The Rustwind groaned under the weight of salt and shadow as it neared the jagged cliffs of the Black Reef. Waves smashed against coral fangs jutting out like the teeth of some ancient beast. The sky darkened—not with storm clouds, but with a silence so deep it screamed.
Gravik stood at the wheel, muttering words in a tongue older than the tide. "She sleeps here," he said, "but she stirs when the foolish arrive."
Kael gripped the hilt of a rusted cutlass Gravik had tossed him the night before. "She?"
Gravik didn't answer.
The boat creaked, rocked... then stopped.
The water beneath them began to glow faintly—a sickly green—then churn violently. Before Kael could brace, the ocean erupted.
A monstrous form burst forth from the reef, scales glinting like obsidian, eyes burning like ship lanterns drowned a thousand years ago. A Deep Serpent. One of the Warlord's discarded pets, long thought dead.
Kael barely rolled away as the beast lunged. Coral-tipped fangs sank into the side of the ship, splintering wood like drift.
Kael stood. His mark—his Tideborn Flame—ignited faintly across his chest. No technique, no training. Just instinct.
He ran forward and leapt.
---
⚔️ Battle: Kael vs. Deep Serpent
Kael landed on the beast's snout, barely holding balance. The monster thrashed, roaring a sound that shook the air.
He drove his blade down—it sparked but barely pierced the hide.
The serpent lunged upward, sending Kael flying toward the reef.
Crash.
Blood trickled from his brow. Bones groaned. But his eyes—focused.
The mark on his chest glowed brighter. He whispered:
"Crashing Veil."
Water surged around his arm, hardening just in time to block the next attack. The serpent bit down... and shattered the watery shield.
Kael used the recoil to roll beneath its belly and slashed again—this time deeper.
---
👤 The Watcher in the Shadows
From a cliff above, a figure cloaked in violet watched in silence. A woman, skin the color of sea stone, with tattoos glowing faintly down her arms. She leaned on a trident carved from dragon bone.
"The boy lives," she whispered. "The mark is real."
At her side, a small crystal hummed.
"He's not ready… but neither were we."
She vanished in a swirl of sea mist.
---
🔥 Kael Awakens
Pinned against a jagged rock, Kael stared at the beast charging again. He coughed blood, then stood tall.
"You burned my village…"
The Tideborn Flame surged. Water spun around him in spirals—uncontrolled but powerful.
He screamed—and the water launched outward like blades.
The serpent shrieked as water lanced its eyes. Kael ran up its coiled body and drove the sword into its skull. This time, it sank deep.
The creature wailed, thrashed… then fell, still.
Silence.
Then waves.
Then breathing.
---
☠️ Aftermath
Gravik rowed silently to retrieve him, muttering, "Idiot or chosen, doesn't matter. He killed it."
Kael, soaked in blood and salt, whispered, "That wasn't the Warlord…"
Gravik nodded. "No. That was only the smell of what's coming."
Above, the woman watched from afar. She smiled.
"Let him grow. We'll meet soon."