It was often said that wars at the bottom of the ocean ended in silence. That the water swallowed screams and the cracking of bones.

  But the echoes of this final battle in the heart of Atntis did not fade. They carved themselves into the seabed like a scar that would never truly heal.

  When Hope's green-fmed scythe tore Ignis's millennia-tormented soul from his body, what remained was nothing but flesh, volcanic stone, and ash.

  But a curse that had endured for thousands of years did not cling only to a soul. It seeped into every cell of the body that imprisoned it.

  The soulless corpse, despite the pitch-bck, extinguished void in its chest, rose to its feet with a mechanical, grotesque crackling sound.

  Its direction had never changed.

  Toward the heart of Atntis. Toward the vault where the Heart of the Sea rested.

  There was no light in its eyes. No purpose. Only that final, desperate instinct of destruction engraved into its being, forcing its muscles to move.

  "No… It's not over?!" Kai shouted, stumbling backward with his dagger in hand.

  "It's just a soulless puppet!" Octavia roared, trying to rise from the ground, though her legs refused to obey her.

  The corpse took a second step.

  Before it could take a third, Bianca shot from the shadows like lightning and appeared in midair.

  Her face was smeared with dust, sweat, and blood, but her eyes burned with pure resolve. She gripped her st two intact ice daggers in a reverse hold. Spinning in the air and using the full momentum of her descent, she drove both bdes mercilessly into the neck of Ignis's soulless body.

  CRACK!

  "Enough already!" Bianca screamed as she tore the bdes downward with all her strength, ripping the corpse apart. "Just die!"

  With Bianca's sudden and lethal strike, Ignis's massive body lost its bance and crashed onto the molten ground with a thunderous impact.

  But it did not stop.

  Its legs no longer functioned. The corpse stretched its arms forward instead. Its fingers dug into melted rock and shattered marble as it stubbornly began dragging itself toward the vault door.

  The blind, horrifying will behind that motion froze the blood of everyone on the battlefield. Its nails broke. Its skin peeled away. Still, it crawled.

  One meter. Half a meter. Ten centimeters.

  Its movements slowed. Its arms trembled. Its fingers clutched one st time at a chunk of melted marble.

  And then…

  Like a clock running out of energy, the ancient mechanism of the curse finally wound down.

  The corpse's head dropped.

  Its fingers loosened.

  And the body of the man who burned the ocean colpsed, never to rise again.

  The war was truly over.

  Three Days Later – The Royal Infirmary

  Regaining consciousness felt like rising slowly from the ocean floor toward the surface.

  Hope opened his eyes amid the sharp scent of healing potions and iodine burning his throat. The first thing he felt was the crushing pain in his ribcage. The burns left by Ignis's fmes and the muscles torn under Lypin's gravity pressure reminded him of the cost of that battle with every breath.

  He looked at the ceiling.

  This was not the dark, boiling battlefield. It was a calm chamber carved from white coral, illuminated by soft blue light.

  He slowly turned his head to the right.

  At the edge of his bed sat Era in an embroidered chair. She no longer wore the torn, bloodstained dress from the battlefield. Instead, she was dressed in an elegant silver princess gown. But the dark circles under her eyes and her exhausted posture revealed she had not slept properly in days.

  When Era noticed his open eyes, she quickly dropped the parchment in her p.

  "You're awake," she said. Relief and restrained excitement trembled in her voice. She rose and stepped to the bedside. "Don't move. Most of your ribs were broken. Lypin fused them with magic, but they're still fragile."

  Hope swallowed, clearing his throat. His voice came out hoarse.

  "How long… have I been asleep?"

  "Three days," Era said, handing him a gss of fresh water. "Three long days. For a moment… we even thought your soul had been pulled into that scythe along with that fire monster."

  Hope drank slowly. His mind was already regaining crity.

  "What happened?" he asked, returning the gss. "The battle… the pace…"

  Era exhaled deeply and sat back down.

