It was my first time in a submarine, and to be honest, I wasn't sure if I was exhilarated or terrified. The claustrophobia of the metal walls pressing in, the hum of the engines, and the thought that the vast, crushing weight of the ocean was above me and all around me—it was like stepping into the belly of the beast.
But I had my reasons to be here.
I'm Lila Wren, marine scientist with an obsession for things that most people only read about in myths and legends. People dismiss the ocean as just a collection of water, salt, and creatures that swim and die in cycles we can't even begin to understand. But I know better. I always have.
My mother's voice echoed in my memory, just like it always did when I found myself on the edge of something important.
"The ocean is alive, Lila. It sings a song you can't hear yet, but it will call to you, when the time is right."
I used to think she was mad. Now, I understood that the sea had more to offer than any human ever realized.
This trip, though, wasn't about folklore or oceanic dreams. It was about science, about finding the truth buried deep beneath the waves. We had been studying the deep trenches for months, analyzing unusual seismic activities. But there was one thing we hadn't accounted for—something alive in the deep, sending pulses through the ocean like a heartbeat.
The submersible I was in was designed to withstand the pressure of the abyss. I could hear the soft scraping of its hull against the cold currents, like a whispered warning. We were getting closer.
"How far down are we?" I asked, voice trembling slightly.
"Almost to the trench," said the captain, his face lit by the soft green glow of the control panel. "Just a few hundred meters left."
I felt a shiver run down my spine. The trench was known for being unstable—unpredictable. Some said it was cursed.
"Don't worry," the captain said, his voice more reassuring than I expected. "We've done this a thousand times. Nothing's going to happen."
But the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. There was something down here. I could feel it in the way the water tugged at the submersible, like it was calling to me.
Suddenly, the sonar beeped—a sharp, high-pitched noise that made my heart race.
"Something's wrong," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.
The captain looked at the radar, his face turning pale. "It's… it's moving toward us."
I couldn't breathe.
Then, a flash of silver. Something huge, powerful, darted across the screen. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. The shape didn't match anything in our database. And it wasn't moving like any sea creature I'd ever studied. This was something else.
Then came the second sound, a deeper, more guttural pulse. It was rhythmic, almost like a heartbeat.
"Brace yourself," the captain warned. The sub began to shake violently.
I gripped the armrest, my eyes wide. It wasn't just the ocean. It was something alive… aware.
The lights flickered. And then the darkness of the ocean swallowed us whole.
For a brief moment, the shaking stopped. Silence, deep and all-encompassing. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
And then—a voice.
A whisper so faint, so soft, that I almost thought I imagined it. It came from the deepest part of the ocean, vibrating through the metal walls.
"Leave... now..."
My heart skipped a beat. The voice was almost... human.
Was this some kind of signal? A warning?
Before I could even ask myself if it was my mind playing tricks, the sub began to tremble again, stronger this time. The sonar pinged louder, faster, like something was coming for us.
I had studied the ocean for years. I knew it was capable of strange things, but nothing like this.
I wasn't ready to face what was out there. But I didn't have a choice. We were going deeper. And whatever was down here was pulling us into its world.
Then, a shadow loomed. At first, I thought it was an illusion, a trick of the light. But it wasn't.
A creature, no—a being—swam past us, so close I could see its glowing eyes through the glass. It was enormous, its tail sweeping the water with enough force to shake the sub.
I stared in disbelief as it circled us, its presence powerful, regal. It had features I couldn't comprehend—like a blend of human and ocean, shimmering scales, and an aura that seemed to whisper secrets older than humanity itself.
A merman?
No. This was something else.
And then, the voice again—this time louder, more insistent. "Leave now… before it's too late."
The sub's engines sputtered, and the cold grip of the ocean pulled tighter. The lights flickered once more.
And then—nothing.
Silence.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to break the surface of the water and never look back. But something in me knew—this wasn't over. This was only the beginning.
End of Chapter 1.