creatures in seconds.

Without the electricity to defend, the Dark Eels were killed almost immediately.

Though, Attuma probably didn’t require any help since his Eel was already on the verge of death when Kharsa provided the assistance.

--------------

Namora recovered from her bout of dizziness and found the battle was about to end.

She did not have a doubt in her mind that they would emerge victoriously…

As a warrior, Namora had the arrogance drilled out of her bones, but when you were that good, there was little reason not to be proud and arrogant.

After all, the group consisted of The Swift Tide, a group of heroes, and both herself and Namor, who possessed unique hybrid bloodlines.

Not minding the others, Namora blasted off, grabbing the unconscious Tyrone from his position floating amongst the ruins of the Coral Garden.

“Is it dead?” She asked, poking Tyrone’s cheeks over and over again until his eyelids fluttered in response.

Tyrone was aware of the outside world… well, as aware as a human trapped at the bottom of the ocean could be, but he still remained unconscious to offer his mind time to digest the new knowledge…

Namora was pretty sure that the effects of her exclusion from water currents would be weakened near Tyrone’s body soon, and she was reluctant to let her savior die.

Feeling a hint of relief that Tyrone was still alive, Namora flashed over to Namor’s side bringing Tyrone along, and soon, everyone was gathered on the border of the abyss…

They stared at the encompassing darkness of the border for a while before directing their undivided attention at Tyrone.

Namor was the first to show concern for Namora’s actions “Is it safe to put your hands on the human?”

Namora shrugged “He aided me earlier… I would probably be dead if it wasn’t for him…”

“I find it fascinating that the chimp can survive down here…” Kharsa added, poking Tyrone's cheeks similar to what Namora had done earlier “His skin feels weak, and it has already started to wrinkle from being in the water for too long… is this perhaps a female of the human race?”

Namora struggled to withhold a giggle at Kharsa’s comment and ultimately decided to avoid the question altogether.

“We will have to investigate how he came to be in the Ocean’s depths at another time…” Namor stated, putting an end to all matters concerning Tyrone “For now, we have an object of importance to retrieve…”

Sycorax frowned “I am not entirely sure this one is entirely human… he feels old… in a magic sense, of course.”

“Bind the creature…” Kharsa commanded, and Sycorax immediately cast a water-bind spell that wrapped thin, transparent ropes around Tyrone’s arms and legs.

“Now-”

Namor was about to emphasize the objective of their mission once more, but Attuma’s absence from their circle of discussion finally caught his attention.

Tyrone’s eyes snapped open at that moment, darkness fully encompassing his sclera, giving him the impression of a being from the deepest abysses.

“Don’t let him touch it…” Tyrone whispered inaudibly, but that whisper reverberated loudly to the ears of the superhuman Atlanteans.

Tyrone forced himself from unconsciousness to give the group a warning, causing his mind to enter a destabilization temporarily.

Namor’s eyes concentrated as he searched through the darkness for Attuma’s position, and he quickly found the latter next to the Unforgotten Stone, ready to place his hands on the cursed object.

Namora, Namor, and The Swift Tide members all flashed from their position to Attuma’s location, moving their fastest to stop whatever bad premonition was gathering at the back of their minds. 

All that was left in their wake was a strong current of water that pushed the defenseless Tyrone further away; though, he struggled fiercely to release himself from the water binds without any progress.

Namor was the first to arrive next to Attuma, grabbing his hands in place just mere inches before he could touch the Unforgotten Stone.

“What?” Attuma questioned at a loss - he didn't know what was happening. 

Namora was the second person to arrive, followed by members of The Swift Tide riding their mounts.

Attuma was susceptible to temptation from the Unforgotten Stone because he focused mainly on building his body and not his mind, but he still possessed the complex thoughts of an Atlantean.

However, the mounts of The Swift Tide members did not possess such complex thoughts and were easily seduced by the noiseless whispers of the Unforgotten Stone.

Sycorax was the only member to sense the incoming danger, abandoning her mount instantly while casting a spell that created a strong shockwave that pushed everyone away from the stone.

Sadly, she had reacted a bit too late…

Herself, Namora, and Namor were the only three who were not affected by the pulse of Dark Eldritch Energy that rippled out of the Unforgotten Stone.

The moment Kharsa and the others came into contact with the Dark Eldritch Energy, their bodies began to mutate, merging with their mounts to become terrifying creatures.

However, Attuma’s transformation was by far the most notable.

