Run.
That was the first thing Dominic felt.
Not fear. Not rage.
Just instinct.
Run.
The Hollow Deep split open wider beneath him like a yawning grave. The eye below, the one that had blinked into existence, now glared with clarity. Not the haze of ancient sleep—but the recognition of something it once owned.
Lyrielle.
And maybe now, Dominic too.
---
The water vibrated as the Choir dispersed like startled birds, scattering upward in threads of song and mist. The ocean trembled. Bubbles spiraled to the surface in frantic currents.
Lyrielle's voice cut through it, breathless. "We have to go. Now."
Dominic didn't argue.
He turned and launched upward beside her, the trench beneath them cracking open like shattered glass.
Something massive uncoiled below.
They didn't dare look back.
---
"Where are we going?" Dominic shouted through the rushing current.
"Anywhere that isn't here!" she snapped.
