Echoes from Below

The water around Daniel had changed—it felt denser, heavier, as if an unseen force pressed against him from every direction. Every pulse of the dark ocean seemed to whisper secrets of old, while his body still tingled with the aftereffects of his recent transformation. The mark of the abyss was no longer just an echo on his system; it had become a part of him, a living brand carved into his very soul.

Mira circled him cautiously, her eyes sharp and troubled. "You don't look like yourself anymore," she observed, her voice carrying both concern and a hint of disbelief. Daniel turned to study his reflection in the faint bioluminescent glow that still danced in the water. His scales—once radiant with golden hues—now bore a deep, abyssal sheen. Shifting patterns of dark, luminescent symbols traced themselves across his body, pulsing in time with something ancient and unseen.