Recognition was the only way I could describe the feeling lingering inside my chest after the whispers faded.
As if something ancient had finally found what it had been searching for.
I remained frozen in Azarus's grasp, my breathing uneven while the garden slowly returned to motion around us. The glowing corals regained their light, currents resumed their gentle flow, and distant sea creatures continued their migration as though nothing had happened.
But everything had changed.
Because I felt it.
The Abyss knew me now.
Azarus did not release me immediately.
His hand stayed firm against my shoulder, grounding, protective. I realized he was listening…not with his ears, but with his power, sensing the ocean itself for further disturbance.
His presence wrapped around me like armor.
"Is it gone?" I asked quietly.
"For now," he replied.
His voice remained calm, but tension lingered beneath it.
That frightened me more than the tremor itself.
