The morning dawns like any other in Sevryn, the golden light of the sun spilling over the rooftops and setting the Sea of Essence ablaze with its ethereal glow. The streets hum with the energy of life: merchants shouting over one another, gulls crying overhead, and fishermen mending nets infused with faint trails of Essence.
For Kaien, it's just another day of survival. He sits cross-legged by the cliffs, fishing rod in hand, the line stretching taut into the sparkling waters below. The scent of salt fills his lungs as the breeze tugs at his hair. His stomach growls, but he ignores it. Hunger is an old companion, familiar and persistent, like the quiet ache of being outcast in a world that thrives on connection.
In the distance, the city stirs with its usual rhythm. The Outer Quarter buzzes with quiet desperation, its residents scraping by with what little they have. From this vantage point, Sevryn looks peaceful—normal. But there's something in the air today, something that prickles at the edges of Kaien's awareness, though he can't quite name it.
A shadow flickers across the waves, too fleeting to catch. Kaien's grip tightens on the rod as his eyes narrow, scanning the horizon. The Sea of Essence shimmers as usual, its currents glowing faintly, but there's a dissonance in the way it moves—like a thread pulling taut before it snaps.
Then the sound reaches him: faint at first, a distant hum that builds into a roar. The ground beneath him trembles.
Kaien turns toward the city, and his blood runs cold.
The first sign of the attack is the smoke. Thick, black plumes curl into the sky, rising from the city's southern gate. The hum becomes a cacophony—shouts, the clash of steel, the unmistakable thunder of Essence being unleashed in combat.
A sharp burst of light erupts in the distance, followed by a deafening boom. Kaien watches in stunned silence as a wave of golden energy tears through a row of buildings, reducing them to rubble.
Mercenaries.
He recognizes the disciplined precision of their movements even from this distance, their ranks cutting through the streets like a blade. They're not local—they move too quickly, too efficiently. Their armor gleams with the telltale glow of Essence-infused reinforcement, and their weapons shimmer with the deadly precision of crafted Inner Tides.
Behind them, an army advances, bearing the crest of a neighboring kingdom. Lytharion's fragile peace has shattered.
Kaien's heart pounds as he grips the railing of the cliffside. He should run. Hide. He has no Inner Tide, no strength to fight. He knows this. And yet, his legs refuse to move.
His gaze shifts back to the city. The Outer Quarter is directly in the path of the attackers. People scatter like leaves before a storm, their screams carried on the wind. Kaien can see them—families, children—desperate to escape the slaughter.
And then he sees her.
A girl, no older than ten, stumbles in the chaos. Her long black hair streams behind her as she runs, clutching a bundle of something close to her chest. Her wide, terrified eyes dart around, searching for an escape.
A mercenary steps into her path, his weapon—a massive hammer of solidified Essence—glowing ominously.
Kaien doesn't think.
Before he knows it, he's running. The rocky path leading down to the city blurs beneath his feet as his mind races. What am I doing? I can't fight them. I'll be killed.
But his feet don't stop.
By the time he reaches the Outer Quarter, the streets are chaos. The air is thick with smoke and the acrid tang of burning Essence. Cries for help echo from every direction as walls crumble and Essence-infused explosions light the sky.
Kaien spots the girl again, cornered now. The mercenary raises his hammer, the weapon pulsing with energy. Kaien feels his chest tighten.
"Hey!" he shouts, his voice hoarse but loud enough to carry.
The mercenary pauses, his helmeted head turning toward Kaien. He's tall, his armor scarred but glowing faintly with the mark of rank—a Adept, easily level 3: Torrent or higher.
Kaien swallows hard. He has no plan, no weapons, no Inner Tide to summon. But the girl is staring at him now, her eyes wide with something that might be hope.
"Run!" Kaien yells at her, planting himself between her and the mercenary.
The man chuckles, a low, guttural sound. "You? Protecting her? What's a Tidelock going to do? Beg me to stop?"
Kaien's fists clench at the insult, but he doesn't move. The girl darts past him, disappearing into an alley. Relief floods him for a fleeting moment—until the mercenary moves.
The hammer swings toward Kaien with blinding speed, the Essence crackling around it like a storm. He barely has time to react, throwing himself to the side. The weapon smashes into the ground where he stood, sending shards of stone flying.
The mercenary doesn't stop. He's on Kaien in an instant, striking again and again. Kaien scrambles back, dodging by sheer instinct, his heart pounding in his chest.
Then he trips.
The world tilts as he hits the ground hard, the breath knocked from his lungs. The mercenary looms over him, his hammer raised high, its glow intensifying.
Kaien's vision blurs. Pain flares in his chest, sharp and suffocating. He closes his eyes, waiting for the final blow.
And then it happens.
The air shifts.
It's subtle at first—a faint ripple that Kaien feels more than sees. But then it grows, a surge of power unlike anything he's ever known. It's cold, dark, and endless, like the pull of an undertow dragging him into the depths.
When Kaien opens his eyes, the world has changed.
The mercenary freezes mid-swing, his weapon trembling in his hands. His eyes widen behind his helmet as he stares at Kaien—not in anger, but in fear.
Kaien feels it then, a presence within him that wasn't there before. It's wild and consuming, a current of energy that roars through his veins. The pain in his chest is gone, replaced by an overwhelming pressure.
The mercenary stumbles back, clutching his chest. "W-what is this…?" he gasps.
Kaien doesn't understand what's happening, but he doesn't need to. Instinct takes over. He reaches out, and the world seems to shatter around him.
The mercenary screams, his body convulsing as tendrils of black energy surge from Kaien's hand. The man's hammer disintegrates, the glow of his Essence fading into nothing.
Kaien feels the energy pouring into him, cold and raw. It burns, but it's a pain he welcomes.
When it's over, the mercenary collapses, his body limp and lifeless.
Kaien stands, his breath ragged, his hands trembling. The energy inside him hums, alive and dangerous. He looks down at the fallen mercenary, then at his own hands.
He doesn't know what just happened, but one thing is clear:
Kaien isn't a Tidelock anymore.