The ocean floor shattered.
The moment Ivy seized the third key, the runes binding the guardian exploded with blinding light. Cracks spread across the ancient chains wrapped around its massive body.
The entire Abyssal Gate began collapsing.
Stone temples crumbled.
Pillars snapped like brittle bones.
And the trench beneath them opened wider… deeper… darker.
Rowan grabbed Ivy’s arm.
“We need to leave. Now!”
The guardian roared again, but this time the sound was different.
Not rage.
Pain.
The ancient runes that had bound it for thousands of years were breaking apart, their glowing symbols shattering one by one.
Seraphine’s eyes widened in horror.
“The prison is destabilizing!”
Ivy looked at the glowing crystal in her hand.
The third key pulsed violently.
Power surged through he
