The Boundless Sea at dawn was a canvas of shifting grays, the horizon blurred where sky met water. The air was sharp with salt, carrying an unease that pressed against every chest on the deck. Crewmen moved quietly, too aware of the silence left behind after last night's horror.
Andy stood at the bow, cloak damp and heavy, both Ember Edge and Tide-Singer crossed on his back. His eyes narrowed at the horizon where dark clouds swirled unnaturally. The wind wasn't just blowing—it was pulling, tugging at his core.
The Soulbound ring vibrated faintly, pulsing in tune with that invisible current.
[System Notice]
Unstable Elemental Echo Detected
Affinity: Wind (Unbound)
Resonance Threshold: Approaching.
He gritted his teeth. The whisper wasn't sound—it was pressure, it was demand. It filled his lungs, his veins, like a storm knocking against the gates of his soul.
Bootsteps. Nia joined him, auburn hair loose in the breeze, sapphire eyes locked on the same restless sky. Her staff hummed faintly in response to the wind. She brushed his arm, her voice low but steady.
"You feel it too, don't you?"
Andy nodded. His hand moved instinctively toward Ember Edge, then Tide-Singer, but neither blade stirred. The pull wasn't theirs. "It's not fire. Not water. It's something else… something new."
The bond between them throbbed warm, golden threads rippling in the air.
[System Notice]
Bond Stabilization Active
Progression: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – 84%
From behind, Aurelia approached. Even in daylight, her golden hair glowed faintly, and the air seemed to shift with her presence. She leaned casually against the railing, her amber eyes scanning Andy like she already knew the answer.
"You hear it," she said simply.
Andy turned to her, brow furrowed. "…And you?"
Her lips curved faintly. "Hunters learn to recognize power. The wind calls rarely, but when it does, it's absolute. If you resist, it tears you apart. If you accept… it changes you."
Nia's staff tapped the deck sharply. "Or it consumes him."
Aurelia's gaze slid to Nia, calm, unwavering. "Then he needs both of you to keep him from breaking."
The wind screamed suddenly through the sails, ropes straining, canvas snapping taut. Crew staggered, shouts rising in alarm. Andy gripped the railing, his breath stolen as the voices crystallized into words only he could hear.
—Warrior of flame and tide. Reach for me. Claim the storm. Claim my fang.
Lightning burst across his vision. His knees weakened, the weight of unseen chains pressing him down.
"Andy!" Nia's hand clutched his chest, her warmth flooding into him through the bond. "Breathe. Hold on to me!"
The threads of light connecting their rings flared brilliant, holding him upright.
[System Notice]
Bond Synchronization Engaged
Resonance Output +22%
Andy dragged in air, forcing the storm inside him into focus. The call wasn't malice. It was invitation—command. Beyond the horizon, he saw it: a blade of stormcloud and lightning, edge alive with freedom, singing like the sky itself.
The Stormbreaker Fang. Waiting.
His heart thundered. Sweat chilled his brow. "It's not here," he whispered, voice rough. "But it wants me to find it."
The wind lashed again, harder, sails groaning, deck tilting underfoot. Crew shouted, ropes snapping like whips.
Aurelia's voice cut sharp through the chaos. "Then we set our course. The sea never whispers twice."
Nia's grip on his arm tightened, sapphire eyes blazing with both fear and fierce resolve. "And when it does, you're not facing it alone. Not while I'm here."
Amber and sapphire clashed for a breath, unspoken fire between them. Andy felt the bond quake, unstable yet alive.
[System Notice]
Resonance Overlap Detected
Stability: Fluctuating.
The wind roared louder, whipping the deck, crew holding to ropes as spray drenched the rails. Andy planted his feet, jaw set, both hands gripping the railing. His pulse beat in time with the storm's demand.
The call wasn't fading. It was rising.
And in that moment, Andy knew: the next wave would not be ordinary.
The Boundless Sea was moving again.
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