Chapter 1
A 22-year-old girl whose name is Althea with natural, copper-red hair—a beautiful inheritance from her mother, who passed away when she was just fifteen—was sleeping peacefully. Suddenly, the sharp ring of her mobile alarm jolted her awake. Panicking at the time, Althea scrambled out of bed, grabbed a fresh change of clothes from her bag, and rushed into the washroom.In the background, the television hummed with a breaking news report: the weather was taking a turn for the worse, and severe flood warnings were being issued across the country. Ignoring the TV, she focused on getting ready for work as fast as possible.
Minutes later, she was darting out the door. A half-eaten sandwich was clamped in one hand, while her mobile phone buzzed continuously in the other. It was her boss. Taking a deep breath, she picked up the call.
Boss: "Where on earth are you?!"
Althea: "I'm so sorry, sir, I am on my way right now!"
Boss: (Voice tight with anger) "There is a mountain of work piling up here. You should have been here twenty minutes ago!"
Althea: "I am coming as fast as I can, sir. Just give me a few more minutes, please."
Before she could finish, her boss slammed the phone down, cutting the call. Heart racing, Althea sprinted down the sidewalk and desperately waved down a passing taxi.
Looking out the taxi window with her striking green eyes, she noticed a girl inside a shop buying a sword. The sight instantly triggered a wave of childhood memories. She remembered the days when her mother and father were still alive, patiently teaching her how to wield a blade and how to protect herself. For a moment, the grief and nostalgia made her forget her current rush.
The taxi pulled up, and she hurried into the office building. As she walked toward her desk, she was intercepted by a coworker named Iea, who looked at her with a critical eye.
Iea: "I told you a few days ago, you really need to change your hair color. I absolutely hate it." Althea: (Holding her ground) "Well, I love it. And I don't recall asking for your advice."
Annoyed by the sharp comeback, Iea turned on her heel and walked away with an arrogant smirk.
Outside, the weather was turning dangerous. Rain lashed violently against the glass, and jagged streaks of lightning split the darkened sky, accompanied by deafening cracks of thunder.
Trying to tune out the storm, she sat down at her desk and quickly got to work. But the unsettling noise from outside grew too loud to ignore. Looking out the window, her heart dropped. A massive, towering wave of floodwater was surging directly toward the building, swallowing the streets below.
Through the thick glass, the desperate screams of the crowd outside echoed—cries of "Help! Somebody help us!"—as terrified people ran in every direction, scrambling to save themselves from the terrible, oncoming flood.
Panic erupted instantly. All across the country, and inside her own office, people were in a desperate hurry to save themselves. Coworkers screamed, knocking over chairs and dropping papers as they scrambled for safety.
Realizing the lower floors would be submerged in seconds, she didn't waste a moment. Althea bolted into the hallway and ran as fast as she could toward the stairs, heading straight for the top floor of the building.
When she finally reached the top floor, breathing heavily, Althea found that Iea was already there ahead of her. Standing by the heavy roof door, Iea looked at her with a bitter, vengeful expression. Before the althea could step through, Iea slammed the door shut and locked it from the inside.
Through the small glass window of the door, Iea glared at her and yelled, "I told you not to insult me earlier! But you just couldn't hold your tongue, could you? Now see who has the upper hand!"
Trapped at the locked door, Althea spun around and looked down the stairwell. Her heart hammered against her ribs. The dark, roaring floodwater had already breached the lower levels and was rushing up the stairs toward her at a terrifying speed.
The water was rising by the second, swallowing the steps below and closing in on her position. With Iea blocking her only escape to the roof, she was completely cornered.
Just as the water was about to reach her feet, she spotted a large, empty water tank that had broken loose and was now floating on the rising floodwaters. Realizing it was her only chance at survival, she leaped onto the floating container. She quickly scrambled inside the tank and pulled the lid tightly shut behind her, sealing herself inside just as the roaring water engulfed the stairwell.
After what felt like hours, the roaring sound of the rushing water finally faded away. Everything outside grew completely still. A heavy, suffocating silence settled over the area, making it feel as though nothing and no one was left alive.Inside the darkness of the tank, she opened her striking green eyes. Sensing the quiet, she knew she had to escape her cramped hiding place. Trembling, she pushed against the lid, opening just a small crack of the cover to peek outside.
Peeking through the crack of the lid, she gasped at the sight. She was no longer near her office building. The tank had somehow drifted and dropped into a massive, hidden valley situated at the very bottom of the sea.
Peeking further through the crack of the lid, her blood ran cold. Just a short distance away, she spotted a group of strange people. They were wearing primitive clothes crafted entirely from large leaves and vines.
