Chapter 4
913 Words
The Temple of Tides rose from the heart of the sanctuary like a forgotten memory.
Even as a child, Daisy had rarely come here.
The structure was older than any other building in the sanctuary.
Older than the crystal towers.
Older than the coral palaces.
Perhaps older than the sanctuary itself.
Ancient pillars carved from pearl-white stone stretched toward the darkness above. Their surfaces were covered in glowing runes that pulsed faintly with silver light.
As Daisy and Lyra raced toward the entrance, another tremor shook the ocean.
A section of the ceiling collapsed.
Stone crashed down behind them.
The shockwave nearly threw Daisy off balance.
The Shadowspawn shrieked.
Their distorted cries echoed through the ruins.
They were getting closer.
Far too close.
"Daisy!" Lyra shouted.
"The door!"
Ahead of them stood a massive gateway.
Two enormous stone doors covered in ancient carvings.
Images of mermaids.
Crowns.
Storms.
And something else.
A pearl.
The same pearl symbol that hung around Daisy's neck.
Fear and confusion twisted together inside her.
Why did the temple bear the same symbol?
Why had the monument awakened for her?
And why did everything seem connected to her existence?
The Shadowspawn closed in.
Their claws scraped against stone.
Red eyes glowed through the darkness.
Daisy pressed her palm against the door.
Nothing happened.
Her heart sank.
"No..."
The creatures lunged.
Then the pearl around her neck suddenly blazed with silver light.
The temple answered.
Ancient runes ignited across the doors.
The water trembled.
Slowly, the gateway began to open.
A burst of brilliant silver light flooded outward.
The Shadowspawn screamed.
Several disintegrated instantly.
Others retreated into the darkness.
"Daisy!"
She didn't hesitate.
Together she and Lyra slipped inside.
The doors slammed shut behind them.
Silence followed.
For several moments, neither of them moved.
Both struggled to catch their breath.
The sudden quiet felt unreal after the chaos outside.
Daisy turned slowly.
The sight before her stole the air from her lungs.
The temple was enormous.
Far larger than it appeared from the outside.
Crystal chandeliers floated beneath the ceiling.
Ancient murals covered every wall.
Silver flames burned inside floating lanterns.
And at the center of the chamber stood a vast circular pool glowing with blue light.
The water looked different.
Older somehow.
Alive.
"It's beautiful," Lyra whispered.
Daisy nodded.
Yet beneath the beauty lurked something else.
A feeling.
As though countless eyes were watching.
Waiting.
The murals drew her attention.
She approached the nearest wall.
The images told a story.
A kingdom beneath the sea.
Thousands of mermaids.
Golden cities stretching across the ocean floor.
Daisy stared.
She had heard stories.
But seeing it made the loss feel real.
Her people had once filled entire oceans.
Families.
Children.
Queens.
Warriors.
All gone.
The next mural showed darkness.
Black storms swallowing the sea.
Monsters emerging from the abyss.
Armies marching through underwater kingdoms.
Then came fire.
Death.
Destruction.
The Mermaid Purge.
A lump formed in Daisy's throat.
This was not legend.
This was history.
The final mural showed a woman.
She wore a crown formed from pearls and moonlight.
Her silver hair flowed around her like ocean currents.
In her hands she held a glowing crystal sphere.
The Heart of the Ocean.
Daisy somehow knew its name immediately.
The woman looked strangely familiar.
Painfully familiar.
Then realization struck.
The woman looked like her.
Not exactly.
But enough.
The same eyes.
The same hair.
The same features.
"What if..." Daisy whispered.
Lyra followed her gaze.
"You think she's related to you?"
Daisy couldn't answer.
Because deep down she already knew.
The feeling in her heart was undeniable.
A sudden pulse erupted from the central pool.
Blue light exploded throughout the chamber.
The water inside the pool began to swirl.
Faster.
And faster.
Until a towering column of light rose toward the ceiling.
Ancient voices filled the temple.
Thousands of voices.
Singing.
Calling.
Remembering.
Daisy stepped backward.
The light intensified.
Then the vision began.
The temple disappeared.
The ocean disappeared.
Everything disappeared.
Daisy found herself standing in a vast underwater city.
Mermaids filled the streets.
Children laughed.
Music echoed through crystal towers.
For the first time in her life, she wasn't alone.
Tears filled her eyes.
The vision shifted.
Darkness swept across the city.
Screams replaced laughter.
Monsters attacked.
Buildings collapsed.
Blood stained the water.
Daisy watched in horror as mermaids fought desperately to survive.
Then she saw her.
The silver-haired queen.
She stood atop a palace balcony.
Holding a newborn child.
Holding Daisy.
The queen kissed the baby's forehead.
Tears streamed down her face.
"My daughter," she whispered.
The words shattered Daisy's heart.
"My daughter."
The queen looked directly at her.
Not through her.
At her.
As though she could somehow see across time itself.
"You must survive."
The vision fractured.
Darkness consumed everything.
And somewhere within that darkness, another figure appeared.
A woman dressed in black.
Her eyes glowed with unnatural power.
Her smile was cold.
Cruel.
Victorious.
Queen Morvana.
The woman responsible for the destruction of the mermaid kingdoms.
The woman who had hunted Daisy's people to extinction.
Morvana laughed.
The sound echoed through the darkness.
Then her gaze locked onto Daisy.
And for a terrifying moment, it felt as though she could see her.
Even now.
Even across centuries.
The vision shattered.
Daisy gasped.
The temple returned around her.
She collapsed to her knees.
Tears streamed down her face.
She finally knew one thing.
The queen in the vision had been her mother.
And someone had murdered her.
- Writer
