Chapter 22

The silence that was observed became deafening, and the air was filled with anxiety.

Because the assembly persisted, Sophia's words eroded the council's anger. She cited their shared losses, a common opponent, and a need for team spirit. The atmosphere gradually began to alter, with fury giving way to reluctant acquiescence.

However, just as development appeared to be within reach, the leader of the Coral Wardens stood, her eyes burning. "And why ought to we trust the mer warrior status amongst us?" She inquired, her voice full of scorn. "Kael Stormwind conceals an excessive amount of. Who is to say he isn't devoted to the Leviathan?"

Kael froze, his expression betraying nothing. Sophia, on the other hand, noticed a flicker of discomfort in his eyes. She moved forward, her heart hammering. "Kael has fought for Aquaria at every turn-"

"because he's hiding his real nature!" The warden spat. "Isn't it time to quit disregarding reality? Kael Stormwind is not only a warrior. "He is a prince."

The revelation shook the room like a thunderclap. Gasps echoed around the chamber, followed by a flurry of hushed voices.

Sophia turned to Kael, her chest constricting. His visage became a mask of management, but she could see the fury seething beneath it.

"Is it authentic?" she inquired softly.

Kael's eyes fixed on hers, and for a moment, the weight of his secret beyond hovered between them. "sure," he murmured sooner or later, his voice low but steady. "i'm the remaining heir of the Mer state."

The council exploded again, this time louder and angrier. Accusations flew around the room, each party disrupting responses, alliances, or retributions. Kael stood motionless, the weight of their rage pressing down on him.

"Silence!" Tharros bellowed, shaking the dividers. The room became quieter, but the fear remained obvious.

Sophia advanced, putting herself between Kael and the council. "Kael's lineage does not change anything. "He has repeatedly demonstrated his loyalty."

"Loyalty?" The warden scoffed. "Or method?" Perhaps the Leviathan wants to retake the Mer kingdom, and Kael is its puppet.

Sophia's temper flared. "Enough with this paranoia!" We are fighting for survival, not gambling politics."

The Shark extended family elder leaned forward, his gaze sharpening. "What if that's politics? What if Kael's presence here puts us all at risk?"

Sophia turned to Kael, her voice gentle yet forceful. "They want to listen it from you."

Kael paused, the silence stretching awkwardly. He eventually moved on, his gaze roaming the room. "I have no nation," he continued, his voice normal but filled with deep sadness. "My humans were lost to the Leviathan a long time ago. I pledged my blade to Aquaria because it is by far the finest home I have left."

The room became silent as the weight of his words sank in. Sophia recognized for the first time the vulnerability in his eyes-the sorrow of loss, the burden of secrets and tactics.

Arin shattered the silence with her piercing voice. "Kael has fought alongside us since the beginning." If you have any doubts about his allegiance right now, you are blind."

Sophia nodded and approached Kael. "We need him. And we want them to be distinct. The Leviathan feeds on departments. If we fall, we give it the victory."

Hours passed as Sophia worked to reestablish the delicate agreement with a few factions. She used logic and passion, science and prophecy, to create a harmonious tapestry of arguments. Slowly and slowly, the groups began to align.

However, just as the meeting was reaching its peak, a powerful tremor shook the hall. The water around them rippled, and the bioluminescent barriers dimmed. A low, frightening hum resonated across the room.

"What now?" Arin mumbled, her power activating intuitively.

Tharros' eyes narrowed, his dragon-like aura of mystery igniting. "The Leviathan is watching."

The quake got greater, and the hum turned into a guttural growl that echoed through their bones. Shadows swirled alongside the partitions, making figures that were almost human yet horrifically incorrect.

Sophia's pulse accelerated as one of the shadows moved forward, forming into a figure shrouded in darkness. Its voice became like the grinding of stone on stone, bloodless and harsh.

"You waste your time," it said, its dazzling eyes fixed on Sophia. "No alliance can save you. "The Leviathan is eternal.

Sophia's terror threatened to strangle her, but she held her ground. "eternal or no longer, we'll combat."

The shadow chuckled, which sent shivers down her spine. "Fools. "The Leviathan is already inside your walls."

