Chapter 1575

The rocks were slick, but the island cushioned their steps. The ocean welcomed them - not cold, not harsh - but warm and glittering. As they waded in, the water shimmered with the same faint glow as the heartstone.

Then the pulse began again.

A low rhythm beneath the waves, echoing in their bones.

They dove.

The world below the surface was dreamlike. Fish with golden scales darted between pillars and broken arches. Coral bloomed in strange shapes - faces, hands, lovers entwined in stone. As they swam deeper, they found murals carved into the submerged stone - scenes of people gathered around glowing trees, bodies intertwined, petals raining from the sky.

And then the shift.

A crack in the seabed.

Darkness spiraling outward.

Where golden trees once stood, now twisted roots rose, clinging to shattered altars.