Notes : In Philippine mythology, a siyokoy (also shokoy, syokoy or siokoy) is an aquatic humanoid creature often described as having scales, webbed limbs, and fins. Most legends characterise siyokoy as hostile to humans, and are said to drown individuals.
-------(•‿•)---+---+
My hands gripped the edge of my sleeves. I didn't have an answer for that.
He drew a quiet circle in the air beside the charm. The shimmer it left behind wasn't magic exactly. It was more like breath. Like memory. It made the room feel even stiller.
You don't need to speak, he said gently. Just listen to what's inside you.
I closed my eyes.
And I felt it. Subtle. Quiet. Like something exhaling through me. Not words. Just presence.
Familiar.
Safe.
I didn't know where the thought came from, but it
wasn't mine.
And it wasn't frightening.
It was warm.
Almost relieved.
When I opened my eyes again, Nikolai was watching me. Not with curiosity, but with something softer.
Like he knew me.
And maybe something else did too.
Our hands touched lightly.
Not fully holding.
But it still felt like the most dangerous thing that had happened all day.
I didn't know what I was feeling, but I knew I'd forgotten something or someone I needed to remember right now.
I didn't pull away.
Neither did he.
Then a footstep echoed from the doorway.
We both turned.
Zuriel just stood there, the firelight catching the tension in his shoulders. He didn't say a word at first.
He simply looked.
At me.
At our hands.
Then at the charm resting between us.
Step away from her, Zuriel said calmly.
Nikolai blinked but didn't move. She's fine.
I said, Zuriel repeated as he stepped inside, step away.
Nikolai slowly leaned back and raised both hands. Not in surrender, but in caution.
Zuriel crossed the room and knelt in front of me, his eyes narrowing.
Are you alright? he asked, low but firm.
Yes, I said too quickly.
His eyes searched mine slowly, carefully.
Then he murmured something under his breath, and a faint flicker of red flame shimmered at his fingertips.
He hovered them just above my wrist.
I flinched, but the flame didn't burn.
It pulsed once, then dimmed.
Spell trace, Zuriel muttered.
His jaw tightened.
He looked up at Nikolai. You cast something on her.
I didn't cast on her, Nikolai said steadily. I opened something for her to feel.
That's not the same.
Zuriel stood. You didn't ask her.
She stayed, Nikolai replied. That was her choice.
Zuriel stepped between us now, blocking Nikolai's view of me.
You've been off since you got here, Zuriel said. I don't know what your connection is to her. I don't care. But if you try that again without permission, I'll burn the charm from your hand.
I stood slowly. Zuriel.
He turned and met my eyes.
Something in his gaze shifted.
He blinked once.
Then he leaned a little closer, studying my face again.
Your eyes.
I froze. What about them?
They looked different. Just for a second.
His voice wasn't angry.
It was quiet.
Afraid.
For a moment, I saw something in his expression that I had only seen once before. The night I broke down, when he held my shaking hands and told me I wasn't alone.
I wasn't sure who he thought he was talking to now.
I forced a small laugh. Probably just the light of the lantern.
But part of me wasn't sure.
Not because I felt strange.
But because I didn't.
You're still here, a whisper murmured inside me.
Finally.
Zuriel stepped back, still unconvinced.
He turned to Nikolai. Next time, warn me.
That was all he said.
Then he turned toward the door and waited for me to follow.
I hesitated.
Then I followed Zuriel after giving Nikolai one last glance.
But a part of me stayed seated.
Not my body. Something quieter.
Like a thread between me and the silence we had shared hadn't been cut properly.
Like I was leaving behind a version of myself that understood something I didn't yet have words for.
Nikolai didn't say anything.
He just met my gaze and gave the smallest nod.
Not angry.
Not regretful.
Just understanding.
And something deeper.
Something that felt like grief.
Not his.
Mine.
Or maybe ours??....
-----ಥ‿ಥ-------
The wind along the Pangasinan coast was warm and salty, but the beach was as empty as a ghost town. Boats lay flipped over on the sand with their nets dried and tangled. There wasn't a single fisherman in sight.
Only the sound of the waves remained.
Even that felt muffled, like something deeper than the tide was moving beneath the water.
I stepped off the bus with Zuriel, Lucien, Eris, Damon, and Nikolai. Our boots crunched lightly against broken shells as we moved across the shore.
The sky above us was gray, as if the sun had chosen not to rise completely.
Eris stood in front of us with her arms crossed. Her face showed nothing.
Keep your eyes sharp, she said. No wandering off. We don't know what we're walking into.
Zuriel muttered under his breath, We never do.
Focus, Zuriel, Eris snapped before signaling for us to move forward.
They said it started two weeks ago, Zuriel continued, looking more serious as he scanned the shoreline. Fish disappeared. Villagers are afraid to swim. And some…
He stopped for a second.
Some were pulled under.
Lucien shivered and hugged himself tightly.
It doesn't feel right.
It didn't.
The sea itself felt wounded -- or angry.
Our orders from the Council were clear: find out what was happening and clean up what the government called a natural problem.
But Nathaniel's message had said more.
The Convergence was reaching places that used to be safe. If we didn't stop it, the world would start to break apart. It would put everyone in danger and show people a scary truth they weren't ready for. I had to prevent it.