Before everyone could react, the shadow vanished, leaving only the echo of its laughter.

The council was thrown into disarray, with concern sweeping through the groups like a tidal wave. Sophia came to Tharros, her mind racing. "What did it imply?" "Interior our walls?"

Arin's expression clouded. "This suggests the Leviathan has spies. Traitors."

Kael's grasp on the trident intensified. "We aim to relax the city. Now."

Sophia nodded, but her mind had been somewhere else. The Leviathan's remarks had served as both a threat and a challenge. And he or she had no intention of backing down.

As the factions dispersed to prepare for the next onslaught, Sophia stood in the heart of the chamber, her determination hardening. The Leviathan sought to split them, to portray them as opposed to all else. But she would not let it win

.

She mumbled "collectively," more to herself than anyone else. "We'll face it together."

Echoes of Dread

The dark seas around Aquaria's city churned with invisible motion, and shadows flickered like strained specters. Sophia stood on the palace balcony, her thoughts clouded by the Leviathan's caution. The Leviathan is already inside your walls.

Her thoughts repeated the lines over and over. Something became incorrect. The quiet of the town underneath did not feel like tranquility; it felt rather like the acute silence before a storm.

Arin's voice pierced through the silence behind her. "It is spreading. fear."

Sophia became. Arin stood in the doorway, her gaze enigmatic, and her black power simmered softly at her fingertips.

"What do you suggest?" Sophia asked, dread seeping into her chest.

Arin approached, her golden eyes gleaming. "They whisper. The paranoia. It's no longer herbal. The Leviathan's messengers are here, causing havoc beneath our feet."

Sophia's throat clenched. "How do we discover them?"

Arin's lips formed a frigid smile. "We haven't located them. "They will come to us."

The metropolis felt heavier as Sophia and Arin walked through the bioluminescent streets. Kael and Tharros flanked them, their rifles fully prepared. The people muttered as they handed, their gleaming styles fading with anxiety.

"They're scared," Kael said quietly.

"They should be," Tharros mumbled.

Sophia maintained her eyes on the streets, looking for something unexpected. Her nerves tingled with anxiety, and her link to the Leviathan pulsated slightly at the edges of her thoughts.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she observed a figure wrapped in darkness disappearing into an alleyway.

"There," she said, her voice harsh.

The institution followed, the narrow tunnel enveloping them in shadow. The discern moved swiftly, but not soon enough. Kael pushed forward, his trident twirling, cutting off their escape.

The figure paused and turned to face them. Its face became obscured, but its voice sounded like a hiss between gritted teeth. "You shouldn't have observed."

Tharros improved, his dragon's aura of secrecy crackling. "Who sent you?"

The discern produced a terrifying chuckle that made Sophia's pores and skin crawl. "you know the solution."

The air grew colder and thicker. Sophia felt the Leviathan's presence intensify, its impact drawing closer.

Arin's magic ignited, and her voice cut through the anxiety. "You are one of each of them. "A servant of the forbidden sect."

The discern turned its head, its motions eerily smooth. "Remember us, witch. I perceive that the darkness in you continues."

Arin's expression tightened as her power burned brighter. "no longer anymore."

The discern laughed, and the sound echoed oddly. Then it moved-too quickly, too smoothly. Tharros rushed, but the figure faded into shadow, gliding past him like water.

The organization regrouped inside the palace's war room, apprehension thick in the air. Arin paced, clenching her hands.

"They're no longer just emissaries," she said, her tone sharp. "They are members of the Abyssal Order. A sect that has served the Leviathan for many years.

Sophia frowned. "I idea they had been wiped out."

"They had been," Arin remarked bitterly. "Or so we thought. However, it appears the Leviathan saved a few loyalists.

Kael's jaw tightened as he leaned against the wall. "How can we combat them?"

Arin's gaze darkened as she stopped pacing. "We don't; not yet. They thrive on fear. We need to stop their influence before it spreads."

Sophia's heart quickened. "And if we can't?"

Arin's quiet transformed into answer sufficient.

That night time, Sophia couldn't sleep. The Leviathan's words had grown louder now, its voice winding round her thoughts like fog.

you may't store them.