The Coral Maw wasn't just a trench—it was a graveyard.
From above, it looked like the ocean had opened its jaws to swallow light itself. Black coral spires jutted from the edges like broken teeth, and a current swirled in a counter-clockwise pull that had taken many lives before.
Korrin swam ahead of me, spear strapped to his back, his shoulders tense. "No one enters this place without permission from the sea gods," he muttered.
"What if they've stopped listening?" I whispered.
We descended, the weight of the deep pressing tighter around my bones. But the shard in my pouch pulsed faintly, guiding me like a compass. We weren't alone.
Whispers fluttered around us—faint, like the sighs of drowned sailors. Shapes moved just beyond sight. I felt eyes watching.
"Don't answer them," Korrin warned. "They feed on your voice."
As we entered the maw, everything shifted. The water grew warmer, denser, almost honey-like. An illusion. A trap.
The Temple of Drowned Stars appeared before us.
Half-buried, twisted by currents, yet still majestic. Its spires reached up like hands pleading for rescue. Bioluminescent sigils lit up as we approached, casting our shadows across faded murals.
One mural showed a woman who looked like me—eyes wide, hair floating, hand raised to the sky.
"Your mother," Korrin said quietly.
I stepped forward, and the shard in my pouch surged. A rumble answered. From the depths of the temple, a crystal barrier shifted, revealing a sealed chamber.
We entered.
Inside, the second shard floated above a pedestal of shell and bone.
I reached out—
—and something grabbed my arm.
A ghost. A mer with hollow eyes and seaweed hair, clinging to my wrist. Behind him, dozens more appeared, all chanting a single name: "Seraya."
The air grew tight. I couldn't breathe.
Korrin stabbed forward, his weapon bursting with light. The ghosts recoiled.
"Take it, Selene! Now!"
I surged forward, grasping the shard with both hands. It burned like fire and ice together. A scream escaped my throat—but it was not my voice.
Suddenly, we were thrown out of the temple by a blast of light.
We hit the ocean sand far above the maw, panting.
The second shard pulsed against my chest.
Korrin looked at me with wide eyes. "You saw it, didn't you? The voice that screamed… it wasn't yours."
I nodded slowly.
It was Seraya.
End of Chapter 24