The night was unusually quiet.
Moonlight reflected softly across the waves as the island slept beneath the calm sky. The wind moved gently through the palm trees, creating a soft rustling sound that echoed across the shore.
Inside the small wooden cabin, Thalren lay awake.
His eyes were open.
Sleep refused to come.
The events of the day kept replaying inside his mind.
The glowing crystal.
The swirling water.
The sudden surge of strength during training.
He lifted the necklace from his chest and stared at it.
The black scale-shaped crystal looked normal again.
No glow.
No movement.
Just a silent object hanging from a thin chain.
Yet Thalren could still feel it.
A faint warmth inside it.
Almost like something was alive within the crystal.
"What are you…" he whispered.
No answer came.
After a moment, he sat up and quietly stepped outside the cabin.
The night air was cool.
The waves rolled steadily toward the shore, shining beneath the moonlight.
Thalren walked slowly toward the water.
Something inside him felt drawn toward it.
The same strange feeling he had experienced earlier during training.
When he reached the shoreline, he stopped.
The water touched his feet.
Cold.
Refreshing.
He closed his eyes.
Kael's words echoed in his mind.
"Feel the tide."
Thalren took a slow breath.
He listened.
The rhythm of the waves.
The distant wind.
The endless movement beneath the surface.
Then suddenly—
The crystal flashed.
A soft blue glow appeared.
Thalren's eyes opened in surprise.
The water around his feet began to ripple.
Not from the wind.
Not from the waves.
From him.
The water moved in slow circles around his legs.
The boy stared in disbelief.
"I'm doing this…"
But the feeling quickly changed.
The warmth from the crystal grew stronger.
Much stronger.
A sudden pressure filled his chest.
His vision blurred again.
Dark water surrounded him.
Endless depths stretching in every direction.
He was not standing on the beach anymore.
He was sinking.
Falling deeper into darkness.
Massive shadows moved through the depths around him.
Creatures larger than mountains drifted silently through the deep water.
Their glowing eyes watched him.
Then something far larger appeared.
A shadow so enormous that it blocked everything else.
Two colossal golden eyes slowly opened.
The pressure was overwhelming.
Thalren felt like he could barely breathe.
The creature stared directly at him.
For a brief moment…
He felt something impossible.
Recognition.
Then the vision shattered.
Thalren collapsed onto the sand.
His breathing was rapid as he clutched the glowing crystal.
"What… was that?"
A voice answered behind him.
"You touched the deeper layers."
Thalren looked up.
Kael stood a few steps away, watching him with serious eyes.
"How long were you there?" Thalren asked.
"Long enough."
The old man walked closer and crouched beside him.
"The relic pulled your mind toward the depths."
Thalren shook his head.
"There were creatures down there."
Kael nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"Things that rarely rise to the surface."
Thalren hesitated.
"Something looked at me."
Kael remained silent.
"Something huge."
The boy's voice dropped.
"Bigger than the monster that destroyed the ship."
Kael's expression became darker.
"Did it attack you?"
"No."
Thalren stared at the glowing crystal.
"It just… looked at me."
The old man sighed.
"That is not a good sign."
Thalren frowned.
"Why?"
Kael stood up and looked toward the dark horizon.
"Because if something that powerful noticed you…"
"It means your relic is connected to forces far beyond normal sea creatures."
The wind grew slightly stronger as silence filled the beach.
Thalren slowly stood up.
"So what do I do?"
Kael crossed his arms.
"You become stronger."
"That's always your answer," Thalren muttered.
Kael smirked.
"And it's always the correct one."
He pointed toward the water.
"Your connection to the depths will only grow stronger from now on."
Thalren looked at the glowing crystal.
"Will those creatures come after me?"
Kael looked at him carefully.
"Perhaps."
The boy swallowed.
"But that also means something else."
"What?" Thalren asked.
Kael's eyes sharpened.
"It means one day…"
"You may be able to stand in front of them."
The crystal slowly stopped glowing.
The waves returned to their normal rhythm.
Yet far beyond the island…
Deep within the silent depths…
The colossal shadow moved once more.
And somewhere in the darkness of the deep sea…
Those enormous golden eyes opened again.