The journey to Ardanth stretched across ten long days, filled with the rhythmic clatter of hooves on dirt roads and the distant calls of birds overhead. The caravan wound its way through rolling hills, thick forests, and sprawling meadows, each day bringing them closer to the towering walls of the kingdom.
Kaien spent much of the journey beside Lyra, keeping a watchful eye on her. Ever since their conversation with Eldrin, she had seemed distant, lost in thought. Her normally sharp green eyes carried a weight, a silent contemplation that he hadn't seen in her before.
On the third night of travel, as they camped near a quiet riverbank, he finally broke the silence between them.
"You've been quiet lately," he said, handing her a small piece of dried fruit from their supplies. The firelight flickered between them, casting shifting shadows on their faces.
Lyra accepted the offering but didn't eat it right away. She stared into the flames, her fingers tightening around the food. "I've just been thinking."
"About what?"
She hesitated, then sighed. "About what comes next. About Sevryn." Her voice dipped slightly at the mention of their destroyed home. "And about my Healing Tide."
Kaien leaned forward slightly. "What about it?"
"I don't know if it's enough," she admitted. "Healing... it's valuable, yes. But in Sevryn, all I could do was try to save people while everything fell apart around me. I couldn't fight back. I couldn't stop any of it."
Kaien felt a pang of understanding. He knew that helplessness well. It had burned inside him the night Sevryn was reduced to ash. "That's why we need to train," he said. "To become stronger."
She nodded slowly, finally taking a bite of the fruit. "And you? You barely talk about your Tide. You stole it from that mercenary, didn't you?"
Kaien's stomach twisted, but he kept his expression neutral. "Yeah," he said simply. "And I need to learn to use it properly. A stolen power doesn't mean much if I can't wield it well."
It was a half-truth. He did need training—but not just for the Tide Shaping he had taken. His Negative Current, the dark force that lurked beneath his consciousness, was stirring more and more with each passing day.
The first time he had stolen a Tide, it had been instinctive, an act of desperation. But now, on the road to Ardanth, he felt something different.
It came in waves—subtle at first, a quiet whisper in the back of his mind. Then, as the days wore on, it became stronger. It felt like a hunger, a clawing sensation deep in his core, urging him to take more. Whenever he was near Eldrin, near Lyra, even near the other travelers in the caravan, he could feel the pull of their Inner Tides. It was as if his Negative Current was reaching out, tasting the power that hummed within them, seeking to consume it.
And it took everything in him to resist.
There were nights he lay awake, gripping his own arms tightly, willing himself to push back against the surge. He couldn't afford to lose control—not now, not ever. If anyone discovered what he truly was, what he could do…
They would fear him. They would hunt him.
No one could know.
So, he fought it.
And after ten days of struggle, when they finally reached the outskirts of Ardanth, he had managed to suppress it.
For now.
Ardanth was a sight to behold.
Its towering stone walls stretched high into the sky, fortified with watchtowers at regular intervals. The city itself was built into the landscape, spreading across multiple layers—lower districts for merchants and travelers, middle districts for artisans and scholars, and the upper tier where the nobility resided. At its heart stood the grand castle of the ruling family, an imposing structure of white stone and blue banners, its towers reaching toward the heavens.
The air was filled with the scents of freshly baked bread, sizzling meats, and the distinct tang of the sea breeze drifting in from the western coast. The streets were alive with people—merchants hawking their wares, street performers entertaining crowds, knights in polished armor patrolling the cobbled roads.
Kaien and Lyra walked side by side, their cloaks drawn tightly around them as they moved through the bustling marketplace. They had left the caravan behind, knowing that their next step was something only they could decide.
"We need to find a place to train," Lyra said, her voice barely audible over the city's noise. "Somewhere where we won't just be learning the basics. If we want to be strong enough to survive... we need real teachers."
Kaien nodded. He had been thinking the same thing. "There has to be a Tide Academy here. A place where people go to learn."
"Not just any academy," she corrected. "The best one we can find."
They continued moving, asking for directions, following rumors. It wasn't long before they began to hear the same name repeated over and over again.
The Arcanis Institute.
A place of elite training, where only the most gifted Tide Users were admitted. It was said that warriors, healers, and scholars of the Tides trained there under the guidance of some of the most powerful masters in the kingdom.
But there was a problem.
The Institute did not accept just anyone. To enter, one had to pass rigorous trials. Some of them were tests of knowledge, others of raw power. And for Kaien, there was a much greater risk.
He had to hide what he truly was.
The moment anyone suspected he was different—that his power didn't come from a normal Inner Tide but from something far darker—he would be cast out. Or worse, he would be hunted.
He clenched his fists as they stood before the great stone gates of the Arcanis Institute, the symbol of intertwined waves carved into the massive arch above them.
Lyra turned to him, determination burning in her green eyes. "This is it," she said. "This is where we start."
Kaien exhaled slowly, steadying himself. "Yeah."
Whatever trials lay ahead, he would face them.
But deep inside, he could feel the Negative Current shifting, waiting.
And he wondered…
How long could he keep it hidden?