The ocean erupted.
Thousands of shadows surged from the ruins of Oceanic Research Facility 12-A.
What had appeared to be harmless currents moments ago transformed into a living tide of scales and teeth.
The water itself seemed to move with malicious intent.
Thalor immediately understood why Arcadia had labeled them an extreme threat.
Not because they were powerful.
Because there were so many.
The nearest creature accelerated.
Its dark blue scales blended almost perfectly into the surrounding water.
Only its mouth stood out.
As mana rushed through specialized vessels around its jaws, crimson light spread across its teeth.
Like fresh blood.
Species Identified: Redmaw
Classification: Magical Beast
Affinity: Water
Threat Level: Extreme (Swarm)
The creature crossed nearly fifty meters in an instant.
Thalor's eyes widened.
"They're fast."
The Redmaw lunged.
Fusion Magic surged through his body.
Mana flooded his muscles.
His nerves.
His bones.
The Worldborne Sigil beneath his skin pulsed.
The world slowed.
Not truly.
But enough.
His body twisted aside.
The Redmaw shot past him like a launched spear.
A shockwave rippled through the surrounding water.
Then hundreds more followed.
The ocean exploded.
Redmaws burst from every direction.
Above.
Below.
Left.
Right.
Thousands of crimson jaws illuminated the darkness.
For the first time since escaping slavery, Thalor felt genuinely small.
Not helpless.
But small.
Arcadia appeared beside him.
Her form, flowing water, and radiant light, remained perfectly composed.
"Recommendation."
Thalor already knew.
"Run."
"Correct."
The swarm surged forward.
Unfortunately, the facility sat directly behind them.
Running wasn't an option.
Which meant he needed another plan.
A lesson Arcadia had drilled into him countless times surfaced in his mind.
"Do not fight the enemy."
"Understand the system."
"Then control it."
The first wave arrived.
Thalor thrust the Trident forward.
Water mana gathered instantly.
Water Lance.
Three compressed spears erupted through the ocean.
One Redmaw died instantly.
Then another.
Then a third.
The bodies drifted downward.
The swarm barely noticed.
Thousands remained.
"That won't work."
Arcadia nodded.
"A correct assessment."
The second wave attacked.
This time from above.
Thalor slammed the Trident downward.
Earth mana answered.
The seafloor trembled.
Stone Wall.
Massive pillars erupted upward.
Several Redmaws shattered against the newly formed barriers.
Others simply swam around them.
The school adapted almost immediately.
Like water flowing around a stone.
Fast.
Relentless.
Simple.
Yet not mindless.
That distinction mattered.
The Living Relay Network is activated.
The Worldborne Sigil pulsed.
Thalor's perception expanded.
Mana currents became visible.
Movement patterns emerged.
Predatory routes revealed themselves.
The school wasn't random.
It moved like a single organism.
Thousands of bodies.
One instinct.
His gaze shifted toward the facility.
The realization struck.
Every attack originated near the ruins.
Every patrol route circled the structure.
Every movement eventually returned to it.
The Redmaws weren't protecting territory.
They were protecting something.
Or perhaps...
Being drawn to it.
A dozen Redmaws charged simultaneously.
Light mana erupted.
Flash.
Brilliant radiance exploded through the water.
The nearest predators recoiled.
Their formation broke.
An opening appeared.
Thalor accelerated.
Fusion Magic pushed his body beyond normal limits.
The ocean blurred.
His muscles burned.
His mana reserves dipped.
But his speed doubled.
Months ago, he would never have survived this.
Months ago, he had been a starving slave.
Now he cut through the ocean like a spear.
The facility grew closer.
Ancient Atlantean architecture emerged from the darkness.
Silver-white metal.
Crystal structures.
Runic pathways.
Even after nearly one hundred thousand years...
It radiated grandeur.
A reminder of what Atlantis once was.
And what it could become again.
Another lesson surfaced.
Not one from Arcadia.
One he had learned himself.
Every civilization left behind monuments.
Atlantis had left behind systems.
Knowledge.
Infrastructure.
Hope.
The thought strengthened his resolve.
Then the Trident pulsed.
Hard.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
The reaction was immediate.
Arcadia froze.
For the first time since awakening...
She looked shocked.
A wave of mana rolled outward from the facility.
Ancient.
Powerful.
Familiar.
The surrounding ocean trembled.
Deep within the ruins, runes flickered to life.
One after another.
Systems dormant for nearly one hundred thousand years began awakening.
The Redmaws stopped.
Every single one.
Thousands of magical beasts froze simultaneously.
Their crimson jaws dimmed.
Their attention shifted.
Toward the facility.
Toward whatever had awakened inside.
Thalor tightened his grip on the Trident.
"Arcadia."
The construct didn't answer immediately.
Another pulse echoed outward.
Stronger this time.
Ancient Atlantean runes illuminated sections of the ruins.
Entire walls glowed beneath centuries of sediment.
Something inside was alive.
Something that should have exhausted its power long ago.
Something connected to Atlantis.
Finally, Arcadia spoke.
Her voice carried something Thalor had never heard before.
Excitement.
"Impossible."
Thalor frowned.
"You keep saying that."
The construct stared at the facility.
At the awakening systems.
At the ancient energy source hidden beneath the ruins.
Then she slowly smiled.
"The facility should have been dormant."
Another pulse spread through the ocean.
The Trident vibrated in response.
Arcadia's eyes widened.
"Yet something remains operational."
Silence filled the waters between them.
The Redmaws no longer cared about him.
They cared about whatever was hidden within the ruins.
Whatever had called them here.
Whatever had kept them surrounding this forgotten facility for centuries.
Thalor looked toward the massive entrance carved into the cliffside.
Dark.
Ancient.
Waiting.
The first expedition had been intended as a simple reconnection mission.
Instead, it appeared they had discovered one of Atlantis's surviving secrets.
And judging by the reaction of both the Trident and Arcadia...
It was a very important one.
Beyond the ancient doors, something stirred.
And for the first time since Atlantis fell, Oceanic Research Facility 12-A was beginning to wake up.