Emerging from the portal was akin to being thrust into an abyss where the ocean's weight seemed to multiply, pressing against Elisabeth's suit with an almost tangible force. Each movement required deliberate effort, as if the water itself conspired to impede them. Her breaths echoed loudly in her helmet, a constant reminder of her vulnerability in this submerged world.

  They had entered the Forbidden City.

  A realm shrouded in myth and dread, expunged from Vey’Narii chronicles. Its mere mention could instill fear among the bravest. Trespassing here was tantamount to a death sentence, executed by the relentless Seekers.

  Elisabeth's gaze swept over the surroundings. Towering spires of obsidian jutted upward, their surfaces etched with luminescent glyphs that pulsed faintly, like the dying embers of a once-vibrant civilization. Majestic arches, now fractured and partially submerged, lay as remnants of a society that time sought to erase.

  A flicker of movement caught her eye.

  She froze.

  The Seekers.

  Silent and unyielding, they glided through the water with predatory grace. Their sleek forms, forged from living metal, shimmered with hues reminiscent of liquid mercury. They were the Continuum's enforcers, programmed to annihilate intruders without hesitation.

  "Wait," she whispered, her voice barely a ripple in the water.

  Kaelen halted, following her gaze.

  Before them, the city sprawled in eerie silence. Unlike the vibrant Vey’Narii metropolis they had envisioned, this place was cloaked in shadow, its architecture jagged and foreboding, a stark contrast to the harmonious designs of cities attuned to the ocean's rhythms. The ruins weren't ancient—not truly. They were preserved, untouched by time, untouched by anything at all.

  Because no one came here.

  No one was permitted to.

  This was Zareth-Kael, the Forbidden City.

  A place forsaken for eons.

  A place where trespassers faced immediate execution.

  And yet, they stood at its heart.

  Elisabeth exhaled, steadying herself. The faintest glimmer of light flickered between the massive black towers in the distance—Seeker patrols. Their movements were precise, unwavering, their forms ghostlike against the darkness.

  She had seen them before, outside the Continuum chambers—the Seekers.

  Not beings. Not warriors.

  Enforcers.

  A single misstep, a flicker of movement, and the Seekers would eliminate them.

  No questions. No hesitation.

  Kaelen's body tensed beside her, his fists clenched. She could feel it—the tempest brewing within him, the simmering fury. His entire world had just crumbled, every belief reduced to ashes, and now they were surrounded by the very instruments of that deception.

  ?Elisabeth turned to Kaelen, her eyes locking onto his with an intensity that spoke volumes. The weight of their predicament pressed heavily upon them, the oppressive silence of the Forbidden City amplifying the tension between them. Kaelen's shoulders, once rigid with determination, now sagged under the burden of their reality.?

  "We need to keep moving," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the muted hum of the surrounding waters. "Staying here makes us vulnerable."?

  Kaelen nodded, the fire in his eyes dimming but not extinguished. Together, they navigated the labyrinthine ruins, each step a calculated risk. The ancient structures loomed around them, silent witnesses to their intrusion. Elisabeth's mind raced, formulating and discarding plans in rapid succession. The Seekers were relentless, their presence a constant reminder of the peril they faced.?

  She turned to him.

  "Kaelen, you need to stay calm."

  His golden eyes met hers, ablaze with turmoil. "Calm? We just uncovered the truth, Elisabeth. The Continuum's lies—everything they've concealed from us, from me, from my people—" His voice trembled with barely restrained rage. "And you’re telling me to stay calm?"

  His breath was unsteady, his body vibrating with the need to act.

  Elisabeth held his gaze, unwavering.

  "Yes. Because if you don’t, we die here, and then none of it matters."

  That gave him pause.

  Silence enveloped them, the tension palpable. The muscle in his jaw tightened, his hands slowly unclenching.

  "We need a way back to the city," she continued, her voice low and steady. "But we can't just march in. We can't fight our way through them, and we certainly can't outrun them if they spot us. We must move carefully. Think before we act."

  Kaelen's jaw clenched, but he gave a terse nod.

  "We move like shadows," he murmured.

  Elisabeth exhaled. "Exactly."

  The terrain was treacherous, collapsed walkways forming jagged paths through the ruins. Every step had to be deliberate, every movement calculated. The Seekers drifted through the streets in eerie silence, their forms gliding weightlessly, their hollow gazes scanning for anomalies.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  For intruders.

  Elisabeth's pulse quickened, not from fear, but from acute awareness. The weight of Kaelen’s presence beside her was like a smoldering ember—steady, simmering.

  She was beginning to understand him.

  Not just his anger, not just his quest for truth.

  Something deeper.

  Something she hadn’t allowed herself to acknowledge until now.

  She stole a glance at him as they moved. The way his muscles coiled beneath the golden markings that adorned his skin, the unwavering focus in his gaze, the way every fiber of his being radiated purpose.

  He is unlike anyone I have ever known.

  And that realization terrified her.

  Elisabeth had always been pragmatic, rational. She had dismissed the notion of love long ago—too chaotic, too unpredictable.

  And yet—

  Something about him resonated.

  Not logically. Not in a way she could articulate.

  It was in the unspoken understanding, the gravitational pull that had drawn them together from the outset.

  Wake up, Elisabeth.

  This is an alien. A completely different species. How could this possibly work?

  But logic had no bearing here.

  Her heart clenched, her stomach twisted.

  This wasn’t normal.

  This wasn’t simple.

  She had never felt something so profoundly right.

  But none of that mattered if they didn't survive.

  She shook the thoughts away, forcing herself to focus.

  They ascended, navigating the ruins, staying low, silent, unseen.

