————— Whisper Script —————
Designated Vessel: [Renald Simon]
Order: [Initiate]
Affinity: [Water]
Realm: [Siren's Abyssal Sanctuary.]
Path: [Siren.]
Derivative: [Water (core-bound.)]
Laws & Concepts: [???], [???], [???]
Perks: [Siren's perception - exclusive], [Hyper adaptation], [Aquatic Respiration]
Whispers: [???]
Resonance: [Faint.]
Resonant Arts: [???]
Drowned Scripture:
"Let Silence judge.
Let the Sea remember.
Let the unworthy forget how to breathe."
————— ~~~~~~~~~~~ —————
Ren blinked.
He smiled as the words unfurled across the tablet, glowing softly.
"So this is the Whisper Script Aika talked about, huh?"
He frowned faintly. "Weird name though. Who's whispering?"
He watched as the symbols pulsed gently—like breath. Soft. Rhythmic. As if the tablet itself were alive.
It wasn't a language Ren had ever seen before, yet somehow… he understood it. Not just the meaning, but the feeling behind each stroke. As if it had always been his native tongue.
After reading the first two lines, he exhaled slowly, the air cool in his throat, and gave a small, satisfied nod.
He was finally an initiate. The whisper script had just confirmed it.
"Affinity: Water. Yeah… knew that."
His eyes lingered on the next line.
Realm: [Siren's Abyssal Sanctuary.]
"Mmm… is that what this place is called?" he murmured to himself.
But the moment the words left his lips, the script rippled—slower this time.
It deepened. Grew larger. Like something vast had stirred beneath the surface.
New words bled across the tablet.
Ren's eyes widened as he read the words.
[Siren's Abyssal Sanctuary -
The god of the sea withdrew from the world—
Tired of sunlit realms and the endless noise of other gods.
In the coldest trench of the ocean, deep within the abyss, he carved a home in silence.
There, beneath all knowing, he shaped his children—
The most beautiful creatures in the world.
Sirens, he called them. Born of sorrow. Bred for judgment.
Not singers, but sentinels.
Not mourners, but watchers.
Each song they sing is a warning.
Each note, a blade.
They do not sing to beckon—but to bind.
They are his voice in the deep.
His will.
And those who enter the sanctuary are not guests.
They are trials.
The drowned hang in stillness—
Unworthy souls, claimed by pressure and silence.
They are watched. They are measured. They are forgotten.
For this sanctuary is not a refuge.
It is not mercy.
It is the consequence of being seen—
By a god who no longer feels warmth.
It is his throne of silence,
His home of cold judgment,
And the sirens—
His beloved, merciless heirs.]
Ren read that aloud twice, trying to make sense of it—but it all felt so alien. Questions began to stir in his mind, piling one after another.
Who is this god of the sea?
Is he still alive?
And who are the other gods?
Also…
Sirens?
He looked around the sanctuary—this realm he'd apparently awakened within. The place that was supposed to feel like his home… but didn't.
He would have been scared right now if not for his affliction.
He was told the element creates the realm.
But what was this about gods?
What was this about a god being the one who created this realm?
The fact that he didn't know anything about this god of the sea was haunting.
If he created this place—and was still alive—
Would he come back?
Or had he forsaken this place entirely?
Aika said this is his home.
So... he should feel safe here, right?
He shook his head, as if trying to steer his thoughts away and kept reading the other parts of the whisper script.
Path: [Siren.]
"Now hold on a minute. It just keeps getting creepier."
He muttered, "Am I supposed to walk the path of a siren?"
His mind immediately went back to the revelation he got when he first got into his resonant state—that abominable creature that killed him.
'Wait. Was that a siren?'
"Hell no. That thing was far from beautiful. So bad that I'm not gonna be able to sleep for a while." He scoffed under his breath. "Why the hell are they described as beautiful?"
Then he frowned and touched his face.
"I'm handsome, right? Or is it my soul that's ugly?"
He groaned.
"Tch."
He dragged a hand down his face.
Then his eyes fell on the next line.
A smile began to form on his lips… but it stopped halfway.
"Huh?… Derivative: Water?"
He tilted his head.
That… wasn't what he expected to see.
Not that he knew exactly what he'd been expecting—but having his derivative listed as the same as his core element felt strange. Redundant, even.
"Does that mean I can control water itself?"
The Whisper Script rippled in response.
Derivative: [Water — You can manipulate the water around you, or burn your Vira to create water. The nearer you are to your element—water—the stronger you become, as less Vira is required to create and sustain the derivative.]
"Mmm. Well… guess I'll check out the derivative later," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Hopefully it's… you know, actually powerful."
His eyes lingered a moment longer.
He squinted at the word beside it—core-bound.
"Core-bound? What is that?"
No answer. The whisper script was silent.
He shook his head and continued reading.
Laws & Concepts: [???], [???], [???]
"What's this? And why are they blank?"
At first, there was no answer.
His brow furrowed. He began to grow frustrated.
"Hey…"
He waved a hand over the Whisper Script.
"I'm gonna need some kind of guide here. Hello?"
Just then—
The script rippled again.
New words began to form.
Laws & Concepts: [A Viran's derivative is more than an extension of their element—it is a gateway to controlling the fundamental laws and concepts that shape reality.
From the moment their derivative awakens, a Viran may gain the ability to impose, distort, or manifest Laws tied to their nature.
These Laws allow them to alter physics, perception, and emotional truths within their reach.
Beyond Laws, a derivative may also grant influence over abstract Concepts—enabling the Viran to bend or even rewrite experience itself.]
