The water at Atlantis's northern harbor was colder and heavier than ever before.
The engines of the massive Atlantean submarine had begun to run with a deep, mechanical hum. The air inside was so tense it felt as though even breathing could slice through lungs. Deniz had retreated to the farthest corner of the submarine, shoulders slumped, buried in darkness. Kai and Bianca sat as far away from him as possible, near the control panel, completely refusing to look in his direction.
Hope stood just in front of the ramp, motionless, before stepping into the submarine.
Deniz's poisonous words echoed in his mind like they were trapped inside an endless chamber.
"You're angry because you weren't strong enough to save him.
You just can't accept that you're weak."
Hope's shoulders had collapsed inward. The invincible, frightening flames that once burned in his eyes had faded, leaving behind only the hollow gaze of a betrayed, confused, and exhausted young boy. Had he really done everything for his own ego? Were his friends nothing more than objects to him?
"Wait!"
A hurried voice echoed from the far end of the harbor, cutting through the resistance of the water.
Hope slowly turned his heavy head in that direction.
Gathering the skirts of her silver princess gown in her hands, running breathlessly toward him, was Elara. Her disheveled silver hair flowed through the water, and great urgency shone in her ocean-blue eyes.
When Elara reached Hope, she stopped. She placed her hands on her knees, trying to steady her breathing.
"I'm… I'm so sorry I'm late," Elara said, her cheeks slightly flushed from running. "I barely escaped one of those endless meetings with my brother and the council. I thought you had already left."
A faint, forced smile appeared on Hope's face.
"Not yet," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But we're about to."
Elara straightened up and clasped her hands behind her back. There was a strange embarrassment on her face. She lightly bit her lip, as if unsure what to say. Then she extended her right hand forward. Resting in her palm was a delicate object.
"I…" Elara said, avoiding his eyes. "…wanted to give this to you."
Hope reached out and took the item from her palm. It was a small silver ring, forged intricately and engraved with ancient oceanic runes. At its center was a small, round gemstone that shone with the exact same shade of blue and silver as Elara's hair and eyes.
[ITEM ACQUIRED: WHISPER OF THE SIREN PRINCESS]
[TYPE: ANCIENT COMMUNICATION ARTIFACT]
"Being on the surface, in your world… is rather difficult for me… I mean, for a Siren Princess," Elara said, trying to keep her voice steady. "But if you ever want to return to Atlantis… or… well… if one day you want to contact me, or just talk or something… you just need to channel a little mana into the ring."
As Hope looked at the ring in his palm, he felt the freezing cold inside him crack for just a moment.
"Thank you, Elara," Hope said as he slipped the ring onto his finger. "I'll truly treasure it."
Elara smiled, but the smile lasted only a few seconds. Her eyes had already caught the collapsed, lifeless expression on Hope's face. As a girl who had once carried Leviathan's power within her, she was very good at reading the weight of souls.
"Are you okay?" Elara asked, suddenly serious. The shy princess in her voice had vanished, replaced by a worried friend. "Something happened. Your face… you look like a pale corpse."
Hope looked away. "I'm fine. Just… some issues. Surface departure stress, you know."
Elara instantly understood he was lying. She shifted her gaze past his shoulder, looking into the submarine through the open hatch.
She saw Deniz sitting alone in the corner, head buried in his hands, completely isolated from everyone. She noticed Kai's hostile posture and the poisonous silence filling the air.
The pieces immediately fell into place in Elara's mind. She didn't know exactly what had happened between them, but she didn't need to be a genius to understand the team had fractured.
Her eyes returned to Hope.
"What are you going to do?" she asked softly.
Hope shrugged. He felt so lost.
"I don't know," he whispered. "I really… don't know anything right now. I even have doubts about who I am. I don't have a purpose of my own, I don't have a fixed personality, I don't even have a past. Maybe I'm just a weak child who thinks he's something."
Elara's brows immediately furrowed. A sudden, fierce spark ignited in her eyes. She grabbed Hope firmly by the shoulders.
"Look at me, little Architect," Elara said, her voice sharp and authoritative. "I don't know what that man called Deniz said to you inside, or how he poisoned your mind. But you are not going to let those empty words drag you down."
Hope lifted his head in surprise.
Elara was staring directly into his eyes—into the depths of his soul.
"No matter what you do, I'm behind you," Elara said, emphasizing every word. "Lypin is behind you. Kai and Bianca too. Even… as much as I hate to admit it, that disgusting Octopus Princess Octavia is behind you. They are all behind you because of you."
Elara squeezed his shoulders slightly.
