A week had passed since Kael buried what remained of his village beneath a cairn of blackened stones. Now, he stood on the edge of a forgotten dock, staring into the misty horizon where the sea met the sky.
He wasn't alone.
An old sailor, blind in one eye, with skin like sun-dried leather and a necklace made of shark teeth, watched him silently. His name was Gravik, once a pirate, now a ferryman of forbidden waters.
"You seek death, boy," Gravik rasped, "or something worse."
Kael didn't flinch. "I seek the Warlord."
The old man chuckled darkly. "Then you'll need more than courage. You'll need to wake the Deep."
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🌊 World Map Overview: "The Shattered Tides"
Kael's world is made up of scattered island-nations and vast, cursed seas:
1. Isle of Emberfall – Kael's homeland, now destroyed.
2. The Black Reef – a forbidden chain of islands where sea dragons are said to sleep.
3. The Hollow Depths – a sunken prison rumored to hold the secrets of Leviathans.
4. The Storm Spire – a floating isle cloaked in eternal thunder, ruled by sky serpents.
5. Abyssian Reach – the rumored stronghold of the Ocean Warlord, deep beneath the sea.
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🔥 Kael's Power System: "Tideborn Marks"
Kael awoke gasping, and the old scar on his chest now glowed faintly, shaped like a flame crashing into water.
The journey had begun—not just across oceans, but into the depths of legend itself.
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⚔️ Next time: Kael faces his first monster, and the Tideborn Flame stirs...