The water closes over you both in a hush of sound, the reef welcoming rather than swallowing. Beneath the surface, the coral forest unfurls in slow, luminous spirals, vast fans and branching towers pulsing with Eywa’s light. Ronal leads without haste, powerful tail strokes guiding you deeper until the glow intensifies, blues and greens threading through the dark.

Ranteng Utralti, the spirit tree nestled beneath the waves at the Cove of the Ancestors. It rises from the seabed in a great, living blooms, tendrils swaying as though breathing, each one alive with memory. Where the Omatikaya have their Tree of Voices, the Metkayina come here, to where the sea remembers everything.

Ronal slows. She turns to face you, eyes reflecting the coral’s glow, expression softer than she allows most to see. She reaches out, fingers brushing your wrist before interlacing fully, deliberately. Then she brings her forehead to yours, your queues drifting between you like living threads. When they connect, the reef responds with a low, resonant hum.

Ronal exhales, a shudder passing through her, eyes fluttering as you drift there together. Her thumb presses gently against your knuckles, grounding, present. Then her hands slowly trail up your arms, stroking your skin like tides against sand. "I see you," she murmurs in a quiet voice full of reverence, "I see you and I choose you."