"You… helped me awaken the true power inside me, Hope. You woke up the girl who had been hiding in fear under my brother's shadow for years. You are my first and only friend. By defeating a disaster like Ignis, you saved Atlantis—my home. You saved Lypin. You even saved Octavia, who tried to kill us. You ended the centuries-old war between the Octopus and the Sirens… even if only indirectly."
Elara took a deep breath and leaned her face slightly closer to his.
"You are much stronger than you think, Hope. And you will become even stronger. Yes, as an Architect, you are unmatched in this world… but you are also unique simply as Hope. We are not with you because of your system or your class. We are here because you are you. You are special because you are yourself."
As Hope listened to her words, he felt the poisonous seeds Deniz had planted in his mind—the doubts and darkness—slowly melting away. He was not just a cold system player who controlled objects. He was someone who changed the lives he touched, someone who became hope for others. Yaat's death had been an accident, a betrayal—not proof of Hope's weakness.
"I'm sure you'll figure out what you need to do," Elara continued, slowly releasing his shoulders. "And when you do… never hesitate."
Suddenly, Elara smiled. As if wanting to break the heavy atmosphere, she winked.
"Whatever you decide, don't forget you have two princesses on your side. Don't worry—if that big guy keeps bothering you, let me know. If necessary, I'll unleash the entire Siren army on Deniz and feed him to the fish at the bottom of the ocean."
At Elara's exaggerated and sweet threat, Hope's lips slowly curved upward. A genuine, sincere smile finally appeared on his face. The suffocating weight inside him had lifted.
He wasn't weak. He was someone who wrote his own rules.
Hope stepped slightly forward and wrapped his arms around Elara's neck, pulling her into a tight embrace.
Elara completely froze at the sudden hug. Her eyes widened dramatically, and within seconds her cheeks turned redder than the coral of Atlantis. Her hands hovered awkwardly in the air, unsure where to go. Her heartbeat had accelerated so much that she feared Hope might hear it.
But after a few seconds, overcoming her shyness, she slowly lowered her arms and wrapped them around Hope's back in return.
"Thank you, Princess," Hope whispered into her shoulder. "I'm glad you exist."
Elara quickly pulled back, trying to hide her flushed face. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him an annoyed look, her lower lip slightly pouting.
"Hey… I told you not to call me that," Elara said, trying and failing to keep her voice stern. Then she let out a soft laugh. "You're really annoying, Architect."
Hope gave Elara one last grateful look.
"See you soon," he said.
"See you," Elara whispered, waving.
Hope turned around and stepped onto the heavy metal ramp of the submarine.
The moment he entered, the hydraulic hatch began closing with a loud hiss. The bright blue water outside was replaced by the dim yellow emergency lights of the submarine interior. The Siren-engineered engines roared to life, and with a slight tremor, the submarine detached from the ocean floor and began ascending toward the surface.
Inside, a deadly silence ruled.
Without giving Deniz a single glance, Hope sat down in the empty seat across from Kai and Bianca. He removed his scythe from his back and leaned it beside him.
At that moment, a small silhouette that had been sleeping in Lypin's lap stirred awake.
Mira.
For a while now she had been glowing sky blue, golden lightning flickering within her. She jumped directly into Hope's lap.
Hope gently placed his hands on Mira's cool, electric body and began stroking her.
He was deep in thought. Elara's words had not only comforted him—they had completely clarified his mind. Deniz's words had been manipulation. A calculated attempt to break him, to control him. But Hope was no longer a pawn.
He had decided what to do.
Trying to resolve his issue with Deniz inside this narrow submarine, thousands of meters beneath the ocean, would be suicide. In a worst-case scenario, the ship could be damaged and everyone could drown. He would not settle this here.
When they reached land… the very first moment they stepped under the sun and open sky.
That was when this would end.
Hope would confront Deniz. In front of the entire team, everything would be concluded. As an Architect and as a leader, this was what he had to do. A betrayal like this could not be forgiven. Whether Deniz remained in the team—or even remained alive—would be decided in that moment.
This sharp, ruthless, uncompromising decision in Hope's mind immediately reflected onto his soul.
And Mira, directly bound to that soul, felt her owner's emotions instantly.
The peaceful, bright sky blue in Mira's body… began to change.
Her small form darkened, taking on the threatening shade of heavy storm clouds gathering before a massive tempest. The bright golden lightning within her was replaced by blood-red, wild, destructive currents of electricity. Crackling with dark gray and crimson bolts, Mira buzzed in Hope's lap like a bomb ready to explode.
Hope looked at the ring Elara had given him on his finger—then at Deniz, who sat across from him with his eyes lowered to the floor.
The green flame in Hope's eyes was no longer the flame of a hero.
It was the silent and deadly beginning of a storm—one preparing to burn everything in its path.