Morning came gently over Mistcliff, but the forest did not feel the same.
Kael stood near their camp, staring at the faint trail of mist drifting between the trees. After the battle during the night, everything felt… quieter. Not peaceful. Just quieter—like the island was watching more carefully now.
Lyra packed their supplies without a word.
"We're going deeper today," she said finally. "Past the outer forest."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Deeper? After last night?"
Lyra smirked slightly. "That was just the surface. If you want to survive the ocean, you need to understand places like this."
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…Alright. Let's go."
The path ahead was barely visible.
Roots twisted across the ground like frozen waves, and the mist hung thicker the further they walked. The light dimmed as the trees grew taller, their branches locking together high above, blocking out most of the sun.
Kael moved carefully, his senses sharper than before. Every sound mattered now. Every movement.
More importantly—
He could feel the water.
Not just in streams or puddles.
But in the air.
In the ground.
Even inside the plants.
It was faint… but it was there.
"…It's stronger here," he said quietly.
Lyra glanced back. "What is?"
"My power. The Tide Binding. It feels… clearer."
Lyra didn't respond immediately.
"That means you're getting closer to something important."
After nearly an hour of walking, they heard it.
Water.
Not a stream.
Something bigger.
A constant, steady flow.
Kael's heart quickened as they pushed through a dense wall of vines—
And stepped into a hidden clearing.
A wide stream cut through the center of the forest, its water crystal clear and glowing faintly beneath the mist. It wasn't large, but it felt… deep.
Too deep.
The surface barely moved, yet Kael could feel a powerful current beneath it.
"…What is this place?" he whispered.
Lyra's expression turned serious.
"I've heard of it. Never seen it myself."
She stepped closer to the edge, careful not to touch the water.
"They call it… the Stream That Remembers."
Kael frowned. "Remembers what?"
Lyra shook her head slightly. "No one really knows. But sailors talk about it. They say this stream reacts to people… shows them things."
Kael looked down at the water.
It shimmered faintly.
Almost like it was alive.
"…I want to try something," Kael said.
Lyra immediately stepped back. "Be careful. Don't rush it."
Kael nodded.
Slowly, he knelt by the edge of the stream.
His heart pounded.
Then—
He reached out.
And touched the water.
The world shifted.
Kael's eyes widened as the forest disappeared.
He wasn't at the stream anymore.
He was standing… on the ocean.
Endless water stretched in every direction, but it wasn't calm.
It was violent.
Waves crashed against each other, towering into the sky. The air roared with thunder, and the sea churned like it was alive.
Then—
He saw them.
Ships.
Dozens of them.
Broken.
Burning.
Sinking.
Massive creatures moved beneath the waves, their shadows dwarfing everything around them.
And in the center of it all—
A single figure stood.
Calm.
Unmoving.
The ocean bent around them.
No—
It obeyed them.
Kael's breath caught.
"…What is this…?"
The figure turned slightly.
Kael couldn't see their face.
But he felt it.
A presence.
Ancient.
Powerful.
And connected to the same thing inside him.
The Tide.
Then everything shattered.
Kael gasped as he fell backward, his body slamming against the ground beside the stream.
"Kael!"
Lyra rushed to his side.
"What happened?!"
Kael's chest heaved as he stared at the water.
"I… I saw something…"
His voice trembled.
"The ocean… destruction… and someone…"
He looked at his hand.
"They were controlling it. Completely."
Lyra's expression darkened.
"…Then it's real."
Kael blinked. "What is?"
Lyra hesitated.
"Legends."
Kael slowly sat up.
"What legends?"
Lyra crossed her arms, staring at the stream.
"There are stories… about people who can control the sea itself. Not just use it like a tool. But command it."
Kael's heart pounded.
"…Like what I saw?"
Lyra nodded slightly.
"They're called… Tide Sovereigns."
The word echoed in Kael's mind.
Tide Sovereigns.
"They're not supposed to exist anymore," Lyra continued. "If what you saw is real… then either the legends are true…"
She looked at him seriously.
"…or you're connected to something much bigger than you think."
Kael turned back to the stream.
The water looked normal again.
Calm.
Silent.
But now he knew.
It wasn't just water.
It remembered.
"I felt it," Kael said quietly. "The same power… but stronger. Way stronger."
Lyra didn't deny it.
"That means one thing."
Kael looked at her.
"You have potential. But also…" she paused.
"…a target on your back if the wrong people find out."
Kael frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Lyra sighed.
"The ocean isn't just monsters and islands. There are factions. Hunters. People who would kill for power like that."
Kael clenched his fists.
"So I just hide it?"
Lyra shook her head.
"No. You learn to control it."
Kael stood slowly.
He looked at the stream one last time.
That vision…
It wasn't random.
It meant something.
"Let's keep moving," Lyra said. "We've stayed here long enough."
Kael nodded.
But as they walked away, he couldn't shake the feeling.
Something had awakened.
Not just his power.
But his path.
High above the trees, the mist shifted unnaturally.
For a brief moment—
The stream glowed brighter.
Then it faded.
As if it had seen him.
And chosen him.