The Deep Novels & Stories

Across every platform, the top search was "Diving Club Coach Nearly Causes Fatal Accident Due to Negligence" When I clicked into the search, I saw a video of myself lying on the beach, my calf convulsing violently, while John scolded George nearby. There were clips from all angles—even eyewitness accounts from tourists at the scene. The public outrage kept growing, escalating the incident to new heights.

Dax asked, completely unfazed. "Worse," I said, my fingers flying over my keyboard as I decrypted a fresh packet of data pouring in from the coastal sensors. "The Ark in the Mariana Trench isn't an aerial fortress like Neo-Angeles. It's designated as Abyssal-One. It's a high-pressure, deep-sea manufacturing hub. And they aren't sending drop-ships." I hit a key, throwing the coastal radar onto the main holographic projector. The western coastline only thirty miles from our grounded crater was lighting up like a Christmas tree. But the signatures weren't in the sky. They were emerging from the ocean.

The very deep did rot: O Christ! That ever this should be! Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs, Upon the slimy sea. About, about, in reel and rout The death-fires danced at night; The water, like a witch's oils, Burnt green, and blue and white. And some in dreams assurèd were Of the Spirit that plagued us so; Nine fathom deep, he had followed us From the land of mist and snow.

And from somewhere deep inside me, I assertively whispered, “Relinquo!” Almost as if in response, it leaped off of the man and vanished into the darkness. The room returned to dark and shadowy lighting. I stepped forward, looking at the man's now torn back and reached out to touch it. Suddenly he jumped as. he gasped for air. I stepped back in alarm and grasped the desk. As he settled back into a deep slumber, I turned to look and see what all was on the desk. There was a picture frame made of silver that I could almost see reflections in. A dark book sat there and a small snow globe beside it. I reached out and picked up the snow globe. A smile came across my face as I looked at it closer.

Then, I shoved the stunned sound technician aside and inserted my military-grade USB drive. "Members of the press and everyone watching online. Today, not only have I returned alive, but I've also brought you all a real deep-sea documentary." I pressed play. The screens immediately cut away from the fake memorial footage and displayed the 4K high-definition audio and video from the deep-sea black box. "Stop playing dead! Just save your oxygen and start swimming up already! Zachary's dream is riding on you!" "Summer had my kid just to keep you around as her personal ATM!"

“Tell me..” “I… I…” She couldn’t form a full sentence. Her hands came up between them, trying to push at his chest. He caught both wrists easily and pinned them above her head with one hand. The other slid down her side, possessive and deliberate, settling hard at her waist. Then suddenly, his mouth was on hers. The kiss was not gentle. It was deep, claiming, and hungry. He kissed her like he was reminding her body who had already been inside it. His tongue stroked against hers, slow and filthy, while his hips pressed forward so she could feel exactly how hard he was.

It was a crude one, made with black ink but Damien recognized the silhouette instantly. A woman standing waist-deep in the ocean. Long hair. Arms raised. A crescent moon above her. And beneath her- Something huge, something with horns or fins or maybe both. Below the drawing, someone had written: THE KING OF THE DEEP. Damien stared. The room seemed to grow colder. He leaned closer. The handwriting beneath the title continued. The sovereign entity believed to govern the Deepborn clans. Reports indicate extreme territorial aggression toward surface populations. Historical sightings are rare.

"It's just a legend. But there have been whispers among my people, that the prophecy is coming true. That a Lycan queen has been born who will be the key to saving us all." Samantha couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had always known that there was something special about her children, but she had never imagined that they could be the key to saving their kind. "Who is the ancient evil?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Alexander's expression darkened. "It's an ancient being that has been sleeping for centuries," he said. "But it's beginning to stir, and if it wakes up, it will destroy us all." Samantha felt a sense of fear wash over her.

A soft spiral of blue and silver, shaped like a shell and star fused into one. “What is it?” she asked, voice raw. “A mating mark,” he said. “You’re part of the Deep now. You’ll live long. Breathe water. Bear the blood of the Trench King.” She stared at him. “You want to keep me.” He nodded. “And if I refuse?” His voice dropped to a husky whisper. “Then I’ll bring you here every night… until you forget why you ever wanted to leave.” And when he kissed her again, she knew she never would.

★𝕬𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖆 The pressure of the deep ocean was a suffocating, humbling force. Unlike the crisp, quick movement of the Sky Islands, the deep was slow, dense, and utterly indifferent to the politics of the surface.