The images receded, but their weight remained heavy on my shoulders. My fingers still tingled where they had touched the shard, as though a spark had ignited deep inside me. I looked up at my father, whose expression softened for a moment — a flicker of hope or perhaps regret. The cavern seemed quieter now, as if even the ocean itself waited for my next move.
"Korrin," I whispered, voice trembling. "How do I carry this? How do I protect both worlds when I barely understand either?"
Korrin's gaze was steady, unwavering. "You're stronger than you know, Selene. You have the blood of the ocean's fiercest protectors — and the resilience of the human heart. It won't be easy, but you won't be alone."
My father nodded in agreement. "You have a choice. To heal what was broken, or to let it shatter further. The Heart's power is as much a blessing as a curse."
Toren stepped closer, his eyes filled with grudging respect, though his voice remained hard. "If you fail, the ocean will drown the land in revenge. The Heart's shards are the only hope — but they must be united under a true bearer."
The words echoed in my mind. True bearer. Was I worthy? Could I forgive the man who had left me? Could I forgive myself for the mistakes yet to come?
Suddenly, the cavern walls shimmered, and the silver-robed figure raised his hand. "The past cannot be changed, but the future is unwritten. Come. There is more you must see."
A hidden passage opened, revealing a swirling tunnel of light and water, beckoning me deeper into the ocean's heart.
Korrin glanced at me, waiting.
I took a deep breath and stepped forward.
As we passed through the shimmering portal, the ocean around us transformed. We entered a realm where time seemed fluid, where memories and reality intertwined.
There, beneath the waves, the true story of the Ocean Heart awaited — a story of love, betrayal, sacrifice, and a destiny that bound me to both land and sea forever.
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