The first rays of morning filtered through the endless ocean, painting Atlantis in shimmering ribbons of gold and sapphire.
For the first time since our arrival, the city felt…
peaceful, It was so beautiful to look at
The scars of yesterday’s battle were still there.
Cracked towers stood beside freshly repaired streets, while Atlantean healers moved gracefully through the city, streams of glowing blue water flowing from their hands as they mended broken walls and treated wounded soldiers.
Children laughed again.
Merchants reopened their coral stalls.
Musicians played soft melodies for the dancing sea horses that drifted through the currents.
Life was returning.
“I still can’t believe people actually live down here,” Carlos said, watching a young boy race past on the back of a giant seahorse.
“Imagine telling someone you’ve got underwater traffic.” Carlos said grinning
Sarah glanced at him.
“I imagine the traffic jams are brutal.” Sarah said
Carlos nodded thoughtfully.
“Especially if a whale decides to park.”
Commander Kael, walking a few steps ahead of us, glanced over his shoulder.
“I assure you, whales are remarkably considerate.”
Carlos blinked.
“…You have whale traffic laws?”
“We do.”
“Oh boyI’m moving here.”
“You’d last two days,” Sarah replied.
“Three.”
“Two.”
Ethan chuckled quietly as we continued through the bustling streets.
Despite everything Atlantis had endured, its people greeted us warmly.
Some bowed respectfully as we passed.
Others simply smiled.
An elderly woman pressed a tiny woven bracelet made of shimmering sea grass into my hand.
“For courage,” she whispered before disappearing into the crowd.
I looked down at the bracelet before carefully slipping it onto my wrist.
“They really believe the Trident chose the right person,” Ethan said softly.
“I hope they’re right.”
“They are.”
Commander Kael’s voice was calm but certain.
“You gave our people hope.”
Carlos tilted his head.
“You know, speaking of hope…”
Kael looked at him cautiously.
“…How are you walking?” Carlos asked
The commander frowned.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Yesterday, General Azrath punched you through about three buildings.”
Carlos counted on his fingers.
“Maybe four.”
“You looked very…
deceased.”
“I did not.”
“You looked a little deceased.”
Kael sighed.
“Atlanteans possess stronger regenerative abilities than humans.”
Carlos stared at him for a long moment.
“We seriously lost the genetic lottery.”
“You talk quite a lot,” Kael said with a chuckle.
“It’s one of my greatest talents.”
We left the city behind, following Kael along a breathtaking pathway carved between towering coral cliffs.
Schools of glowing fish swam above us like flocks of birds.
Massive manta rays drifted lazily overhead, their enormous wings casting graceful shadows across the ocean floor.
Far in the distance, an enormous blue whale sang, its haunting call echoing through the water.
Even Sarah stopped walking for a moment.
“…It’s beautiful.”
“It is,” Kael replied quietly.
“Atlantis has always been beautiful.”
His expression grew distant.
“We simply forgot how to protect that beauty.”
The words lingered with us.
None of us spoke for several minutes.
Eventually, the coral forests gave way to open water.
Ahead, the sea seemed to…
end.
A colossal wall of shimmering water stretched from the ocean floor to the distant surface, glowing with golden light.
Strange runes drifted across it like stars suspended beneath the sea.
Carlos stared.
“I’ve seen some weird things since meeting you people…”
“…but that’s definitely in the top five.”
Kael stopped at the edge of the barrier.
“This…”
“…is the Eastern Boundary of Atlantis.”
Beyond the shimmering veil, nothing could be seen except swirling gold.
“The Desert of Solara lies on the other side,” Kael said.
“It is where your next trial begins.”
I tightened my grip on the Tidecaller’s Trident.
Somehow, I could already feel the warmth of the desert waiting beyond the sea.
And for the first time since leaving Ravenwood…
I realized our greatest journey hadn’t begun in Atlantis.
It was only just beginning.
Commander Kael stood before the shimmering barrier, his silver trident resting against his shoulder as golden currents danced across its surface.
“The magic beyond this point is… different,” he said, his voice carrying an unfamiliar heaviness. This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
“Atlantean magic grows weaker the farther you travel into Solara. The sea has no dominion there.”
Carlos looked from the endless wall of water to the glowing Trident in my hands.
“So basically…” he scratched the back of his head, “…our sea princess is about to become a fish out of water.”
I shot him a look.
“I’m not a sea princess.” I said
Kael cleared his throat.
“Our people would respectfully disagree.” Kael said
“Oh, don’t encourage him.” I said
Carlos smirked.
“Too late.
I already have a nickname.”
“You have several,” Sarah muttered.
“And none of them are flattering.” I added
Kael stepped closer to me and reached into a leather pouch fastened to his belt.
From it, he withdrew a small pendant carved from luminous blue crystal.
Inside the crystal, tiny currents of water swirled endlessly.
He placed it carefully in my palm.
“This is a Tide Crystal.”
“It will always guide you to the nearest source of living water.”
I looked at the tiny crystal in awe.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It is also a reminder.”
He smiled faintly.
“No matter how far you travel…”
“…Atlantis will always answer your call.”
For a moment, none of us spoke.
I closed my fingers around the crystal.
“Thank you.” I said my eyes glistening with tears
Kael nodded before turning toward Ethan.
“You possess a protector’s heart.”
Ethan blinked.
“I’ve only done what anyone else would’ve done.”
