Sienna sobbed and broke down as she recounted how she encountered the being that "torn space" and whose "aura was more terrifying than the abyss" in the cold, desolate "metal island," how she was forcibly "studied" (her scales were plucked!), and how she was finally released and asked to bring back this strange disc. She poured everything out in one go.
Her words were filled with lingering fear, resentment, and a deep terror of that "Lind Truk".
"He...he said to hand this over to the elders, or someone who can make the decision...he said it was...an invitation to cooperate...and that he meant no harm to the siren..."
Sirona's voice grew softer and softer until it was almost a gnat's buzz. She clutched the cold disc tightly, as if it were the only thing that could prove she wasn't lying and the only thing that could bring her a little sense of security, even though the object itself made her uneasy.
Patrol Captain Arya frowned, her deep purple fishtail uneasily patting the gentle flow of magical energy around her.
Sirena's description was too bizarre, filled with words she couldn't understand—
"Tearing space", "Flying metal island", "Inhuman monsters".
But the traces of scales on Sirona's tail that were clearly stripped off by external force and left with traces of residual energy, as well as the deep-seated fear in her eyes, were undeniable.
Although this child is a dreamer and very curious, he would never fabricate such a horrifying lie.
Her gaze finally focused entirely on the dark blue disc that Sirenna was clutching tightly to her chest.
It lay quietly in Sirenna's fair arms, its material, neither gold nor jade, shimmering with a restrained luster under the soft blue-green light of the nodes.
The geometric patterns and tiny runes etched on the surface are so precise they are almost unsettling, creating a cold, orderly aesthetic that clashes with the natural, magical rhythms around it.
It didn't emit any aggressive energy fluctuations; instead, like a piece of ice sunk into the deep sea, it exuded an indescribable depth and…
Danger.
Arya reached out, her fingertips stopping an inch from the disc. An extremely faint sense of cold order, as if from the depths of the universe, spread through her senses, causing her to instinctively feel a pang of fear.
This was not any magical creation familiar to sirens, nor was it a product of any known deep-sea race or terrestrial civilization. It was too... different.
“Sirenna,” Arya’s voice was more serious than ever before. She withdrew her hand, her sharp gaze sweeping over the other equally shocked and wary team members. “This thing, and that ‘Lind Truk’ you mentioned, are both beyond my comprehension.”
She made a decisive decision:
"Kayla!"
She pointed to the most composed member of the team, “You stay here and protect Sirina. Make sure she’s safe. Stay at this point for now. Don’t leave, and don’t let anyone get close to her! Especially… this thing.”
She pointed to the disc.
"Yes, Captain!"
The team member named Kayla immediately responded, moving to Sirenna's side with a long fork, and warily watching the surroundings.
"Everyone else, follow me back to the Eye of the Storm immediately!"
Arya's gaze swept over the deep blue disc again, as if she wanted to etch every line of it into her mind.
"Sirena, give me this for safekeeping. This matter is of great importance and must be reported to the Council of Elders immediately!"
Sirona, feeling like she'd been granted a pardon, almost impatiently handed the hot potato-like plate to Arya.
Arya carefully took it; it was cold and heavy to the touch, and the strange sense of order became even clearer.
She wrapped it tightly in a specially made deep-sea algae bag that could block energy detection and tied it around her waist.
"Wait for me to come back."
Arya glanced at Sirona one last time, then without further hesitation, she swung her fishtail sharply, the powerful force stirring the magical energy flow, and she and the other team members transformed into several dark streaks of light, speeding towards the Eye of the Storm at a speed several times faster than when they arrived.
---
Deep within the eye of the storm lies the siren's sanctuary—"The Heart of the Eternal Vortex".
This is not land or seabed in the usual sense, but rather the core of a massive, almost tangible, magical network node.
The enormous, magnificent complex, naturally grown from coral reefs and some kind of strange, luminous crystal, floats like an underwater mountain range in an eternally rotating vortex of energy.
