Chapter 1: The Whisper Beneath the Waves (Part 2)
The water closed around me like silk, cool and electric. For a moment, I felt weightless, suspended in a tunnel of shimmering blue light. It was nothing like swimming in the ocean above — this was alive, almost breathing, twisting and coiling around me as if the sea itself were guiding me somewhere. My heart pounded in my chest, a mixture of fear, excitement, and awe that left my thoughts scattered.
I felt someone grab my arm — Jasmine, of course. Her grip was steady, her eyes wide but unafraid. "Are you crazy?" she whispered, though I could tell she was thrilled beneath the panic. "We don't even know where this goes!"
"I know," I said, my voice echoing strangely in the water, "but I have to see it. We have to know what's down here."
The others followed hesitantly — Josh, Maxi, Viola, Vadia, Jim, Aeliana — each swept into the current by the portal's strange pull. As we plunged deeper, I realized how surreal it all was. The water glowed faintly, illuminating walls of coral and rock that twisted impossibly, forming arches and tunnels far too intricate to be natural. Tiny creatures darted around us, bioluminescent and delicate, their lights pulsing in time with the portal.
I couldn't believe it. This was a world entirely separate from Walpole above — untouched, hidden, alive.
"Do you see that?" Viola whispered, pointing ahead.
I squinted. There, faint in the distance, was what appeared to be an enormous structure, something like a palace built into the ocean floor. Its towers glimmered with the same strange energy as the portal. The walls seemed to breathe, rippling slightly, and glowing runes traced patterns across the stone.
"Is that… real?" Vadia asked, her voice trembling.
"I… I think so," I said, awed. We were getting closer, and with every stroke, I felt a sense of destiny settle over me. Somehow, I knew that the portal had chosen us — that we were meant to find this place.
Then the hum began again, deeper this time, resonating in my chest. I stopped swimming, and the others did too. The energy from the portal seemed to recognize me specifically, wrapping around me in a warm embrace. I could hear whispers again, clearer now: "Jatex… Jatex… the tide awaits…"
I shivered, feeling the weight of something immense pressing down on me. The portal wasn't just a passage; it was a sentinel, a guardian of whatever lay beneath.
"Do you hear that?" Jasmine asked, clutching my hand.
"I… yes," I said, barely above a whisper. The voices weren't words exactly, but feelings — promises of adventure, warnings of danger, and something darker, lurking beneath it all.
Suddenly, a shadow flitted past the edge of my vision. I turned sharply, and for a heartbeat, I thought it was nothing more than a trick of the light. Then it came again — larger, faster. A shape, humanoid, moving with terrifying speed, darting through the water.
"Everyone, stay close!" I shouted. The group tightened together, forming a huddle as we swam cautiously toward the glowing palace ahead.
And then I saw him.
Bull Rock.
He was there, just as tall and imposing as I'd imagined from the stories Maxi had teased about. But seeing him in this underwater world — thirteen years old, but radiating strength and menace beyond his age — made my stomach twist. His hair floated around his head like a dark halo, and his eyes glimmered with the same energy as the portal, only colder, sharper, and more dangerous.
"You shouldn't be here," he said, his voice echoing through the water. Not shouting — it carried, somehow, as if the ocean itself had amplified it. "This is not your place, Jatex."
I felt my pulse spike. "And you are?" I demanded, trying to sound braver than I felt.
"Bull Rock," he replied, tilting his head. "I've been waiting for you."
My mind raced. How did he even know? Was he drawn here by the portal too? Or had he been watching us the whole time?
Before I could respond, he surged forward, faster than any of us could react. I tried to swim back, but the water seemed to resist me, pulling me forward toward him. Jasmine grabbed me again, her strength steadying me as I struggled against the pull.
"Jatex, what do we do?" she shouted.
"I don't know!" I yelled. My instincts screamed at me to run, but the portal's energy — that strange, familiar pull — reminded me that leaving wasn't an option.
Bull Rock stopped just a few meters away, circling us like a predator assessing prey. "You have no idea what you've stepped into," he said, his tone mocking but laced with threat. "The ocean doesn't forgive intruders."
Maxi hissed, "We need to get past him!"
"Not yet," I said, squaring my shoulders. Despite the fear twisting in my chest, I felt a flicker of something powerful — courage, maybe, or determination. "We need to understand first."
Bull Rock laughed, a low, chilling sound that vibrated in the water around us. "Understand? You're already in over your heads. But don't worry… I'll enjoy watching you fail."
I felt a shiver run through me, but I clenched my fists. I wouldn't back down — not now, not when we'd come this far. And then, just as quickly as he appeared, Bull Rock darted off into the shadows, leaving a wake of displaced water that tumbled around us.
"What just—" Josh started, but I cut him off.
"He's not gone," I said. "He's just… waiting."
The palace loomed closer, glowing more brightly with every stroke. Coral arches twisted around us like gates, and schools of shimmering fish scattered in our wake, their scales glinting like tiny stars. I felt the portal's pull again, stronger now, almost urgent.
"Follow me," I said, motioning for the group to stay close. The whispers in my head grew louder, guiding me forward. I realized then that the portal — the underwater world itself — had chosen me as its guide. It wasn't just a gateway. It was alive, sentient, and somehow aware of who we were.
As we neared the entrance to the palace, the energy surged violently. I had to fight against it to keep from being dragged into some deeper tunnel, some unknown chasm that seemed endless. The others struggled too, but I could see the same mix of fear and exhilaration mirrored in their faces.
Finally, we reached the outer steps of the palace, where the glowing runes etched into the walls pulsed with a rhythm that matched my heartbeat. I touched one tentatively, and the energy zapped me lightly, sending a jolt of warmth through my entire body. The whispers crescendoed, and suddenly, I understood — not with my mind, but with my very being.
This place, this world beneath the ocean, was calling to us. It wasn't just a portal or a palace. It was a test, a challenge, and maybe even a promise. But with Bull Rock lurking somewhere in the shadows, I knew one thing for certain: nothing here would be easy.
We had stepped into the unknown, and there was no turning back.