Ocean Kisses

Questions

Beef pov

As we moved through the dimly lit halls of the ocean monument, the shimmering light from the conduit casting dancing reflections on the walls, my mind raced with questions. I wasn’t the only one either—Cleo had been firing off questions like rapid-fire, her curiosity refusing to be dampened by the eerie silence around us.

Keralis was calm, unnervingly so, as if he knew something we didn’t. He moved through the water with a grace and confidence I couldn’t match, but even I could see the cracks forming. His fingers tapped absently on the walls as we swam, a nervous tick I hadn’t seen from him before. His head swiveled every now and then, scanning the surroundings, but for what, I couldn’t tell.

"The guardians," Cleo started, her voice slicing through the silence. “Why aren’t there any? Aren’t they supposed to guard this place?”

Keralis hesitated mid-stroke, the faintest flicker of unease crossing his face before he quickly replaced it with a practiced smile. “They’re... around,” he said cryptically, waving a hand as if to dismiss the question. “Probably just watching from the shadows. They know better than to bother me.”

“That’s not comforting,” I muttered, glancing over my shoulder. The water was too still, too quiet, and the absence of the guardians—those terrifying, glowing-eyed creatures—didn’t make me feel any safer. If anything, it was worse.

Cleo wasn’t letting it go, though. She folded her arms, her long hair floating like a halo around her head. “Watching from the shadows?” she echoed. “That’s not exactly reassuring. What makes you so sure they won’t attack us?”

Keralis chuckled softly, though it sounded forced. “Let’s just say I have... an understanding with them.”

“An understanding?” I pressed, unable to keep the skepticism out of my voice. “What does that even mean? Did you bribe them or something?”

He shot me a sharp look, one that made me shut my mouth for the moment. “Not quite, Beef,” he said, his tone firm. “The guardians and I… we’ve come to an agreement. But that’s not something you need to worry about. Just trust me.”

Trust him? Sure, I’d trust him not to get us killed—mostly—but this whole thing was setting off alarm bells in my head. Cleo didn’t look convinced either.

“So, what’s the deal with this ‘heartbeat of the ocean’ you keep talking about?” she asked, clearly trying to pry more information out of him. “And why does it feel like we’re the ones being watched?”

Keralis hesitated again, his eyes darting to the glowing conduit at the center of the room ahead. The light from it pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat, and I realized just how fitting his description was.

“The heartbeat,” he began, his voice quieter now, almost reverent, “isn’t just a metaphor. This place… it’s alive. The monument, the ocean, the guardians—they’re all connected. The conduit is the key, the core. It keeps everything in balance. That’s why it’s so important.”

“And that’s why you’re nervous?” Cleo asked, her voice soft but sharp. “Because something’s out of balance?”

Keralis didn’t answer right away. Instead, he swam closer to the conduit, his fingers brushing lightly against the stone walls as if seeking reassurance. “The guardians should be here,” he admitted finally. “They should have greeted us by now.”

That sent a chill down my spine. “Greeted us?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. “What, like a welcome party? Or an ambush?”

“Neither,” Keralis said, but his tone wasn’t as confident as before. “They’re not supposed to disappear like this. It’s… not normal.”