The reef felt alive at dawn, vibrating with a song that I could feel through my gills before I even opened my eyes. The hum that normally whispered through coral bones had become a deep, resonant melody, carrying the weight of expectation. Chimefish darted between arches, tapping their fins against shells to add sharp notes to the low drumbeats echoing from the lanes. Lanterns swayed overhead, their light spilling like gold across the currents. The city had dressed itself for trial day, our way of honoring danger was to sing to it, to make beauty where fear might otherwise rule.
I rose from my cot feeling the vibration of the song inside my pearl. It pulsed slow, steady, but there was tension behind the beat. The ache in my chest from the guardian's streams still lingered, the veins along my ribs glowing faintly blue even at rest. It wasn't a bright glow, just a reminder that the current was awake in me. I stretched slowly, feeling the stiffness in my arms and fins, and swam toward the ridge where the first light touched open water.
Lis waited there, tying a strand of bloom fronds into a long braid. When she saw me, her eyes softened, and she tilted her crest with a teasing smile."You don't stop, do you?" she said, looping the last knot.
"Not when the tide keeps pulling," I replied, adjusting the strap across my shoulder.
She floated closer, voice quieter. "Whatever happens, you've already done more than most would dare. You should know that."
"Not enough yet," I admitted, fingers brushing the pearl at my chest. "Not when I've seen what's ahead."
Lis shook her head and gave a small smile. "Then make sure you come back to tell me about it."
I smiled back, just enough to show I'd heard her.
The Spiral Arch shimmered like glass under the reeflight, the currents weaving through its coral bones in a pattern so delicate it seemed alive. The cleansing rite came first. Each candidate swam through, letting the currents judge how they flowed with the reef. Elders watched from the outer ledges, their expressions unreadable.
Serith went first. The water around him rippled in neat spirals, threads of gold chasing his movements until he emerged without a single falter. The elders exchanged approving glances.
Venn followed, charging through the arch like a wave, forceful and wild. The currents scattered shells in his wake, rattling the coral, but the energy made the water flare bright. The elders frowned at his lack of control, yet nodded at the strength behind it.
My turn came. I took a deep breath, letting the pearl's rhythm steady me, and dove. The water touched my arms like silk threads. I guided it gently, coaxing the currents to coil around me. Blue light shimmered faintly along the spiral path, and for a moment it felt as if the water sang back to me. Near the final ring, my focus slipped; the glow faltered, dimming to pale. I passed through with my chest tight, not from strain, but from knowing how close I had come to failing the ritual's song.
The trial arena opened beyond the arch, a wide trench ringed by coral spires and glowing glyph wards. Crowds filled the ridges, their bodies clustered in shadow and light. Planters stood with their arms crossed, artisans clutched tools as though they were talismans, and hatchlings pressed tiny hands to the coral to see better. Even Exiles hovered at the edges, silent and watchful. Whispers ran through the spectators, but no one drove them away.
Captain Raalessar stood on a high vantage, his posture calm and commanding. The green veins across his chest glowed like jade fire, casting reflections on the coral wall. He didn't speak; he didn't need to. His presence set the tone.
The first trial began with a ripple of light through the wards. Before each candidate drifted a fragile mana-shell, glowing white, as delicate as spun foam. Around us, the arena stirred, rings of coral rotated unpredictably, sudden bursts of current snapped against the walls, and twisting eddies clawed at our paths. The task was clear: guide the shell to the end without letting it break.
Serith moved first, his calm almost unnatural. He coaxed the currents in precise arcs, weaving them around obstacles like threads in a loom. His shell glided without a scratch, and soft murmurs of approval followed him.
Venn charged in with power, pushing the obstacles aside with sheer force. The water buckled, his shell cracked against an eddy, and a few gasps echoed from the crowd. He snarled, steadied himself, and switched to a slower rhythm, finishing the course battered but intact.
I went last. I remembered the guardian's words: listen, don't force. I shaped the water softly, letting the shell drift close to me, currents curling like vines around my hands. Halfway through, a twisting surge slammed into my path. My pearl burned hot as I split the stream, letting the surge flow past without fighting it. My arms shook, my vision blurred, but the shell stayed whole. I crossed the final ring trembling, still holding it steady.
The crowd's cheer was low, more like a tide swell than a roar, quiet pride.
During the break, we rested along a low ridge. Serith sat with his legs folded, the glow of his shell still faint around him."Your current work," he said, glancing at me, "it listens. That's rare."
I nodded, unsure how to answer. "Still needs more."
Venn drifted closer, grinning despite the crack across his shoulder plate. "You'll give me a reason to keep my guard up. I like that."
Their words warmed me more than I expected. At the edge of the arena, Echo-Hand raised two fingers in silent greeting. The silver glint of mirrored cloth at their wrist caught the light, a quiet reminder that even the Exiles were watching.
As I sat catching my breath, the pearl pulsed with a faint pull. Far across the arena, where the crowd thinned into mist, the currents shimmered strangely. For an instant, I thought I saw a shape crouched on the ridge, still and massive, like stone waiting to move. Whether it was the guardian or my own hope, I couldn't tell. But I felt watched.
Raalessar raised his arm, and the wards pulsed bright green. "The first trial is done," he said, voice cutting through the water. "The second begins now. This will test your endurance, shield and current, together. Hold until the last flare dies."
The crowd stirred, the current thick with anticipation. My veins burned bright, my pulse steady. The next challenge loomed, and I was ready to meet it head-on.