The raft continued to rise, its timbers groaning, its connections straining, revealing the vast, dark expanse of the ocean floor, illuminated by the blinding blue. And in the center of that light, slowly emerging, was something that defied comprehension. Something immense, ancient, and terrifyingly alive.
"Arkan!" Luna shrieked again, her voice raw with terror, her finger still pointing, but now not at the surface, but at the immense, shadowed form that was still deep beneath the glowing blue light. "There's something even bigger under it! Arkan, it's a monster!"
Her words were swallowed by a guttural roar that vibrated through the very water, through the raft, through Arkan’s bones. The blue light intensified, blinding them for a moment, then began to recede, revealing the true scale of
