Chapter 76

Briar’s POV

I shouldn’t have been able to breathe.

But I could.

The water around me felt cool and gentle, cradling me like silk, brushing against my skin like soft whispers. My lungs expanded easily, naturally, as if I’d been breathing underwater my entire life.

My feet touched something solid, smooth like marble, yet shifting gently beneath my toes. I looked down, my eyes widening. The lakebed wasn’t dark or murky—it was luminous, lit from within by a soft glow that pulsed softly like a heartbeat. It wasn’t mud or stone beneath me, but polished, opalescent pearl.

I was standing at the edge of a sprawling underwater city.

A siren court.

Columns of coral and ivory towers rose high around me, delicate strands of seaweed and pearls draped elegantly between them. Figures moved gracefully through the space, their tails shimmering with colors I’d never imagined—deep indigo, vibrant turquoise, radiant gold. The water hummed gently with their