Storms twisted overhead, casting shadow upon shadow over the open ocean. Waves crashed in every direction—not wild, not chaotic… but intentional. As if something had commanded the sea to rise.
And something had.
From the southern trench, Lyrielle stood atop a platform of living coral, her long silver hair dancing with the current. She raised her arm, her eyes glowing with the hymn of the Deep Choir.
Behind her, the sea itself began to hum.
Thousands of sirens emerged from the depths—some beautiful, some monstrous. Their voices weaved through the water like spears of sound, tearing through silence, shaking coral reefs miles away.
"Let the palace burn," she whispered.
They moved as one.
---
Naerida's Palace
"INCOMING!"
The warning came too late. The first wave slammed into the shield like a hammer through glass. Sirens screamed past the walls, slicing through guards with blade-fins and shimmering tridents. Blood bloomed red in the water.
