The City That Slept Beneath the Waves

For centuries, sailors spoke of a city visible only on calm nights, shimmering beneath the ocean’s surface like a memory of civilization. They called it Elysara.

One evening, a young diver named Nomi followed a flicker of gold beneath the tide. She found streets of coral, lamps burning without oil, statues weeping salt tears.

At the city’s heart stood a clocktower still ticking, though the world around it was drowned. When she touched it, the hands began to move backward — and for a brief moment, the sea turned into air.

The climax: She saw the people of Elysara smiling, living, singing. When the clock struck twelve, everything vanished. Nomi surfaced alone — a glowing shell clutched in her palm, whispering the name Elysara with every wave.