Chapter Nineteen

The lullaby slipped from my lips, weaving through the damp air like a thread of warmth in the cold cavern.

“Drenched in peace, let darkness creep, In the abyss, all things sleep.”

The final note trembled, lingering briefly before fading into the silence. For a moment, the only sound was the faint ripple of water from the blue hole in the center of the cave. It was a fragile quiet, too delicate to last.

The water stirred. I froze.

Rynar emerged, his silver form cutting through the surface with effortless grace. His torso rose first, water clinging to his broad chest and shoulders, glinting faintly in the bioluminescence. The rest of him remained hidden beneath the surface, his movements slow and deliberate, as if he had all the time in the world. His black eyes locked onto mine, unreadable and consuming.

“That song,” he murmured, his voice like a ripple in my mind, soft but impossible to ignore. “It carries something more than melody.”

I tightened the algae fabric around me, the soft glow beneath it dimming under my fingers. “It’s just a lullaby,” I said, my voice firmer than I felt. “Something my mother used to sing when I couldn’t sleep.”

His gaze didn’t waver, his claws resting lightly on the edge of the pool. “It shields you,” he said, almost contemplatively. “When you sing, your thoughts slip beyond my reach.”

The revelation hit me like a jolt of static. “You can’t hear me?” The sharpness in my tone betrayed the mix of relief and unease coursing through me.

“No,” he admitted, tilting his head as if studying the phenomenon. “The melody forms a barrier. Delicate, but impenetrable.”

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to steady my breathing. “Good,” I muttered. “You shouldn’t be in my head anyway.”

He pushed himself higher from the water, his tail gliding forward before it began to change. Scales shimmered as his form shifted, the smooth flow of muscle and fin splitting into legs. The transformation was seamless, eerie in its quiet efficiency. By the time he stepped onto the stone floor, he stood tall on powerful legs, water streaming down his body in rivulets. He moved closer, each step measured, deliberate, until he loomed over me.

“Why?” I demanded, my voice trembling but determined. “Why save me and not them?”

Rynar’s gaze stayed steady. “Because you fight this place,” he said, his voice calm, but it hit me hard, like a tide I couldn’t push back. “You’re standing at the edge of the Abyss, and you won’t let yourself fall.”

His words sent a chill through me, but anger flared alongside it. “That’s not an answer,” I snapped. “You let them die. Kim. Jaime. Amanda. You could have saved them.”

His expression darkened, a flicker of something sharp crossing his face. “I did what was necessary.”

“Necessary?” The word tore from my throat, raw and jagged. “You decided they weren’t worth it. You chose me and left them to die.”

“Yes.” The admission was cold, unflinching. “I chose you.”

His honesty knocked the air from my lungs. My fists clenched, nails biting into my palms. “Why?” I whispered, my voice breaking. “Why me?”

He reached for me, his claws brushing against my cheek. The touch was light, almost reverent, but it sent a shiver down my spine. “Because you are more,” he said softly. “And because you are mine.”

“I’m not yours,” I hissed, stepping back. The words felt hollow, a fragile protest against the chain he’d wrapped around me.

His lips curved faintly, though the expression held no warmth. “You feel it too,” he murmured. “You may deny it with words, but your soul knows the truth.”

Before I could respond, he turned away, his movements fluid and unhurried. He stepped to the edge of the pool, his legs merging once more into his tail. The transformation rippled through him, seamless and unnatural. He slipped back into the water, his silver form glowing faintly beneath the surface.

“Come,” he called, his voice echoing in my mind. “There is something you must see.”

I hesitated, every instinct screaming at me to stay on solid ground. But the pull of his presence, the strange compulsion that tied me to him, dragged me forward. The water was cold as I stepped in, biting against my skin, but I didn’t stop. Rynar waited just beneath the surface, his bioluminescence casting soft ripples of light around him.

“What is it?” I asked, my voice trembling.

“You will see,” he said, offering no further explanation. His tail flicked, propelling him deeper into the pool.

I followed, my limbs sluggish against the cold resistance of the water. The glow of the cavern faded as we descended, shadows closing in like an endless curtain. My lungs tightened, the strange sensation of breathing underwater still foreign despite Rynar’s influence. I clung to his form, his silvery glow the only thing keeping the darkness at bay.

As we sank deeper, a faint shimmer appeared below us. Threads of light twisted and pulsed, forming a barrier that stretched endlessly in all directions. The water around it felt heavier, thicker, as if we were brushing against the edge of another world.

“What is this?” I whispered.

“A threshold,” Rynar replied. “Few have crossed it.”

The light shimmered, writhing like living things. As we passed through, a sharp jolt crackled across my skin, electric and alien. I gasped, the sensation rippling through me like a shockwave. The moment we breached the barrier, sound erupted around us.

Whispers.

They coiled and tangled, distorted and hollow, like voices trapped in glass. The noise pressed against my mind, a weight I couldn’t shake. I clung tighter to Rynar, my nails digging into his shoulders.

“What is that?” My voice was barely more than a breath.

He didn’t answer immediately, his gaze fixed on the darkness ahead. “The Abyss,” he said at last. “Those are the voices of the ones he claims.”

The words sent a chill through me. The whispers grew louder, wrapping around my thoughts like tendrils. They felt familiar, like memories I couldn’t quite grasp. But before I could dwell on them, Rynar pulled me closer, his tail flicking powerfully as he guided us away from the voices.

The darkness began to thin, soft glimmers of light breaking through like the first hints of dawn. Shapes emerged, elegant structures rising from the ocean floor. Towers spiraled upward, their tips vanishing into the gloom above. Arches stretched between them, draped in shimmering strands of coral and algae. The entire structure glowed faintly, a cold, otherworldly beauty that left me breathless.

“What is this place?” I asked, my voice trembling.

Rynar’s gaze softened as he turned to me. “A place I built for you.”

The words knocked the air from my lungs. “For me?”

He nodded, his black eyes shimmering faintly. “From the moment I saw you, I knew you belonged here. With me.”

His words pressed down on me, as heavy and suffocating as a storm. “Rynar, I... I don’t understand.”

“You will,” he said simply. His claws brushed against my cheek, gentle and deliberate. “In time, you will see what I see.”

I stared at him, my thoughts spinning. The whispers still echoed faintly in my mind, a reminder of the darkness that surrounded us. But Rynar’s gaze held steady, his presence grounding me in a way I didn’t want to admit.

“Let’s go back,” I said finally, as everything pressed down on me. “Please.”

He hesitated, his claws lingering on my arm. But he nodded, his tail flicking as he turned us back toward the surface. The glow of the castle faded into the shadows, but its presence lingered, a promise I couldn’t ignore.