Final Chapter: The Abyss Stirs
The city trembled.
The colossal serpent uncoiled, its glowing eyes fixing on the intruders who had dared to awaken it. Its body stretched beyond sight, a monstrous relic of the abyss, shifting with the weight of something that had slept for eons.
The whale sang, its call rippling through the water, a sound of defiance. The turtle's shell burned brightly, the moss and coral illuminating like stars in the deep.
The Deep Elf raised both hands, symbols igniting around them. "You should not have come."
Tobias, gripping the armrests of the submersible, yelled, "Yeah, well, if I had known we were gonna wake up Cthulhu's ugly cousin, I would've stayed home!"
Elise didn't have time to respond—she was too busy fighting against the currents as the serpent's sheer presence distorted the water.
Then, it struck.
A tail, lined with razor-like fins, lashed out. The temple walls cracked as an explosion of silt engulfed them. The whale dove forward, slamming into the serpent with a force that shook the city. The turtle moved slower, but with purpose, its enormous flippers sending powerful waves through the water.
The Deep Elf turned to Elise, their black eyes urgent. "You must leave. Now."
Elise hesitated. "But—"
The Elf suddenly grabbed the submersible.
A surge of energy rippled through the controls, and the carvings lit up around them, forming a glowing path leading back to the surface.
"Go."
The serpent shrieked—a sound so deep, so ancient, that Elise's skull ached.
Tobias shouted, "I DON'T NEED TO BE TOLD TWICE—PUNCH IT!"
Elise slammed the thrusters to full power.
The submersible shot upward, leaving the ruins behind. Through the viewport, she saw the final battle unfold.
The serpent lashed out, its spiral maw opening to swallow the Deep Elf whole—but the turtle intercepted, crashing into it with the force of an earthquake. The whale followed, its bioluminescence flaring like a beacon.
The temple collapsed.
The last thing Elise saw was the Deep Elf, suspended in the water, staring after them.
Then—darkness.
One Week Later
Elise sat at the edge of the research station, staring at the horizon. The ocean was calm. As if nothing had happened.
Beside her, Tobias chewed on a granola bar. "So. We survived an ancient underwater war between magical landlords and a sea demon."
Elise exhaled. "Yeah."
"...And no one's gonna believe us."
She smirked. "Yeah."
Tobias nodded, taking another bite.
"Cool. Cool. Love that for us."
A soft humming sound suddenly echoed from the water.
Elise froze.
Tobias turned pale. "Uh. Was that—"
The whale's song answered from the deep.
They weren't done with the Lost City.
The Lost City wasn't done with them.
The End.