  "Ignis's body was sealed in the deepest vaults of the pace to ensure it would never awaken again. Atntis… suffered heavy damage, Hope. The eastern wing and the dungeons completely colpsed. Parts of the outer districts were destroyed in that ink explosion. But my father sent reinforcements from Central Atntis. Thanks to that, the city is being rebuilt stronger than before."

  "And the Octopuses?" Hope asked. "Dagon and Octavia?"

  A complicated expression crossed Era's face.

  "The century-long blood feud between the Octopuses and the Sirens did not vanish overnight, of course. There's still tension in the streets. Neither side truly likes the other. But that day… we all stood at the brink of annihition together. We agreed we had harmed each other enough, and that the ocean was vast enough for all of us. My brother and King Dagon signed a formal peace treaty."

  She smiled faintly. "Strangely enough, Dagon and Octavia were gravely wounded. My brother… instead of throwing them into the dungeons, entrusted them to Atntis's chief healers. He couldn't ignore the fact that they fought for us. For Atntis."

  "And my team?" Hope asked, voicing his real concern.

  "Kai and Bianca are perfectly fine. They've practically turned the infirmary upside down borrowing supplies. Deniz… he's been quiet. I think he feels guilty for not doing much during the battle. He rarely leaves his room. And Lypin… she did an incredible job. She's the reason we're all alive."

  Hope nodded as he listened. The massive weight on his shoulders felt lighter.

  Then he looked directly into Era's beautiful ocean-blue eyes.

  "You told me about everyone," Hope said softly. "What about you, Era?"

  She had not expected that question.

  She looked away, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. As a princess, she was used to appearing strong and hiding her emotions. But in front of him, those masks always cracked.

  "Well…" she said, smoothing the fabric of her gown. "…when that ancient being, Leviathan, took control of my body during the battle… what I felt… that endless, dark void and absolute desire for destruction… not being able to tell whether those thoughts were mine or his was terrifying. I still feel strange. As if, somewhere in the corner of my mind, he's still speaking to me."

  Hope smiled. One of his sincere, gentle smiles.

  "But you came back. You took control again. I'm gd you're okay, Princess."

  Her blush deepened slightly. She rolled her eyes.

  "Stop calling me Princess, little Architect," she said, though there was no real compint in her voice.

  Hope slid toward the edge of the bed and pnted his feet on the ground.

  Era immediately stood. "Careful, Hope! What are you doing? You're not fully healed!"

  "It's fine," he said, stretching and rolling his shoulders. There were minor aches, but the System informed him his HP was already around eighty percent. "I'm good. I can't stare at this white ceiling all day. I need some air. Though saying that in Atntis feels a little strange."

  When he stepped out onto one of Atntis's vast balconies, the sight before him made him pause.

  The fwless, majestic, dreamlike city he had first seen was gone.

  In its pce stood a wounded but breathing city. Construction scaffolds lined every corner. Massive sea creatures carried rubble. Workers' voices and the deep echoes of hammers through water formed a rhythm.

  This was not the sound of ruin.

  It was the sound of rebirth.

  As he walked toward the northern wing, he spotted a familiar silhouette standing before a massive construction site. Bck tentacles swayed gracefully behind her. Octavia, dressed in dark purple rebellious attire, stood with her arms crossed, staring upward.

  Her severed arms had fully regenerated. They even looked smoother than before.

  Hope approached.

  Octavia smiled without looking at him. "You've healed, fire boy. I hope a nice scar stayed on that sweet face of yours."

  Hope smiled back at her teasing tone and looked toward the towering coral structures rising before them.

  "They're building a special district in Atntis… for the Octopuses, I assume," Hope said, studying the architecture.

  Octavia lifted her chin proudly. "There used to be one. Years ago. After that disgusting massacre Nereus started, everything was destroyed and I was thrown into those dark dungeons. But now… after fighting shoulder to shoulder and saving this city from burning, after uniting against that fming bastard, the council decided to rebuild it. We took back what was ours."

  Hope looked into her purple eyes.

  "Did you forgive them? After everything?" he asked directly.

  The pyful smile on her face vanished within seconds. Cold darkness filled her gaze.

