The Glass Grotto was Athalassia’s most beautiful cruelty. A spherical chamber suspended on the outer edge of the Mariana Nexus, its walls were made of hyper-compressed volcanic glass—transparent enough to see the crushing dark of the ocean, yet strong enough to hold back the weight of a world.
Kaelen stood at the center of the sphere, his leathery, grey hands pressed against the cold glass. The Sea-Witch’s draught was beginning to itch under his skin, a reminder that he was a biological interloper in this kingdom.
"Look up, Kaelen," a voice vibrated through the chamber.
He didn't need to look. He could feel the lack of her presence before he saw her. Elara descended from the top of the grotto, her iridescent tail moving with a rhythmic, hypnotic power. She didn't enter the room; she swa
