Glimmer Beneath

Liam had just caught sight of the Sea Phantom in the distance, its towering mast battered but still standing, the figures of his friends moving frantically along the deck. Relief had barely begun to seep into his chest when the waters beneath him shifted.

He barely had time to react.

Something unseen seized him, not physically, but with a presence—a force, like the ocean itself had decided it no longer wanted him afloat. His body jerked downward, pulled under so suddenly that he barely had a second to suck in a mouthful of air before being yanked into the depths again—Mariel clutched to his chest.

The world flipped.

The surface above disappeared in a whirl of bubbles and darkness, the muffled sounds of crashing waves vanishing in an instant. Liam was descending, weightless and helpless, the water rushing past his ears in a silence so complete it screamed.