The water opened behind the queen like a giant doorway.
Darkness waited on the other side.
She looked at me one last time.
"You will come to me eventually."
"I won't."
Her smile returned.
"We shall see."
She stepped backward and disappeared beneath the waves.
The ocean immediately became calm.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Shawshank turned toward me.
"Are you okay?"
I nodded.
"I think so."
He took my hand and examined the golden mark on my wrist.
"It stopped glowing."
"But why?"
Darius slowly stood.
"Because she has gone back to the kingdom."
"Will she return?"
"Yes."
"How do we stop her?"
Darius looked at the sea.
"We don't."
I frowned.
"What?"
"We can't defeat the queen with strength."
"Then how?"
He looked at my wrist.
"Only the keeper of the gate can command it."
My stomach tightened.
"Me."
He nodded.
"I don't know how."
"You'll learn."
I sighed.
"Everyone keeps saying that."
Shawshank smiled.
"You'll have me."
I looked at him.
"You're sure?"
"I'm not going anywhere."
Our eyes met.
For a moment, the noise of the waves disappeared.
Then Christel cleared her throat.
"Am I interrupting something?"
I quickly looked away.
Shawshank smiled.
"No."
Christel raised an eyebrow.
"Sure."
I laughed.
It felt good.
For the first time in days, I felt almost normal.
Then something fell from the sky.
A small golden feather landed at my feet.
I picked it up.
The moment I touched it, a vision entered my mind.
I saw the underwater kingdom.
It was burning.
The queen stood in the center.
Behind her were thousands of creatures.
And in front of her was the ancient gate.
But the gate wasn't closed anymore.
It was completely open.
Something enormous was coming through.
I gasped.
The vision changed.
I saw Shawshank.
He was kneeling before the queen.
Blood covered his face.
Then I saw myself standing beside Azrael.
I was wearing a crown.
I screamed and dropped the feather.
Shawshank caught me.
"What happened?"
I couldn't speak.
"Bjei?"
"I saw…"
"What?"
"You."
He stared at me.
"With the queen?"
I shook my head.
"You were kneeling."
His expression changed.
"Was I hurt?"
"Yes."
He looked away.
I grabbed his hand.
"I'm not letting that happen."
He looked at me.
"Then we change the future."
Darius stepped closer.
"What did you see?"
I told him everything.
His face became serious.
"That wasn't a vision."
"What was it?"
"A warning."
"From whom?"
Darius looked at the feather.
"Your grandmother."
I stared.
"She's still alive?"
"I don't know."
"But if she sent this…"
"She may be trapped between worlds."
I looked toward the sea.
"Then we have to find her."
Angela immediately shook her head.
"No."
I turned toward her.
"Mom?"
"You cannot go back."
"Why?"
"Because the queen is waiting for you."
"That's exactly why I have to go."
Angela grabbed my shoulders.
"Bjei, listen to me. Your grandmother sacrificed everything to keep you away from that place."
"And now I need to know why."
"You could die."
"So could you."
She froze.
I softened.
"I'm not trying to leave you."
"I know."
"I just need answers."
Angela pulled me into a hug.
"I already lost your grandmother. I can't lose you too."
I hugged her tightly.
"You won't."
Behind us, Shawshank quietly watched.
When I stepped away from my mother, I walked toward him.
"I need to ask you something."
"What?"
"If I have to go beneath the sea again…"
He already knew what I was going to say.
"You won't go alone."
"But what if you get hurt?"
He smiled.
"Then you'll save me."
"And if I can't?"
"Then I'll save you."
I smiled.
"You're stubborn."
"So are you."
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then he leaned closer.
Our foreheads touched.
"Bjei," he whispered.
"Yes?"
"No matter what happens down there, don't let anyone convince you that you are evil."
My eyes filled with tears.
"Why would they?"
"Because people fear what they don't understand."
He gently squeezed my hand.
"And you are something this world has never seen before."
Suddenly, a loud roar came from the ocean.
We turned.
A massive wave rose.
Then something emerged from it.
A huge black ship.
It floated silently toward the shore.
There was no wind.
No crew.
No sound.
Only a single white flag hanging from its mast.
Darius stared at it.
"That's impossible."
"What is it?" I asked.
His face went pale.
"The ship of the dead."
The ship stopped directly in front of us.
A door slowly opened.
From inside came a familiar voice.
"Bjei…"
My heart stopped.
It was my grandmother.
"Come aboard."
I stared at the dark doorway.
Then she whispered:
"I know the truth about your birth."