The Call Beneath the Surface
1258 Words
I couldn’t shake it.
The feeling.
The pull.
It lingered long after the vision faded—settling somewhere deep inside me like a quiet tide that refused to retreat.
Water.
Endless.
Waiting.
I stood alone now.
Or at least—
I was supposed to be.
Kael had left.
The wolf too.
Both with that same look—controlled concern mixed with something else they weren’t saying.
That was becoming a pattern.
Everyone knew something.
Except me.
I walked slowly across the room, my fingers brushing the cool stone wall.
Grounding.
Real.
But even that—
Felt distant.
Like part of me was somewhere else entirely.
My breath slowed.
And without thinking—
I closed my eyes.
The moment I did—
It came back.
Not a vision this time.
Not fully.
But a sensation.
Cold water brushing against my skin.
Soft.
Familiar.
My chest tightened.
“I’m not imagining this,” I whispered.
The mark pulsed.
Agreeing.
I exhaled slowly.
“Okay… okay.”
If this was happening—
Then maybe I needed to stop fighting it.
Just like before.
Let it come.
Feel it.
So I did.
I let my mind drift.
Let the pull guide me.
And suddenly—
I felt it again.
Stronger.
Clearer.
A direction.
Not physical.
But real.
Like something was calling me.
From far away.
From below.
My eyes snapped open.
The feeling didn’t fade.
If anything—
It intensified.
“What is that?” I breathed.
No answer.
Of course.
But I didn’t wait this time.
I moved.
Fast.
Out of the room.
Down the corridor.
Ignoring the guards who stiffened as I passed.
Ignoring the way everything inside me told me to stop.
I couldn’t.
Because the pull—
It wasn’t just a feeling anymore.
It was a command.
I turned corners without thinking.
Moved through halls I didn’t recognize.
And somehow—
I knew exactly where I was going.
The doors at the end of the corridor were different.
Larger.
Older.
Carved with symbols I hadn’t noticed anywhere else in the castle.
My breath caught.
“This is it.”
I didn’t know how I knew.
But I did.
I pushed the doors open.
They didn’t resist.
Inside—
Darkness.
But not empty.
The air was damp.
Cooler.
Heavier.
And then—
I heard it.
Water.
Faint.
But real.
My heart pounded as I stepped inside.
The room opened into something vast—a hidden chamber carved from stone, the ceiling high above, shadows stretching across every surface.
And at the center—
A pool.
Still.
Black.
Reflective like glass.
I stopped at the edge.
My breath uneven.
“This place…”
The pull surged.
Hard.
My chest tightened as I took a step closer.
Then another.
The surface of the water rippled slightly.
Not from movement.
From me.
The mark burned.
Not painfully.
But intensely.
Like recognition.
Like something had just found me.
A whisper brushed my mind.
Soft.
Familiar.
“You came.”
I froze.
My pulse spiked.
“I didn’t mean to,” I whispered.
A pause.
Then—
“You always do.”
My stomach twisted.
“What does that mean?”
The water shifted.
Not violently.
Not sharply.
But enough.
The surface shimmered.
And slowly—
A figure began to form.
My breath caught.
She rose from the water like she had always been part of it—fluid, effortless, unreal.
Her skin glowed faintly, like moonlight beneath the surface. Her hair flowed around her, moving as if still submerged, and her eyes—
They weren’t human.
They were something deeper.
Endless.
Ancient.
She looked at me.
And smiled.
Not warmly.
Not coldly.
Knowingly.
“You’ve taken your time,” she said.
Her voice wasn’t in my head anymore.
It was real.
Echoing softly through the chamber.
I stepped back instinctively.
“What are you?”
She tilted her head slightly.
“You already know.”
My chest tightened.
“No, I don’t.”
“You felt the ocean,” she said. “You saw it.”
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“It means everything.”
I shook my head.
“I don’t belong to whatever that is.”
Her smile deepened.
“You do.”
The mark flared.
Bright.
Alive.
My breath hitched.
“Stop doing that,” I snapped, grabbing my wrist.
“You called me,” she said calmly.
“I didn’t call anyone.”
“You did,” she replied. “With your awakening.”
The word again.
Always that word.
“Who are you?” I demanded.
A pause.
Then—
“My name is Seris.”
The name settled in my chest.
Heavy.
Familiar.
“I don’t know you.”
Her gaze softened slightly.
“Not yet.”
I exhaled sharply.
“I’m really tired of that answer.”
A quiet laugh escaped her.
“You’re impatient.”
“I’m confused.”
“You’re awakening.”
I stared at her.
“That’s not helpful.”
“It’s not meant to be.”
That definitely didn’t help.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
Her gaze locked onto mine.
“Because you are.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It is,” she said simply.
Before I could respond—
The doors behind me opened sharply.
I turned.
Kael.
The wolf.
Both entered quickly.
Both stopped the moment they saw her.
And for the first time—
They didn’t look in control.
They looked… stunned.
“What is this?” Kael demanded.
Seris didn’t even glance at him.
Her attention stayed on me.
“You’ve begun remembering,” she said softly.
My chest tightened.
“I didn’t ask for that.”
“No,” she agreed. “But you were always going to.”
The wolf stepped forward.
“Step away from her.”
Seris finally looked at him.
And smiled.
“You feel it too, don’t you?” she said.
His jaw tightened.
“That’s not your concern.”
“It is,” she replied. “Because she doesn’t belong to either of you.”
Silence snapped tight.
“That’s not your decision,” Kael said coldly.
“No,” Seris agreed. “It’s hers.”
Her gaze returned to me.
“But she can’t choose what she doesn’t understand.”
My pulse raced.
“Then explain it.”
A pause.
Then—
“You are not just a convergence,” she said.
My breath caught.
“You are a bridge.”
The word hit differently.
Deeper.
“Heavy.”
“A bridge between realms that were never meant to touch.”
My chest tightened.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It will.”
Of course.
Eventually.
Always eventually.
“And the ocean?” I asked quietly.
Her expression softened.
“That is where one part of you belongs.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“One part?”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
My breath slowed.
“How many parts are there?”
Silence.
Then—
“More than you’re ready for.”
I let out a shaky breath.
“Of course.”
The room felt heavier now.
Full.
Not just with people—
But with truth.
Too much of it.
Too fast.
And yet—
Not enough.
Because I still didn’t fully understand.
But I felt it.
The pull.
The connection.
The way the water responded to me.
The way she looked at me.
Not like a stranger.
Not like a threat.
Like something she had been waiting for.
And that—
That scared me more than anything else.
- Writer
