Far from the reef, beyond the reach of light, the sea turned to ink.
And something opened its eyes.
It had no name—only hunger. A long, slithering presence coiled around a forgotten trench, its eyes buried under layers of sediment and time. Until now.
Because it felt him.
Poseidon's scent. Faint… but real.
The creature stirred.
---
In the shimmering palace of the Sea Court, waves trembled.
The High Seers, draped in coral silk and pearls, stood around a swirling pool. Inside it, Dominic's image flickered—his hand inches from the broken trident.
He didn't take it.
But he almost did.
"He found the Temple," one of the Seers muttered, voice cracking.
A second one clenched her jaw. "It wasn't supposed to happen this early."
A silence spread.
Then, from behind a veil of seaweed curtains, Queen Naerida stepped forward. Her face was unreadable, but her presence made the water colder.
"Send the envoys," she said. "He's no longer just a boy."
---
Elsewhere…
Bubbles rose in the darkness. Black fins sliced through coral.
Varun swam fast, his trident glinting faintly. His face was calm, but his eyes were locked onto a trail.
Blood.
Dominic's.
Faint, old—but enough.
"Found you," he whispered, voice low like thunder before a storm.
Behind him, two war sharks followed, armored and restless.
---
Back near the temple…
Dominic sat on a broken shell, arms resting on his knees, breathing slow.
Aegirion floated nearby, silent.
"So what now?" Dominic asked.
Aegirion didn't answer immediately.
"The Court knows you went in," he finally said. "And something else does too."
Dominic tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
Aegirion looked out into the abyss, his expression suddenly tight.
"There are things in the sea we've forgotten. Creatures older than empires. Some were sealed. Some… just waiting."
Dominic looked uneasy. "And one of them woke up?"
Aegirion nodded once.
And just then—
The water screamed.
Not sound—pressure.
A wave of energy exploded from the deep, slamming into them like a punch. Dominic was thrown back, tumbling through the water. His ears rang.
Aegirion spun, already forming a shield of liquid energy.
"Stay behind me," he snapped.
From the trench below, something rose.
A long, jagged shape, glowing faintly red—like magma beneath glass. It wasn't a fish. It wasn't anything natural.
A rumble echoed. Then a voice—not spoken, but felt in Dominic's bones.
> "Return what was stolen."
Dominic's eyes widened. "It's talking to me—"
A spear of black water shot toward him.
Aegirion blocked it, barely.
"We have to move," Aegirion said sharply.
But Dominic couldn't stop staring at the thing rising below them.
It wasn't angry.
It was hungry.
And it wanted him.
They didn't swim.
They ran.
If swimming had rules, Dominic and Aegirion broke them—tearing through tunnels of rock and coral like hunted prey. Behind them, the water twisted and boiled as the creature rose, massive, serpentine, and wrong.
It wasn't chasing.
It was reaching.
Tentacles of pure current snapped around columns and ancient ruins, shattering anything that got in the way.
Dominic barely dodged one that slammed into the seabed beside him. It didn't even hit him directly, yet the shockwave spun him backward.
"Keep going!" Aegirion barked.
"I am going!" Dominic shouted back.
Another crash. Debris scattered. Dominic's leg caught on broken coral, tearing skin. Blood floated out in red clouds.
That was a mistake.
The creature smelled it.
It shrieked—not like a whale or a shark, not like anything in the ocean. It was ancient pain. Starved rage.
And then—it disappeared.
Gone.
Just… silence.
Aegirion froze in mid-swim.
Dominic looked around, gasping. "Where did it go?"
"Don't speak," Aegirion whispered. "Hold your breath."
The water was still. Too still.
Then—above them.
Dominic's eyes darted up.
The monster was coiled on the ceiling of the trench like a ceiling fan made of bones and ink. Eyes opened, layer by layer.
It wasn't looking at Aegirion.
It was locked on Dominic.
And that's when it dove.
A blur of pressure.
Aegirion roared, his palms lighting up with a blinding blue seal.
The two forces collided—light and dark crashing together.
Water warped.
A hole ripped open in the trench wall. Rocks collapsed.
The force pushed Dominic into the darkness.
---
When he opened his eyes, he was alone.
No Aegirion.
No monster.
Just deep blue silence.
His head pounded.
His heart raced.
And in front of him… something glowed.
A gate.
Tall, cracked, made of stone and pearl. Ancient symbols covered the sides. In the center, a mark he'd seen in a dream—Poseidon's crest.
He swam toward it slowly.
Each inch made his skin buzz. His bones hurt.
Something inside the gate was awake.
It didn't feel evil.
It felt like him.
He touched the symbol.
A low click echoed.
Then—
A surge of light exploded out, swallowing him whole.
---
Somewhere else, Aegirion broke through rubble, gasping.
"Dominic?!"
No answer.
Only dust.
The boy was gone.
But so was the monster.
For now.
Aegirion clenched his jaw.
"They found each other," he whispered.
Far away, deep in a swirling palace, Queen Naerida opened her eyes and said, "The vessel has entered the Hall."
"Then it begins," whispered a voice behind her.
The Queen didn't look back.
"He's already too far in to stop."
Darkness.
Then light.
Then… cold stone beneath his hands.
Dominic gasped, coughing up water as his body lay sprawled on a damp marble floor. The water had vanished. The silence was unreal.
He pushed himself up.
He was inside a vast, hollow chamber.
The walls shimmered like they were made of frozen waves. Glowing glyphs floated above the ground, drifting like jellyfish in the air. The water had stopped mid-motion—as if frozen in time. Even his hair barely moved.
"Where… am I?" he whispered.
His voice echoed. A whisper returned.
"You have arrived."
Dominic turned.
A figure stood at the far end of the hall—tall, regal, made of silver and sea-glass, yet transparent like a ghost. No face. Just glowing eyes.
The figure didn't move.
It simply stood… watching.
A whisper filled the air again.
"You carry the name of the sea. You hold the current of the old gods. Do you wish to awaken?"
Dominic's mouth felt dry.
He didn't answer.
The figure floated closer—no feet, just drift.
It stopped inches away.
Suddenly, it leaned forward.
"Then listen."
The world went white.
Somewhere far above, the trench trembled. The waters stirred.
Aegirion looked up.
The ocean was holding its breath.