Part I. The Awakening
The river fell silent.
It wasn't the quiet of peace. It was the kind of silence that came before something divine — or deadly.
Zaire couldn't move.
Not because of pain.
Because something in the air told every part of him: stay still.
A vibration rolled beneath the ground, subtle and low — like the earth itself was whispering, It's awake.
Then came the sound.
A breath. Wet and thunderous. A draw of air that shook the trees and stopped the current.
Mist began to rise.
The river boiled, not with heat, but with power. Something ancient and immense stirred beneath the surface — not an animal, not a beast.
A presence.
Scales breached the water first. Blue and silver, refracting moonlight like a mirror cracked by time. Then came the eyes — glowing orbs buried beneath layers of flowing mist, deep and unreadable.
Rahab.
She rose from the river like a judgment remembered. A leviathan wrapped in flowing vapor, skin adorned with glowing glyphs and water-worn etchings. Not monstrous. Not beautiful. Sacred.
The world bent around her. Trees leaned away. Birds vanished. The river reversed for a heartbeat — then knelt.
Zaire's lips parted, but no words came.
His body trembled, not from pain… but awe.
This isn't just Flow. This is the one
the river fears.
Part II: The Shield
Then — she spoke.
Her voice was liquid thunder, rolling in waves and echoes:
"Tideborn… I have found you at last."
Zaire's heart skipped.
Zaire: "Tideborn…?"
Ozais, breath shallow, stepped beside him.
Ozais: "Tideborn?"
They didn't have time to process the word.
Rahab moved.
Not like a predator.
Like a wave.
Her arm of water shot toward Zaire — precise, divine.
He froze.
But Ozais didn't.
In a blur, he dove in front of Zaire and shoved him away just before the river struck. A crash of water exploded where Zaire had stood, sending dirt and debris flying.
Zaire tumbled, coughing, dazed.
When the mist cleared, Ozais stood between him and Rahab — soaked, panting, defiant.
Zaire: "Brother? Why…?"
Ozais: "Don't be dumb."
He glanced back. "You're still my little brother."
Zaire blinked, heart pounding. Even after everything… he still protected me.
Ozais's eyes stayed on Rahab, but his mind raced.
Okay. You protected him. Great.
Now what, genius? That thing's
not backing off. And Zaire can't
move. Neither can I, not again.
Rahab didn't strike again. She waited. Watching.
No — judging.
Ozais: "Zaire…"
(quietly) "I'm gonna distract this thing. When I do, you run. As fast as you can."
Zaire: "I… I can't…"
Ozais turned fully to him, eyes sharp.
Ozais: "Now's not the time for fear."
Zaire's hands trembled. His breathing hitched.
Ozais: "I saw what you did earlier. That power — that storm — that was you."
Zaire: "…I didn't mean to—"
Ozais: "Doesn't matter. It's in you. You're strong, Zaire. And it'd be a waste… if that strength died here."
Zaire looked up, tears threatening.
Zaire (soft): "Fine."
In the distance...
Far above — branches cracked.
Oz sprinted, heart pounding.
He leapt over a fallen log and nearly tripped over a root. His breath was heavy, but not from exhaustion.
From dread.
Oz: "When I get my hands on those two… This behavior is completely—"
He stopped.
He saw the clearing.
The mist.
The shadow.
The being in the river.
Oz's knees nearly buckled.
Oz (whispering): "Oh no… please don't let me be too late."
Part III: The Eldest
Rahab moved again.
A strike. No warning.
Ozais took it head-on.
BOOM!
His body shot back, crashing into the earth with a thud. He groaned, coughing blood.
Zaire: "Brother!"
He ran toward him, but Ozais held up a hand.
Ozais: "Didn't I… tell you to run?"
Zaire: "I can't leave you! I can fight too—"
Ozais (snapping): "Out of the question."
Zaire: "Why?!"
Ozais didn't answer at first.
His mind pulled him backward — to their father's voice.
"You are the eldest. That means
something."
Ozais (quietly): "Because I'm the eldest."
Another memory — Oz, hand on his shoulder.
"After me, you are to protect the.
family, Ozais."
Ozais (groaning): "And protecting you is what that means."
"One day, you'll surpass me. And
when that day comes, you'll need
to be strong enough to carry what
I couldn't."
He forced himself to stand.
Blood ran down his lip. His knees shook. But his eyes — his eyes were clear.
Lightning crackled from his fingertips. Water spiraled up his legs.
His body pulsed with duality — Hydro and Spark.
Unstable. Divine. Awakening.
Ozais (shouting): "AND I REFUSE TO LET THIS THING HARM YOU!"
He pointed at Rahab, voice raw:
Ozais: "COME AT ME, YOU BIG UGLY BEAST!"
Part IV: The Mist
Rahab didn't roar.
She exhaled.
Mist burst from her body like a divine pulse — thick, cold, consuming. It swallowed the clearing whole.
Zaire: "I… I can't see!"
Ozais: "She's trying to blind us — separate us!"
The fog grew denser. Even sound began to fade.
Rahab's voice came like a whisper inside the mist itself:
"The Tideborn belongs to me."
Then—silence.
Only breath.
Only mist.
Only Flow.
> To be continued…
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Flow of the Divine River™ is an original work by the author.
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