The world turned from the bright lights of the Crucible to a silent, dark blue abyss. As they dove deeper, the last of the surface light vanished, leaving them in a world lit only by strange, glowing plants and the faint blue lines on their own armor.
The pressure outside was immense, enough to turn a spaceship into a tin can, but inside their re-woven gear, they felt nothing but a comfortable stillness.
They moved with a grace that felt impossible. With a small kick, they could glide for a hundred feet. They twisted and turned through the water like a school of fish, perfectly in sync.
"Team, check in," Ryan's voice came through their comms, calm and clear.
"Emma here. All systems green. The gravity negation is holding perfectly," she reported, her tone crisp and professional. She was already scanning their surroundings, her mind mapping the vast, vertical maze of the Sunken Arena.
