001 | 1-1. The Call of the Beluga
【To Our Readers: Welcome to Episode-α】
◆ New to SARAH OF THE ABYSS? Welcome! While this episode can be enjoyed as a standalone story, we strongly recommend reading the Main Story and Episode-Zero first to get the full, rich experience of this world!
👉[Read the Main Story Here] https://www.inkitt.com/stories/1677037
👉[Read Episode-Zero Here] https://www.inkitt.com/stories/1677412/
◆ To Our Returning Readers Thank you so much for continuing the journey! This “Episode-α: The Ice Queen” is set in August 2023, taking place in the timeline between Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 of the Main Story. It depicts the dramatic encounter with Sarah’s most formidable rival.
■ Connection to the Main Story What truly happened during the blank year between Chapters 3 and 4? This episode serves as a vital key to deeper enjoyment of the main series, illustrating Sarah Tevalier’s overwhelming, newfound thirst for life—a stark contrast to her previous mindset of being ready to die at any moment.
■ Which Should You Read First? While it works as a supporting backstory alongside the main series, it also seamlessly connects with Episode-Zero. Dive in and watch the grand puzzle of the Abyss assemble itself!
Author: Mina_Underwater
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Chapter 1: The Silent Sea
August 2023. At the heart of the Barents Sea, near 72 degrees north latitude. The frozen expanse was a merciless world of silver that stretched on into infinity.
The five-member polar research team from the Russian Academy of Marine Sciences had established a small base on this ice plain.
“Weather report: winds from the north-northwest. Wind speed 2 meters per second. The current is moving southeast at 0.5 knots. Water temperature is negative 1.8 degrees Celsius... Konami, are you really going in under these conditions?”
Igor Yashin, the observation officer, stared at the monitor while trembling inside his thick cold-weather gear. Beside him, two robust construction crew members were using chainsaws and heavy machinery to precisely carve a 10-meter square out of the 2-meter-thick ice. The “natural pool” created by pushing the ice slab down held a water surface that looked like a mirror leading into a dark abyss.
Konami Shivanava slowly shed her final layer of cold-weather gear within the cramped, enclosed space of a truck bed. In its place, she wore only a thin blanket. Beneath that fabric, there was no form of concealment.
The 35-year-old body, exposed to the frigid air, transcended the mere concept of a “woman.” It was a functional beauty—an “ultimate living organism” honed to survive the harsh polar environment. Her physique, sculpted to such a sublime degree of perfection as if to embrace the cold, existed there in the freezing air with a quiet yet overwhelming presence.
With the flexible joints from her synchronized swimming days and the expansive ribcage from her record-breaking free-diving era, her obliques were honed until each rib stood out like armor designed to protect her internal organs and withstand water pressure.
She closed her eyes quietly and entered a state of mindfulness. Her heart rate dropped to 35 beats per minute. She intentionally triggered the “blood shift,” concentrating blood flow exclusively to her brain and heart while constricting the vessels in her extremities.
Beneath her blonde bob, her eyes were the same color as the cold sea.
“Beluga whale, response detected,” Igor Yashin shouted sharply.
“They are wary of the drilling vibrations. Hovering at a depth of 38 meters. They aren’t moving. They are afraid.”
“I will calm them down.”
Konami quietly threw off the blanket that covered her shoulders. The minus 8-degree cold air slashed at her exposed skin like a sharp blade. However, not a trace of fear toward the freezing cold resided in her eyes.
Her consciousness had already crossed the icy boundary before her. The outside air piercing her skin was now nothing more than trivial noise. Her spirit had already submerged deep into the dark, silent water beneath the ice, searching for the form of the “self” that ought to be there.
In her hand, she held only a single specialized suction-cup GPS tag. It used no adhesive or metal bands. It was a custom-made item designed not to harm the smooth skin of the beluga whales.
A dive into the abyss. She slipped into the water without a sound. At this temperature, an ordinary human would suffer fatal shock. However, her brain processed “cold” merely as “information.” Descent initiated. Without using fins, she sank vertically into the depths using only the supple dolphin kicks she had mastered during her synchronized swimming years.
