"Sometimes the quietest threat is the loudest truth."
---
The council chamber of Atlantis was a cathedral of coral and molten gold, lit by jellyfish lanterns and guarded by warriors in white-armor.
It sat at the crossroads between kingdoms: neutral but uneasy ground.
Here, alliances were bartered and wars born.
Mera stood beside Arthur, visibly tense. Her father, Nereus, sat on the throne — regal, wary. Beside him, the advisors of Atlantis murmured quietly as King Orm Marius entered in his sliver and dark Atlantean armor.
Their presence was demanded by King Nereus and King decided to humor them.
And behind Arthur, silent as the abyss itself, was King.
His presence shifted the water, subtle and profound. The guards at the door instinctively averted their eyes.
Even the bioluminescent lights seemed dimmer near him.
The Offer of War
Orm's voice carried the refined confidence of royalty and the zeal of a crusader.
"The surface poisons our seas, burns our corals and discards their waste upon our homes. We have remained silent too long. This is not vengeance — it is justice."
He turned toward Arthur, tone softening.
"Brother, join me. Together, we can bring balance. You speak for the surface; I speak for the sea. We can rule both."
Mera folded her arms.
"Rule? You mean drown. You always were good at dressing murder in fancy words."
Orm's jaw tightened but he smiled.
"And what of you? A hero who hides from his own people. You think you understand them because you drink with fishermen?"
He gestured sharply to the others. "This council—this world—needs strength. Needs leadership. Needs me."
The Silence Before the Storm
Then King stepped forward.
No armor. No crown. No title.
Just an ordinary man, scarred and calm, with a gaze that silenced the ocean.
The faint hum of the King Engine rippled through the water.
No roar. Just a vibration. Enough to make coral veins shimmer like glass under pressure.
Orm froze mid-step. Every creature in the chamber turned instinctively toward the disturbance — like prey to a predator's shadow.
King's voice was quiet yet it echoed like thunder.
"You would gather your armies, your machines of war, your weapons forged in pride. You would drown the world above and call it justice."
He took another step forward. The currents bent slightly — not forced but persuaded.
"But hear me, Orm Marius. Should Arthur Curry fail to stop your war… should the oceans rise by your command… then the kingdoms of Atlantis shall cease to exist."
Gasps rippled through the chamber.
Nereus rose from his throne, trident half-raised.
"You threaten the Kingdoms of Atlantis?"
King turned his head slowly. "I make no threats. Only verdicts."
Orm's expression twisted into fury. The ocean around him surged, lightning flaring in his gauntlets.
"You dare—!"
But before the words left his lips, the water itself compressed around him.
The sheer intent radiating from King crushed every ounce of fury in Orm's chest.
His armor groaned. His body trembled.
Not only from pain but from something deeper. Insignificance.
The room dimmed.
Even Nereus's guards backed away, their instincts screaming not to move, not to breathe.
King's gaze never left Orm.
"The ocean was old before Atlantis dreamed of power." He said, tone as still as the trench. "And it will be older still when your kingdoms are forgotten. Do not mistake my patience for permission."
Orm fell silent — his defiance reduced to a clenched jaw and burning humiliation.
Nereus finally lowered his trident, voice hoarse.
"This… presence… is beyond reckoning."
Arthur looked between them, equal parts awe and grim recognition.
"You done scaring kings or do you charge extra for that?"
"No charge. Consider it counsel."
Departure
As they left the chamber, Mera's father called after them.
"Mera! The Deserter Kingdom lies beyond the Dead Zone. Not even the tides reach it anymore."
Arthur didn't look back. "Good thing we brought someone who doesn't need air."
Mera shot a glance at King. "You didn't have to humiliate them like that."
King replied without looking at her.
"I did not humiliate them. I reminded them of scale."
They emerged into the open ocean, the vast dark stretching endlessly before them.
Above, faint shafts of light filtered down from the surface — a reminder of the fragile world that might soon burn if Atlantis waged its war.
Arthur adjusted his gauntlet fins.
"You really think I can stop a war that big?"
King's voice softened.
"You are the bridge between worlds, born from love that transcends boundaries. The trident will listen to you — if you listen to yourself."
Arthur sighed. "And if I fail?"
King's eyes lifted toward the distant shimmer of Atlantis.
"Then I'll end the war myself."
The ocean shuddered faintly, as if it understood what that meant.
And then they were gone — three silhouettes vanishing into the deep, heading for a kingdom lost to time.
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