Page 131 of The Ascended
Where?I demanded, still spinning in place.
Look up. To your right.
I twisted again and finally spotted him—a dark figure silhouetted against the surface, maybe a hundred yards away.
Relief crashed through me with such force that I nearly blacked out. I stayed in place, watching as he swam toward me with powerful strokes. Growing up in Saltcrest had made us both strong swimmers, but underwater movement was still different from navigating shallow ocean waves. Thatcher adapted quickly. He eventually reached me, colliding with me in a tangle of limbs before we sorted ourselves out.
His hair floated around his head like dark seaweed, and the breathing enchantment on his throat pulsed with blue light.
Any sign of Marx or Kyren?He asked as we examined our surroundings.
Nothing yet, I replied.But we need to start looking for keys. Remember what they said—limited supply. We can try to find the others while we search.
If they survived the plunge, he thought grimly.
Marx did. She's too stubborn to die, I sent.
At least we have an advantage—not many contestants grew up hauling fishing nets and diving for oysters.
Right.
Memorica was a vast underwater metropolis that had clearly drowned ages ago. Towers covered in living coral spiraled upward, their surfaces embedded with pearls that glowed and shimmered.
Schools of fish darted between structures, their movements synchronized as if they shared a single mind. In the distance, what looked like a massive amphitheater rose from the seabed.
Thatcher pointed toward the far edge of the city, where the structures ended abruptly at what appeared to be an underwater cliff. Beyond it, the water darkened to impenetrable blackness.Perched at the very edge stood a building unlike the others—a massive structure that was far more decorated than the rest.
The Archive, I realized.Our ultimate destination.
But first, we needed the keys. I scanned our surroundings, trying to formulate a plan.
There, Thatcher pointed to a large plaza between two temple-like structures.That looks like somewhere important things would be kept.
Worth a try.
And we began racing toward it, letting instinct take over. Our bodies knew how to cut through water efficiently, how to conserve energy, how to read the subtle shifts in pressure that signaled changes in the environment.
We'd covered about half the distance to the plaza when movement caught my eye—a flash of silver darting behind a coral column. I grabbed Thatcher's arm, pointing.
What was that?
Something huge. And something we do not have time to deal with, he sent down the bond.
Keep moving. Just be alert.
We approached the plaza more cautiously now. It was circular, surrounded by towering columns of crystal that cast prismatic light across the open space. In the center, floating about six feet off the ground, were two crystalline teardrops—identical to the memory keys Thalor had shown us.
Two of them!I sent, unable to believe our luck.That's too easy.
Maybe, Thatcher replied.But we need them regardless.
Could be a trap.
Most definitely. Question is—what kind?
We circled the plaza, staying close to the columns as we looked for any sign of danger—guardian creatures, trigger mechanisms, other contestants lying in wait. But there was nothing. Just the keys, rotating slowly in the center.
I'll go, I decided, pulling one of the containers from my pack.Cover me.
