It might be coded

Beneath the words

The elder council chambers were carved into the oldest coral spire in Coralstead, its walls pulsating faintly with bioluminescent light. Acasia and Thalina waited just outside, the rhythmic hum of the spire resonating through the water.

Thalina stretched lazily, her movements slow and exaggerated. “I still don’t get why we’re here. You’re seriously going to ask a bunch of old fish about some ancient song?”

Acasia shot her a look. “It’s not just a song, Thalina. It’s... something more. I can feel it.”

Thalina rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, you ‘feel’ it. Just like that time you felt the moonstones were a good idea, and we ended up in that jellyfish nest.”

“This is different.”

Before Thalina could reply, the chamber doors creaked open, and Elder Mareth, a stern-faced merwoman with silver streaks in her hair, motioned them inside.

“Acasia,” Mareth said, her voice steady and low. “We don’t usually entertain visitors without notice. This must be important.”

Acasia nodded, her pulse quickening as she followed Mareth into the chamber. The circular room was filled with other elders, each seated on a curved coral throne. Their eyes, wise and piercing, settled on her.

“I’ve come to ask about E’rathal,” Acasia said, her voice echoing slightly in the still water.

The elders exchanged glances, their expressions darkening.

“E’rathal is not a name we hear often,” Mareth said cautiously. “What do you know of it?”

Acasia hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. “Not much. Just that it’s connected to the Ice Wall. I... I felt something when I touched the wall. Like a pulse, or a hum. And then I saw symbols—ones that led me to the word.”

At this, the elders straightened, their demeanor shifting from curiosity to alarm.

“You touched the wall?” one elder, a wiry merman named Luron, demanded.

“Yes,” Acasia admitted.

“And the wall responded?”

Acasia nodded.

The room fell silent, the weight of the moment pressing down on her. Finally, Mareth spoke.

“E’rathal is more than a word,” she said. “It is a force, ancient and powerful. Few understand its true nature, but its origins are tied to the Abyss—the deepest, most dangerous part of the ocean. The Ice Wall is said to be a seal, a barrier between our world and what