The alarms did not stop immediately.Even after the tremor faded, their low resonance continued to echo across Oceania, vibrating through water and bone alike.
The sound wasn't loud or chaotic; it was controlled, measured, ancient. It reminded every citizen that the empire was awake and watching.
I was beside Azarus at the observation hall, my pulse still racing from the shockwave that had nearly thrown the palace into panic.
Below us, the capital shimmered with defensive light.
Runes awakened along coral towers, forming glowing barriers that curved protectively around districts. Leviathan sentinels moved through patrol routes, their enormous silhouettes gliding through illuminated currents like living mountains.
The empire responded with discipline.
No screaming crowds or disorder…Only readiness.And yet… beneath that calm, tension spread like ink through water.
I could feel it.
The ocean itself had not relaxed.
