The room was big; the ceiling shot high and shadow-covered. Glowing faintly, coral formations in shades of deep red and green surrounded the walls to create an ethereal light for the environment. Unlike anything Seraphine had seen, the monster stood right in the middle of the room.
Its body was a mass of coral, its form sculpted by millennia of ocean currents joined by some ancient sorcery. Sharp-edged coral jutted from her limbs; seaweed and barnacles clothed her chest like armor. Rising over them as still as a stone monolith, its dark, ancient eyes radiated intelligence and will.
Her pulse got faster as the beast turned to face her. Its weight pressed against her, a silent directive filling the space challenging her go forward. She watched the tense Rowan and Amara both staring at the beast waiting.
"Be careful, Seraphine," Amara said with wary voice. There is no usual protector like this. For millennia it has been bound to protect the Crown. It won't let us pass easy.
Seraphine nodded, exhaled deeply, then walked forward with a soft, steady mark on her ankle pulsing. She felt the power of the ocean coursing through her, a bond binding the beast together in ways she could not entirely understand from right inside its core.
The monster shifted; its big arms raised slowly and a low, rumbling roar permeated the hall. Her feet shook, and she felt the raw power coming from the creature—a force obviously unaffected by anything physical. She knew instantly that no weapon could destroy it, no attack could undercut it.
Still, there was another strategy available.
Closing her eyes, Seraphine focused on the mark, let its vitality stream through her to reach out to the monster, to join with the core tying it to the Crown. She could feel the monster in her head, a big, ancient soul full of memories of the ocean, of the several lives it had watched over, the sacrifices it had seen.
Deepening snarl from the giant, a warning, its coral-covered arms dropped toward her, sharp edges glistening in the little light. Fear shot over Seraphine, a cold flowing through her veins, but she stood her position, her eyes fixated on the black object.
She said, "Please," her voice soft but firm. "I search neither the Crown for riches or authority." I seek to comprehend and to honor the legacy my father left behind. Since I believe the ocean selected me to continue his journey, I have come this far.
Stopped, the behemoth narrowed its eyes as if assessing the accuracy of her words. Her mark gleamed more, throwing a soft, silver light over the creature's coral-carved form, and as she stared at it the tension in the air thickened and each pulse stretched into eternity.
Silent viewers, Rowan and Amara's expressions combined wonder with fear. With its arms stopped inches from Seraphine, hovering in the sea, the massive body of the monster froze as though under control by an invisible power.
Closing her eyes, Seraphine let the mark her due travel through her to reach into the giant's head. Sensed its agony, its loneliness, the decades of solitude it had gone through, driven to protect the Crown and retain a power it could never have use for Her own search and her need for connection linked her to the huge, terrible gloom she encountered.
She spoke softly, tenderly, and her words connected with the giant. "Long ago, you were forced to preserve a secret belonging to the water, the depths, under chains to this commitment. I am not here to claim it away though. just to understand, to respect the life that came before me.
The black eyes of the monster softened, a tiny spark of knowledge there. Its great weight lowered somewhat, its arms lowering as though it were appreciating her words and so her presence.
Though, as she felt the tension break, the behemoth's center exploded with a sudden force that threw a brilliant light across the chamber. Shielding her eyes, Seraphine staggered back as the beast let off a loud roar, its form pulsating with a vast force that rocked the seas.
"Seraphine, take care!" Rowan cried, grabbing her arm and dragging her back as the giant swung her arms. The coral edges slashed dead exactly across the sea. The creature seemed split, its impulses resisting the bond they had formed, a struggle between obligation and compassion.
Deeply breathing, Seraphine corrected herself and grabbed for the mark once more, her voice a muted power. "You don't have to protect it alone," she replied, her words echoing with a steady, constant intensity. " HERE I am. Like you are, I am anchored to the will of the sea. Let me share this weight.
The monster slowed down, its form weakening, the light in its eyes flickering as it fixed her with a huge, terrible anguish. She could feel its loneliness, the years of solitude it had gone through, bound to a responsibility that had become its whole life.
Her ankle gleamed more vividly, a gentle, silver light encircling the giant that seemed to be entering its very essence and lighting the chamber. She felt the creature's energy calm down, its rage replaced with a calm acceptance that enveloped the area like a gentle hug.
The behemoth lowered its arms, its eyes softening as it sighed softly, rumblingly—a sound full of thanksfulness and relief. It leaned back, its massive body falling into a protective posture as though offering her permission to pass, therefore permitting her to keep on her road.
Thanks flooded Seraphine, a bond developed by empathy and understanding that cut over language. She nodded, her eyes polite as she advanced, the Crown within grasp. Her path was obvious.
Rowan and Amara trailed behind, their faces a mix of surprise and pride, their presence a counterbalance as they approached the last chamber. From beyond, the Crown's weakly pulsed light was a lighthouse of strength guiding them ahead; every step brought them closer to the legacy Seraphine had long sought.
They entered the chamber, the air heavy with a physical energy pulsating with every beat of Seraphine's heart. The Coral Crown rested in the middle of the room atop a coral and black pearl pedestal. It was beautiful and unearthly, a complicated tapestry of shimmering coral and deep, shining pearls every piece seeming to catch the essence of the ocean itself.
Her palm shook as Seraphine extended her fingers over the frigid Crown surface. The second she touched, elements of her father's last voyage rushed over her, his visage a mix of shock and fear, his words booming in her memory alerting her of the Crown's might and the cost it required.
Her weight of legacy pushed down on her, leading to conflicting shame and pride. She knew then what he had gone through, the decisions he had taken, and the journey that had brought her here, to this moment.