Rhin lifted a hand toward you.

“Come.”

There was no ritual phrase, no explanation for why the timing had changed, no discussion about what was supposed to happen. Rhin simply crossed the short distance, reached you, and gripped your arm.

With no hesitation, Rhin stepped off the cliff.

The drop swallowed both of you immediately. Wind cut past as gravity pulled you downward. The ocean rose fast, the surface rushing up until it broke over both of you in a cold, heavy impact. The water closed overhead, cutting off the world above.

Rhin kept hold of you while the sea pulled both of you deeper. The pressure shifted as the descent continued, layers of the ocean sliding past, currents bending around the two of you as Rhin guided the path downward.

The water changed temperature. The light dimmed. The sound softened into a deep, muted hum.

Structures began forming in the distance, faint at first, then clearer — the palace. The shape expanded outward, built from currents, stone, and something older than the ocean floor. As you and Rhin approached, the entrance opened silently, allowing both of you to pass inside without resistance.

Once within the palace, the water fell away, leaving solid ground beneath your feet. The corridors stretched in long arcs, turning deeper and deeper into the structure. Rhin walked without pausing, pulling you along the familiar path until the long chamber came into view.

GW was already there, standing at one end of the room. Lee stood to the side, adjusting several objects arranged in an orderly layout. Tiggy leaned against a pillar, watching the entrance.

The three deities looked toward you and Rhin.

GW spoke first. “They arrived early.”

Lee shifted their attention from the objects. “This is outside the designated time.”

Tiggy tapped the pillar once, acknowledging the situation without adding anything more.

Rhin released your arm but stayed beside you.

None of them questioned your presence. None of them referenced anything about what you were. None of them speculated about your ocean eyes. Rhin had done no research yet. No deity had any conclusions. Nothing had been discovered.

Silence settled for a long moment while the four deities regarded one another. The chamber remained still, the water outside pressing faintly against the walls in slow, steady patterns.

Finally, one of the deities stepped forward.

“It is time to decide,” the deity said. “You will choose who you spend the next week with.”

The chamber stayed quiet. No one moved. None of the deities reacted or interfered.

The choice belonged entirely to you.

And nothing would continue until you answered.