After the chaos, the reef lay still.
Isaac was taken into custody by the Ocean Guard, held in a prism of coral that pulsed with calming tides. Korrin stood nearby, shoulders tight, gaze never leaving the deep.
I clutched the shard of the Ocean Heart, its pulse now synced with my own. A bond had been formed—and it felt ancient, fragile, and overwhelming. I could sense its longing for the other pieces. For unity. For healing.
"What happens now?" I asked quietly.
Korrin didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took my hand and guided me to the Whispering Vaults—a library carved into the walls of a glowing cavern, where schools of bioluminescent fish lit the way.
Elder Nymora was already there, laying ancient scrolls across a stone table. "You must understand the legacy you carry, Selene. The Ocean Heart was not only a source of power—it is sentient, bound to the bloodlines of those who touched it with pure intent."
I frowned. "My mother…?"
"She was the last human to ever be accepted by it," Nymora said, eyes solemn. "And she bore you—a living bridge between sea and sky."
Korrin added, "That's why the artifact responded to you. It recognized its own memory within your blood."
My chest tightened. Images flickered in my mind again—a human woman cradling a glowing crystal, singing lullabies to the waves, her voice carrying into the tide.
Suddenly, another voice echoed through the vault. Not aloud, but within.
"The path is not water, not sky, but both. The shards are lost where hearts were broken. Follow the ruins, the coral tombs, And beware the mirror of the soul."
I gasped. "Did anyone else hear that?"
Korrin's eyes were wide. "The Heart spoke to you."
Nymora's expression changed—curious, wary. "Then it's begun. The Hunt for the Shards."
A map was unrolled—etched in deep-sea pearl, glowing with ancient light. Five shards. Five paths. Each more dangerous than the last.
"We must begin at the first ruin," Korrin said. "The Temple of Drowned Stars. It lies beneath the Coral Maw—a trench no mer has returned from."
I set my jaw. "Then it's time someone did."
As we prepared to depart, I caught one last glimpse of Isaac in the coral prison. His eyes opened—and they were glowing with ocean light.
A whisper slithered through my mind again: He is not what he seems.
End of Chapter 23