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The glow of the third shard bathed the cavern in an otherworldly light, but all I could focus on was the man standing before me. His face, half-human and half-mer, was carved with lines of grief and determination. For a moment, I felt like time froze — the crashing currents outside were distant echoes compared to the pounding of my heart.
"Korrin," I whispered, clutching his arm tightly. His steady grip was the only anchor I had in this swirling sea of confusion.
"My daughter," the figure said softly, voice both familiar and foreign. "You carry the blood of both worlds, and with that comes a burden you don't yet understand."
I stared at him, searching for answers in those eyes. "Why did you leave me? Why did you disappear when I needed you most? I grew up alone, fatherless, with nothing but questions."
He lowered his gaze, pain flickering across his features. "I left to protect you—from enemies who would use the Ocean Heart's power to tear apart both land and sea. But hiding was only the first step. Now, the truth must be revealed."
The weight of his words settled on me like a crushing tide. I wanted to hate him for abandoning me. But something inside whispered that the truth was more complicated.
Before I could speak, a cold, cutting voice echoed through the cavern. "You speak of protection, but you caused destruction."
Toren stepped forward, his eyes blazing with resentment. "Father's greed shattered the Heart. Now the ocean suffers. And you—" he pointed at me "—you carry his blood, the curse of his mistakes."
My father's eyes flashed with anger. "Toren's bitterness blinds him. The Heart was fractured by betrayal, not by my hand alone."
The cavern trembled, the water swirling into violent whirlpools around us. The shard pulsed with fierce energy, reacting to our emotions.
Korrin stepped between us. "Enough. This isn't the time for old grudges. Selene, the shard calls to you. It chooses its bearer, but that choice can bring salvation or ruin."
I swallowed hard, feeling the shard's hum pulse through my veins. Everything inside me screamed to reject this legacy—but I also knew running away wasn't an option.
Slowly, I extended my hand toward the glowing fragment nestled in the beast's skeletal chest. As my fingers brushed its surface, a flood of images crashed through my mind.
I saw ancient wars waged beneath the waves — cities swallowed by tempests, families torn apart by thirst for power. I saw sacrifices, betrayals, love and loss woven into the Ocean Heart's history. And buried deep within those memories — a secret kept hidden even from me.
My breath caught as I realized the truth — the fate of both worlds depended on what I would do next.
The ocean seemed to hold its breath, waiting for me to decide.
And so did I.
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