Chapter 14

Arin's voice faltered briefly, but she continued. "We're nearly there."

Sophia's gaze flew about, and panic sprang in her chest. Something became incorrect. The shrine was growing unstable, with the power twisting and warping into something far more terrible than they had expected.

Then, with a thunderous roar, the water exploded around them. A father emerged from the darkness, a creature so massive and historically significant that it appeared to swallow the light surrounding it. Keeper of the Abyss.

Its body evolved into a fusion of shadows and water, its eyes shining with an unearthly flame. The temperature fell, and the air itself appeared to ice in its presence. It hovered over them, a dark, relentless presence.

"You dare meddle with powers you cannot manipulate?" The Keeper's voice rumbled, shaking the foundations of the temple.

Sophia stumbled back, her pulse irregular. "We didn't mean to-"

"You don't have any rights," the Keeper declared. "to evoke what sleeps within the depths is to evoke the starvation."

Arin's words became marginally audible, and her body shook in effort to maintain the barrier. "We most effective wanted to guard-"

The Keeper raised his hand, and the shrine trembled. "Safety comes at a cost. And now you may face the consequences of your inattention."

With a final flick of its palm, the Keeper's shape shifted, leaving an ominous trace etched into the shrine's walls. The image blazed with a strange blue light, and Sophia felt the unmistakable tug of reputation in her chest. She had seen it earlier, in her visions.

The Keeper's voice resonated as it disappeared into the shadows, "The abyss is coming for you all."

As the shrine returned to silence, the strange picture continued to glow. Arin sank to her knees, her breath raspy with exertion. The water around them returned to normal, but the weight of what they had accomplished lingered heavily in the air.

Sophia came to be like Arin, her voice shaking. "What became of that? "What have we just done?"

Arin raised her head, revealing her expression. "We have bound the abyss-for the time being. "But we've also opened the door."

Sophia looked back at the mark on the wall. The image transformed into a promise-and a warning. The abyss was no longer a threat; it was here, and it was coming for them.

The Crumbling Peace

The ocean has never appeared so vast and terrifying. As news of the Shark Clans' expanding fleet spread throughout the undersea kingdoms, a wave of paranoia surged through the realms. Nobody was spared-the once-allied nations now looked at one another with distrust, their shared records of peace becoming a distant memory in the face of impending war.

The palace was quiet as Tharros gathered the final council members, the weight of his responsibility pressing hard on his shoulders. His golden eyes surveyed the room, yet the faces before him were filled with doubt and tension. He should have felt it in the air-his ties had weakened, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the tide from rising.

Sophia stood alongside him, hands clenched tightly in front of her. She sensed the shift, the alternate within the room. The delegates' anxious murmurs became louder, and their voices were laced with worry.

"They're getting stressed," Sophia remarked gently, looking at Tharros. "They're thinking the entirety."

"I recognize." His voice was strained from frustration. "I want them to see the truth." The Shark Clans remain a threat, but they are no longer our most formidable foe. The abyssal forces are transferring.

"however how do you persuade them?" Sophia asked. "All they're looking for is someone who is guilty. Aquaria has emerged as a scapegoat.

Kael, who was standing on the opposite side of the room, was watching the drama unfold with great interest. He had always been cautious of alliances, but now it appeared like every diplomatic relationship they had fought so hard to establish was disintegrating in front of them.

"There's a way to turn this around," Kael replied quietly. "however it received't be smooth."

Before they could discuss it further, the entrance to the council chamber slid wide, and a delegate from the Deepwater Isles entered with a stern scowl. The audience went silent as he neared Tharros.

"Your Majesty," the emissary replied, bowing slightly. "The Shark Clans have sent a new envoy. They declare that Aquaria is home to an abyssal creature.

The accusation hung in the air, like a lifeless weight. Sophia's heart skipped a beat. She examined Tharros, whose face was long past ashen.

"Harboring an abyssal entity?" Tharros repeated, his voice calm but strained. "that is absurd."

"I wish it were," the delegate replied. "But they have spread the phrase throughout the kingdoms." There are already rumors that Aquaria isn't what it appears.

The room devolved into chaos as the various delegates began speaking over each other. The coalition was collapsing right before their eyes. The accusations, however false, had found fertile ground, and Tharros now faced the possibility of losing everything.

Kael moved forward, his voice becoming quieter amid the background cacophony. "If the Shark Clans are spreading these lies, we must prove them wrong. We cannot allow them to turn the tide against us.

"I understand," Tharros said, his voice heavy with the weight of responsibility. "however it's getting tougher to preserve the peace."

