The first sign of the crisis came at dawn, when the fleet's scouts reported an unnatural darkness on the horizon. Princess Liyana stood on the command deck of the Tidal Crown, watching through a spyglass as what should have been empty ocean revealed itself to be something far more disturbing.
"By the depths," she whispered, lowering the viewing instrument with shaking hands.
Where Coral Point Island should have been, a writhing mass of shadow and corrupted light stretched into the sky like a festering wound in reality itself. The dimensional breach had grown far beyond the contained ruptures they had expected to find, it now resembled a storm of pure chaos that seemed to devour light and hope with equal hunger.
"Signal all vessels," Princess Liyana ordered, her voice steady despite the growing dread. "Reduce speed and maintain defensive formation. We need assessment before we proceed."
