章 85: Blood Dungeon (Part 6)

With several splashes, they broke through the dark, turbulent crimson waves and made their way to the shore.

Kai's arms burned from what felt like hours of swimming, the constant drag of the water threatening to pull him back into its depths.

His muscles were strained, his body worn thin from the effort. Beside him, Kiara's breathing was ragged.

Her hair clung to her face, and her clothes were soaked through, but like Kai, she pushed forward, her determination as unyielding as ever.

As the sand beneath his feet finally solidified, Kai dragged himself onto the shore, collapsing to one knee, exhausted but thankful.

The solid ground under him was a welcome reprieve from the relentless waves that he had been swimming through.

For a moment, the world around him felt hazy as he tried to catch his breath. The island loomed ahead, a dense mass of foliage and rocks rising sharply into the mist above.