“No.”
Kael shook his head.
“Many speak of courage.”
“Few choose it.”
Ethan lowered his eyes, slightly embarrassed.
Carlos leaned closer to Sarah.
“See?”
“He’s getting inspirational speeches.”
“I’m expecting mine any second.”
Sarah folded her arms.
“I’m expecting yours to begin with ‘please stop talking.'” Sarah said rolling her eyes
Almost as if on cue, Kael looked directly at Carlos.
“You…”
Carlos straightened immediately.
“Yes?”
“…should continue making your friends laugh.”
Carlos looked genuinely surprised.
Kael continued.
“Darkness fears those who refuse to surrender hope.”
“The battlefield needs warriors.”
“It also needs people who remind everyone why they’re fighting.”
For once…
Carlos didn’t have a clever reply.
I almost laughed, It was nice to see Carlos speechless for once.
He simply rubbed the back of his neck.
“I’ll… try.” he said still tongue tied
Sarah glanced sideways at him but said nothing.
The moment passed as a familiar golden glow illuminated the water around us.
“Oh no,” Carlos sighed.
“The mystery department is open.”
The Book of Origins floated from my satchel.
Its pages fluttered wildly.
Golden ribbons of light spilled into the ocean.
Laetitia stepped gracefully onto the open pages, adjusting an invisible crease in her flowing robes before looking at the four of us.
“My.”
She smiled.
“You’ve managed to survive Atlantis.”
Carlos folded his arms.
“I noticed the complete lack of congratulations.” Carlos said “I assumed survival was reward enough.”
She looked around thoughtfully.
“I see none of you have become fish food.”
“Disappointing odds.”
Sarah rolled her eyes.
“You really need to work on your people skills.” Sarah said, irritation lacing her tone
“I’ve lived for several thousand years.”
Laetitia replied.
“I’ve had plenty of time to decide not to.”
Carlos pointed dramatically.
“See?”
“She admits it.”
Ignoring him completely, Laetitia snapped her fingers.
The pages of the Book began turning.
An illustration slowly painted itself across the parchment.
Endless golden dunes stretched beneath a blazing sky.
Ancient sandstone pillars jutted from the earth like broken teeth.
In the distance…
A magnificent city stood half-buried beneath the sand.
Its towering walls glowed beneath an enormous golden sun that never seemed to move.
Words slowly appeared beneath the illustration.
THE SUNSTONE RESTS WHERE DAY NEVER ENDS.
Another sentence followed.
ONLY THE CHOSEN SHALL AWAKEN ITS LIGHT.
“Chosen?”
Laetitia only smiled.
“The artifacts are older than kingdoms.”
“They choose.”
“They are never taken.”
Ethan exchanged a glance with me.
“So…
the Sunstone has already chosen someone?” Ethan asked
“Perhaps.”
Laetitia replied.
“Perhaps it is still deciding.”
Carlos immediately pointed at himself.
“I volunteer.”
“No one asked you.”
Sarah answered.
“I think it’d look good on me.” Carlos said grinning stupidly
Laetitia gave him a long, thoughtful look.
“It would reject you in under three seconds.”
Carlos looked offended.
“I’ve never been rejected by a glowing rock before.”
“There’s a first time for everything.”
She smiled sweetly.
Even Kael looked as though he was struggling not to smile.
The pages flipped one final time.
Another image appeared.
A lone figure stood atop a towering sand dune.
His face remained hidden beneath flowing robes.
No crown rested upon his head.
Yet thousands knelt before him.
Beneath the illustration…
One final sentence wrote itself.
BEWARE THE KING WHO WEARS NO CROWN.
The ink faded.
The book closed.
Carlos stared at it for several seconds.
“I miss clues that actually explain things.”
“Laetitia,” I called before she could disappear.
“Who is he?”
She looked toward the endless golden barrier.
“The answer…”
“…is waiting beyond the sea.”
Golden light surrounded her.
“And try not to die.”
She vanished.
Carlos sighed dramatically.
“One day she’s going to leave us with normal directions.”
Sarah raised an eyebrow.
“I admire your optimism.” she said
Kael lifted his trident.
Ancient runes ignited across the shimmering wall before us.
The barrier slowly began to separate.
Water rolled away in two enormous waves, revealing a swirling gateway of golden light.
A blast of hot air rushed through the opening.
It was so different from the cool embrace of Atlantis that instinctively we all shielded our faces.
“So…” Carlos said.
“…who ordered the giant underwater hair dryer?”
I laughed before I could stop myself.
Even after everything…
He still found a way.
Kael stepped aside.
“This is where my duty ends.”
He placed a fist over his heart.
“May the tides always guide you, Bearer of the Trident.”
I mirrored the gesture.
“And may Atlantis know peace.”
“It will.”
He smiled.
“Because heroes still walk this world.”
Taking a deep breath, I looked at my friends.
Ethan adjusted the strap of his shield.
Sarah tightened her grip on her weapon.
Carlos cracked his knuckles.
“Right then.”
He grinned.
“Let’s go find this oversized glow stick before somebody else does.”
Shaking my head with a smile, I stepped through the gateway.
Blinding sunlight swallowed us whole.
Behind us…
The seas of Atlantis closed once more.
Ahead…
An endless ocean of sand stretched beneath a sky of molten gold.
Somewhere beyond those dunes…
The Sunstone waited patiently for our arrival