The royal chamber pulsed with anticipation as Queen Lysandra stood before her subjects—a select circle of sea-priests and healers. Her pale, regal face was reflected in the surface of a crystalline serum, swirling with hints of gold, sapphire, and emerald. She lifted the vial with trembling hands, the faint glow illuminating the determination in her eyes. As she drank, the chamber seemed to quiver, the water itself swirling in anticipation.
A searing heat swept through Queen Lysandra's veins, and her body arched in pain and awe. Her back split open to reveal delicate wings—vast, veined like a butterfly’s but edged with the fire of dragon-kind. Fins erupted from her arms, gills unfurled along her neck, and her skin rippled as sapphire and garnet scales emerged. Rainbow-hued tentacles blossomed from her waist, writhing with sentient grace.
Priests approached, bearing trays of glistening gems and vials of living infection. With careful precision, they pressed the gems into the Queen’s skin, nestling them amid scales that shone like polished armor. The infection, a sentient ooze, slithered across her body, melting and reshaping into a living garment that clung to every curve. Each movement was a swirl of color and texture, both mesmerizing and terrifying.
Queen Lysandra ascended her throne, her wings spreading wide and tentacles trailing gracefully behind her. Her skin, painted with intricate blood-red patterns, glowed with supernatural power. The infection-dress rippled like molten silk, and the embedded gems flickered with inner fire. The courtiers knelt, voices trembling as they chanted oaths of loyalty.
"From this day, the ocean answers to me. The tides, the storms, the beasts below—my will is their law. I am not just your queen; I am your fury, your beauty, your terror. Rise, my children, and let the world above remember us."
Beneath painted skin and living scales, Queen Lysandra's heart thundered with victory. Her people gazed at her with awe, their fears quelled by the promise of her strength. The infection-cloth flexed and shimmered, a living testament to her transformation. As the palace resounded with her reign, the deep sea—once wild and ungoverned—now bent to its new sovereign, crowned in wings, gems, and blood.