We got to the village by late morning.
The streets were quiet. Houses were locked up and coconut trees were turning brown from the salt air. Only a few old men watched us walk by from behind dark windows.
No one spoke.
Lucien walked near the back, his eyes moving often toward Damon. There was something strange about him. Something hard to read.
Lucien wasn't sure what he was watching for. Only that he needed to keep watching.
A child peeked from behind a doorframe. When she saw me, she whispered softly.
The sea has mouths now.
By nightfall, we had set up camp near the shore. Zuriel kept a low ring of flame burning around our tent.
I couldn't sleep.
The waves whispered things I couldn't understand. Not words. Not images. Just a heavy feeling. Like something ancient was waiting beneath the surface.
Eris stayed awake nearby, quietly sharpening her blade. She refused to use a tent. Damon rested farther down the beach, lying on his back and looking at the stars. Nikolai stayed near the edge of the camp. He was silent and watchful, but never far from me.
Zuriel returned to the fire and sat beside me, digging through his bag. He pulled out a small wrapped bar and handed it to me.
You didn't eat, he said. I figured I'd better bring this before Eris yells at you.
I took it and slowly unwrapped the paper. A small smile touched my lips.
Is this… oatmeal bar ??
Zuriel looked toward the sea and shrugged, trying to sound like he didn't care.
You like it?
I paused.
This is my favorite.
Zuriel didn't answer, but the corner of his mouth lifted for a second. The smile was quiet and short, almost like it hurt to keep it there too long.
We sat together in silence for a while. Then he spoke again, softly.
Gehan. About Nikolai.
I looked at him. Zuriel stared into the flames.
I know you think you can trust him. Maybe you can. But be careful. He's not like us.
Neither am I.
Yeah, Zuriel said quietly. That's what scares me.
I looked down at the sand.
Why are you telling me this?
He didn't answer right away. Then he said,
Because when I saw your eyes change… I didn't see you.
He swallowed once before continuing.
I saw something else looking back. They were still your eyes. But different. Lifeless. Like they'd seen too much violence.
His voice dropped even lower.
Like they didn't care anymore.
The fear in his voice was small, but it was there.
It looked like you, he said. But it wasn't.
I didn't say anything. I couldn't.
After a moment, Zuriel stood up and let the silence sit between us.
I'm not saying he's the enemy, he said. I'm just saying you don't know who you are yet.
He looked back at me.
And he might know more than he's telling you.
Then he walked away. And the waves whispered louder.
-------ಠ_ಠ------
The attack came just before dawn. The first villager screamed. Then the water rushed onto the land.
Something rose from the shore. It wasn't just one creature, but many.
They were twisted, with bodies like eels and sharp, jagged fins for spines. They moved like the siyokoy monsters from old stories, but they looked way more wild. Their eyes glowed like fire beneath the water.
Zuriel shouted as he threw flames that hissed and boiled against wet scales.
His wand glowed with every strike. His fire spun outward, forming walls and burning paths through the tide.
Lucien moved quickly through the mess, leading villagers to safety.
His hands shook as he used healing spells on the wounded, with light flickering from his palms.
Damon stood beside him like a wall. When the monsters came too close, he drove them back with pure strength. His punches cracked bone and broke thick skin armor.
Eris held the front line. Her thin sword glowed with magic symbols as she made herself stronger. She struck like lightning, her movements fast and mean. Between strikes, she cast defense spells around the group to keep the creatures from crowding us.
Nikolai was everywhere. His movements were perfect and his magic looked easy. Bursts of ice froze limbs. Blades of shadow cut through gaps in the monsters' armor. Shimmering walls formed whenever the tide got closer.
Through it all, he never stayed far from me.
One siyokoy jumped toward me. My hand moved forward, pulling a card from my deck. My eyes flashed a pale color.
The Death tarot card.
The creature stopped in the middle of its jump. Shadows spun around its body, tightening like chains.
But I ground my teeth and dropped to one knee. It was too much.
Even one card took all my strength.
I clenched my jaw and changed my plan. My fingers shook as I said a basic binding spell.
Light flashed across my palm, and glowing threads shot out. They wrapped around the nearest monster and slowed it down just enough for Zuriel's fire to hit it.
Another monster dove at me from the side.
(Below the third fin on its back. Near the bottom of its spine. There's a soft hole. Strike there.)
I didn't know where the thought came from.
The third fin on its back near the spine, I shouted. There's a soft spot. Strike there!
Zuriel heard me instantly. His wand flared as a spear of fire shot forward, hitting the exact place I described. The creature screamed before turning into steam.
More monsters rushed out of the water. Eris held the line with perfect skill. Damon grunted with the effort but never let a single creature reach Lucien.
Nikolai kept putting up magic walls around me, with sparks flying from his hands as barrier after barrier appeared.
I drew another card. Then I stopped.
Instead, I shifted how I was standing and pressed my hand against the ground, saying a protection spell. Glowing lines spread across the sand like roots. A magic wall rose around a group of villagers hiding behind the rocks.
My breath came in short gasps. The salt air burned in my lungs, and my asthma made it harder to focus.
But I didn't stop. I couldn't.
Zuriel stepped beside me, with flames spinning around him like a storm.
The shoreline burned. And the battle wasn't over yet.