The waters churned as the worm emerged, its glistening scales catching the pale moonlight above. It was massive, a serpentine beast from the deep, with eyes like polished pearls and fangs that shimmered with traces of coral and salt. Slithering onto the land, its body trembled slightly as it gazed ahead.
"What... happened here?" it muttered in the Naga tongue, voice low and gravelly.
Before it stretched a once-green forest now withered and dead. The lush trees, once dancing in the ocean breeze, had been reduced to skeletal husks. The soil cracked and dry, unable to nourish even the most stubborn weeds. A heavy fog clung to everything, veiling the land in a shroud of cold death. The worm's large eyes scanned the lifeless terrain with unease.
Behind it, three smaller worms slithered quietly, their bodies coiling with apprehension. The big worm led them toward the place where the murlocs had once gathered—a hidden cove behind a large boulder near the shore.
But when they arrived, the scene froze them in place.
"Empty..." the worm whispered.
Only a few shattered eggs remained. Not a trace of the hundreds of murlocs that once thrived here. The stench of rotting salt water and death lingered in the air. No blood, no struggle—just... absence.
Panic began to settle in their scales. The big worm hissed, unsure whether to believe that something had wiped them out completely or if they had fled. Then, a faint hum—almost like a chant—reached his ears.
They turned.
A ghostly light surged toward them.
From within the fog, a massive crystal jutted out from the earth, glowing with cold, white light. It hovered atop a sinister, obsidian-black tower that seemed to rise from nowhere. The fog receded only enough for them to see it—and for the tower to see them.
Zzzshh! A bolt of magic light erupted from the crystal.
One of the smaller worms was struck mid-scream. It convulsed, its flesh burning with unnatural frost before falling limp on the ground.
The others panicked.
"A house? What is this cursed land?!" the big worm howled in his heart. Another bolt shot out, grazing his side and tearing open part of his scaled armor. The pain was sharp—unnatural. He saw the last two worms writhing on the forest floor, gasping, paralyzed.
There was no time.
With a desperate hiss, the big worm turned and slithered with all his strength back toward the sea, launching himself off a cliffside and diving into the waves.
He would return to the Naga.
From the high vantage point of the Tower, Vanthelis stood still, the eerie wind brushing against his cloak. The fog was lifting just enough to reveal what had happened in the area that it struck.
Dorothy leaned forward first (in her wheelchair), peering through the thick mist. Then she gasped.
"It killed them... the tower—it took them down like they were nothing."
Kristine clapped lightly, grinning. "That's our defense? I thought we'd have to fight them all ourselves!"
Jayson let out a relieved laugh. "For a moment I thought those things would crush us. I mean, look at the size of that worm! But—one shot! Boom! Toast!"
"No, frozen alive, souls gone, maybe," Bane joked, nudging Jayson in the ribs.
The children nearby gathered, whispering in awe.
"We're... really protected now."
"Even monsters from the sea can't break through."
Haben chuckled, crossing his arms. "Maybe your power isn't so cruel after all. That tower's a beast."
Even the Acolytes grinned, their pale faces breaking into satisfied expressions. The Spirit Tower glowed ominously behind them, its silent strength now understood by all.
But while the others celebrated...
Vanthelis didn't smile.
He slowly lowered his hand from the system interface, eyes narrowing. The red dot on the system map had disappeared. One escaped.
He already knew what it meant.
Across the way, in the bottom of where the tower stand, Ishlar stood with arms crossed, watching the celebration from afar. His expression was unreadable, the wind tugging slightly at his long coat.
Their eyes met.
Neither said a word.
But something passed between them—unspoken, heavy, and sharp.
They both knew.
This was just the beginning.
Something was watching.
Something was coming.