The ocean was silent around him, but not in peace—no, it was the silence of something holding its breath, waiting. The vast trenches and coral forests of the sea seemed to bow and bend as Dominic—Poseidon—glided forward, his trident a faint beacon of green-blue light that cut through the eternal dark.
Ever since his awakening, the ocean no longer felt like just water. It was alive. Each current carried whispers, each wave a tremor of voices he had never been able to hear before. They weren't just sounds; they were memories of the sea itself, fragments of lives drowned, promises broken, secrets hidden in salt. It was overwhelming, but also empowering—his body thrummed with it.
Yet beneath that power, there was a shadow. He could feel Thalorin, the ancient entity fused with his essence. It was like walking beside a reflection that moved on its own. Sometimes it whispered, sometimes it roared, but always it watched.
