"Mother..." Caspian suddenly asked as he finally looked up from the glowing artifact. "Who? Who could possibly tame the rogue leviathans and unite the trenches?"

Nerissa’s depthless blue eyes softened with pride. She reached out, her iridescent sleeves shimmering in the firelight, and gently covered his shaking hand with her own cold, elegant fingers.

"Keenan," Nerissa revealed softly.

Caspian’s breath violently hitched. "Keenan? But... he hated the throne. He resented the royal bloodline."

"He was," Nerissa agreed, offering a slow, knowing nod. "But your willingness to sacrifice your entire oceanic existence for the love of a terrestrial pack, violently woke him up. When the crown fell to him, he realized he could no longer afford to be a bitter shadow. He stepped up, Caspian. And the weight of the crown completely transformed him."

Nimue, sitting nearby with little Zale, smiled brightly. "He is magnificent, brother. There is absolutely no more hatred in his heart. He governs with a fair, unyielding hand, and the people of the deep absolutely love him. The spires are thriving. The abyssal trenches have never known such peace."

Roxy, who had been sitting quietly and absorbing the profound, complex politics of her husband’s former life, felt her heart swell with absolute joy. She reached out, resting her warm hand against Caspian’s broad shoulder.

"That is beautiful, Nerissa," Roxy murmured, her brilliant green eyes shining with genuine warmth. "A kingdom healed, and a brother finding his true purpose. It is truly beautiful."

"It is," Nerissa agreed, her oceanic gaze returning to the glowing white coral box resting in Caspian’s lap. "Which brings us back to your reward, my brave son. You look at this artifact and see a mere enchanted trinket that will allow you to visit the sea. It is infinitely more than that."

Caspian looked down at the glowing blue teardrop. The magic radiating from it felt incredibly, agonizingly familiar. It pulsed with a rhythm that perfectly, seamlessly mirrored the beating of his own heart.

"When you struck your desperate bargain to walk on land, Caspian, you did not simply trade your tail for legs," Nerissa explained, her voice dropping into a solemn, heavy octave that commanded the absolute attention of every Alpha King in the room. "You surrendered half of your magical core. You carved out the very oceanic half of your heart and left it with the trench to power our defensive barriers in your absence. You crippled your own soul to be with your Queen."

Roxy gasped softly, her hand tightening convulsively on Caspian’s shoulder. He had never told her the full, horrific extent of his sacrifice. He had always played it off as a simple spell.

"But Keenan’s ascension and the absolute peace he has brought means the trench no longer requires your sacrifice," Nerissa continued, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "The deeps have released you, Caspian. What lies in that box is the other half of your heart."

Caspian stared at the glowing artifact, a single, hot tear spilling over his eyelashes.

"Take it," Nerissa commanded gently. "Hold it in your hand and crush the crystal. If you do, you will absorb your missing core. You will not be bound exclusively to the land, nor trapped exclusively in the sea. You will be completely whole. You could be yourself again, Caspian, half man, half fish. A true shape-shifter of the tides."

Caspian’s hands shook violently as he reached into the coral box. He lifted the heavy, glowing blue teardrop. It was warm, humming with the sheer, unadulterated power of the crushing depths.

Zarek stepped forward, his massive hand coming down to rest firmly and proudly on Caspian’s shaking shoulder. The Dragon King offered a silent, deeply respectful nod to the Abyssal Queen for restoring his brother’s strength.

The emotional crescendo slowly settled, the hearth magically reigniting with a flick of Kaelen’s wrist. The heavy, beautiful atmosphere of the reunion enveloped the parlor.

Nerissa gently urged Caspian back to his feet, her matriarchal duties to her son fulfilled. Her depthless blue eyes then drifted across the sofa, finally landing on the bundle of emerald blankets resting securely against Roxy’s chest.

"And now," Nerissa murmured, a soft, curious smile touching her lips as she leaned forward in her armchair. "May I finally take a look at the Trickster’s legacy?"

Roxy smiled warmly, adjusting her hold on Little Fedor. "Of course, Nerissa."

Roxy gently folded back the heavy emerald blankets, revealing the incredibly pale, delicate face of the newborn Kitsune heir. Fedor was awake, his tiny, vibrant red locks messy, his fox ears twitching softly as he blinked up at the ceiling.

Nerissa leaned closer, her ancient, oceanic aura bleeding softly into the space around the bassinet. The scent of the crushing abyssal trenches—crushing pressure, deep salt, and ancient, cold magic—washed over the infant.

Instantly, Fedor’s tiny nose scrunched up in distaste.

The baby Kitsune’s highly sensitive core violently rejected the unfamiliar, cold magic of the deep ocean. Fedor’s tiny face turned bright red. He let out a sudden, ear-splitting, and entirely furious wail.

"Oh, dear," Nerissa blinked, slightly taken aback as she quickly leaned away, withdrawing her abyssal aura.

Roxy immediately pulled the thrashing infant tight against her chest, gently shushing him and rocking him back and forth. The absolute second Fedor was pressed against her collarbone, enveloped in her familiar scent of vanilla and transmigrated warmth, his furious cries hitched into wet, dramatic sniffles. He buried his face into her tunic, stubbornly hiding from the Sea Queen.

"I am so sorry, Nerissa," Roxy apologized, offering an embarrassed, apologetic smile as she rubbed Fedor’s back. "He is... incredibly particular about his magic right now. He is still adjusting to his core."

"Do not apologize, my Queen," Nerissa laughed softly, a rich, ancient sound. "He has the blood of a Trickster and the soul of a transmigrated Matriarch. I would expect absolutely nothing less than fierce defiance from him."

But as the laughter faded from the Abyssal Queen’s lips, the warm, joyful atmosphere in the parlor abruptly, violently shifted.

The temperature in the room seemed to plummet. Nerissa’s depthless blue eyes darkened, completely stripping away the gentle mother and leaving only the ancient, terrifying ruler of the deep. She sat back in her armchair, her posture rigid, her gaze locking onto Roxy with an intensity that made the surrounding Vanguard Alphas instantly tense.

Zarek’s massive jaw locked tight. Torian stopped playing with Tyara, his blue eyes narrowing.

"I did not just come to the surface to restore my son’s heart, Roxy," Nerissa stated as she leaned forward, her oceanic eyes boring directly into Roxy’s transmigrated soul.

"The ocean knows the name Abaddon," Nerissa warned, the very mention of the Demon King’s name making the flames in the hearth violently flicker. "He is manipulating the fabric of our reality. He is moving the cosmic pieces on the board, preparing for a cataclysm. Tell me, Matriarch. Do you know his plan? Do you know what this devil is truly hunting?"

The grand parlor went completely, devastatingly quiet. The joyous reunion was instantly eclipsed by the apocalyptic shadow of the Architect.

Roxy stopped rocking the baby. She sat perfectly still, holding the Kitsune heir tightly against her chest. She looked up at the towering, terrifying monsters of her Vanguard pack standing around her, and then looked directly into the ancient eyes of the Abyssal Queen.

Roxy’s brilliant green eyes hardened.

"Abaddon wants me."