Kharsa’s and the other's transformations were nothing to scoff at, but it was nowhere near Attuma’s.

The Chasm People were known for their exceptional physique that was further hardened by their constant travels, now add Dark Eldritch Energy to the equation and Attuma had become a force of nature.

“NA-MORR…”  Attuma grumbled with the last of his consciousness “RAUUUNNN!”

Overwhelming dread encompassed Namor, Namora, and Sycorax at that moment…

They couldn’t even muster the strength to think about running since they knew it was useless.

Facing the Dark Creatures in front of them, the trio instinctively knew that the first to run was the first to die.

You don’t simply turn your back to a rabid animal in a tense situation.

Attuma’s muscles were already exaggerated previously, but the Dark Eldritch Energy made him a possible rival for the God of Strength, Heracles.

Kharsa merged with her King Shark mount and became a Dark Creature with sharp teeth on her stomach, and two arms from the sides where the fins should have been.

The three other members of The Swift Tide became a Dark Ray, Dark Sea Horse, and Dark Squid.

CHING

Namora and Namor didn’t know when or how…

All they heard was the whistle of water, and Sycorax at their side had been split in two by Dark Attuma.

Sycorax, herself, wore a surprised look to the very end, her staff still alight as she was prepared to cast a spell that would preserve their lives.

Sadly, such a spell could not come to fruition due to Dark Attuma’s prowess.

The Ocean waters stilled and there were no currents flowing, it was as if a section of the Ocean had died with Dark Attuma’s movement.

Even worse, this meant that anyone in that section of the Ocean was also destined for death…

Namor felt the word slow around him, and in that moment of life and death, he yanked at the hidden potential within himself…

Dark Attuma did not pause, his movements were smooth as turned to Namor to continue his attack flawlessly.

Namora could not even react as Dark Attuma’s muscular fist appeared in front of Namor’s face, ready to behead her cousin without hesitation.

Fortunately, Namor was not a flower vase who could not retaliate.

Though he had not seen many battles as yet, Namor knew he was powerful even by Atlantean standards, so he bet on himself in this moment of life and death.

Just before Dark Attuma’s attack could hit, Namor felt his body resonate with the waters of the Ocean, and with a hard clap of his hands, a pocket of air burst into existence for half a mile.

SPLASH

SPLASH

SPLASH

With the retreat of the Ocean’s water for half a mile, Namor, Namora, Dark Attuma, and the others found themselves falling to the Ocean floor below.

Tyrone, who was bound and suffocating at the side, was also flooded with relief when the water parted to provide him the air he required to survive.

With the water’s disappearance, the bindings holding him in place also weakened enough for him to claim his freedom.

Namor and Namora choked and writhe a bit before their gills were sealed and air entered their lungs for the very first time.

While Namor knew he was a hybrid, he had never tried to breathe air until this moment, so he was not sure of how everything would turn out.

Namor and Namora expected the others to become weakened since non-hybrids could not survive without water for extended periods of time, but Dark Attuma, Dark Kharsa, and the others seemed unbothered.

BOOOOOOM

Dark Attuma’s fist became a blur as it connected with Namor’s face, lifting him into the air with a boom and tossing him back into the water outside the air pocket.

Tyrone leaped to the right, barely managing to avoid Namor’s bullet-like body from colliding with him.

Dark Attuma darted into the water after Namor…

Tyrone sensed some type of rivalry going on there, but the more he was ignored, the happier he became.

“This is a fucking battle of Gods… I can’t be here…” Tyrone whispered angrily, but there was little he could do other than bet on the kindness of Namora.

However, his delusions were quelled just a second later when Namora was nailed to the ground a couple of feet away by a blade-like tentacle.

Namora struggled with all her might trying to extricate herself from the compromising position, but the Dark Octopus would not relent.

Dark Kharsa wiggled over to Namora using her lower Shark body, and raised the spear in her hands, fully intent on reaping Namora’s life.

PLOP

Tyrone didn’t even realize that he had tossed a rock at the head of Dark Kharsa until it was too late…

With that minor action that didn’t even cause any damage, Dark Kharsa had her abyssal eyes trained on his helpless body.

Dark smoke exited Tyrone’s body, gathering around his arms defensively as his survival instincts were pushed into overdrive.

Still, he knew he had no other choice…

Namor’s exit from the air pocket had compromised its stability.

The air pocket would soon collapse in on itself, and Tyrone’s last chance of survival would collapse with it.

