Schools of silver-scaled fish darted between the spires, acting as the silent lookouts of the deep.

Rising from the dark seafloor was a citadel made entirely of iridescent white spheres. The Pearl Kingdom did not possess sharp towers or jagged battlements. It was a city of perfect curves, domes, and smooth arches that looked as though they had been blown from glass and frozen in time.

Two massive, perfectly round pearls flanked the entrance, glowing with an inner golden light.

Kaelen reached out to touch the smooth surface of the outer wall. It was warm. He realized then that the kingdom wasn't built; it was alive, still growing layer by layer in the dark.