I stood at the edge of the glowing reef, my feet brushing coral unlike anything on Earth. The ocean's pulse vibrated beneath my soles, ancient and aware. I had passed through the Seal of Nyrris, but this was only the beginning.
Korrin swam ahead, his tail gleaming under bioluminescent light, casting a royal shimmer in the water. My breath caught at the sight of him. He was so much more than a myth now—he was my reality. A merman with a crown of coral, battle scars of a past untold, and eyes that held centuries.
"Are you ready, Selene?" he asked, voice echoing through the quiet depth.
I nodded, though my heart thudded. "What is the Trial of Tides exactly?"
Korrin glanced at the circle of elders awaiting us beneath the Moon Crystal Arches. "It will test your blood. You are half-human. The ocean must accept you as kin."
A new voice joined us. Elder Nymora, with silver-scaled skin and flowing white fins, gestured. "Step forward, child of two worlds."
I moved through the water, light swirling around me. The Trial Stone shimmered, ancient runes glowing on its face. I pressed my palm to its center.
The ocean around me fell silent.
Then, from the deep trench below, came the echo of a forgotten chant:
"Hearts of salt and stars combined, Let blood and tide in oath be bind. If truth runs pure through soul and skin, Let oceans part and let her in."
The stone flared. A wave of heat coursed through me. Memories not mine rushed into my mind—visions of sea wars, forbidden love, a human woman holding a merman's heart in her hands.
My mother?
Suddenly, pain. My hand burned against the stone, and a pulse blasted through the reef, shattering nearby coral.
"Selene!" Korrin tried to reach me, but invisible currents held him back.
The stone tested my soul.
I gritted my teeth. I wouldn't break. I couldn't.
Then... light.
The coral shifted color, shimmering from deep blue to brilliant silver. The currents calmed. The stone's light faded. Elder Nymora approached and nodded.
"You are one of us."
Korrin exhaled. The other elders bowed. Even the sea beasts beyond the trench released long, guttural cries of welcome.
But my triumph was short-lived.
Because as I turned to Korrin, a dark shadow raced through the water behind him—Isaac.
He had followed us. And in his hand glowed a stolen shard of the Ocean Heart.
End of Chapter 21