Yet, Tyrone had a late strategy that should end everything at once…

He took off running in the direction of Unforgotten Stone which had strangely lived up to its name because he had not ‘Unforgotten’ it since the start of the battle.

His primary goal was always to reach the stone, and now he had the perfect opportunity to do so…

Tyrone may have felt that he was running at his fastest speed, but he may as well have been a snail to everyone else there…

Thankfully, Namora came through at the last moment, freeing herself from the blade-like tentacle and whipping her leg outwards, blasting Dark Kharsa away.

BOOOM

BOOOM

Two quick jabs from Namora and the Dark Sea Horse and Dark Octopus brutally pounded back into the Ocean’s waters.

Namora then noticed that Tyrone was running towards the Unforgotten Stone and launched herself forward to stop him at all costs.

The last thing she needed was another Dark Creature…

While she was somewhat sure that he could help the situated given he drained the Dark Eldritch Energy from her palms earlier, she was not about to gamble her survival on a human.

“STOP!” Namora yelled, already halfway to Tyrone’s position even though he had started running long before her.

“I just need to touch the stone!” Tyrone yelled back, not entirely sure of his reasoning because it was more of an instinctual feeling.

His mind was still in a jumble, trying to digest the knowledge of the stone while keeping his own memories intact.

It was at that moment the water to Tyrone’s left rippled, and out came Dark Attuma with Namor in his hands.

The Unforgotten Stone had called Dark Attuma back to defend it from Tyrone, which was overkill in every sense of the word.

The Unforgotten Stone could simply release a minor shockwave and Tyrone would have died ten times over but it was ironic that The Unforgotten Stone, an amalgamation of Malice, would actually fear someone as insignificant as Tyrone.

Namora had battled Dark Attuma head to head for quite a while but barely lost in the end.

Dark Attuma smashed Namor into the ground, cranked back his free arm, and leaped at Tyrone.

Namora was a couple of feet away from Tyrone, but she knew she would not be able to make it in time…

She felt the wetness beneath her feet and quickly capitalized on an idea that may not even work.

Namora curled the feathered fin on her left ankle and kicked outwards, making sure that the tip of her feathered fin would dip into the puddle of water on the ground.

The ground had many puddles since Namor’s air pocket was roughly made.

WHOOOSH

A thin wall of water formed from Namora’s feet to just ahead of Tyrone’s location, creating a barrier between him and Dark Attuma.

Still, such a flimsy and hastily made wall of water could do little to hinder the powerful blow of Dark Attuma’s fist.

Dark Attuma cut through the wall like a knife through butter, his fist inches away from taking Tyrone’s head clean off his body…

But that was when the dark smoke around Tyrone’s body flared, siphoning all the light from the nearby environment, not that there was much light to begin with, given they were at the bottom of the ocean.

A radius of two feet around Tyrone’s body became a void of darkness that flashed and receded just as fast…

The only difference was that Tyrone had magically appeared a couple of feet away from his initial position, ensuring that Dark Attuma’s blow hit nothing but air.

Dark Attuma grabbed a blade from his waist.

Dark Attuma disappeared from his position in a burst of speed and dashed at Namora, while Tyrone pushed both arms outwards, ready to grasp the Unforgotten Stone into his embrace.

A single touch from his fingers and Tyrone was sure that the Unforgotten Stone would seal itself off, or it would be fully drained by his mutant ability.

At that moment when victory was guaranteed, Tyrone glanced over his shoulder and noticed Dark Attuma’s blade just centimeters away from penetrating Namora’s neck.

Still, Tyrone reasoned that Namora would be a small sacrifice to stop The Elder Gods that resided inside the Unforgotten Stone…

However, Tyrone had yet to understand his mutant ability…

Just a mere glance at Namora who was about to be killed caused a stray thought to enter Tyrone’s mind…

‘I wish I could save you…’ he thought sadly…

Sadly, such a stray thought did not remain just a thought…

The dark smoke surged out of Tyrone’s body and created all-encompassing darkness around him once more…

Then, before he even realized what happen, Tyrone found himself between Dark Attuma and Namora, his hand touching the blade that would pierce Namora’s neck, diverting it downwards.

PUCHI

Namora was pierced through the stomach, and Tyrone’s hand touched Dark Attuma’s skin, siphoning all the Dark Eldritch Energy away from Attuma instantaneously.

Tyrone felt a surge of power enter his body as Attuma returned to normal, but the same energy that granted him euphoria was also killing destroying his body faster.