Chapter 181: Whispers in the Deep!

The deep silence that perpetuated throughout the Sunken City was almost sacred, as every single movement throughout the City sent faint ripples all throughout the ocean’s stillness, the sound of metal brushing against current muted by the oppressive weight of the sea.

The group continued on their path, following Kaen deeper into the Noble District, to explore various old Noble Houses and other buildings within this City, each step a careful echo upon the ruined grandeur of a ancient city.

It allowed them to see all the unique features of cities from back then, and how city architecture has evolved over time, to avoid incidents like what happened to Vorago never happen again.

Though the Abyssal Descent suits shielded them from the cold, a creeping chill still threaded through the water, the kind that didn’t touch flesh, but instead hit the core of their spirits.

Albedo kept to the rear of the formation, eyes tracking every shift in the gloom. His visor translated mana disturbances into faint blue lines that pulsed and vanished, mapping the invisible heartbeat of the ancient city.

Fade swam a few meters beside him, moving with practiced grace, her elven silhouette outlined by faint streaks of bioluminescent algae. Occasionally, she’d glance his way, not out of fear, but as if gauging his composure amidst the suffocating quiet.

Kaen’s voice broke through the comms again, low and steady. “The deeper we go, the more active the residual enchantments become. Keep an eye on your sensors. If you feel a sudden surge of pressure, that’s not your imagination, it’s the mana currents stabilizing and breaking against your concealment fields.”

One of the other Elven Students, Tarl, spoke up nervously, “Sir, if the conduits are still active… what’s keeping them running after all these centuries? Even if the ocean’s mana can keep them running, how have they kept such high ranks? Shouldn’t their strength be reduced greatly?”

Kaen’s visor tilted slightly toward the distant city center, “There is a source of energy that keeps their power level from draining. It’s buried in the Cathedral. That was where the Vorago Core was housed, a relic that acted as the city’s beating heart. Rumor says it drew energy directly from the Mana Vein that had formed in the sea near the city’s construction point,”

Fade’s brows furrowed, “Mana Veins? A City built and channeling power from a Mana Vein in the deep sea, how….daring,”

They drifted along a submerged avenue lined with towering archways. Demonic runes, faded with time, still flickered faintly on the walls. Coral branches coiled through the cracks like veins reclaiming their host.

Then, out of the shadows, another shape stirred.

“Contact, two o’clock,” Albedo murmured. His tone was even, but his eyes were sharp as he called it out, and Kaen immediately signaled for silence, raising a clenched fist.

From behind a collapsed pillar, a residual construct floated into view, smaller than the guardian from before, but more agile. It resembled a humanoid form, its armor fused with shell fragments and glowing cores where eyes should have been.

A trident-like weapon was clutched in its hand, and it moved with eerie precision, scanning the ruins in slow, deliberate arcs.

The faint crimson light from its core passed directly over the students, once, twice, and then continued on, unbothered.

No one moved, all holding their breaths as the creature turned and disappeared behind another structure, leaving a trail of faint light in its wake.

“Spectral Guard,” Kaen whispered into the comms. “They used to patrol the noble sectors according to historical records. Some still follow their last commands, even after death. As long as you don’t emit a strong signature, they won’t register you as hostile.”

Fade released a slow exhale, “How long have they been doing this?”

Kaen’s tone was grim. “Thousands of years. An unending duty… to guard a city that no longer exists.”

They continued on, weaving through flooded hallways where chandeliers hung upside down, coated in coral and barnacle shells.

The ornate murals along the ceilings were intact in some places, depicting demons in regal robes, banquets beneath crimson moons, and winged children playing along fountains that no longer flowed.

Fade’s visor pinged faintly, a low hum that only she could hear, “Sir, I’ve picked up a Mana pulse. Direction, left corridor.”

Kaen pivoted instantly, raising a hand to signal caution. The group drifted closer, passing through a broken arch into what seemed to be a grand ballroom. The floor was covered in a fine layer of silver sand, stirred by the currents.

And there, in the center, floated a massive construct unlike any they’d seen before.

