Chapter 12

"Stay again," Kael warned, moving forward to protect Sophia and the others.

The warrior paused a few yards away, tilting his head as if sizing them up. His lips curved up into a nasty grin. "You shouldn't be right here."

"Let's imagine the equal to you," Kael said carelessly. "What are your clans planning?"

The warrior chuckled, deep and guttural. "you suspect I'd proportion our plans with you, prince?"

Sophia's breath caught at the name. She looked at Kael, whose expression clouded. "How do you know who i am?"

"I understand many things," the warrior remarked, his tone scornful. "The abyss whispers to people who listen."

Sophia felt a calming sensation travel down her spine. "The abyss?" "What does that imply?"

The warrior's attention went to her, and his grin faltered briefly. "You should leave while you still can. There are forces at work right here, much beyond your knowledge."

Kael tightened his hold on the weapon, his voice low and deadly. "If you know something, please tell us. Now."

The warrior paused, strengthening his hold on the blade at his aspect. For a second, it appeared that he may assault. However, he took a step back, his grin returning. "You'll find out soon enough."

Before anyone could respond, he dashed by them, disappearing into the shadows. His final words echoed throughout the water: "The abyss hungers." "And it will consume you all."

By the time they return to Aquaria, the burden of the encounter has become heavy on each person's shoulders. The council reconvened immediately, its initial terror replaced by grim resolve as Kael and Sophia realized what had occurred.

Tharros leaned in, his golden gaze piercing. "He noticed the abyss. "What do you think he meant?"

Kael shakes his head. "It is tough to mention. However, the Shark Clans behave with purpose. It is no longer appropriate for them to align with anything from the abyss."

"And the runes on his armor?" Councilor Merik inquired. "Did you apprehend them?"

"No," Kael confessed. "But they didn't feel right. As if they did not belong on this planet."

Sophia remained quiet, her mind repeating the experience over and over. The warrior's look, the way he examined her-it turned into as if he had seen something in her that even she did not understand.

After the assembly was over, she found herself alone with Kael in the palace grounds. The soothing glow of the bioluminescent plants did little to alleviate her discomfort.

"You're quiet," Kael said, his tone pleasant.

Sophia groaned and crossed her fingers. "Just thinking about what he said. Approximately the abyss. Have you noticed it's related to the visions we've been having?"

Kael paused, his jaw stiffening. "It is viable. The abyss has always been more than just a place; it is a pressure. One that should not be disturbed."

Sophia frowned. "So, why did he study me like that? As if he knew something I didn't.

Kael winced and clutched his arm, perhaps before he could answer. "What the-"

Sophia's eyes widened as glowing symbols began to emerge on his pores and skin, throbbing slightly with blue light. "Kael, your arm!"

He looked at the marks in bewilderment, his breathing unsteady. "I do not comprehend. These were not here earlier."

Sophia reached out, her arms brushing across the odd symbols. They had been warm and nearly alive. "Do they harm?"

Kael shook his head, but his expression remained concerned. "No. But I can sense... something. "As if they are linked to me."

Sophia's stomach lurched as she drew her hand back. "What does it suggest?"

Kael returned her glance, his eyes full with apprehension. "I do not know. However, I have a sense that this is only the beginning."

Rifts and Alliances

The huge hall of Aquaria's council was alive with voices, the air thick with tension. Delegates from adjacent underwater kingdoms, formerly allies and friends, had arrived under a shadow of distrust. Their features were chilly, their eyes calculated, and their words-once warm and welcoming-felt sharp and full of distrust.

Sophia stood near the entrance, watching the sea of dignitaries mix in a rare display of unity. She emphasized the exchange's attitude, how the normal greetings had given way to formal nods and measured grins. The sensation of camaraderie she had felt most effective weeks before now seemed distant, almost unreal.

Tharros walked at the head of the corridor, his presence as imposing as always, yet he seemed uneasy with the assistance of the developing department. Kael turned into speaking to a group of warriors inside the nook, his posture stiff as he listened intently. Sophia's thoughts returned to the amazing marks she'd seen on Kael's arm-the symbols flashing faintly with an electricity she couldn't entirely comprehend. It unnerved her, giving her the impression that they were all being tugged in different directions by invisible forces.

As the delegates took their seats, Sophia noticed Arin near the back of the room. She was standing by herself, her gaze surveying the crowd. Despite the impression of authority she exuded, there was fragility in her posture, a subtle tightness in the way her fingers held the borders of her robe.

The gathering began, and Tharros took his place at the table. He greeted the visitors with his usual calm, but even his words felt heavy, strained. The issues at hand were serious: the Shark Clans' growing aggression, the unknown menace from the abyss, and the fragile peace that Aquaria had worked so hard to maintain.

"We're all on the same side," Tharros said, his voice reverberating throughout the chamber. "The Shark Clans pose a risk to all of us." We must act as one if we are to preserve our way of life.

Sophia's attention shifted as she watched Arin once more. Her eyes met Arin's, and for a brief moment, she glimpsed the glimmer of something unspoken. Arin's look was unreadable, but Sophia could sense the weight of it.

Then the major voice cut through the anxiousness, reducing the air like a knife.

