Moments later,

Aria

The black waters of the Capital's harbor lapped against the stone pier with a rhythmic, heavy slosh, smelling of brine, rotting kelp, and the faint, sweet trace of raw mana.

At precisely midnight, the tide hit its absolute lowest ebb, exposing a wet, barnacle-encrusted archway that had been submerged for decades. Water cascaded off the ancient stone runes in thick sheets, glowing with a bioluminescent amber light that matched the dungeon listing in the guild hall.

"Water levels are optimal," Aquarius murmured, his fingers flying across his interface crystal as his fox ears twitched under his leather cap. "The internal atmospheric pressure of the rift is stable...