( Chapter 113)
(Caelyn's POV – Nereus' Kingdom)
The water pulled me under, cold and endless, but I didn't fight it. Not when his magic wrapped around me—an invisible current, dragging me deeper. Pressure built in my lungs until it felt like I might shatter. But I wouldn't break. Not for him.
Light pierced the darkness. A golden glow stretching across the ocean floor as the walls of his kingdom rose from the depths. Crystal towers shimmered beneath the water, twisted with veins of black coral—a reminder that even beauty in this place came with a price. Just like everything with Nereus.
I barely touched the seabed before he appeared again—faster than any human should move, but Nereus was never human. He stood at the edge of the coral throne, wearing his power as easily as his arrogance. Silver hair floated around his face, and those eyes—sea-glass green, sharp enough to cut—fixed on me with unyielding focus.