The descent into the Atlantic trench felt like falling into the throat of a colossal beast. As the obsidian island of the temple Phased through the literal weight of the ocean, the windows of the rotunda didn't just reflect the deep blue; they groaned under the atmospheric pressure of three miles of water. Outside, the bioluminescent creatures of the abyss—nightmare fish with needle-teeth and glowing lures—fled from the sudden intrusion of a Gothic cathedral drifting through their silent world.
Inside the cocoon of Baphomet's wings, Hailey felt the temperature of the room drop to a bone-chilling frost. The only thing keeping her blood from freezing was the radiant, dark heat of the God pressed against her.
