P53 - Drifting Below The Surface

Location: Unda City - Unda's Royal Plaza:

The ocean breeze carried the scent of brine and old magic as waves crashed gently against the crystalline walls of Unda's Noble Quarter. The opulence of this water-washed city shimmered in reflected sunlight--pearlescent towers, floating bridges, coral-grown statues--but beneath that beauty brewed bitterness.

Kallis Mire sat alone on a marble bench near the aqueduct gardens, head tilted back, staring at the rippling sky-pool above. His silver-trimmed cloak hung loosely off his shoulders, the emblem of the Mire family barely visible through the wrinkles. Behind the soft crashing of fountains, faint echoes of laughter taunted him from nearby.

"Still pretending to be noble, Kallis?"
"Must be hard living in a palace with no power in your veins."

He heard the same mockery every day. He gritted his teeth and said nothing, as he continued onward.

Across the city, Tara Cryosea dragged her heels across the tiled halls of her estate. Dozens of portraits lined the wall--ancestors wreathed in swirling ice or drenched in blood-red mist. Her mother's voice echoed from the upper floor:

"Tara! For the last time, a Cryosea without magic is no Cryosea at all!"

She slammed the door shut behind her, biting her lip. Her family saw her as nothing but a disappointment, a mere failure in the wake of her esteemed family. "One day," she whispered, "I'd freeze the damn ocean if I could, I swear I'll show you one day that I can be better than you lot."

Meanwhile, atop the glacial towers of House Tydal, Corin practiced sword strikes alone on the family's frost-forged training terrace. Ice spears lined the battlements--artifacts of past triumphs. As his blade sliced the air, his uncle stood watching.

"Still swinging steel, boy?"
"You'll never earn a tide-mark without magic. Stop embarrassing us."

Corin didn't reply. His eyes were calm, but his grip on the hilt told a different story.

That evening, fate stirred.

A glowing message sphere appeared in the sea-chapel at the city's edge, its sapphire glow pulsing like a heartbeat. The priestesses gasped as the orb lifted from the saltwater altar, drifting skyward before cracking open with a hiss of steam.

A watery voice poured from it--gentle, deep, ancient.
"To the three drowned heirs of the Undan line... the tide has not abandoned you. Come to the Reef of the Hollow Depths. There, you shall be tested. A familiar of the last dying water god awaits. Bring your blades but leave your pride."

By morning, Kallis, Tara, and Corin stood--awkward and unsure--before the gates of the city, each summoned by the same call. None of them knew the others were coming.

Kallis raised a brow, recognizing the others.
"...You two?"
Tara folded her arms, wary.
"This some noble prank?"
Corin's eyes narrowed.
"We were all summoned. Might as well see it through."

They had no idea what waited beyond the shallow reefs. No magic, no respect--just three outcasts, three swords, and a whisper from a forgotten god.

And in the distance, the ocean thundered like a slow-closing jaw.