The subsequent diplomatic session was as annoying. Delegates from the surrounding underwater kingdoms had gathered in Aquaria, their expressions filled with distrust and concern. The air became dense with whispers, and each phrase felt as if it could shift the balance toward battle. Sophia and Kael waited behind the vast corridor, watching Tharros attempt to rally support from the other kingdoms.

"We need to unite," Tharros declared, his voice echoing throughout the room. "The Shark Clans pose a threat, but so do the entities that lurk beneath the waves. "If we don't stand together, we risk losing everything."

But his statements have been regarded with skepticism. A few delegates were already on the scene, satisfied that Aquaria was hiding evil powers. It was evident that no matter how Tharros tried to present his argument, the consideration had already passed.

"Do you think we're fooling ourselves?" Sophia inquired Kael, her voice just above a whisper. "We've lost their consider."

Kael looked at her, his expression opaque. "Consider can be rebuilt. However, it would be most useful if we could prevent the Shark Clans from using this against us."

A commotion broke out in the front of the room before Sophia had time to respond. A pale and shivering delegate ran towards Tharros with urgent tidings.

"A spy," the delegate exclaimed. "We have discovered an undercover operative among us. Someone from the shark clans. They have been sabotaging the summit.

The room froze. Eyes flashed to one another, and the air became thick with suspicion. Tharros has now ordered a search of the property, but the harm has already been done. The whispers became louder, spurred by worry and distrust.

Sophia and Kael exchanged looks, both aware that they were now in the thick of something far more hazardous than political scheming.

The search for the spy did not take long. Moments thereafter, a mysterious parent was carried into the room, his hands chained behind his lower back. The guards forced him to his knees, and the room fell silent as all eyes drew closer to him.

Tharros advanced, his gaze focused. "who're you?"

The person's face grew pale, his eyes darting about the room in a desperate quest for an escape that would never come.

"I... I didn't mean to-" The secret spy faltered, but his words were cut short by Tharros' stern instruction.

"Resolve the query," Tharros replied, his voice bloodless.

The secret spy gulped hard and looked up at him. "I... I was sent through the Shark Clans. They... wanted to destroy the meeting, to show you all in antagonism to one another."

The revelation sent shockwaves through the room. The delegates mumbled, throwing dubious eyes at one another. The knowledge of the betrayal lingered heavily in the air.

However, before anyone could respond, the undercover agent's body became rigid. His eyes bulged, and a guttural scream burst from his throat. His arms trembled, and within moments, the secret agent's body began to shudder uncontrollably, his face contorted in agony. The crowd gasped as the spy's last words reverberated out in a frantic rasp.

"The Leviathan... is already unsleeping," he blurted out, his voice filled with fear. "Its starvation drives the Shark Clans... and it's going to wreck you all."

With a final severe convulsion, the spy's body crumpled to the ground, rendered worthless.

Silence was observed. The weight of his words hung over the room like a black fog. The delegates were taken aback, and the situation became extremely tense. The simmering fear had exploded into full-blown terror.

"The leviathan?" Kael mumbled under his breath, his eyes wide. "If it's conscious..."

Tharros' visage worsened, and his words became increasingly urgent. "We want to act now. The Shark Clans are just the start."

Sophia hurried to him, her heart beating. "However, what can we do? We've already misplaced the agreement."

Tharros locked eyes with her, his demeanor firm. "We engage in combat. For Aquaria. "For everything we've built."

Echoes of the Abyss

As they plunged into the deep depths, the water around them became a dense, stifling blackness, with the weight of the ocean crushing down relentlessly. The slight hum of their system rang through the eerie calm, a reminder of how far they had strayed from Aquaria's shelter. The currents here felt unique, almost alive-an unpleasant sensation that caused the hairs on the back of Sophia's neck to push upward.

Tharros guided the way, his golden eyes surveying the black waters with practiced ease. Kael followed closely in the back, his eyes darting around, ever attentive. Sophia delivered up the rear, her heart thumping in her chest as she struggled to catch her breath. Something in the depths seemed to pull at her, something ancient and primordial. She should feel the weight of the leviathan's presence even now, in the hush that surrounded them.

"We're getting close," Tharros said, his voice low and almost lost in the immensity around them.

The tiny group was despatched to investigate the peculiar seismic events that had been reported in the region. Even though earthquakes are uncommon underwater, they have rattled the trenches in recent weeks, indicating that something far greater than any natural power is at action. Something had shaken the very foundation of the sea earth.

Sophia may wish to feel the slight tug of the abyss, which looked to get stronger the deeper they went. Her hydrokinesis buzzed beneath her pores and skin, and the water responded to her presence while also recoiling. It seemed as if the currents themselves were wary of them, pushing back in subtle and invisible ways.

