Claiming the Abyss

  I need a home.

  I have survived by moving, by hiding, by running. But I cannot do that forever.

  The abyss is vast. Endless. I cannot keep drifting through it aimlessly. I need a place where I am safe. A place I can control.

  A place that is mine.

  I do not know if such a place exists.

  But I will find it.

  And if I cannot find it—I will make it.

  ---

  I move carefully, weaving through the dark, searching. The deep sea is full of hidden places, but not all of them are safe.

  I need somewhere secluded. Somewhere that hides me from predators but gives me access to prey. A hunting ground.

  For a long time, I find nothing. Just open abyss, shifting sands, endless water.

  Then, I see it.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  A trench.

  It cuts through the seafloor like a jagged scar, deep and dark, its edges lined with sharp, uneven rock. A perfect place to hide.

  I swim closer, keeping my senses sharp.

  The entrance is wide, large enough for me to slip inside, but narrow enough to block larger predators.

  I drift into the depths of the trench, moving carefully. The walls close around me, the darkness pressing in, but it is not suffocating.

  It is sheltering.

  The deeper I go, the more I know.

  This is the place.

  This is my home.

  ---

  A home is useless if I cannot defend it.

  I cannot fight off an apex predator. Not yet. But I can control who enters.

  I explore every inch of the trench, testing its walls, its exits. It has weaknesses.

  There are two main entrances—one large, one small.

  The large entrance is dangerous. If something bigger than me forces its way in, I will have nowhere to run.

  The small entrance is safer. It is just narrow enough for me to slip through, but too tight for most predators. If I am chased, I can escape through it.

  I memorize both.

  I settle into a hidden alcove near the center of the trench, pressing myself into the rocky wall. My skin blends into the shadows. Perfect camouflage.

  I feel something I have never felt before.

  Territory.

  For the first time, I am not just hiding.

  I am claiming.

  This place is mine.

  ---

  A home is useless if I cannot feed.

  I begin exploring the area beyond the trench, searching for prey.

  A hunting ground.

  I find a section of the seafloor where small creatures gather.

  Tiny shrimp drift near the sand. Weak fish hover above, their movements slow and predictable.

  [ Status Identified. ]

  ? Prey Cluster (Multiple Species)

  ? Condition: Stable – Low Competition

  This is perfect.

  I stalk one of the fish, testing its reactions. It does not notice me. It has no reason to fear this place.

  That will change.

  I attack.

  Fast. Precise.

  My jaws snap shut around its body before it can react. It thrashes, but I do not let go.

  [ Health: 64%… 12%… 0%. ]

  [ Prey Consumed: Pale Sandfish ]

  [ +0.3 Adaptation Progress ]

  I do not overhunt.

  If I take too many, the others will leave.

  This is my hunting ground. I will let it remain full of life so I can always return.

  It is mine.

  ---

  I return to the trench, my body settling into my hidden alcove. The water is still. The abyss is silent.

  I feel something new.

  Security.

  I am still vulnerable. I am still small. But now, I am not lost.

  I have a place to return to.

  I have

  a territory.

  The abyss does not belong to me.

  But this small part of it does.

  And I will kill anything that tries to take it.