Chapter 19: The Chamber of Echoes

The descent into the Chamber of Echoes was nothing short of stepping into a living dream.

The walls shimmered like liquid moonlight, layered with scales of crystalline coral that pulsed in rhythm with the ocean's heartbeat. As Selene followed Korrin down the winding spiral carved into the rock, the strange mantra she had learned earlier echoed around them—except this time, the chamber echoed it back. Not in her voice. In her mother's.

Selene stopped, her hand trembling against the carved wall. "Did you hear that?"

Korrin nodded solemnly. "This is where Arealis remembers. The ocean does not forget."

They reached the heart of the chamber—a circular platform surrounded by cascading waterfalls of light. Bioluminescent jellyfish floated lazily above them, casting eerie hues that danced on the surface of the water.

Korrin extended his hand. "This place responds to blood. Sing to it, Selene. Let it know who you are."

Her throat tightened. Every fiber in her being resisted. But she felt the pull—the call that had haunted her dreams since childhood. She stepped forward and let the chant rise from her lips, now with full clarity:

"Naerai sol'thira, cal'dor en merial, Whispers within, awaken the tidal." Alira'ven, selune'ara, Guide me through waters primal."

The chamber pulsed. The waterfalls froze in mid-air. The jellyfish flickered rapidly, like lanterns at the edge of time.

Suddenly, a vision took hold—her mother, Lyra, standing in the same chamber, weeping. Opposite her stood Isaac's father, clutching the Ocean's Heart. His eyes glowed a sickening green. He uttered the same chant, but twisted it—warped it into something violent. She saw Lyra fall, screaming in pain, her blood merging with the pool below.

Selene collapsed.

Korrin caught her just in time. "You saw it, didn't you?"

She gasped. "The Ocean's Heart... it wasn't just stolen. It was cursed. Twisted. My mother—she tried to stop it."

Korrin's jaw tightened. "And the curse is waking again. That's why the tides are angry. Why the sea creatures are fleeing."

The chamber walls shifted, revealing ancient glyphs written in mirrored script. Selene reached out, brushing her fingers over them. They rearranged themselves, forming a prophecy:

"When sea and surface meet in pain, And blood of both flows through the chain, The Heart shall beat, the tides shall rise, Unless the chant restores the skies."

Korrin whispered, "You are the bridgeborn. You are the only one who can fix this."

Selene shook her head, still trembling. "Not alone. I need you. And we need to stop Isaac before he finishes what his father started."

Behind them, the chamber echoed a final note—her mother's voice, soft and fading:

"He who steals the tide's breath shall drown in truth."

Selene looked at Korrin, her voice steel. "Let's go find the truth."

Together, they rose from the chamber, as the sea whispered behind them—not just of secrets, but of war.

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