"I don't like this," Kael mumbled, his voice tinged with the scenario. "The deeper we pass, the stranger it feels."

Sophia nodded, her eyes darting frantically around them. "I agree." It's as if the water is alive and responding to us.

Tharros returned her gaze with a gloomy expression. "something is down right here, we need to locate it."

They paddled on in quiet, the darkness drawing nearer with each passing second. Finally, as they rounded a curve in the trench, they noticed a shape in the distance-something large, partially concealed by the whirling currents.

"It's a shape," Kael explained, pointing forward. "some thing constructed."

The ruins rose from the seabed, ancient stone walls covered in layers of silt and barnacles. They were definitely man-made-or sea-made-in some type of forgotten shape from a long time ago. The walls were inscribed with symbols, strange, jagged runes that pulsed dimly within the dim light in their fits. Sophia could feel her heart increase as she swam closer. There was something about the symbols that she couldn't quite grasp.

"This doesn't make sense," Kael muttered, barely audible. "I've by no means seen anything adore it."

Tharros began swimming toward the figure, his eyes examining the partitions. "these markings... they're warnings."

Sophia approached, her gaze fixed on the etchings. As she studied the symbols, she felt an incredible sense of fear flood over her and constrict around her chest. There, engraved in stone, is an image of the leviathan: its massive, coiled body snaking through the depths, its dazzling eyes gazing into the abyss.

"I've seen this before," Sophia said, her hand quivering as she traced the engraving. "In my visions."

Kael's gaze shifted to her. "What does it mean?"

Before Sophia could respond, the ground underneath them rocked. The water looked to churn, and the currents twisted wildly. The ruins' partitions groaned, as if the soil beneath them was going to give way.

"We want to leave," Tharros insisted, his voice stern. "Now."

However, it was too late.

Creatures began to emerge from the ditch's darkness-abyssal beasts with twisted and hideous forms and eyes that sparkled with an eerie light. Their movements had been fluid, almost unearthly, as they moved around throughout the organization, preventing any escape.

"circulate!" Tharros yelled, unsheathing his weapon as he charged at one of the beasts. Kael moved quickly, flashing his blade through the water and slashing at the nearest thing.

Sophia's pulse raced as she sought for her abilities, her arms quivering as she summoned the water to fight again. However, her manipulation faltered, and instead of a focused circulate, a burst of lightning emitted from her palms, sending a shockwave through the water. The power was strong enough to knock one of the creatures down again, but it grew uncontrollable, like a tidal wave slamming over the entire area.

"focus!" Kael yelled, but it was drowned out by the tumult.

The beasts closed in on them, their growls resonating through the water as they advanced. Sophia felt a rush of panic rise through her chest. She couldn't control it-no longer the water, no longer her feelings, no matter what. The electricity inside her began to spin out of control.

Then, as if drawn by the pandemonium, a giant figure appeared in the distance-something much larger and older than the monsters.

The leviathan.

Its massive figure moved into the depths, its coiled frame reaching across the ditch like a serpent from the sea. Its bright eyes remained fixed on them, and the water around them seemed to throb with its presence, as if the ocean itself was responding to its awakening.

Sophia's powers rose again, more powerfully this time. She could feel the water rushing beside her, but it was no longer something she could control-it was something she was being pulled into, a reality too powerful to confront. The water sparkled around her, showing the leviathan's form inside the depths-a shadow of impossible proportions.

"No," she exclaimed, her breath coming in rapid, terrified gasps. "It's right here."

Tharros and Kael fought the animals, their weapons sparkling in the dark water, but it was evident that the real war was coming from the depths. The leviathan awakened, and the ocean appeared to move in reaction.

"pass!" Tharros cried again, his voice piercing, but Sophia remained transfixed, her gaze fixed on the leviathan. Its shape was like a nightmare: too large, too antique, to recognize. It became into a natural power, a predator that dominated the depths simply by being present.

The ground shook once more, but this time it wasn't because of the beasts attacking them. The ruins began to deteriorate, with the stones moving as if the structure itself was being ripped apart by the leviathan's awakening. The water surrounding them became a furious whirlwind, drawing them into the abyss.

"Get out!" Kael's voice cut through the clamor, and he grabbed Sophia's arm, dragging her toward the exit.

They swam through the pandemonium, fighting the modern while the ruins collapsed around them. The creatures, now agitated, scattered as if the leviathan's presence was enough to send them scurrying. But it didn't remember-their true enemy transformed into the darkness, which eventually closed in on them.

