The glowing path unfurled ahead of Daniel and Mira like an invitation they could neither accept lightly nor refuse outright. The crystalline walls of the Abyss glimmered with refracted light, pulsating with an irregular rhythm that felt almost like a heartbeat. Each step—or rather, each push of their fins—through the weighty waters brought with it a dissonance of awe and foreboding.
Daniel held the Nexus Heart Fragment tightly in his hand, the energy coursing through it synchronizing with his pulse. The fragment's faint hum vibrated through his very being, stirring emotions he couldn't fully comprehend. Behind him, Mira swam cautiously, her gaze darting to every shadow that shifted unnaturally along the walls.
"It's like the Abyss is alive," Mira murmured, her voice hushed yet carrying the weight of her apprehension. "And it knows we're here."
