The Abyss, ten thousand meters below.
Darkness devours light, like a forgotten cosmic void.
Occasionally, a few translucent soft-bodied creatures stretch their tendrils, emitting a faint cold glow as they drift along the undercurrents through the graveyard-like sea.
However, at the seabed, difficult for humans to reach, lies a city ruin radiating a dim blue aura.
Amidst the flowing water, the blue light shield resembles an inverted glass bowl, reflecting towering broken walls and crumbling ruins.
Dozens of Merfolk shuttle between the collapsed stone pillars and overturned domes.
Some tread with clumsy flippers, working together to move massive boulders blocking their path.
Some wield polished bone knives, scraping away algae clinging to the stone walls bit by bit.
Surrounding the volcanic crater at the city's center are more than a dozen taller, more robust Merfolk.
