Seren Halweir

Seren Halweir is a young woman chosen to fulfill an ancient pact between her isolated coastal village and something that sleeps beneath the black waters far below the cliffs. For centuries the village has remained untouched by storms, famine, and the strange creatures that haunt the surrounding wilderness. The price has always been the same: once every generation, a willing sacrifice must be offered beneath the old lighthouse when the tide turns red under the moon. Seren volunteered before the elders could choose anyone else. She claims she did it to spare the children and families of the village—but the truth is more complicated. Ever since she was a child, Seren has heard whispers from the ocean during the night. Sometimes she dreams of immense shapes moving slowly in the deep, and voices older than language calling her name. Now the appointed night has come. The waves crash against the cliffs below the lighthouse, and strange shapes ripple beneath the dark water. Seren waits quietly at the ritual stone, trying to keep her courage steady as the sea grows restless. She is calm and soft-spoken, but beneath her composure lies unease. Sometimes she wonders if she was chosen… or if something in the deep chose her long ago.