Glaucemetis glided through the turquoise waters, her long blue-black hair streaming behind her like ink in the sea. The coral reef below her was a kaleidoscope of colors, teeming with life. Fish of every hue darted between the swaying anemones, but her focus was fixed on the half-buried object she had just spotted among the coral.

It was an ancient, rusted contraption—an artifact from a long-forgotten shipwreck, partially concealed by a fan of vibrant seaweed. What was it? A piece of machinery, perhaps? A part of some ship’s mechanism? Her mind buzzed with possibilities as she reached out, her fingers gently brushing away the silt that had settled over the object.

The metal was cold and rough under her touch, weathered by countless years underwater. She turned it over in her hands, marveling at the intricate gears that had once moved, now frozen in time. How did it work? What had it been used for? Her thoughts raced as she tried to piece together the mystery, analyzing the structure of the device and imagining the ship it had come from.

As she twisted the object to get a better look at the internal workings, a sudden movement caught her attention. She froze, her eyes darting to the side, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The reef was still, the only movement coming from the gentle sway of the water. Shaking off the unease, she returned her focus to the artifact.

But the feeling of being watched persisted, a prickle on the back of her neck. She tried to ignore it, engrossed in the puzzle before her, but then—

Something cold and slimy wrapped around her ankle.

She jerked, her eyes widening in shock as she looked down. A thick, dark tentacle had coiled around her leg. Panic flared within her as more tentacles emerged from the shadows of the reef, snaking toward her with terrifying speed.

Before she could react, before she could even think of a way to escape, they had her—wrapped around her arms, her tail, pulling her away from the reef and the mystery she had been so eager to solve.