Jenny did not take offense at Blackie's blunt challenge. Instead, she curved her lips into a faint, knowing smile, the kind worn by someone who had long since stopped expecting understanding from others.
"You probably have no idea how powerful the Divine Sea Temple truly is," she said calmly. "They dwell in the deepest parts of the ocean and almost never surface. To the rest of the world, everything appears peaceful. But over countless cycles, while no one was paying attention, the Temple changed. It is no longer what it once was."
She exhaled softly, her eyes drifting toward the sealed vault as though looking through it and far beyond.
"Changed?" Ethan asked, his expression tightening. "Have they broken their binding? Can they leave the sea?"
If that restriction was gone, the consequences would be beyond disastrous. The impending calamity suddenly felt far too close for comfort. A chain of questions crashed through his thoughts, each more troubling than the last.
