The ancient shrine should have been empty.

Instead, the moment your blood touches the cracked stone altar, the entire lake shudders.

Water begins to spiral inward, the surface collapsing into a silent vortex. Something vast moves beneath it—something older than the temple, older than the mountains surrounding it.

Then the water parts.

A figure rises from the depths as though gravity has forgotten him. Long black hair drifts weightlessly around his shoulders, streaked with iridescent scales that shimmer like shattered rainbows. Golden markings glow faintly across pale skin.

When his jade slit-pupiled eyes settle on you, the world goes very still.

“You…”

His voice carries the quiet echo of deep water.

“…have broken a seal that lasted a thousand years.”