The underwater cave pulsed with divine energy. The weight of Krataigón’s power filled the space like the crushing force of a deep-sea current, yet it met resistance—Catherina's mist, infused with the glow of celestial light, drifted through the cavern like a haunting veil.

  The two gods faced each other, tension crackling between them. Krataigón, his form tall and imposing, sneered at the intruder. His long, silver hair floated in the water like strands of flowing currents, and his whirlpool-shaped pupils spun menacingly.

  Catherina stood firm, her luminous mist swirling around her, making her presence both ethereal and formidable. The way the particles of light refracted off the water gave her an almost divine glow.

  Nancy whimpered in the background, her fragile body shivering. Her divine presence was weak, and Catherina realized she couldn't unleash her full power here—not without risking Nancy's life.

  "You dare intrude upon my domain?" Krataigón’s voice carried the depth of the ocean, a sound that could erode the strongest cliffs over time. "What happens to my nymphs is none of your concern, Catherina. You should leave before I crush you like the tides crush a weak shore."

  He extended his hand, and immediately, the entire cave began to twist. Water spiraled around them, forming violent whirlpools that threatened to pull Catherina under. He could feel the power of the ocean bending to his will. The very currents obeyed him, raging in anticipation of drowning his opponent.

  "How arrogant," Catherina thought as she watched Krataigón manipute the water.

  Her mist shifted, forming a thin, glowing barrier around her. The whirlpools lost their grip where the mist spread, their force softened, diffused, as though they were being swallowed by an unseen force.

  "He underestimates me."

  She moved—a blur of luminous mist—rushing forward with divine speed. With a flick of her wrist, she called forth Star-Touched Mist, and suddenly, thousands of glowing particles filled the cavern. Each tiny droplet shimmered, creating an illusion of countless shifting figures, shadows of herself, confusing Krataigón’s vision.

  Krataigón eyes narrowed. The moment he lost track of Catherina real form, pain shot through his side.

  "Damn her!"

  Catherina struck him with a condensed bde of mist, slicing through his divine form. Krataigón recoiled, clutching his side as divine ichor spilled into the water, turning it a faint gold.

  Krataigón snarled, then shed out with his divine power, twisting the water violently.

  "If I can’t find her… then I will drown everything! "

  The entire cave rumbled, and with a roar of divine might, Krataigón colpsed the cavern’s roof. Rocks came tumbling down, and water surged violently in all directions.

  Nancy screamed.

  At that moment, both gods realized—if they continued here, Nancy would be crushed.

  Their gazes met. A silent truce, a temporary one.

  Without speaking, they both propelled themselves upward, breaking free from the cave’s depths and emerging onto the open water’s surface, where their battle could continue without constraints.

  __________

  The ocean beneath them churned, torn between Krataigón’s wrath and Catherina’s defiance.

  Krataigón raised his arm, and the sea obeyed—massive whirlpools formed, spinning with enough force to shatter and pull isnds into the abyss. The sky darkened as if the heavens themselves feared his fury.

  Catherina floated above, her mist spreading in a slow, creeping motion, reaching toward the whirlpools. The moment the mist touched the raging currents, they began to slow. It wasn’t brute force—it was control.

  She moved like a phantom, each step on the water leaving a trail of star-like mist. With a flick of her wrist, she sent razor-thin tendrils slicing through the whirlpools, disrupting them.

  Krataigón roared in frustration. "You think you can best me in my own domain?! "

  He thrust his hands forward, and from the depths of the ocean, a colossal water serpent emerged, its body composed entirely of swirling currents. It lunged at Catherina, its maw rge enough to swallow a temple whole.

  Catherina remained still.

  Then, she whispered a single word—

  "Dissolve."

  The mist surrounding her shot forward, entering the serpent’s form. A second ter, the beast dispersed into harmless droplets, its existence unraveled by the power of mist.

  Krataigón staggered. He hadn’t expected her to wield such precise destruction.

  "She… she's controlling the ocean through negation. She doesn’t fight my power—she erases it."

  Krataigón grit his teeth. He couldn't lose. Not to her.

  He lunged, whirlpool-cd fists crashing toward her, each strike carrying the weight of a storm. Catherina dodged effortlessly, her mist cushioning her movements, deflecting each impact just enough to render his attacks ineffective.

  Catherina could tell—Krataigón was growing desperate. His movements became erratic, his power unstable. He knew it too.

  One st strike.

  She coiled her mist into a concentrated spear, aimed it at his chest, and released it in a burst of divine energy.

  It pierced through his divine body, and for the first time, Krataigón stumbled backward, divine ichor dripping into the sea.

  Victory.

  Krataigón held his head, gasping. His vision blurred. If she had aimed slightly higher, he would have lost his godhead.

  He looked up, seeing Catherina standing over him, victorious.

  "Don't kill me! " he gasped, desperation creeping into his voice. "Gods don't kill gods—you know the rule! "

  Catherina tilted her head, her mist swirling around her like a storm of judgment. She smiled—cruelly.

  "Compensate me in your divine domain," she murmured.

  Krataigón froze. His pride, his territory, his control—she was asking for too much.

  "Too greedy, Catherina… how can you say this?"

  Catherina's smile widened.

  "Or..." she whispered, "Shall I call upon Themis?"

  The name of the Titaness of Justice sent a shiver down Krataigón’s spine. He clenched his jaw, knowing that under Themis’s divine judgment, his punishment would be far worse.

  He lowered his head in defeat. "I will compensate."

  Catherina reached down, grasping the back of his head, pressing just enough force to remind him who had won.

  "I, Catherina, Goddess of Mist, hereby decre—before every whirlpool, there shall be mist first, as a warning for the cruelty of the Whirlpool, tempered by the kindness of Mist."

  Krataigón trembled, his fists clenching. But he had no choice.

  "I, Krataigón, God of Whirlpools… accept."

  Catherina vanished into mist, leaving only the echo of her victory behind.

  Return to the Lost Isnd

  Back at her isnd, the nymphs gathered in concern as Catherina returned, wounded yet victorious.

  She gazed at the ocean, feeling a shift in her divine power. Something had changed.

  She raised her hand, swore an oath, and the very fabric of Khaos responded. The isnd disappeared behind an eternal mist, forever hidden from whirlpools, forever protected.

  And so, Catherina sealed her victory not just over Krataigón… but over the whirlpool itself.