I dreamt of her that night—Seraya.
In the dream, I floated in darkness. A woman stood before me, her hair drifting like ink, her eyes twin orbs of sorrow and flame. "You have seen what lies beneath," she whispered. "But you have not yet remembered."
I woke with the shard glowing against my heart and Korrin watching me silently from across the cave we'd taken refuge in.
"Who is Seraya?" I asked.
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stirred the glowing stones in the fire pit, letting silence throb between us.
Finally, he said, "She was a guardian of the Heart. And your blood sings her name."
The words struck me like a wave. "You mean—?"
"You are her echo," he said. "Reborn, maybe. Or her will rebirthed."
We sat in silence, the firelight dancing over coral walls. My thoughts were louder than the tide.
By morning, the Council had summoned us. The retrieval of the second shard had not gone unnoticed. Word was spreading fast.
Inside the Coral Citadel, Nymora addressed a gathering of Elders. "The shards awaken memory. And memory holds power. We must not fear what is being stirred."
But someone else disagreed.
Toren.
Korrin's estranged brother and a warrior of the deep. He strode into the circle, his long braid slick with brine, eyes burning.
"This human girl holds too much of the Heart. She awakens ghosts. She risks another Sundering."
I stood my ground. "I didn't ask for this. But I'm not giving it up."
Toren bared his teeth. "Then you better not fail."
Later, alone in the Moonpool, Korrin sat beside me, his voice low.
"Toren's not wrong. The shards remember everything—including betrayals. If you touch the wrong one, it may turn against you."
I dipped my fingers in the water. Visions flickered—cities beneath the sea, a war waged with whirlpools and lightning.
"How did it all begin?" I asked.
He hesitated. Then: "My father. And yours. Both once tried to control the Heart."
A tremor ran down my spine.
"You'll find the next shard in the Marrow Caverns," he said. "But Selene—don't go alone. Not this time."
I nodded.
Because now, I was beginning to remember too.
End of Chapter 25