The dawn broke slow and pale over Nerevia, casting long shadows on the water-cracked stones of the Aqua Tower. Kaelen stood atop the eastern balcony, watching the endless ocean roll beneath him. His mind churned like the tide, restless and tangled.
The chamber beneath the Tower had whispered a name to him—the Abyssal Current. A power buried beneath the surface, ancient as the world itself, and far more dangerous than the controlled flow of the Aqua Arcana he had trained with.
But the voice—the presence—had called to him.
He could not ignore it.
The Weight of the Gift
Kaelen's palm tingled with residual mana as he clenched it, picturing the new flow inside his core. The Abyssal Current was a separate vein, deeper and colder than any water he'd known, laced with raw, primal energy.
Master Virell's warning echoed in his mind: "The Abyss drowns minds not yet anchored in form."
And yet, that power beckoned. The pulse was alive—a song beneath the waves that promised strength… and sacrifice.
"Kaelen!" A voice shattered his thoughts.
Lyara Solenne approached swiftly, her frost-blue eyes sharp with concern and curiosity. "You missed training this morning. The Master asked for you."
Kaelen forced a smile. "I… needed time to think."
Lyara stepped beside him, her gaze drifting to the horizon. "You've changed. The mana around you—it's different. Stronger. But I can feel something… darker."
He nodded slowly. "The Abyssal Current. I heard it."
Her lips pressed tight. "The legends say it corrupts. Twists the soul."
Kaelen looked out over the ocean, where waves crashed and foam glimmered like shattered glass. "Maybe some corruption is necessary to survive."
Lyara's eyes searched his face, but she said nothing more. The line between power and peril was thinner than either dared admit.
Training Beyond Limits
In the sprawling training grounds below, Kaelen rejoined the other Initiates. Their watery spells splashed, hissed, and shimmered beneath the morning sun. Yet, he felt detached—tethered to something vast and unknowable.
Master Virell approached, his robes trailing mist. "Kaelen," he said, voice low but firm, "you walk the edge of the Abyssal Vein. To harness it, you must master your foundation first."
Virell's gaze hardened. "Today, you will face the Trial of Flowforms."
Kaelen's heart quickened. The Trial was a test of control and harmony—blending the raw power of water with discipline and precision.
The Trial of Flowforms
The arena was a circular basin, ringed by standing stones etched with flowing runes. Water pooled in the center, shimmering with mana light.
Virell raised his hand. "Summon the Flowforms—Water in its many expressions. Control them, or be controlled."
Kaelen closed his eyes and reached deep into his Mana Pool. He felt the surface water respond instantly, coiling like serpents around his fingers.
One by one, he summoned the elemental forms:
Ripple Spear: A spear of water condensed tight enough to pierce stone. Kaelen thrust it forward, slicing a rune-carved pillar in two.
Mist Veil: He wreathed himself in swirling fog, dissolving his silhouette into shifting water vapor.
Glacial Bind: Ice shards exploded from his palm, freezing a pool of water mid-air and encasing a stone column.
Tidal Grasp: Water tendrils slithered from the pool, weaving to restrain an invisible opponent.
Each Flowform required concentration, mana finesse, and a calm mind. Sweat beaded on Kaelen's brow as the challenge intensified. The water responded, but sometimes violently—nearly sweeping him off balance.
He forced his will deeper, drawing on the Abyssal Current beneath his core. The raw power surged—but this time, he bent it without breaking.
An Unexpected Ally
Exhausted, Kaelen sank to the basin's edge, letting water lap against his skin.
"Impressive," came a voice.
He looked up to see Elder Aegir, the coral-bodied sea-lich rumored to have lived for centuries, his skin shimmering with oceanic runes.
"You wield the Abyssal Vein," Aegir said, voice like the crash of waves. "Few can touch it and not drown. You may survive."
Kaelen swallowed hard. "But I feel it pulling me, twisting something inside."
Aegir nodded. "The Abyss calls for sacrifice. To gain, you must lose. You will face trials beyond the mind—fear, temptation, despair. Few emerge whole."
Kaelen's eyes hardened. "Then I will not fail."
Aegir reached out, touching Kaelen's temple. "Come. Learn what others refuse. There are truths beneath the waves that only the brave discover."
The Darkening Tide
That night, Kaelen lay awake in his quarters. The Tower's mana lights dimmed, shadows gathering like ink.
In dreams, he saw the Leviathan—Abyssion—coiled in endless dark waters, eyes like whirlpools, calling him deeper.
His core burned.
The Abyssal Current whispered secrets, promises of unimaginable strength… but at a cost.
Kaelen clenched his fists.
The ocean remembered.
And it had chosen him.