As they approached the surface, the leviathan's growl boomed across the sea, vibrating in their bones. Sophia looked back, her heart beating in her chest. The leviathan's eyes blazed in the depths, and its massive form looked to curl, as if it had been following them and pushing them towards the abyss.

"We need to go," Tharros replied, his voice hoarse. "Now."

They burst through the floor of the ocean, panting for oxygen, but the feeling of the leviathan's gaze stayed, its hunger ever present.

Sophia's fingers shook as she brushed saltwater off her cheeks. The mark on her arm, a dazzling image from the ruins, pulsed slightly, as if in response to the leviathan's name.

"We've reawakened something," she muttered.

Tharros' eyes met hers, his face harsh. "And now, we need to face it."

Abyssal Currents

The anxiety in Aquaria became apparent, a thick fog of worry and doubt that seemed to hang over the entire situation. Tharros had called another emergency meeting in the grand council chamber. The room grew full with delegates and advisors, all eyes fixed on him as he stood in the front, his golden eyes flashing with intensity. He could feel their expectations weighing down on him. Time started running out.

"everybody, concentrate!" Tharros' words rang out, causing quiet. "The leviathan awakens. We can no longer afford to argue among ourselves. We must act now."

However, while his words rang with authority, a murmur of disagreement echoed around the audience. Some councilors exchanged suspicious looks.

"How will we even understand what we're facing?" Each of them, a councilor from the Northern Trench, demanded something. "You expect us to risk everything based only on what? A few visions and some ruins? We need more than that to justify opening our borders for battle."

Sophia stood in the back of the room, her gaze fixated on Tharros. Her heart pounded in her chest, and the sights she'd had remained fresh in her thoughts. She may want to feel the weight of their gaze on her, the whispers of doubt and fear that hovered in the air like a typhoon cloud.

"The Leviathan is not just a fable," she continued, her voice steady but loaded with intense passion from her lower back. "It is actual. I've seen it. The abyssal forces are rising, and if we don't stop them soon, it will be too late.

Kael's standing, which came after her, moved uneasily. His jaw tightened, and his gaze grew faraway. Sophia noted the strain in his posture, the way he stood just aside from the others. He was not a member of the council, but his role in the upcoming fight became clear.

A councilor from the eastern Plains, with sharp features and a gravelly voice, scoffed. "What do you want us to do, then? Kneel before your 'visions'? We've fought battles and shed blood for our country, and now you want us to believe that the ocean itself has turned against us?

The room appeared to shut in on her, the weight of their mistrust almost crushing. Sophia's breath stuck in her throat, but before she could answer, Arin spoke out, her voice breaking through the tension.

"Enough," she murmured, her eyes filled with a strong determination. "This is not necessarily the time for petty disagreements. We all recognize that the Shark Clans are a good place to start. The leviathan moves beneath us. It is more than just a vision of our doom; it is a natural force that cannot be ignored."

Tharros offered Arin a brief nod of thanks, but the tension in the room had not subsided. Sophia's gaze shifted to Kael as the council continued to deliberate. He shifted his gaze to the floor, his arms gripped tightly in front of him, and for a brief second, she noticed something-a flash of shame, buried deep under the surface.

"What's taking place?" Sophia asked quietly, going towards him.

When Kael gazed up at her, his blue eyes darkened. "I'm not sure I'm the character everyone thinks I am," he said, his voice low and almost too quiet to hear. "I have spent my entire life hiding my past. However, while we really want solidarity, I'm wondering if I'm the one pushing us apart."

Sophia frowned. "Kael, you have been nothing but dependable to Aquaria." You battled for us and for me. Whatever your background is, it does not change what you have accomplished."

He caught her gaze with a troubled expression. "What if the beyond is what will break us apart? My bloodline is a curse, Sophia. The shark clans are aware of this. The other kingdoms understand it. and i-"

She placed a hand on his arm and silenced him. "You're not on your own in this, Kael. "We are all in this together."

Arin, in the meantime, began scouring one of the historical texts she had discovered days before. The e-book became worn, the pages yellowed with age, but the secrets it contained were valuable. She had worked tirelessly to decipher the text, looking for any clue that could help them bind the leviathan before it fully awakened.

Hours passed as the debate in the council chamber raged on, but Arin's focus remained unwavering. She had found something-a passage hidden deep within the text. She'd read it over and over, her heart racing with each phrase.

"It's here," she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible.

The ritual was described in cryptic terms, but it was clear: if they were to stand a chance against the leviathan, they needed to unite their powers. All four of them: the warriors, the sorceress, and the chosen one. Their abilities could combine to create a force strong enough to bind the leviathan's power.

However, the text became clear about the fee. This ritual would no longer be performed without a sacrifice.

Arin knew what she had to do.