The Coral Vault’s pearl walls glowed as the traitor stepped inside, their tidewatcher armor shimmering with a sickly green hue. Sophie’s notebook pulsed in her satchel, its cracked-mask page burning in her mind. Her mark throbbed, and fear gripped her. The traitor was someone from Moonhaven—someone she’d trusted.

Marin raised her staff, waves swirling protectively. “Show yourself!” she demanded, her voice steady despite the shades clawing at the vault’s doors.

Kael moved in front of Sophie, his trident gleaming. “You’re not getting past us,” he growled, his teal eyes fierce.

The traitor laughed, a cold sound that echoed in the dome. They pulled off their helmet, revealing Taryn’s face—his quiet kindness replaced by a twisted smile. His eyes glowed with the curse’s shadow, and Sophie’s heart sank.

“Taryn?” Her voice trembled. “Why?”

Taryn twirled his staff, its pearl dark as ink. “The sorceress showed me the truth, Sophie. Thalindra’s weak, clinging to old tides. The curse will remake it—stronger, better.”

Marin’s face hardened. “You’ve betrayed your oath, Taryn. The curse destroys everything.”

Taryn sneered. “You’re blind, Marin. The Moonveil Sorceress will rise, and I’ll stand with her.”

Sophie’s notebook glowed hotter, and Lumi’s chime cut through the tension: “Weave, Sophie! Your tide can reach his heart!”

She opened the notebook, the cracked-mask page pulsing. Her stories had heroes who saved friends, not fought them. She traced her mark, summoning a silver tide that shimmered with moonlight. It surged toward Taryn, soft but persistent, wrapping around him. His staff faltered, and the green in his eyes flickered. For a moment, he looked like the boy who’d smiled during training.

“Sophie…” Taryn whispered, his voice breaking. “I didn’t want this…”

But the vault shook, a low hum growing louder. Taryn’s eyes flared green again, and he raised his staff, summoning a dark wave that clashed with Sophie’s tide. Shades poured through the cracking doors, their claws glinting. Kael lunged, his trident meeting Taryn’s staff in a shower of sparks, while Marin’s wave held the shades at bay.

“Taryn, fight it!” Sophie pleaded, weaving another tide. Her mark burned, and the notebook’s page glowed brighter, showing a tide lifting a broken mask to the moon. Was there hope for him?

Taryn staggered, clutching his head. “Get out…” he rasped, his voice his own for a moment. “The sorceress—she’s watching!”

The vault’s ceiling cracked, water trickling in. Marin shouted, “We can’t hold this! Sophie, we have to go!”

Sophie hesitated, her tide still reaching for Taryn. He met her eyes, a flicker of regret in his gaze, then shoved her back, his dark wave pushing her toward the exit. “Go!” he yelled, turning to face the shades.

Kael grabbed Sophie’s arm, pulling her through a side tunnel as Marin sealed it with a wave. The vault’s hum became a roar, and Taryn’s silhouette vanished in a surge of shadows and water.

They surfaced near Moonhaven, gasping, the sky above swirling with unnatural clouds. Sophie’s heart ached—Taryn had pushed her to safety, but had he survived? Her notebook glowed, the broken-mask page hinting at redemption. Marin’s face was grim. “The sorceress used Taryn to distract us. She’s attacking the Moonheart, Thalindra’s core.”

Sophie’s mark pulsed, and her notebook opened to a new page: a tide crashing over a cloaked figure. The sorceress was closer than ever, and Taryn’s fate hung in the balance.

Cliffhanger: Did Taryn survive the vault’s collapse, and can Sophie reach the Moonheart before the sorceress strikes?

Chapter 6: The Betrayer’s Mask

Join the Discussion