She was going to die.

Marina's lungs burned as she did her best to not inhale while sinking further toward the ocean floor. Her eyes ached in response to the salty waters surrounding her, but she didn't dare close them. No matter how much the panicked faces of her crewmates frightened her; no matter how much mind blowing pain was trying to force her into unconsciousness; no matter how much feelings of hurt, betrayal, and grief tried to force her to look away and hide—she didn't close her eyes. 

Unfortunately, the desire to not give up didn't help her in the slightest.

Because the more she descended, the further she was from escaping an imminent demise.

Marina held on for a few more seconds before accidentally taking a breath. As expected, freezing water entered through her nostrils and made her cough. The action didn't protect her lungs or stomach from filling up.

Panic forced her to inhale again, and she was met with the same result.

Breath after the breath, the fight to stay alive steadily began to leave her. Marina understood that no matter what she did, she wasn't going to be saved. It was that resignation to the situation that finally pushed her to close her eyes.

A distant, echoed voice crept into her subconscious. "You cannot die yet, Captain. My people require your assistance."

Slimy, webbed fingers took hold of her bicep. A dome appeared around her, keeping a bubble of air around her head. Strands of water were immediately retched out. A second hand wrapping around her stomach aided in pushing out more liquid.

Marina couldn't understand how she was being rescued mere inches from the ocean floor, but she knew someone wasn't willing to let her jump off the mortal coil just yet.

Because just like her crew, someone else needed her.

It was difficult to see the person who saved her—courtesy of a severely lacking presence of light. Fortunately, with each small movement, she was able to make out very distinct features.

The person had four eyes, no nose, and a thin mouth. Strands for hair looked more like tentacles and kelp stalks. Jagged fin-like growths protruded from their bare arms and unnaturally long legs. Instead of feet, they had flexible fins that guided them through the ocean with ease. Even though it was too dark to see their skin color, it reflected a shimmering green.

Whatever saved her couldn't possibly be human.

"Who are you?"

"An ally. And someone in need."

Swimming over a sandy hill covered in spider crabs, the two arrived at an underwater civilization. One larger dome covered numerous smaller ones. Each section was connected by a series of pathways with seagrass, sand, and thriving anemone. Circular structures had signs written in a strange, unknown language consisting of slashes, squares, dots, and other symbols. Glowing orbs acting as lights illuminated the entire habitat. 

It gave Marina the chance to clearly see the species that her savior belonged to.

She was taken aback by how human they looked alongside some more fish-like attributes. And considering how far their genetic mutations went, she could only guess that the creatures had been living in their underwater habitat for a long, long time.

A shocked expression was pointed at her savior. "Is this... Atlantis?"

"As the fables have told."

"But I thought this place was just a myth."

"Things that can't be easily explained usually are."

Marina was led through a series of pathways before stopping at what could only be a ritualistic arena. The area was small and housed seating meant for onlookers. A statue with a similar looking creature with its hands raised up stood in the back of the room. In the center, a fire pit with dancing purple flames sat on a raised platform. She was set down a few feet away from it.

"My people urgently need your help, Captain. You are our last hope in terms of surviving the morgen."

Marina was still confused but realized she may as well roll with whatever was going on. "The morgen?"

"Mermaids following the path of dark magic. They have been kidnapping my fellow Atlantisians and feasting on their hearts. We've had prophecies of a pirate donning the silken thread who falls from the surface to aid us. And we need you now, Captain."

"I don't understand- what am I supposed to-?"

"Legend has it that the Silken One is meant to harbor extraordinary powers. Powers that could put an end to all this bloodshed."

"But how?"

The Atlantisian looked at the colored flames. "It is said you have the ability to call upon the Divine Quartet: the Azure Dragon, the Vermillion Bird, the White Tiger, and the Black Tortoise. They may have the key to our salvation."

Marina also looked at the colored flames. She stood up, approaching the pedestal in which they danced. A hand reached out to touch the sleek surface.

As soon as her fingers made contact, the aforementioned creatures appeared before her.

The Atlantisian gasped before bowing in respect. "Greetings, Divine Elders. I present to you the Silken One."

"The Silken One? I see." The Azure Dragon nodded its head. "You are supposed to have a crew."

"I did, but everyone was killed. There was an incident with an evil sorcerer and the deity, Yinglong."

"How unfortunate."

"Yes, but I'd like to keep the Atlantisians from meeting the same fate. They said you could help me."

"And we shall."

Marina yelped in surprise as she levitated out of her spot. The gargantuan animals surrounding her closed their eyes, bowing their heads in unison. Each creature let out a faint hum that was powerful enough to shake the arena. Their quiet sounds shifted to low, guttural chanting in a different language.

The colored flames grew and turned white.

Marina's body began to glow.

She felt electricity running through her veins. The sound of bodiless harmonizing filled her ears.

A surge of smoky light exited her body. 

When the Divine Quartet stopped singing, she continued floating.

"What did you do?"

"We've given you a special power that will reveal itself to you when the time is right."

Before getting a chance to ask anymore questions, a screeching horn blared from outside.