The creature hesitated.
It was the smallest shift—barely visible to the eye—but Aerin felt it ripple through the ocean like a fracture in certainty.
It recognized something.
Not her.
Not entirely.
But the power within her.
The life she carried.
The bond that refused to break.
Aerin stood at the center of the fractured chamber, her breath steady despite the chaos swirling around her. The water still responded to her, curling protectively at her sides like a living barrier.
Behind her, Caelum and Noctyrr held position—but neither tried to pull her back.
Because they felt it too.
This moment… belonged to her.
The creature's crimson gaze burned brighter.
Its voice—if it could be called that—pressed again into the water itself.
You carry what was sealed.
What was denied to the deep.
What was stolen.
Aerin's jaw tightened.
"I didn't steal anything."
The ocean pulsed.