  "Never," Octavia hissed. "I will never forgive them. Letting us back into Atntis does not change the fact that my mother was killed or that I was tortured for years. I still hate Nereus. And one day… I swear I will rip that crown from his head and strangle him with my own hands."

  She took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, that deadly expression was gone.

  "But… for now, we made peace. As a princess, I must endure this disgusting peace for the future of my people. At least for a while."

  Hope chuckled at her honest, dark confession.

  "You're truly insane," he said, shaking his head. "I honestly wonder if I'll ever meet someone as crazy and dangerous as you again in my life."

  Octavia raised one eyebrow. Her voice shifted back to its old flirtatious tone.

  "Hey. That sounds like a farewell speech," she said. "Are you leaving already?"

  Hope shrugged and pointed upward toward the distant, invisible surface of the ocean.

  "Well… I'm a surface dweller, Princess. As you call it, an oxygen breather. I can't stay in Atntis forever. I belong up there. Besides, with all the political chaos and hidden hatred here, staying as a foreigner wouldn't be very wise."

  Octavia stepped closer.

  There was a strange softness in her eyes.

  Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

  Hope was about to return the embrace in surprise when—

  "Ah!"

  Octavia sank her sharp canine teeth into Hope's left ear. Her teeth pierced the cartige, and Hope recoiled in pain, clutching his ear with a flushed face.

  "What are you doing, you crazy woman?!"

  Octavia grinned, licking a drop of blood from her lips. Between her fingers she held a small bck metallic earring shaped like an octopus tentacle. She slid it through the fresh hole in his ear and fastened it.

  "Wear this," she said, tapping it lightly. "It's not just decoration. If you're ever in danger on the surface or in some other dump, pour mana into it. It will notify me. And I'll come save your cute little ass."

  Hope touched the earring. The pain had faded, but the sensation felt strange. He smiled.

  "Oh? So the mighty Octopus Princess now serves me? Have you become my personal bodyguard?"

  Octavia grabbed his colr and pulled him closer. Her purple eyes gleamed dangerously.

  "Yes, sweetheart," she whispered, her lips almost brushing his. "I'll serve you in every way. All you have to do is ask."

  Hope cleared his throat and stepped back slightly, though his smile remained sincere.

  "I'll miss you, Octavia."

  She crossed her arms proudly and tossed her hair.

  "Yes, yes. You'll never meet another woman as fiery, strong, and magnificent as me. So when you're shivering on the surface, regretting everything, I'll be waiting for the day you crawl back to me, sweetheart."

  The farewell was long.

  As the ocean's glow dimmed into evening's calm blue twilight, Hope made his way back toward the Royal Infirmary.

  Fatigue from the day and the lingering effects of medicine weighed on his eyelids. But before sleeping, there was one st person he wanted to see.

  Lypin.

  The one who had exhausted herself keeping everyone alive.

  He walked through the quiet corridors of the infirmary and stopped before Lypin's door.

  It was slightly ajar.

  Before entering, Hope gnced inside.

  The room was dim. Soft blue coral light filtered through the window.

  Lypin sat cross-legged on her bed, eyes closed. The familiar, soothing silver moon-dust aura floated around her as she meditated. Her breathing was deep and steady.

  Hope was about to push the door open and step inside with a smile when—

  His body froze.

  His mind turned to ice as if thrown into the coldest trench of the ocean. The System interface suddenly glitched. Instead of red warnings, the screen went completely bck, filled with static.

  Lypin was not alone.

  Directly behind her, at the edge where her silver aura ended…

  A silhouette stood.

  It was not human. Not a Siren. Not an Octopus.

  It was a pitch-bck void that devoured light, warping the space around it. Massive. Formless. A being made of pure dread. It had no face, yet Hope felt it staring directly into his soul.

  The sense of death radiating from it was a thousand times colder and more terrifying than Ignis's fmes.

  Hope did not think.

  He did not analyze.

  Green fmes burst from his feet as he unched forward, summoning his scythe midair and kicking the door open.

  "STAY AWAY FROM HER!" Hope roared, lunging as he swung his deadly scythe straight toward the center of that horrifying silhouette.