It was shaped like a noblewoman, her body half-sculpted from stone and half from the skeletal remains of a leviathan. Elegant curves of armor still adorned her form, though most were shattered and fused with coral. Her eyes glowed faint blue, dim, almost mournful.

“She’s… beautiful,” Fade whispered.

“Queen’s Sentinel,” Kaen murmured. “One of the city’s last defense constructs. They were programmed with fragments of emotion, to mimic their creators. It’s possible she still remembers the fall.”

The Sentinel’s gaze moved sluggishly, her expression locked in eternal sorrow. She made no move to attack.

The group drifted carefully past, their suits dimming their mana signatures to near zero. For a fleeting moment, Albedo could’ve sworn the Sentinel’s head turned ever so slightly in his direction, as if recognizing something familiar.

Then her glow faded, and she sank once more into stillness.

A heavy silence lingered as they left the ballroom behind. Even Fade, who rarely lost her composure, seemed shaken by the sight.

“Not all monsters are born from chaos,” Kaen said quietly over the comms. “Some are born from loyalty that refuses to die.”

They passed into a wider avenue, one that opened into the edge of the city’s outer limits. The light here dimmed drastically, sunlight from above barely reached, filtered through kilometers of water and the drifting shadows of passing creatures.

And then the sea moved. A shadow vast enough to swallow a mountain drifted overhead, blotting out what little light remained. The water pressure trembled.

“Contact above,” Albedo said quietly.

“Visual confirm…” Kaen murmured, “By the Abyss… that’s not a construct.”

Through the murk, a titanic eye slowly opened, golden and ancient, the size of a carriage. A leviathan, its scales layered in overlapping armor plates that shimmered faintly with luminescent light, drifted through the city like a living continent.

Its passing alone sent waves rippling through the ruins. The students froze again, hearts pounding.

The creature’s gaze swept lazily across the ruins, then moved on, utterly indifferent to their presence. Schools of smaller beasts followed in its wake, feeding on mana particles it shed like dust.

As its massive tail disappeared into the gloom, a sigh of collective relief filled the comms.

“Was that… a Leviathan?” one of the elves whispered.

Kaen nodded slowly, “Technically yes but really? No! Leviathan’s are much much bigger and stronger than that beast, even baby leviathans can kill that easily. That’s nothing but a descendent of a Leviathan, though the bloodline is probably greatly diluted. Still, they’re huge, to them we’re less than plankton,”

“Let’s keep it that way,” Albedo murmured.

They continued through the outskirts, crossing bridges that arched over abyssal trenches and gliding past crystal domes still intact, relics of gardens and mana conservatories.

Everywhere they looked, the ruins whispered of power and pride, of a civilization that had once touched the divine and paid for it dearly.

Another construct, a colossal centaur-like guardian, stirred within the fog of the lower sector. The creature’s body gleamed with faint light, its movements slow, uncertain. It raised its head as the group drifted near, scanning the surroundings.

Albedo instinctively stilled his mana flow again. Fade mirrored the motion, their suits synchronizing to the same pulse rate.

The construct stared for several long seconds, then turned away.

They drifted onward, nearing the far end of the district. The last remnants of the Noble Quarter lay scattered below, fragments of statues, broken pillars, and what appeared to be a massive gateway half-buried in coral.

Albedo paused, scanning the glyphs etched into the stone. His visor flickered faintly, mana readings spiking for a brief instant.

“Sir,” he said. “The runes here aren’t dead. Something’s powering them.”

Kaen’s head turned sharply. “From where?”

“Below,” Albedo murmured, gaze fixed on the gateway. “Something under the plaza… it’s breathing mana.”

Kaen approached, scanning the readings himself. The mana density was fluctuating in rhythmic pulses, like a heartbeat beneath the stone.

Fade’s eyes widened. “Could it be… the Core?”

“Unlikely,” Kaen said, though his tone betrayed uncertainty. “The Core chamber is sealed deeper. This… feels like a reaction, not a source.”

The lieutenant turned to the group. “Mark this location. We’ll relay it to Command. This sector may not be as dormant as we thought.”

He motioned for the team to regroup. “That’s enough for today. We’re heading back to the center and exploring another part of the city,”

They began to move back towards the center of the city, heading to another district.

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