The silence was almost suffocating; only bubbles rose from the seabed.
Dorran swallowed, the saliva passing noisily down his throat. "Did he do it? Where are they?"
No one answered.
Lyra hovered at the trench's edge, eyes locked on the darkness below. "I can't sense either of them."
Coralia shook her head slowly. "The auras are scrambled. The blast twisted the currents. It's hard to tell."
Royal guards held formation around the palace gate, weapons ready but hands trembling. The Leviathan statues were motionless again under the Sea King's power. The city's barrier flickered, then steadied as the mages poured more mana into the core crystal.
They didn't want to bring down the barrier just yet since they weren't sure if the fight had truly ended.
King Thalasar broke the stalemate with a firm tone. "No one enters until I say so."
After giving the command, he drifted forward alone.
"Father—" Lyra started, her tone tinged with concern.
