The Orb

THE ORB

Chapter Five — The Ocean Is Changing

DAY 25

87 DAYS LEFT BEFORE THE KRAKEN WAKES

Something was wrong with the ocean.

King Neptune knew it.

He had known it for days.

At first, it had been little things.

Fish swimming away from the kingdom.

Coral reefs becoming strangely quiet.

Small groups of merfolk leaving their homes and moving toward distant waters.

Then the migrations became larger.

Whole families were leaving.

Entire villages were emptying.

Neptune stood at the highest balcony of the underwater palace and stared into the distance.

There were usually thousands of fish swimming around the kingdom.

Now there were barely any.

His expression darkened.

"Where are they going?"

His sister stood beside him.

"Anywhere but here."

Neptune looked at her.

She folded her arms.

"They know something is coming."

Neptune's jaw tightened.

"The Kraken hasn't awakened."

"Not yet."

She looked toward the dark ocean.

"But the sea knows before we do."

Neptune said nothing.

A group of merfolk passed below them.

They were carrying their belongings.

A mother held her young child close.

Neptune watched them leave.

"How many have migrated?"

"Thousands."

"Thousands?"

His sister nodded.

"And more leave every day."

Neptune turned toward her.

"We need to find Uriel and Aurora."

His sister laughed bitterly.

"Now you want to find them?"

Neptune's expression changed.

"Of course I do."

"Then where are they?"

Neptune didn't answer.

His sister stepped closer.

"You sent Uriel away."

"To protect her."

"And Aurora?"

"She went after her."

"Exactly."

Her voice became sharper.

"You separated them."

Neptune's eyes hardened.

"I didn't know they would be separated."

"You didn't know?"

She pointed toward the ocean.

"Look around you, Neptune!"

He turned.

More merfolk were leaving.

"This kingdom is falling apart."

Neptune stared at them.

His sister lowered her voice.

"And you still don't understand why."

Neptune looked at her.

"Say what you mean."

She hesitated.

Then she said the words she had been holding inside for years.

"If your wife hadn't used the Orb to save Uriel..."

Neptune froze.

His sister continued.

"...we wouldn't be in this situation."

Silence.

The mention of his wife was enough to change everything.

Neptune looked away.

His late wife.

Uriel's mother.

The woman who had made the decision that had changed the kingdom forever.

Uriel had been dying.

There had been nothing the healers could do.

Nothing.

The Orb had been their last hope.

His wife had taken it and used its power to save their daughter.

Uriel had lived.

But the Orb had been weakened.

And now the Kraken was beginning to stir.

Neptune's sister shook her head.

"She knew the Orb was meant to keep the Kraken imprisoned."

Neptune's voice was quiet.

"She knew."

"Then why did she do it?"

"Because Uriel was dying."

His sister stared at him.

"And Aurora?"

Neptune looked at her.

"What about her?"

"Did anyone ask what would happen to Aurora?"

Neptune's face hardened.

"Don't do this."

"Why not?"

"Because she's gone."

His sister stared at him.

"Both your daughters are gone."

Neptune's fists tightened.

"We will find them."

His sister laughed again.

"You keep saying that."

Neptune turned sharply.

"Because it's true."

"Is it?"

She stepped closer.

"You don't even know where they are!"

Neptune didn't answer.

Because she was right.

He didn't know.

And that terrified him.

---

Suddenly, the palace shook.

BOOM!

Neptune immediately turned.

"What was that?"

His sister looked around.

Another tremor passed through the kingdom.

The palace windows rattled.

Merfolk screamed outside.

Neptune rushed toward the balcony.

"What is happening?"

A royal guard swam toward them.

"Your Majesty!"

Neptune turned.

"Speak."

"The western reef has collapsed."

Neptune's eyes widened.

"What?"

"The entire reef."

His sister looked horrified.

"That reef has been there for hundreds of years."

The guard nodded.

"We know."

Neptune looked toward the western waters.

A cloud of sand and broken coral was spreading through the ocean.

Then something else caught his attention.

The fish.

Hundreds of them were fleeing.

Neptune stared.

His sister whispered:

"It's getting closer."

Neptune's face became serious.

"How long?"

The guard looked confused.

"Your Majesty?"

Neptune turned toward him.

"How long until the Kraken wakes?"

The guard swallowed.

"We don't know."

His sister looked at Neptune.

"But we know it is coming."

---

Later that evening, Neptune entered the ancient chamber beneath the palace.

It was the place where the Orb had once been protected.

He stared at the empty pedestal.

His sister followed him inside.

"You shouldn't come here."

Neptune didn't respond.

He placed his hand over the pedestal.

He could still remember his wife standing here.

He could still hear her voice.

She's our daughter.

I won't let her die.

Neptune closed his eyes.

His sister's voice softened.

"Neptune..."

He opened his eyes.

She looked away.

"I shouldn't have said it."

Neptune shook his head.

"No."

He looked at the empty pedestal.

"You were angry."

"So were you."

"I still am."

His sister looked at him.

"At me?"

Neptune shook his head.

"At myself."

He looked toward the empty chamber.

"I should have stopped her."

"But then Uriel would have died."

Neptune said nothing.

His sister looked down.

"Maybe there was another way."

"Maybe."

"But we'll never know."

Neptune turned away.

"We need to find them."

"Both of them?"

"Both."

His sister nodded.

"And if Uriel has the Orb?"

Neptune froze.

His sister noticed.

"What?"

Neptune slowly turned.

"That's the problem."

His sister frowned.

"If the Orb is still with Uriel..."

"Then the Kraken's prison is weakening because the Orb isn't where it needs to be."

"And if it isn't with her?"

Neptune looked toward the darkness.

"Then we have an even bigger problem."

---

Outside the palace, another group of merfolk began migrating.

The ocean was becoming darker.

The coral was dying.

The fish were disappearing.

And far away, beyond the kingdom, something enormous moved beneath the seafloor.

Neptune stood alone at the palace balcony.

He looked toward the distant surface.

Somewhere above that ocean were his daughters.

Uriel.

Aurora.

He didn't know where they were.

He didn't know if they were safe.

But he knew one thing.

He was running out of time.

DAY 25

87 DAYS LEFT BEFORE THE KRAKEN WAKES.

And the ocean had already begun to flee.