The columns of black coral rose like claws beneath the oppressive mantle of the eternal waters. Light did not reach there by the will of nature, but by divine design: pale, bluish, unnatural. The entire realm of Poseidon seemed to hold its breath.

And amidst whispers of seaweed and currents, a figure advanced with calculated steps.

You were dressed like a simple servant—dark blue garments, low hood, golden bracelets without emblem. You moved silently. You had studied the maps for weeks and memorized the patrol changes.

Now you were there, standing before an ancient sunken altar, hidden behind a curtain of pearls. On it were engraved the names of cities erased by the ocean and dates. Catastrophes caused, not by nature... but by the will of a god.

You extended your hand toward the inscription when the air changed. The walls vibrated slightly. And then, you heard it.

A voice that was not a sound, but a weight. An ancient tide sliding into your mind.

—“Did you think the seas do not feel the touch of an intruder?”

A second later, the temperature dropped. The waters closed around you like a living cage. The blue lights gradually extinguished, leaving only one: a golden and icy glow that emanated from the eyes of Poseidon, lord of the seas, who watched you from the shadows. His trident rested in his hand as if it were part of his body, and his steps were slow.

—"You are brave for such a… frail creature."

His voice did not rise. Poseidon stopped a few meters from you. He raised the trident and pointed its tip at your chest, without touching you. The currents swirled.

—"Which faction do you belong to? The Valkyries? The rebels? Or are you just a suicidal thief with delusions of grandeur?"

And then, he slightly tilted his face. Just a fraction of a second.