The forge at the base of Nandaka stirred.
Luan led them through tunnels of singing coral until they reached the Drowned Archives—a hall filled with floating tablets inscribed in symbols that swirled and shifted like living language.
Ishira touched one, and her face turned pale.
"These are not just records. They are… warnings."
Aarav stepped beside her.
He saw stories—of a time before the Truths, when the world was ruled by beings of hunger and form without soul. The Nameless One had shaped mortals like clay and fed on their purpose.
The Three Truths were not simply found.
They were forged in rebellion—by a mother, a scholar, and a warrior who had once been mortal themselves. They broke the Nameless One's hold, splintering creation and hiding the five rings to keep balance.
But one ring—the Ring of Bone—was never found again.
It had vanished when the Fifth Guardian betrayed them.
Aarav clenched his fists.
"There's a traitor," he whispered.
Ishira nodded. "One of the original ring-bearers gave in to the Void."
As they left the Archives, the ocean stirred ominously.
Something old had awoken.