Hope Through Sacrifice And Pain

The crimson waters broke open as Rowena resurfaced, her body feeling heavier than it had ever been. Every motion felt sluggish, as though the weight of the abyss still clung to her like a curse. 

Her breaths were slow, labored, not from exhaustion, but from the sheer grief threatening to suffocate her.

With silent, mechanical movements, she pulled herself onto the colossal carapace of Callisa, the Kraken's massive body shifting beneath her weight. 

"Kooooo…." The beast let out a deep, mournful hum, sensing the unspoken loss.

Waiting atop the vast shell, the Umbralfiends stood in eager anticipation. 

The flickering luminescence of their scaled skin shone softly under the dark sky, illuminating their anxious faces.

One of them—a young man with deep eyes brimming with hope—stepped forward, voice quivering with expectation.

"Your Majesty, were you able to retrieve it?"

Rowena nodded.