Riven stood before the First Guardian, his feelings a tangled mess. The massive figure before him radiated an aura completely different from the Salt Shadow. If the Salt Shadow felt like a calm sea breeze, this creature was a storm ready to destroy anything in its path.
Lio slowly moved closer to Riven.
"We should probably find a way out," he whispered.
Riven shook his head.
"No. If we leave now, we'll never know what really happened."
The First Guardian stared at them without moving.
"Your courage is the same as that of the human who came hundreds of years ago," it said.
Riven furrowed his brow.
"What do you mean?"
The creature walked around the room. Every step made the stone floor tremble.
"Long ago, humans made a promise to protect the sea. But as time passed, they forgot. They took the sea's bounty without limit, destroyed the homes of sea creatures, and treated the ocean as nothing more than a source of profit."
Riven lowered his head.
He couldn't deny those words. There were still many humans who didn't care about nature.
"But humans can change too," Riven said.
The First Guardian stopped.
"All humans say that when they need something."
"I didn't come to take anything," Riven replied firmly. "I came because I want to protect my home and make amends for the mistakes that were made."
The room fell silent.
Then the First Guardian raised its hand. Seawater from outside the building suddenly streamed through the cracks in the walls and formed a large circle around Riven.
Lio panicked.
"Riven!"
"I'm fine," Riven replied, even as his body began to feel heavy.
The First Guardian spoke.
"If you say humans can change, prove it through your actions."
The water around Riven transformed into images of the past. He saw villages destroyed by storms, ravaged forests, and seas that had lost their beauty.
Then other shadows appeared.
He saw people beginning to clean the beaches, fishermen catching fish responsibly, and children learning to respect nature.
"Humans have two sides," the First Guardian said. "They can destroy, but they are also capable of repairing what they've broken."
Riven watched everything carefully.
"Then what do I have to do?"
The First Guardian pointed toward a dark passage behind the room.
"In the deepest part of this island lies the Sea Source. It has now been polluted by an ancient power filled with hatred. Cleanse the source before it's too late."
Lio swallowed hard.
"And what if we fail?"
The First Guardian did not answer immediately.
"This island will sink again, and the sea's wave of fury will reach the mainland."
Riven took a deep breath.
"We'll do it."
They walked into the passage. The deeper they went, the colder the air became. Blue crystals covered the cave walls, emitting a faint glow.
"This place is beautiful," Lio said softly.
Riven nodded.
"But it feels like a place that's sick."
A short while later, they reached a large chamber. In the center was a spring that might once have been crystal clear. But now its water had turned dark and swirled like a small whirlpool.
A black object floated above the spring.
Riven recognized it immediately.
"That's... the shadow from the coral cave."
Suddenly, a voice echoed from every direction.
"You think you can erase me?"
The same shadowy figure as before emerged from the dark water.
"I am the sea's disappointment in humanity. As long as humans continue making mistakes, I will never disappear."
Riven took a step forward.
"Maybe human mistakes will never truly disappear."
The creature laughed.
"So you've given up?"
"No," Riven replied. "Because change doesn't mean becoming perfect. Change means continuing to try to become better."
The necklace given to him by the Salt Shadow began to glow.
The dark creature recoiled.
"Impossible..."
Riven raised the necklace.
"I didn't come to fight you. I came to understand why you appeared."
The creature fell silent.
For the first time, its angry voice turned sad.
"All I wanted was for humans to hear the sea's voice. But they ignored me. My anger grew until I forgot why I was created."
Riven slowly moved closer.
"Then stop being anger. Become a reminder."
The dark water gradually began to clear. The shadows filling the chamber slowly faded away.
However, before it vanished completely, the creature said,
"Riven... there's still one secret the Salt Shadow doesn't know."
Riven was startled.
"What secret?"
The creature looked toward the cavern ceiling.
"There is something older than me. Something that has been sleeping at the bottom of the sea all this time."
In an instant, the entire island shook violently.
The sound of cracking came from outside.
Lio grabbed hold of the wall.
"What's happening now?"
Riven stared toward the exit, his expression grim.
In the distance, the roar of enormous waves could be heard.
The First Guardian reappeared, its expression worried.
"Riven, you succeeded in cleansing the Sea Source. But your actions awakened something far more dangerous."
Riven stared at the sea as it began to tremble.
"What woke up?"
The First Guardian answered in a heavy voice.
"Something known as the Lord of the Depths."
For the first time since their journey began, Riven felt that their greatest challenge had yet to arrive.
And the sea they had protected all this time still held an even deeper secret.