The violent energy flow roared and surged on the periphery, forming a destructive storm barrier, but in the core area of the vortex, the energy exhibited a strange, relatively stable layering and rhythm, like the momentary tranquility in the eye of the storm.
Countless colorful deep-sea fish and luminous plankton weave through the energy flow, creating a dreamlike scene.
The Siren Elders' Council is located at the highest point of this sacred land, inside an ancient hall that resembles a giant spiral seashell.
The palace is constructed of coral and crystal reinforced by countless generations of sea monsters using secret techniques. Its interior space is vast, with a high dome that is inlaid with self-illuminating deep-sea pearls and huge crystal clusters that guide the energy of the magic network, emitting a soft and solemn light.
The atmosphere inside the hall was solemn. Seven siren elders, dressed in robes woven from ancient seaweed and mithril, sat on arched thrones carved from giant giant clam shells.
Their faces, whether aged or dignified, all exuded a powerful aura of natural magic and the wisdom accumulated over the years.
Captain Arya knelt on one knee in the center of the hall, holding the dark blue disc wrapped in a seaweed sac in both hands, and recounted Sirina's experiences and her own observations in a clear and solemn voice.
"...That is how things went, elders."
Arya finished her report, untied the seaweed sac, and revealed the dark blue disc lying quietly inside.
"This object is strange; the order and power it contains... are not of our kind, nor are they known in this world. The 'Lind Truk' described by Sirona, its mode of existence and the nature of its power are even more unheard of. I dare not act on my own authority, so I have brought this object back for the Elder Council to decide!"
The deep blue disc, exposed to the soft light of the hall, seemed to come alive with the flowing geometric patterns and intricate runes on its surface, reflecting an even deeper luster under the light.
That cold, orderly aura, like an ice cube thrown into warm water, instantly shattered the originally harmonious natural magical field within the hall, causing all the elders to feel a distinct sense of unease and vigilance.
The elders remained silent, their eyes all fixed on the small disc.
There was no angry rebuke, nor immediate questioning, only a deep contemplation and... a subtle, almost imperceptible tremor.
“Tearing through space…flying metal islands…” The Grand Elder, Orodan, who sat in the central seat with hair and beard as white as deep-sea snow and holding a staff wrapped with living, glowing sea vines, spoke slowly. His voice was like the echo of a ten-thousand-year-old trench, deep and full of power.
His deep blue eyes were fixed on the disc, as if trying to penetrate its material shell and see its true nature.
"Arya, are you sure Sirona used the word 'metal'? And not some kind of giant deep-sea crustacean?"
"Confirmed, Elder."
Arya answered definitively, "Sirenna repeatedly emphasized that it was cold, hard, rusty 'metal,' definitely not a biological carapace. She even mentioned the labyrinthine passages inside."
The other elder, Serena, who was relatively younger but had extremely sharp eyes, and who was in charge of the magical research and historical heritage of the Sirens, spoke up:
"This description... reminds me of some extremely ancient fragments of ballads, those legends about 'fallen stars' sung by the oldest 'dream weavers' before the 'Great Silence'."
"A fallen star?"
The other elders' gazes immediately turned to Serena.
“Yes,” Serena’s voice carried a wistful, nostalgic quality. “Those songs are too ancient, too fragmented, and are mostly regarded as our ancestors’ imaginations of shooting stars from outer space. But several key words that are repeatedly mentioned in them match the information Arya brought back…astonishingly.”
She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment, as if summoning memories deep within her bloodline, and her ethereal voice softly chanted a fragment of an ancient melody in the hall:
"...neither burning meteorite nor shattered ice crystals..."
"...arriving from beyond the stars, clad in a cold, metallic garment..."
"...Its shape resembles a mountain, its interior like a honeycomb, shimmering with an unnatural light..."
"...It tore through the curtain of the sky and plunged into the cradle of the storm..."
"...bringing...unknown seeds..."
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