The air changed.

The ripples Moonbounce had conjured began to twist — no longer circular, but spiraling inward, like the surface of the water was being pulled toward an unseen depth. The glow grew stronger, silver light bleeding into gold until the pool's reflection shattered entirely.

Then, without warning—

A portal tore open beneath the surface.

The water didn't splash or explode — it simply folded in on itself, forming a hollow sphere of light that pulsed with ancient power. Mana screamed softly through the air, a resonance so old it made even Aurelius stir within Rhys's heartspace.

Caria stumbled back, eyes wide. "What the hell—?! What's happening?!"

Rhys's instincts flared instantly, his hand moving toward his sword. "Moonbounce, stop the flow!"

But the ancient turtle only blinked, his tone calm. "It is not I. The seal was waiting."

"The seal?" Sophia echoed, eyes narrowing as she stepped closer, scanning the air with a thread of analysis mana. "No—this isn't just a seal. This… this is a gateway."

And then it hit them all at once — the pulse of power from below.

It wasn't dark, but deep, like something vast and sleeping had just breathed in its sleep.

Aria's expression turned sharp. "That's not supposed to exist here," she said quietly. "This kind of distortion… it's a dimensional fold." Her eyes widened. "A double dungeon."

"What?" Caria nearly shouted. "You mean—like—an entire dungeon inside another one?! That's even possible?!"

"Rarely," Sophia said, voice tight, "and never naturally. It's an ancient construct. The last recorded one was found under the Sapphire Catacombs—and it collapsed the moment it was entered."

Rhys's grip tightened on his sword. The light from the pool pulsed again, each wave stronger than the last, the chamber itself beginning to tremble.

"Only one way to find out what's inside," he said quietly.

"Rhys," Aria warned, her voice cutting through the noise. "We don't even know if that thing's stable. If you step through the fold without preparation, it could—"

But before she could finish, the light surged upward — a silent explosion of brilliance that swallowed sound and air alike. The group shielded their eyes as the world blurred—

—then went still.

The silence that followed was… wrong. Too quiet.

When Rhys blinked his eyes open again, the warm glow of the Seragon's Heart was gone. The cavern's walls had changed — no longer shimmering stone, but smooth obsidian marked with faint, glowing runes. The air was cold, metallic, carrying the faint scent of ozone.

"...Where are we?" Caria asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sophia looked around slowly, her eyes adjusting to the dim blue light filtering through cracks in the ceiling. "This isn't the Seragon's chamber anymore," she murmured, kneeling to brush her hand across the damp stone floor.

"No… it is the Seragon's chamber," Rhys mumbled, scanning the surroundings. "Just… a different one."

Suddenly, a door of liquid light shimmered open at the far end of the cavern. From it stepped a figure — tall, graceful, and faintly translucent.

Sophia instinctively straightened. "Is that… a water elf?" she whispered.

The figure moved toward them with slow, fluid grace, each step rippling through the floor like waves across a pond. Its eyes were gentle, luminous with a pale aqua glow. But when it passed by Rhys and Sophia, the air seemed to ripple — and the elf's form went through them, like mist.

Sophia gasped softly, spinning around. "It went right through us."

Rhys looked down at his own hands — faintly shimmering where the light had passed. "It's as if… we're not really here," he said, voice low. Then, after a moment, understanding dawned. "No… we're seeing a memory. Or an echo of one."

The ground beneath them pulsed faintly with blue light as the elf approached the center of the chamber. There, the water itself rose to greet her — swirling upward like it recognized her touch.

Rhys stepped closer, watching in quiet awe. "It's faint," he murmured. "But this… this is what the Seragon's Heart used to look like."

The water elf knelt beside the glowing lake, her expression serene, hands resting over the surface as if listening to its pulse. The light embraced her — and for a fleeting moment, the whole chamber felt alive again.

"If you are watching this," the elf's voice echoed softly, her tone distant yet filled with purpose, "remember what I do. We were close to the extinction, so we placed our last heir of royalty here. She is still here — safe, and frozen in time."

Sophia blinked, glancing toward Rhys. "Is she… talking to us?"

"Maybe," Rhys murmured, watching the shimmering figure intently. "Or maybe we triggered something that lets us see — or even hear — her last memory."

They fell silent, eyes fixed on the water elf as she moved with solemn grace. Rhys leaned forward slightly, voice barely above a whisper. "Let's see what she's going to do…"

The elf's hands drifted away from the lake's surface, and her gaze turned toward the far wall of the chamber. Slowly, she rose, her every motion graceful yet heavy with sorrow.

Without speaking, she extended one hand — and the stone rippled like water. The sound of grinding rock filled the chamber as a section of the wall shifted, revealing a hidden passage veiled in soft blue light.

The others watched in silence as she stepped toward it. The water followed her like a living veil, parting and swirling around her as if unwilling to let her go. When the doorway fully opened, they saw what lay beyond — a small chamber, faintly illuminated by a crystal suspended in midair.

Within it, curled like a sleeping child, was a figure — delicate, elven, and faintly glowing with the same luminescent hue as the water around them.

The water elf stood before the crystal, her expression tender and resolute. "We were going to die weakened like the tide," she said softly, her voice trembling but clear. "But our race must endure."

She rested her hand on the crystal, and light spread outward, weaving runes through the air. "So we sealed the last heir of the Water Elf royal line here — that one day, she might awaken and restore what we once were."

Her voice grew fainter, almost a whisper. "Tell her… that when the waters stir again, and light returns to the depths… her people still wait. Tell her the water elves once thrived beneath the waves, in harmony and grace."

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