The vortex, a swirling maelstrom of turquoise light and roaring water, swallowed the Wanderer's Dream whole. The old sloop groaned in protest, its mast snapping like a twig before the hull splintered apart. Kael was flung from the deck, his gruff shout swallowed by the torrent.
Finn was thrown against the railing, his hand losing its grip just as a large, jagged piece of the mast slammed into his head. The world dissolved into a cacophony of rushing water and blackness.
He awoke to silence, the gentle press of water all around him. He should have been drowning, but he wasn't. He was breathing, the cool, salty liquid filling his lungs as if it were air. He looked down and saw his grandfather's pendant glowing with a soft, pulsing light, the same light that emanated from the city below. The old stories were true. He was a Luminari, and the sea was his to command.
Panic quickly turned to a fierce resolve. He had to find Kael. Using a skill he didn't know he possessed, Finn propelled himself through the water, his body moving with a fluid grace he'd never experienced on land. He spotted Kael's unconscious form, his arm tangled in a piece of rope from the wreckage. Kael was sinking, his face pale against the dark water.
With a powerful kick, Finn reached him, his heart pounding. He grabbed Kael and began pulling him toward the massive dome. The vortex, having served its purpose, had dissipated, leaving behind a calm, still sea. As they approached the structure, a section of its seamless surface slid open, revealing an archway filled with a shimmering, clear liquid.
It wasn't water; it was like stepping into a bubble of pure air beneath the waves.
He dragged Kael through the barrier, and they emerged into a vast, flooded chamber. The chamber was lit by the same turquoise light, and strange, elegant fish with glowing fins swam past them, unbothered by their presence. The air was cool and smelled of petrichor and ancient stone. Finn laid Kael on a flat, dry platform that had a thin layer of strange, soft moss. He coughed and sputtered, his eyes fluttering open.
"Finn?" Kael rasped, his eyes wide with a mixture of terror and disbelief. "Where are we? How—how are you breathing?"
Finn's chest was still heaving, a rush of emotions overwhelming him.
"I think… I think we're inside," he said, gesturing around the immense chamber. "We're inside Lumina."
Before Kael could fully recover, a low hum filled the air. Across the chamber, a pair of gigantic, golden-eyed robots, made of the same smooth, obsidian-like material as the city itself, descended from the ceiling. Their joints moved with a silent, fluid grace. They were not hostile, but their presence was intimidating, and their glowing eyes were fixed on the two shipwrecked survivors. One of them slowly extended a hand, its palm open. The adventure wasn't just beginning; it was about to take a turn he never could have imagined.