The full moon cast an eerie glow over the lighthouse, its beams filtering through the shattered windows to illuminate the bone china beads scattered across the floor. I knelt, my fingers brushing the etched word "Hunger" as it dissolved into the air, leaving behind a residue that burned my skin like acid.
"Each time it gets stronger," Lila said, her voice trembling. She held a lantern, its flame guttering in the cold wind. "The beads, the voices… it's like the Deep is learning."
I nodded, my eyes fixed on the horizon. The sea was calm, but I could feel it—something moving beneath the waves, vast and ancient. "It's not just learning. It's evolving."
The lighthouse door creaked open. A figure emerged, cloaked in bone china armor, its face hidden behind a mask carved with tentacles. It held a staff topped with a glowing bead—the same one that had been in the urn.
"Keeper," it said, its voice a distorted mix of static and whispers. "The Deep grows impatient. It demands its throne."
I stood, the dagger in my hand. "I'm not a keeper anymore. I destroyed the Conch."
The figure laughed, a sound like breaking glass. "You merged with it. The Deep flows through your veins. You are the throne."
It raised the staff, and the beads on the beach began to levitate, forming a spiral above the water. The sea surged, a wave rising that dwarfed the lighthouse, its crest lined with bone china shards.
"Join us," the figure said. "Rule beside the Deep. Or watch the world drown."
I hesitated, the dagger's runes flaring. The bead in my chest pulsed, and I could feel the Deep's presence—hungry, yes, but also lonely.
Lila stepped forward, her hand on my arm. "Don't listen to it. The Deep isn't a god. It's a parasite."
The figure's mask cracked, revealing Dr. Ellis's face—half-porcelain, half-rotted flesh. "The child speaks truth. But what choice do you have? The Deep will rise. You can either ride the wave or be crushed beneath it."
The wave loomed closer, its shards sharp as swords.
I closed my eyes, focusing on the bead in my chest.
The wave froze.
The figure staggered, its staff clattering to the ground. "Impossible. You're not supposed to—"
"I'm the bridge," I said, opening my eyes. "Between the dry world and the deep. And I choose to balance them."
The bead in my chest glowed brighter, merging with the staff's bead. The wave dissolved, and the figure collapsed, Dr. Ellis's body reverting to human form.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her eyes returning to normal. "It made me do it."
I helped her up, the dagger's runes fading. "It's over now."
But as I turned to leave, the ground shook, and a fissure opened at my feet, oozing red fluid. The bead in my chest pulsed, and I felt the Deep's presence—weaker, but still there.
"Not yet," I said, staring at the fissure. "It's still here."
Lila took my hand, her grip firm. "We'll fight it. Together."
The sea roared, and a new wave rose—smaller, but still menacing. At its crest, a figure stood—Xiao Xu, her face smooth, her eyes glowing.
"Wake," she said, her voice a whisper in the wind.
I closed my eyes, focusing on the bead.
The wave receded, and the fissure sealed.
When I opened my eyes, the beach was calm again.
Lila smiled. "We did it."
But as we turned to leave, a single bone china bead washed ashore, its surface etched with a single word:
"Wake."