The air inside the Harmonic Water cell was getting thin. Every breath felt like inhaling wet wool. Elizabeth sat against the back wall, her eyes fixed on the vibrating liquid barrier.
"The frequency is shifting," Elizabeth whispered, holding the West Corp Sonic Disruptor. "The guards are changing shifts. In ten seconds, the water will stabilize to let the new sentries in. That’s our only window."
"Avan, on my mark," I said. My armor was cracked, but I could feel the violet energy humming in my veins, fed by the desperation of our situation.
"Mark!"
Elizabeth slammed the disruptor into the floor. A high-pitched screech tore through the silence. The water wall didn't just part; it shattered into a million droplets that hung suspended in the zero-gravity environment.
"Now!"
Avan exploded forward, his body a literal conduit of blue static. He slammed into the two guards before they could even raise their coral pikes. "Sorry, boys! Duty calls!"
The Gift of the Guardian
We sprinted through the obsidian corridors of the palace. We were weaponless and surrounded. Elizabeth stopped at a balcony overlooking the city, her hands empty. For the first time, I saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes.
"I’m useless without my gear," she muttered, looking at her bruised hands. "I can’t keep up with you three."
"Yes, you can," I said, stepping toward her.
I closed my eyes and reached into the Watch. I didn't think about shields or hammers. I thought about Elizabeth—her precision, her focus, and her silence. I imagined the "Twin Rivers" flowing out of my gauntlet and shaping themselves into something she could use.
Violet metal surged from my wrist, but it didn't stay on me. It stretched out, forming a sleek, recurve frame. Then, the green energy construct sparked, forming a shimmering, translucent string and a quiver of light-arrows.
"A Guardian's Bow," I whispered, handing it to her. "It’s made of my armor’s energy. It’ll never run out of ammo as long as I’m standing."
Elizabeth took the bow. As her fingers touched the green string, her Nightshadow suit flared with a matching emerald glow. She pulled back the string, and an arrow of pure light materialized.
"Okay," she said, a dangerous smirk returning to her face. "Now we’re even."
The Rebellion in the Ruins
Leon led us deeper into the bowels of the city, away from the palace. We dove into a kelp-covered ventilation shaft that opened into a hidden grotto beneath the city’s foundations.
Dozens of Atlanteans were gathered there. They weren't soldiers; they were healers, scholars, and children. At their center was an elderly woman with silver hair that floated like sea anemones.
"The Queen Mother," Leon whispered, dropping to one knee.
"Rise, Leon," she said, her voice echoing through the water. "We knew the Daughter of the Stars would come. But you are late. Kaelen has already begun the ritual at the Abyssal Gate. He is using the Dark Shards to tear the seal."
"We saw the Kraken," I said. "It’s corrupted."
"The Kraken is the lock," the Queen Mother explained. "But your Watch is the key. If Kaelen forces your hand onto the Gate, the Dark Multiverse won't just invade Atlantis. It will turn the entire ocean into a void."
She handed Leon a jagged, white blade made of ancient leviathan bone. "Take the Tide-Breaker. It is the only thing that can cut through Dementra’s shadows. Save your brother, Leon. Or end him. But the Gate must stay closed."
The Final Stand Begins
Suddenly, the grotto shook. The red light from the city above turned a blinding, violent crimson. A low roar vibrated through the floor—the sound of a door opening that was never meant to be touched.
"The ritual has started," Elizabeth said, nocking a green light-arrow.
"V-Team," I called out, my helmet snapping shut. "We don't have a sub. We don't have backup. We just have each other. Let’s go save the world."
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