"Are we without a doubt meant to simply accept that the very girl who conjured darkness to interrupt free from the Shark Clans now sits on the table as an ally?" A tall, broad-shouldered man with dark blue scales scowled from the other end of the table. Volgar, a delegate from the Kraken Isles, was one of Aquaria's closest allies.

Sophia felt her heart skip a beat. She knew the political tides had shifted, but she hadn't expected this. Volgar's words were an immediate attack on Arin, and the charge stung.

"You may not be serious," Arin remarked, her voice full of harm and wrath. "I've performed nothing but combat to protect this country."

Volgar's bloodless eyes remained fixed on her. "But your magic is derived from the very forces we've long struggled to contain. There are stories, whispers, that you carry gloom with you wherever you go."

The room became hushed, the anxiety apparent. The opposing delegates exchanged apprehensive glances. It became evident that Volgar was speaking not only for himself, but also for many others who were concerned about Arin's outcast status.

Arin clinched her fists, her black eyes sparkling with a fierceness that commanded everyone's attention. "You could call it darkness, but I've used my magic to protect this kingdom." You must be grateful and no longer afraid.

Sophia improved, and her voice became more regular as she spoke. "Arin has accomplished nothing except defend Aquaria. She's faced fights that many of us would have avoided."

Her statements appeared to divert some of the hatred in the room, but Volgar was not discouraged.

"And what of the leviathan?" He demanded, his voice rising. "What about the abyssal energies seething within the depths? Are we to consider someone with that level of electricity?"

The room moved when the Leviathan was mentioned. Sophia felt a frigid shudder run through her as memories of their final encounter with the ancient beast reappeared. The words "The abyss hungers" rang in her mind.

"Enough," Tharros said, his voice forceful. He rose from his desk, golden eyes sweeping the room. "We're not here to accuse, but to unite. We've all seen the reviews. The Shark Clans are militarizing. They are combining with powers far darker than anyone has ever encountered. We can't afford to pay for these minor squabbles.

Kael went forward, his calm demeanor contrasted with the rising anxiousness. "Tharros is correct. Now is not the time for old grievances. The Shark Clans are on the move, and they may not hesitate to strike. We must prepare."

A murmur of agreement swept through the room, but the damage was done. The seeds of distrust had been planted, and it was clear that old alliances would be thoroughly examined.

Sophia could feel the weight of the moment bearing down on her. She looked at Arin, whose face had softened slightly, but the harm was still glaring in her eyes. Arin had been an outcast for a long time, fighting for a place in Aquaria that was never really hers. And now, the same worry that had driven her into the shadows appeared to be pushing her back.

As the delegates argued quietly, Sophia moved to Arin's side. "They're wrong," she said quietly. "You've validated yourself time and time again."

Arin gave her a faint, grateful smile. "perhaps. but the greater I prove myself, the greater they worry me."

Sophia didn't know how to respond. The fear became real-she might want to see it in the delegates' eyes, in the way their shoulders tensed when Arin spoke. but there was something more she couldn't quite describe, a deeper layer of suspicion and hatred that appeared to have taken root in Aquaria's leadership.

The council assembly dragged on, replete with heated discussions, accusations, and ideas that went nowhere. Tharros strove to maintain the peace, but it became obvious that the cracks of their concord had been expanding.

Hours later, because the delegates began to go, Sophia stayed within the chamber, her thoughts racing. She had been inside the heart of Aquaria long time to know that everything had been about to come apart. The Shark Clans' hostility become one difficulty, however the splits within their personal management were some other.

Kael approached her slowly, his face a masque of effort. "Are you all proper?"

Sophia shook her head, the heaviness of everything urgent down on her. "I don't recognise. It appears like we're losing manage."

Kael placed a hand on her shoulder, his contact warm yet forceful. "We'll keep it together. We ought to."

before Sophia could reply, a disturbance erupted near to the doorway. A guy, soaking wet in seawater, came into the room, his breathing ragged.

"A spy," one of the guards cried, running ahead to hold him.

Sophia and Kael grew to witness the man-a frail, shaking discern-being brought into the center of the room. His eyes were wide with fear, his garments ripped, and his pores and skin tattooed with bizarre, dark patterns.

"I... I didn't imply to," the spy mumbled, struggling to face the guards. "They... dispatched me. To disrupt peace talks. I am now not... "I am not one of them."

Tharros moved forward, his gaze bloodless. "Who despatched you?"

The secret agent gasped, his gaze moving uneasily between the council contributors. "I used to be suspected of disrupting the negotiations. They require the peace to fail... the Shark Clans... the abyss..."

The secret agent's frame stiffened, his eyes bursting with dread, before he should have died. With one last anguished cry, he sank to the floor, holding his chest. His hands twitched just as his body convulsed, and he detonated with one final, deadly burst of dark strength. The power of the blast sent everyone stumbling lower back, the air thick with the bitter smell of burning flesh.

A blackened coral shard hit the ground, glittering faintly as it settled some of the debris.

Sophia gasped, her heart pounding. The shard... it was the same symbol she had seen etched into Kael's arm.

"The abyss," Tharros said, his voice a dismal whisper. "It's right here."