Chapter 34 — War in the Deep
The impact never landed.
The moment the surface creature lunged for Aerin, the ocean itself rose to meet it.
Water didn't just move—it obeyed.
Aerin's power surged outward in a violent, instinctive wave, twisting the currents into a crushing barrier that slammed into the armored beast mid-strike. The force hurled it sideways, its jagged metal plating screeching as it tore across coral pillars and embedded itself into the chamber wall.
The entire palace shook.
For half a heartbeat—
Everything froze.
Then chaos erupted.
"They've breached the inner reef!"
"Seal the gates—seal them now!"
"They're everywhere—!"
The Council scattered, panic replacing authority as more of the surface hunters flooded into the chamber. Their forms were grotesque—once living creatures, now twisted by foreign magic and reinforced with dark metallic armor that pulsed faintly with unnatural energy.
Weapons.
They were not just beasts.
They were engineered.
