The last of the Deep-Sea Lurkers dissolved into black mist, leaving the underground lake in a haunting silence. Kaito stood panting, his shoulder stinging where the creature's claws had grazed him. He looked at his hands—they were still trembling, but the blue glow of the water magic hadn't completely faded from his fingertips.
"You survived," Oro's voice rumbled, the giant turtle swimming closer to the shore. "Many have stood where you stand, Kaito. Most became food for the shadows. You... you have the spark of the Tide-Walker."
Kaito sat down on the cold stone floor, wincing as he touched his wound. "It's not just a spark, Oro. It felt like... like the water was part of my own blood. But I'm exhausted. Is it always this draining?"
"Magic is a debt, boy. You borrow strength from the ocean, and in return, it takes your focus," Oro explained, his ancient eyes glowing. "But you did not come here just to fight. You came for answers."
The giant turtle nudged a hidden lever beneath the water's surface with his massive flipper. Suddenly, a section of the Altar's stone base slid open with a heavy grinding sound. Inside a small, dry alcove sat an iron-bound wooden chest. It was covered in barnacles and sea-salt, but the crest on the lid was unmistakable: a soaring albatross—his father's emblem.
Kaito's breath caught in his throat. He reached out and touched the wood. It felt cold, yet familiar. With a shaky hand, he lifted the lid.
Inside wasn't gold or jewels. There was a worn, leather-bound journal and a strange, crystalline vial filled with swirling silver mist. But what caught Kaito's eye was a small, hand-drawn map of the "Abyssal Gate"—a place no sailor had ever returned from.
"He was there," Kaito whispered, his eyes filling with tears as he recognized his father's messy handwriting in the journal. "He found the Gate. But why didn't he come back?"
"Because the Gate does not just open for anyone," Oro said solemnly. "It requires three keys. The silver whistle was the first. The map you hold is the second. But the third... the third is hidden in the Sunken City of Eridia, guarded by the Kraken's brood."
Kaito gripped the journal tightly. The fear that had gripped him earlier was replaced by a cold, hard determination. He wasn't just a lost boy anymore. He was a son on a mission.
"Then that's where we go next," Kaito said, standing up and ignoring the pain in his shoulder. "I'm bringing him home."