Siren

The oracle

The days passed in a haze of relentless motion, the ship cutting through the waves, but Jordan barely registered their progress. His crew went about their tasks with a mixture of trepidation and curiosity, stealing glances at their captain, who had become a shadow of his former self-silent, brooding, consumed by his thoughts.

He couldn't stop thinking about Lena and their son. Each night, as he lay awake in his quarters, his mind churned with visions of a boy he had never met. What did he look like? Was he more like Lena-strong, wild, and untamed? Or did he carry a part of Jordan within him, a part of the father who had never been there?

Jordan knew that he couldn't simply let them disappear into the void, not without knowing if they were safe. He needed to find a way to stay close, to watch over them, even if Lena never wanted to see his face again. But he had no idea where she had gone. She could be anywhere-on land, at sea, somewhere he'd never reach.

Frustration gnawed at him, the feeling of helplessness tightening like a noose around his neck. But then, in the quiet hours of the night, an idea began to take root. It was dangerous, reckless even-but it was all he had.

Jordan knew of someone who might help, someone who lived in the darker corners of the sea, a being with powers of foresight. She was an oracle, a creature of legend-feared by many, sought out by few. If anyone could help him locate Lena, it would be her.

The next morning, Jordan called for Garrett and the rest of his senior crew. They gathered in the captain's quarters, exchanging puzzled looks as they waited for him to speak.

"We're changing course," Jordan said without preamble, rolling out a sea chart and marking a new path. "We're heading to the Silent Depths."

A murmur of unease rippled through the room. Garrett stepped forward, his brow furrowed. "The Silent Depths? Captain, that place is cursed. No one who sails there returns."

Jordan's gaze was hard as steel. "I know the risks. But we're going anyway."

"May I ask why?" Garrett pressed, clearly uncomfortable. "What's there that's worth such a gamble?"

Jordan hesitated, then glanced at his crew-men who had followed him through countless storms and battles. He owed them the truth, or at least part of it.

"I need answers," he said simply. "And the oracle of the Silent Depths is the only one who can give them to me."

The men exchanged uneasy glances, but no one dared question him further. They had seen their captain in many moods, but never like this. There was something unyielding, almost desperate, in his eyes. Garrett, though still apprehensive, gave a reluctant nod.

"Aye, Captain. We'll set the course."

As the crew dispersed to make preparations, Jordan stared at the map before him. The Silent Depths. A place where the sea was said to swallow ships whole, where the waters ran deeper than any mortal could fathom. Legends spoke of creatures who lurked in its abyss, waiting to drag sailors to their doom. But Jordan didn't care. He would face whatever horrors awaited him there if it meant getting closer to Lena-and their son.

Days later, the ship approached the edge of the Silent Depths, the air growing thick with an unnatural stillness. The usual sound of waves crashing against the hull had faded into a disquieting silence, as if even the sea itself was holding its breath. The sky overhead was a pale, sickly gray, and the crew moved with nervous energy, their eyes darting to the water as if expecting something monstrous to rise from its depths at any moment.

Jordan stood at the helm, his jaw clenched, his thoughts sharp with determination. He knew the oracle was close. He could feel her presence, like a whisper at the back of his mind.

Suddenly, the water ahead began to swirl, a dark vortex forming in the ocean's surface. The crew gasped, backing away in fear, but Jordan held his ground, his eyes locked on the swirling mass. From the center of the vortex, a figure began to rise-tall and slender, draped in shimmering, translucent robes that seemed to be made of the sea itself.

The oracle.

Her face was obscured, but her voice rang clear and cold, like the chime of a distant bell. "Jordan Blackwell," she intoned, her gaze piercing through him. "You seek answers."

"I do," Jordan said, stepping forward, his heart hammering in his chest. "I need to find her."

The oracle's eyes, shadowed beneath her watery veil, seemed to gleam with an otherworldly light. "The one who was taken from you... She walks a path you cannot follow."

Jordan's hands clenched into fists. "Tell me where she is. Tell me how I can protect them."

The oracle tilted her head, considering him. "You seek to protect that which was never yours to claim."

"I don't care," Jordan snapped. "They're my family. I won't abandon them."

For a long moment, the oracle said nothing, her gaze fixed on him as if weighing his soul. Finally, she raised a hand, and the waters around the ship began to shift, forming strange, glowing patterns. "Very well," she said softly. "I will show you what you seek... but know this, Jordan Blackwell: some things, once known, cannot be undone."

Jordan swallowed hard, but he nodded. He didn't care about the price. He needed to know.

With a flick of her wrist, the oracle sent the glowing patterns spiraling toward Jordan, and in an instant, his mind was flooded with images-Lena, standing on the shore of a remote island, her face turned to the sea. Beside her, a young boy, no more than eight years old, with her same fierce eyes and wild hair. They were alone, but there was a sense of danger, something unseen lurking in the shadows.

Jordan's heart twisted painfully. His son.

But then the vision shifted, the scene darkening as a new figure appeared on the horizon-tall, imposing, cloaked in shadow. A threat. Something, or someone, was coming for them.

Before Jordan could make sense of it, the vision ended, and the swirling waters stilled.

The oracle's voice cut through the silence. "The time is short. You will have to choose, Jordan. Save them-or be lost to the depths yourself."

Without another word, the oracle dissolved into the water, leaving Jordan standing at the helm, his mind racing. He had seen enough to know one thing: danger was coming for Lena and their son. And he would stop at nothing to protect them.

No matter the cost.