CHAPTER 0: THE FIRST DROWNING
*(30 Years Before Elara's Rebirth)*
Federation Log - Project Luminous**
Date: 2143.09.17
**Location:** Mariana Trench Research Station "Pharos"
**Subject:** Initial Specimen Acquisition
Dr. Adam frost the head of the scientists research adjusted his pressure suit as the submersible lights revealed the *thing* embedded in the trench wall.
"God in heaven..."
The creature was half-fused with the coral, its *sapphire* scales dulled by centuries of sediment. But when the drill bit pierced the ancient growth, its eyes—
Its eyes snapped open.
The ocean floor *shuddered*.
The Blue Mermaid's Awakening
They dragged it into containment, this impossible hybrid of woman and deep-sea predator. The specimen's gills flared weakly in the antiseptic tank, its webbed hands pressing against the glass in slow, deliberate patterns.
*It was writing.*
Junior Researcher Cho (22 years old then) was first to decipher it:
"YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE WOKEN THE DREAMER."
Then the biohazard alarms sounded.
Patient Zero
The footage shows Dr. Frost leaning too close to the tank.
A single drop of water—*blackened and viscous*—leaks from the specimen's gills onto his glove. Within hours:
- His teeth fell out
- His sweat became acidic
- And when he finally screamed, the sound
*matched the Leviathan's frequency*
They incinerated his body.
They kept his CHIP implant.
The First Containment Breach
The blue mermaid smiled as station Pharos flooded.
Researcher Cho (the only survivor) would later testify:
*"It wasn't trying to escape. It was... calling something. And when the black tide reached critical mass, the ocean..."*
She touches her ear instinctively.
*"The ocean sang back."*
Post-Incident Report
**Classified Level Omega**
- All 187 personnel deceased
- 72% of specimen destroyed
- Remaining 28% (including heart pearl) transported to Neridia-7
- CHIP-N7 prototype developed from Dr. Voss' neural patterns
**Final Note:**
*"The Dreamer stirs. Prepare the pink-scale contingency."*
**[CHAPTER END]**