Noah followed Hadama without hesitation, the manta crystal pulsing gently against his chest. The cold deep pressed in around him, but he moved with calm purpose, his strokes deliberate, conserving energy. The weight of the sea wasn’t unfamiliar—it reminded him of long hunts, of bearing down through snow or fog with no path but the one forward. But the darkness was unsettling.
He glanced at Hadama ahead, framed by drifting starlight, the finned silhouette cutting through the dark. The ring’s shimmer traced safety in the water, but Noah stayed close regardless. The shrine’s shape rose slowly from the murk, quiet and solid. A place that had endured. His breath caught in his chest—not from lack of air, but from the reverence it stirred. Not just for Vi, or even the Old Gods, but for what it meant that Hadama had brought him here. A gesture of trust.
Thank you,, he said across the bond, then he pressed forward, toward the shrine. Despite the creatures that lurked in the darkness, Noah trusted his friend completely to watch his back and stand at guard as Noah made his prayer.
He glanced at Hadama ahead, framed by drifting starlight, the finned silhouette cutting through the dark. The ring’s shimmer traced safety in the water, but Noah stayed close regardless. The shrine’s shape rose slowly from the murk, quiet and solid. A place that had endured. His breath caught in his chest—not from lack of air, but from the reverence it stirred. Not just for Vi, or even the Old Gods, but for what it meant that Hadama had brought him here. A gesture of trust.
Thank you,, he said across the bond, then he pressed forward, toward the shrine. Despite the creatures that lurked in the darkness, Noah trusted his friend completely to watch his back and stand at guard as Noah made his prayer.
the forsaken
