The aftermath of the combat was apparent, even in the watery depths. Though Islael and her Guardians were able to stave off the assault on Coralveil Nexus, the grim energy of the Maelstrom had branded the reef as well. As she passed through its healed appendages, Islael sensed the gentle murmur of life stirring again. Already, without the cloak of a willing embrace from the deep, Surat, a feeling of anguish pierced through all her optimistic thoughts. Lord Dreygor was still alive, she was certain.
The days after the conflict were steady, and Islael attended meetings with the Guardians in one of their safe places which was an enormous underwater tunnel covered with luminous flowers and rocks. Every single pebble had been cemented with the names of every Guardians that had perished for the cause of the Nexus. Giving way to an even more agitated pose was their leader, how calm the figure was for the dominant presence of which they had made no conviction of choosing.
“We may have won this battle,” she began even as a quiet strength filled her voice, “but Dreygor will not stop. The power of the Nexus comes with the power over the whole ocean in balance, and he will not stop until he has achieved that. And tide by tide his power extends more.”
Then, Serin stepped forth with a determination in his gaze. “Islael, the Maelstrom Empire may be powerful, but they can be defeated. There are stories in the reefs about people that will come to our aid. There are tales of oceanic deities that used to be protectors of this sea long before there was the Nexus.”
Islael contemplated his words. The sea gods were figures from stories, once they wielded great forces that controlled the ocean and the beasts in it. However, those too have been lost to history and are often thought to have returned to the watery depths. If they could be summoned from the depths of the oceans, then they could be the answer to Dreygor’s defeat forever.
“Is it possible for you to think that the legends are not tales, Serin?” she grinned evenly.
Serin nodded. “I do. The sea holds memories, so do the rocks that lie far beneath it. The story goes that they are deep within the Abyssal Caverns, assumed dormant, waiting to be summoned one more time by the ocean.”
Alira, who was always the voice of reason, argued. “The Abyssal Caverns are perilous. Very few people have gone there and come back. If spirits are what we are after, then we will be endangering our lives and even more.”
Islael turned to her friends. She noticed the fear etched on their faces, but even that proved inadequate for what lurked beneath a surface—an indomitable will to defend their territory even at a great price. This suffering was expected; she was however certain that if the stories held water, that if the lost angels could be traced, the Maelstrom Empire would be handled.
“If that’s the case, we shall go,” said Islael, her voice firm. “We shall go to the Abyssal Caverns, and we shall search for the spirits. We will find a solution to this conflict, and restore calm to our ocean.”
Right as the Guardians began to get ready for the upcoming journey, a familiar, entrancing tune could be heard from the water, a tune which could resent its age as being as ancient as the very ocean itself, courtesy of the tides. It was a summons of sorts, a claim to the existence of the ancient forces that were there but hidden, yearning for the good old days when people were not afraid to seek them out. It reached the point where differences were set aside, and Islael alongside her Guardians were prepared for whatever waited beyond, in search of the ancestral spirits, and more importantly, preparing for the battle against the evil that had plans of exterminating their existence and taking over commands in that world.
Going to the Abyssal Caverns as it would be was sure to test their strength and unity and bravery. But, Islael understood too well that there was nothing impossible for them as long as they fought as a team. And so once more looking at the luminous Nexus behind her, she took her Guardians inwards, into the darkness, along a path that would reunite them with a radically different destinies altogether.
