the water in around Lara,pulling her deeper into it's vast embrace.the mermaid glided beside her, effortlessly moving through the depth,her sliver hair swirling like a cloud in the current Lara's heart raced,her body still adjusting to the strange sensation of moving beneath the waters surface.it was as if the ocean itself had become a part of it's currents flowing through her, it's power pulsing within her veins.
She wasn't sure how for the had gone,but it felt like they had descended miles beneath the waves,for beyond where the sunlight — could reach.The world above the village,her brother,Elias—it was all a distant memory now,fading into the darkness of the ocean.
The mermaid balanced at her,her expression unreachable "you're feeling the pull, aren't you?" Lara nodded,her voice back a whisper "It's.... ever whelming.i don't know if I can control it".
The mermaid's lips curved into a faint smile."That's the first step,Lara. Recognizing the power is half the battle.The ocean will test you.It will push you to your limits. But it's not just about strength. It's about understanding.The balance ,the ebb and flow of the tides".
Lara cleanched her first,felling the water rush past her skin,the cool currents tigging at her."How am I supposed to understand it?" I don't even know what i'm surpposed to be doing".
The mermaid gaze softened."The power inside you is not just the power of the sea.It is the power to the ancient guardian who once protected this realm.You are the descendant .You are the bridge between the land and sea,the one who can restore the balance that was lost".
Lara's mind was racing."And the darkness? what about that?"
The mermaid expression darkened,her eyes narrowing."The darkness is a force crede than time itself.It was once sealed away by the guardians,but it had begun upon this world had started to unrevel.It seeks to consume everything —bitgbthenland and the sea.But you have the power to stop it .To stop the destruction before tit spreads too far ".
Lara swallowed hard,her chest tightened she fully didn't weight of what mermaid was saying,but the fear in the other woman's eye mand it clear that the stakes.were for higher than she had ever imagined."And how do I stop it ? how do I fight something's like that?"
The mermaid's lips parted,but before she could answer the water around them began to shift, the currents changing in an almost violent manner Lara felt it temperature drop suddenly,.The Sea growing colder,darker.
A chill ran down her spine as new presence made itself known — something ancient something powerful.She could fear it in the air,in the waters,a wave of male violent energy that surged from the depth then a storm rising.
"Get ready", the mermaid said urgently."That is the first trial.Thebfarkness is waking.Iy senses your presence".
Before Lara could ask what that meant the ocean exploded around them.A shadow a massive,formless thing— lunged out from the deep,a swirling mass of darkness that seemed to consume the very light around it. it was like nothing she ever seen,a monsterious,shifting shape that was both living and dead it's eyes glowing with an eerie,malevolent light.
Lara's heart stopped as she felt it's weight bearing down on her,the power of the darkness down on her,chest, squeezing the air from her lungs.She gasped struggling to breath as the dark force swirted around her, it's presence Suffocating, overwhelming.
The mermaid moved in front of Lara blocking her from the dark entity"focus,Lara!" She shouted over the power inside you Don't let it control you!"
Lara's pulse raced,her mind swirting with fear she could feel the darkness wrapping around her threatening to swallow her whole.But something deep inside her stirred— a flicker of energy of power she remembered the mermaid's words:The balance.The sea was not just an enemy it was a part of her.
Taking a deep breath,Lara reached deep inside herself, feeling for the pulse of .power she fat it again — the rhythm of the ocean,the energy that had been passed down through her bloodline .The ancient power that had been. dormant for so long.
And then, with a surge of will Lara reached out.Herbhands glowed faintly and yh bwater around her began to respond .It wasn't just the sea—Itnwad her,too she was covered to it ,one with power within her push back,the current shifting,the water rising up to meet the darkness.
..The dark entity raided,It's from flicking like smoke,ar if it was struggling against the force she was welding . Lara's chest tightened as she concentrated, calling on the ancient magic, pushing the darkness on the ancient magic, pushing the darkness back.
But it wasn't enough. the shadow surged forward,wrapping around her,it's grip like iron.
"Lara?"the mermaid's voice cut through the storm."You must focus! channel the power! Become the ocean!"
Lara beneath caught in her throat.She understood now The Sea was part of her.She had always been connected to it.It wasn't just an external force— It was with her,a part of her soul.
with a scream,Lara release the power she had been holding back.Thr water around her surged,a tidal wave of energy crashing towards the dark entity the shadows withed and screamed, but it was no match for the forces have had unleashed for a moment, everything was still. The water settled ,the darkness fading into nothingness.Larw collapsed,gasping for air,her body trembling with the effort.
The mermaid appeared beside her,her expression both proud and relieved:" You did it,Lara .You forget back the darkness" Laras head spun, her vision blurry.She felt exhausted,drained by the overwhelming bpowrt she had just tapped into.Buy despite the exhaustion,she couldn't shake the feeling that thi was only the beginning.
"The darkness will return", the mermaid said quietly,her voice grim."this was just the first trial The path ahead will be even harder".
Lara nodded weakly,her heart heavy with the knowledge that the fight was for from over.But she had made it through the first test.And if the sea was with her, she said would face whatever came next