The Heart of Thalassara.
It exploded in a breathtaking display as rings of incandescent cerulean radiance unfurled like tidal waves of energy, cascading outward to wash over the Kingdom of Neon and stretch for hundreds of miles.
The newly risen Dharma Manifestation entities, still reveling in the boons of the Primordium Evolutius Fruits, paused as they witnessed the sight. Astonishnt lit their faces. Around them, millions who had only just begun to understand the changes to their world now looked up in awe as even the sky itself shimred with the deep, endless blue of an ancient ocean.
Above the Kingdom of Neon, a literal sea had ford- hovering in the air like a celestial crown. It encircled the kingdom in a ring of water, suspended with glorious stillness.
From that sea, a hazy blue radiance surged like a pulsing heartbeat, shimring as it rose and fell. It ford a glowing film of protective light that wrapped around the floating kingdom like an embrace.
From afar, the scene was transcendent. A luminous land mass suspended in the sky, filled with towering skyscrapers and connected to it, jagged obsidian mountains carved by the Titan Dwarves, all encircled by a glittering blue sea.
The sight was nothing short of ethereal!
The entire floating city glowed beneath that protective blue hue. It looked like an underwater wonder drifting through the skies.
But what truly defied reason was the ocean itself—a massive body of water floating freely in the sky of Neon.
It glimred with a mystical blue brilliance, casting a dreamlike glow across the land. Even though the region had been plunged into night, this sea held a calm, awe-inspiring majesty. The color blue coated everything like the breath of wonder.
Paired with the cascading river of starlight streaking across the sky, it felt… unreal.
And the one responsible for it all stood in silence, gazing up as his consciousness searched inward to understand why.
The Heart of Thalassara had shattered.
In its place, a brilliant blue ring pulsed within an illusory heart, replacing the usual seas of Assimilations Achilles was accustod to seeing inside himself.
When he focused, knowledge unfurled like a tide.
Organic Heart of Thalassara – Inheritance Echelon (Unique).
Qualities: Underwater Empire, Shield of Thalassara, Drums of War, Thalassara's Lineage Awakening.
…!
Another assimilation- an impossibly rare one, manifested under Achilles.
This wasn't sothing that could be raised through higher echelons. No, this stood alone, singular!
And as Achilles studied it, the aning clicked. His grandfather had spoken of this.
The Heart of Thalassara.
It held the grief, the joy, and the wisdom of a drowned empire.
An empire...now trying to be reborn through him. It wasn't just an assimilation.
It was the resurgence of Thalassara itself!
Because the qualities it granted… were unlike anything Achilles had ever imagined.
"Little Fa—" Rose had started, the old nickna escaping her lips before she cut herself off. Her eyes scanned him from head to toe, as though realizing what her heart already knew.
He wasn't Little Fatty anymore.
He was her King. And she, his Queen.
Maybe she couldn't call him that now. Even though he would always be her Little Fatty deep down.
But right now…
"Achilles…" she said softly, using his na the way he always said hers. A smile curled her lips. "What happened now?"
The world around them had changed.
A sea now floated above Neon. Lakes of shimring water hung midair between skyscrapers- so just two or three ters above the streets, within reach of an outstretched hand.
And all of Neon was encircled by a floating ocean.
When Achilles was asked, he could only shake his head, still trying to process it all while rivers of starlight surged through his blood.
"A new Assimilation," he began, "from my Lineage Dreams. The Heart of Thalassara. Unlike anything I've ever gained, it's not about . It's about mory. About the Thalassara Empire- an underwater civilization that ruled the Star Seas for countless eons…"
…!
An assimilation carrying the mory of an entire empire.
It was trying to recreate it.
"The rings of water above and around Neon… that's the Shield of Thalassara. I don't even know its full power and what it can defend against yet. The other qualities… they're built to create a Sea Empire."
His gaze drifted to the words Underwater Empire and Drums of War in his panel.
But what shook him most…
He looked out across the floating lakes scattered through Neon, across Titanfall Mountain, and even into the mystical forest atop the Primal Neon Tower.
Small, bright floating lakes.
They were the Sacred Pools of Thalassara.
And through them…
"The pools around us…" Achilles said, eyes distant, "anyone who enters them will undergo a baptism and receive the Lineage of a Thalassarian."
…!
He turned to Rose, voice low but resolute.
"The Lineage of a Thalassarian is one of grace, adaptation, and strength shaped by fluidity. Anyone who steps into the Sacred Pools will be baptized anew- gaining hydrodynamic senses, pressure-resistant bodies, and abilities tied to water. They'll beco Thalassarians. Born of water. Resilient as the tides. Loyal to all life beneath the waves."
His words hit like thunder.
Rose's jaw nearly dropped.
"That… isn't that the sa as awakening as an Advanced Human?"
…!
Yes.
Each Thalassarian had energy coursing through them. They could move with lightning speed underwater, withstand imnse pressure, and wield abilities common Advanced Humans would kill for.
But here's the thing...
From their perspective, awakening as an Advanced Human was rare. A privilege few ever received.
Most humans never changed. They lived and died as they were born.
Yet across the vast weavings of life, entire races existed where simply being born ant wielding power. Where it wasn't rare- it was normal.
But Ethemia? This unfathomable Plane wasn't one of those places!
The vast majority of Humans remained unawakened and lived short lives!
The advent of this Assimilation… this changed everything.
What Achilles had just said could flip humanity's understanding of power upside down. Who had it. Who could earn it. Who could beco sothing more.
And then he added quietly and wondrously:
"I can activate it at any ti. If I want… I can begin the resurgence of this long-dead empire. Right here. Right now."
…!
The Heart of Thalassara… carried a truth that could shake the foundations of this world!
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