The team pressed forward, leaving the lagoon and Guardians behind. The path narrowed, winding between jagged rock formations until it opened into a wide, natural cavern.
The air grew cooler, damper, carrying the faint scent of salt and minerals. The cavern floor sloped downward, and at its center, a dark, still pool of water stretched across the space—its surface smooth as glass, reflecting the dim, bioluminescent glow of the cavern walls.
Ahead, the cavern floor dropped into the water, and Andrey could see the faint outline of a submerged passage leading deeper.
Sarah stopped at the edge of the pool, her gaze fixed on the dark water. Her voice was unusually quiet. "We have to go through that."
Sein's gaze flicked to her, a sharp grin spreading across her face. "What's wrong? Scared of a little water?"
Sarah's jaw tightened. Her voice was flat, defensive. "I don't know how to swim."
The words hung in the air. Sein's grin widened. "What?! You can't swim?!"
