le floors and returning to him hollow and unanswered. The emergency lights

shift under his gaze, rearranging themselves like living sacred carving before settling back into their puzzling pattern. Whatever

d abandoned, computer screens glowing with screensavers that cycled through wonderful images of the resort-pristine be

his voice cracking. "Is anyo

most beckoning him forward. With no other apparent option, Jake moved cautiously toward the doors. As he stepped outside, the warm tropical air enveloped him, carrying with it a strange scent-not the expected salt and jasmine,

drew closer, he realized it wasn't Samantha but the woman they had seen earlier watching them from the tree line-her long

ake's world. "You still have it," she said, her eyes falling to the pendant in his hand

ng hard. "What happened to her? What is th

ring his questions. "I am the keeper of stories for this island. Or I

" Jake snapped, frustration boili

hout understanding. The pendant chose you, Jak

ull name, which he was certain he hadn't shared wit

beyond the surface." She gestured toward the water, where Jake could once again make out that str

spered, taking an invo

rotect the secrets of Azura. But they will not

ant-the Heart of the Deep, s

and a warning all in one. Created in the time before time by those

d?" Jake asked, his scientific mind stru

reached out suddenly, grabbing his wrist with surprising strength. "Your Samantha has been taken bey

, backing away. "Listen, if this is some e

against it. They believe awakening the ancient power will grant them dominion over both land and sea." He

mediately by a wave of stubborn determinati

ut you cannot go alone, and you cannot go unprepared." She turned,

ng away from the manicured grounds of the resort and into the wilder, less developed part of the coastline. The beach

ck. A humble wooden structure stood at the water's edge, built on stilts to withstand hi

r was pulled back in a neat ponytail, and around his neck hung a pendant similar to the one J

m with respect. "I have brought

ntensity. "So the cycle begins again," he said, his voice surprisingly s

with books, artifacts, and jars containing what looked like herbs and dried marine specimens. A large table domina

ant, the man introduced himself. "I am Makoa. For sixty years, I have been guardian of the east

e and worry making his voice rough. "I just found this

months ago by one who serves the Submerged. We believe it was cast into the

t for

e Deep is the only key that can unlock the ancient chamber beneath the isl

of the ocean. Most retreated to the abyssal plains as humanity spread, but one remained, making its home in a vast cavern ben

hoax, but their expressions remained solemn and sincere. "You're saying ther

Submerged worship it, believing it will grant

d firmly. "It seeks only freedom, and if

ything. "And you think these... Submerged people took Samant

ed. "It will not serve one who takes it by f

uded. "They will use your woman's safety

pendant, its symbols seeming to pulse with an inner light. "I saw something in the water. And that w

derstand what you face. The entrance to the underwater temple lies in a cave

one of the maps. "Here. The Cave of Whispers. The entrance

already racing ahead to the practical ch

Kaia interrupted. "The energy there disrupts all elec

a bundle wrapped in oilcloth. Carefully unfolding it, he revealed three neckla

es," he explained, handing one to Jake. "It wi

in before entering the water. It will help you withstand the cold and pressure of the dept

itantly. "And what exa

o failed," Kaia said softly. "Those who sought t

rt grounds. *They're coming... they want it back... you don't know what you've done!* Had he be

the door but also shows visions to its bearer-glimpses of possibility, of paths that might be taken. Some are

, feeling increas

nds to intention. If your purpose remains clear and yo

h power. As if in response to his thoughts, the symbols etched into its surface began to

Makoa observed. "It is

ntion-footsteps approaching, moving quickly across the sand. Ka

red, her body tensing. "Three

essential items and shoving them into a weathered backpack.

ven him and gripped the pendant tigh

racticed movements. "They will have sensed the Heart's awake

ater of the cove. In the moonlight, Jake could see the path Makoa had indicated-a barely visible trail le

hout rang out behind them. "St

thing with what appeared to be tribal tattoos visible on their exposed skin. More disturbing was the bluish

g his arm and pulling him forward. "Their

dense canopy above blocked most of the moonlight, plunging them into near-total darkness. Kaia led the way, moving with the confidence of o

hallow channels where the tide had created natural waterways through the trees. The air was thick with moisture and t

onto another beach, this one rockier and less hospitable than the tourist-friendly shores near the resort. T

spot at the base of the cliff about half a mile down the beach. "We must hurry. T

ed from the forest behind them-inhuman in its pit

?" he asked, h

eady moving toward the cliff. "The changed ones who dwell in deep

their vacation. Now he was fleeing from what sounded like fish-people while clutching an ancient artifact, preparing t

e with nothing more threatening than a day of snorkeling ahead of them. But the weight of the pendant around his ne

omehow, impossibly, he wa

romise to Samantha. *I'm coming for you. Whatever it

fleeting vision-Samantha, pale but alive, in a chamber of gleaming black stone, surrounded by figures in ceremonial robes. Her

sense of urgency and the certainty that time was ru