The Keeper of Secrets

The ocean was vast, but there were places even mermen feared to go.

Siren swam through the silent abyss, his mind torn between Kael's words and the restless energy surging inside him. If he was not born like the others, then who was he? Where had he come from?

There was only one creature who might know the truth.

The Abyssal Elder.

A being as old as the sea itself, hidden in the ruins of the deep. Few had ever dared to seek him out. Even fewer had returned.

But Siren had no choice.

He descended further, the water growing colder, darker. The weight of the ocean pressed against him, thick with an eerie stillness. Strange whispers curled through the depths, voices that didn't belong.

And then… he saw it.

The ruins.

Broken pillars jutted from the ocean floor, covered in glowing coral. At the center of the ruins sat a massive stone throne, cracked and worn with age. And on that throne, something stirred.

A pair of ancient, clouded eyes opened.

"You should not have come here, child."

The voice was like the current itself, neither gentle nor harsh, but carrying the weight of centuries.

Siren swallowed, forcing himself to remain calm. "I need answers."

The elder tilted his head. "You seek the truth of your past."

It wasn't a question. He already knew.

Siren's fists clenched. "Tell me."

A long silence stretched between them. Then, the elder exhaled, the water rippling around him.

"You do not belong to this world."

Siren's chest tightened.

"You were never meant to be here."

The elder's voice grew softer, almost sorrowful.

"You are the last of a forgotten lineage… the remnants of a lost kingdom. A ruler without a throne. A god without a name."

The ocean trembled.

Siren took a step back, his heart pounding.

A god? A lost kingdom?

What did it mean?

And why… did it feel like the truth had only just begun to surface?