Zanya felt the storm long before the clouds formed.
Before the wind shifted.
Before the seagulls went quiet.
Before anyone started checking weather apps.
It started as a pressure behind her sternum—
a pulse.
A slow, tidal throb.
Then the ocean answered with a low, uneasy growl.
She froze on the boardwalk, fingers curling against the railing.
"…Oh no."
Her Saltborn sense sharpened painfully. Currents tugged in chaotic pulses beneath the surface. The air tasted metallic. Even the humidity felt wrong—thick with charged tension.
A storm was coming.
Not a normal one.
Something in the water was calling it.
Or thrashing beneath it.
Zanya's blood chilled.
'It's him. The dragon… he feels this too.'
The pressure escalated until it bordered on pain.
And then—
[SYSTEM ALERT — WEATHER ANOMALY DETECTED]
[Storm Classification: Lunar-Linked]
[Your resonance is reacting to the disturbance.]
A hum swept through her, like her bones were tuning forks.
"Of course it's lunar," she muttered. "Because this week wasn't insane enough already."
---
By midday, the sky bruised dark.
Winds snapped through palm trees.
Ocean chop escalated into violent slaps against the shore.
Tourists scrambled for shelter.
The girls—Emma, Cleo, Rikki—were more tense than anyone else, and Zanya didn't have to guess why. The storm was water, wind, chaos—everything dangerous for three newly awakened mermaids.
They tried to act normal as they headed toward the marina, but Zanya could see the panic simmering beneath their skin.
She kept her distance.
Close enough to help.
Far enough not to interfere.
The pressure inside her spine tightened like someone twisting a steel wire.
A wave surged too high—smacking into a pier post and spraying the walkway. Emma jerked back, almost slipping.
Zanya didn't think.
[MANUAL ABILITY — TIDEMAKER BURST (MINOR)]
She flicked her fingers subtly, palms brushing her thigh to disguise the movement. A tiny, controlled pulse of force rippled through the water.
The spray curved—
shifted—
missed Emma entirely.
Emma blinked.
Cleo looked spooked.
Rikki narrowed her eyes at the ocean like it insulted her personally.
Zanya pretended to tie her shoe.
---
The winds hit full force.
Zanya staggered a step—
and the System shimmered around her like moonlit dust.
[Infinity Nikki Shift — Stormveil Dress Equipped]
A sleek dress formed—deep indigo with layered chiffon that fluttered like cloud wisps. The material sparked faintly, repelling water and buffering the wind.
Zanya exhaled.
"Okay… that's actually helpful."
[Passive Bonus: Resistance to Harsh Wind/Water]
Almost immediately, the gale eased around her like respectful hands parting.
The ocean, though—
It didn't ease.
It screamed.
The sky cracked open.
Zanya looked around for the girls only to see they were gone. She let out a sigh of relief, one less thing to worry about.
Thunder rolled like distant claws dragging across the clouds.
The wind howled—a wild animal breaking out of a cage.
And beneath it all, Zanya heard something else.
A roar that wasn't thunder.
A cry that wasn't wind.
A voice calling from deep underwater:
"Saltborn…"
Her knees buckled.
Images slammed into her mind—
Moonlight cutting through black waves.
Chains rattling violently.
Silver eyes opening with fury as currents tore around them.
"Moon…
find…"
She tried to breathe.
Failed.
The storm wasn't just weather.
It was resonance.
He was fighting.
Straining.
Reaching for her.
And the storm was the backlash of his power colliding with the world above.
Zanya clutched the railing, heart jackhammering.
"I hear you," she whispered. "I hear you, I hear you—just tell me where—"
Lightning tore open the sky.
A shock of energy ripped through her, searing bright behind her eyes, connecting straight through her spine like a beacon.
She gasped—
And then everything went quiet.
Not the world.
Just her mind.
Calm pooled over her like warm rain.
[SYSTEM REWARD GRANTED]
[Tolkien — Song of Calm (Minor)
Gently soothes water and small living things. Restores clarity. May be hummed or spoken.
(Non-magical; spiritual resonance only.)]
Zanya exhaled shakily.
Calming the water…
Calming herself…
A gift, or a preparation?
The wind screamed again, snapping her hair across her cheek.
Zanya looked toward Mako Island—dark silhouette on the horizon, lightning flickering behind it.
The dragon's voice echoed again, faint but unmistakable:
"…find…"
Her Saltborn soul answered with a violent pull.
And Zanya realized—
It wasn't the storm calling her.
It was him.