"Woah… now that's insane."
Ren couldn't believe his eyes.
He'd thought Virans could only control elements—through their derivatives.
But this?
Control the laws of reality?
Even abstract concepts?
That wasn't just power. That was something else entirely.
It made sense now—why it's said that Virans are on the path of apotheosis.
"But why is mine empty?"
The Whisper Script rippled.
[Conditions for the Laws and Concepts tied to your derivative have not been met. To gain access, you must first interpret and understand how your path is tied to your derivative.]
Ren scratched the back of his head, then rested a hand on his chin.
"So… to gain access to my Laws and Concepts, I need to first understand how to wield my derivative as a Siren?"
There was no reply.
He decided to set that aside for now and continued reading the script.
Perks: [Siren's perception - exclusive], [Hyper adaptation], [Aquatic Respiration]
Ren blinked.
"Siren's perception?"
As he spoke, the whisper script rippled gently.
Siren's perception: [- Exclusive - This is the evolved version of Moisture Sense. Due to being corebound, the perk—Moisture Sense has evolved to align with your derivative and path. Siren's Perception enhances hydrokinetic awareness. The vessel retains the echolocational abilities of Moisture Sense—with the added ability to perceive emotions and discern truths.]
He read through the lines again, lips twitching into a grin.
"Okay… now that's cool."
His eyes lingered on the word exclusive.
"So… exclusive. Does that mean I'm the only one with this ability?"
No reply.
He gave a small nod, as if that should have been obvious.
His gaze drifted to the next perk and the script rippled again.
Hyper adaptation: [All Water Virans are hyperactive due to an affliction that dulls emotion yet heightens instinct—leaving them volatile, unnervingly composed, and nearly impossible to predict. Their bodies, honed for constant adaptation, can shift weight and density or be reinforced with Vira, making them fluid, elusive, and especially hard to kill.]
"You're telling me we can just… change our weight and density at will?" He huffed. "Last I remember, I was very easy to kill. Tsk."
He leaned back slightly, squinting at the tablet like it had personally lied to him.
The script rippled again.
Aquatic respiration: [All water Virans have the ability to breathe under water.]
"Yeah… knew that one."
His gaze drifted downward.
Whispers: [???]
Resonance: [Faint.]
Resonant Arts: [???]
"Whispers? What's that—and why is it empty?"
A pause.
No ripple. The whisper script stayed still, silent.
"Why does it answer some questions and not some?"
He ran a hand through his wet hair.
"I don't understand this part," he muttered. "Hopefully Aika won't be too lazy to give me answers."
He let out a long tired sigh, then drew in a deep breath and sat back on the throne. The cold stone pressed against his back as his eyes drifted toward the last ripple of script.
The Drowned Scripture:
"Let Silence judge.
Let the Sea remember.
Let the unworthy forget how to breathe."
This one unsettled him more than the rest. He shifted slightly in his seat.
After all, he had been deemed unworthy.
And he had forgotten how to breathe.
But he didn't understand what it truly meant—so he let it go. Shoved it aside.
With a soft grunt, he leaned back and let his head rest against the cold stone, eyes drifting shut as he tried to clear his thoughts.
A few moments passed.
Then he blinked them open again.
"Okay… time to test out stuff."
He stood back up, brushing his palms against his thighs. The stone under his feet was damp, the silence around him vast.
He glanced around the sanctuary—this abyssal home of his.
The whisper-script had fallen quiet again, as if it had nothing more to say.
"I'll start with Siren's Perception."
Ren exhaled through his nose and shut his eyes.
The shift was instant.
He stepped away from the throne, bare feet brushing against damp stone. The air was still—but the water was alive. Clinging to the walls, the floor, the very air. Speaking in ripples and whispers.
And now… he could hear it.
He could feel everything.
It was like a deep indigo wash had spread across his awareness—like the ocean before dawn.
He took another step.
Pressure from his heel triggered a silver ripple, darting ahead and returning in soft pulses.
Shapes emerged—not through light, but sensation.
The throne behind him glowed green-blue, soaked in his Vira. The pillars ahead stretched like silent voids. Between them shimmered faint gold threads—echoes of his voice, etched in the water suspended in air.
Far above, a drop of condensation fell.
When it struck the floor, a white pulse rippled outward like a heartbeat.
Ren's own heart quickened. He saw its rhythm—a faint emerald flicker inside his chest.
"Okay… that's insane."
His voice sent blue ribbons curling into the air, bending toward the walls, the ceiling, the still pool nearby—as if the water was listening.
Time seemed to slow.
His perception stretched outward—thirty meters in every direction, maybe more. It was clearer now. Sharper than before.
He didn't need eyes.
He could feel everything.
Every movement. Every sound. Every breath—drawn in like threads across a map.
His eyes opened.
The sanctuary was dark.
But it didn't matter.
He could see.
And then—he felt it.
The true nature of the dome.
There was no glass. No visible shield holding the ocean back.
The water had simply stopped.
Suspended mid-collapse, it loomed high above the sanctuary like a vast, translucent ceiling. But it wasn't frozen. It was alive. Pressing inward… held in place by something unseen.
A single breath suspended in eternity.
Ren looked up. Somehow, he was grateful that his perception's range wasn't too vast yet—he was still wary of the creatures above the dome.
He stepped out of the sanctuary, the cool surface of the pale abyssal floor brushing against his bare feet. A strange stillness lingered in the dark expanse as he looked around.
"Alright… so how does this derivative actually work?"