  Then—

  A shift in the water.

  Kaelen halted abruptly, his body rigid.

  Elisabeth followed his gaze.

  A Seeker had stopped moving.

  Not patrolling. Not scanning.

  Waiting.

  It knew.

  Elisabeth's breath caught. "Kaelen—"

  But he was already determined. This had to end now!

  He remained rooted, his gaze locked onto the approaching Seekers. This wasn't just about survival for him. This was personal. The Seekers symbolized the lies that had shackled his people, the falsehoods that had stolen his identity and history.

  And he was done running.

  With deliberate calm, Kaelen turned to face the oncoming swarm. Elisabeth's heart pounded in her chest. "What are you doing?" she hissed, panic edging her voice.

  He didn't respond.

  Instead, he raised his hands, palms outward, as if in surrender.

  The Seekers accelerated, a swirling vortex of blades and shifting metal, ready to tear him apart.

  No.

  Elisabeth felt the weight of the ocean pressing down on her, a crushing force that mirrored the dread tightening around her heart. She tried to move, to scream, but her body refused to obey.

  The Seekers engulfed Kaelen.

  And then—

  Stillness.

  The mechanical maelstrom halted, freezing in place around him. The water grew eerily calm, the oppressive tension hanging thick, as if the entire ocean awaited its next breath.

  Elisabeth's vision blurred with unshed tears. The thought of losing Kaelen, of him being torn apart before her eyes, was unbearable.

  But then, the swarm began to shift.

  Like the petals of a colossal flower, the Seekers unfurled, revealing Kaelen at their center, untouched and serene. His eyes were closed, his expression one of profound concentration. The golden luminescence of his veins pulsed in harmony with the Seekers' metallic sheen.

  He opened his eyes, meeting Elisabeth's gaze. There was a depth there, an understanding that hadn't been present before.

  "They were never meant to be hunters," he murmured, his voice carrying through the water.

  Elisabeth's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

  Kaelen extended a hand, gently touching one of the Seekers. The machine responded, its form rippling under his touch like liquid silver. "They were designed to protect, to preserve. The Continuum twisted their purpose, turning them into instruments of fear."

  A realization dawned upon Elisabeth. The Seekers weren't inherently malevolent; they had been corrupted, much like the history of the Vey’Narii themselves.

  As Kaelen interacted with the machines, a newfound respect blossomed within her. His courage, his unwavering determination to uncover the truth, resonated deeply. She admired his spirit, his willingness to confront the very foundations of his society.

  But amidst that admiration, another feeling stirred—a connection that transcended their differences, something deeper and inexplicable.

  Focus, Elisabeth.

  They were still in enemy territory. Survival was paramount.

  Yet, as she watched Kaelen among the Seekers, she couldn't shake the sensation that their destinies were now irrevocably intertwined.

  Kaelen turned to her, a resolute fire burning in his golden eyes. "We need to confront the Continuum. Expose the truth."

  Elisabeth nodded, determination hardening her resolve. "Then let's finish what we've started."

  Together, they swam forward, the Seekers parting to allow them passage. The path ahead was fraught with danger and uncertainty, but side by side, they were ready to face whatever awaited them in the depths.

  As they pressed on, the weight of their mission bore down on them. The truth they sought was buried deep within the heart of the Forbidden City, guarded by forces beyond their comprehension. But amidst the uncertainty, a bond had formed between them, forged in the crucible of shared adversity.?

  Elisabeth glanced at Kaelen, his resolve unwavering despite the odds. In that moment, she realized that their journey was about more than uncovering secrets; it was about redefining their very existence. With renewed determination, they steeled themselves for the challenges ahead, knowing that together, they could face whatever awaited them in the depths of the Forbidden City.

  The oppressive silence of the Forbidden City pressed upon Elisabeth and Kaelen as they ventured deeper into its submerged ruins. The weight of the ocean seemed to mirror the gravity of their mission, each stroke propelling them further into the unknown.?

  Elisabeth's mind raced, thoughts intertwining with the rhythm of her movements. The revelations about the Seekers' true purpose haunted her. Machines designed to protect, now corrupted into instruments of fear. The Continuum's deceit ran deeper than she had ever imagined.?

  Beside her, Kaelen's presence was a beacon of resolve. His earlier confrontation with the Seekers had unveiled a latent power within him, a connection to the ancient technology that defied explanation. She marveled at his courage, his unwavering determination to unearth the truth, even as the shadows of their surroundings seemed to close in.?

  The architecture around them grew increasingly alien. Twisted spires and monolithic structures loomed, their surfaces etched with glyphs that pulsed faintly, casting an eerie luminescence. It was as if the city itself was alive, whispering secrets from a bygone era.?

  Elisabeth's thoughts drifted to the legends of Atlantis, tales of a once-great civilization swallowed by the sea. The parallels were uncanny. Had the Vey’Narii ancestors met a similar fate? Was this city a testament to their hubris, a warning etched into the annals of history??

  A sudden movement snapped her from her reverie. Ahead, a massive structure loomed—a grand temple, its entrance guarded by sentinel statues, their eyes hollow and foreboding. The path to the Continuum lay within.?

  Kaelen paused, his gaze fixed on the temple. "This is it," he murmured, his voice tinged with both awe and trepidation.?

  Elisabeth nodded, steeling herself. "Whatever awaits us inside, we face it together."?

  As they approached the entrance, the weight of their journey bore down upon them. The truth was within reach, but so too were the dangers that lurked in the depths of the Forbidden City. With a shared glance, they stepped into the temple, ready to confront the echoes of the deep and the secrets they guarded.