Smoke and mist rolled across Kota Serunai (Serunai City) as the morning light failed to pierce the harbor. Broken stilts groaned under the weight of panicked merchants, and small cargo boats clashed in the channels.
Hai Cheng ran along a narrow walkway, Suanpan (abacus) beads clattering with each step. The Arus Dagang (Trade Current) throbbed beneath the docks like a wounded heartbeat. The previous night's battle had left cracks in the harbor floor, and every pulse from the submerged furnaces aggravated them.
"Another furnace," Yue Lan shouted from the far pier, her Batik Lingkar (Batik Array) spinning overhead. Turquoise and gold threads of energy streamed outward, stabilizing sections of stilts. "This one is near the merchant guilds!"
Hai Cheng's eyes narrowed. If it detonated here, the guilds' warehouses would collapse into the sea, releasing entire cargoes of silk, porcelain, and spices. A disaster of trade, not just tide.
From the shadows, merchants screamed. "The Admiral! He's—he's here!"
Hai Cheng saw the glint of brass insignia atop a group of Furnace Enforcers moving through the smoke. The Silent Admiral had arrived, personally overseeing the operation. His presence radiated control, every movement precise, every gesture calculated.
"Control is not optional," the Admiral called out in Hokkien. "The Arus Dagang (Trade Current) is law. Let me stabilize what nature refuses."
Hai Cheng clenched the Suanpan. "You're breaking it!" he yelled, stepping forward.
Yue Lan joined him, her array glowing brighter, forming a web that connected the fractured currents. The Harimau Ombak (Tide Tiger) emerged again from the foaming harbor, its stripes fracturing into chaotic, batik-like patterns. Unlike before, it now prowled between the stilts, striking anyone who came too close to the currents.
One of the Admiral's Enforcers swung a mechanical arm toward the tiger. Sparks flew as claws met gear.
"Leave it!" Hai Cheng shouted. "It's trying to warn us!"
But the Enforcer ignored him. A pulse of Lingqi energy surged from the new furnace. Beams buckled under the pressure. Hai Cheng barely managed to expand his Batik Lingkar (Batik Array) in time, locking the tiger in place and redirecting the pulse.
The array hummed with Arus Warisan (Heritage Current) energy—an unexpected hybrid effect. The tiger steadied, letting out a long, vibrating roar that shook the stilts.
From across the harbor, Yue Lan's voice cut sharply. "Hai Cheng! Multiple furnaces—he's spreading them to every major channel!"
Hai Cheng's mind raced. Arus Dagang, Arus Alam, Arus Warisan—all three currents pulsed violently in response to the widespread Lingqi disruption. If he tried to stabilize each individually, he would be overwhelmed.
He closed his eyes and let them flow together. Not controlling them—listening. Threads of energy wrapped around his consciousness, singing in harmony.
He directed the Suanpan (abacus) to extend a lattice of jade light across the harbor. The array connected stilts, docks, and stilts-supported warehouses. The currents converged, forming a hybrid barrier stronger than any single current alone.
The Harimau Ombak leapt through the mist, moving to defend the array. The Admiral's pulse from the Grand Furnace struck the barrier—but instead of shattering it, it flowed around the array like water finding cracks in stone.
The Admiral's eyes narrowed. "Impressive," he said quietly. "But you are reacting. Not anticipating."
Hai Cheng's jaw clenched. "Then I will anticipate." He lifted the Suanpan higher, projecting a spiraling Batik Lingkar (Batik Array) across the harbor, every thread glowing turquoise and jade. The arrays intertwined with Yue Lan's, creating a lattice of pure hybrid Arus Warisan (Heritage Current) energy.
Furnaces across the harbor screamed, overloading. One by one, metal pipes twisted, cores imploded, and Lingqi pulses collapsed inward. White-hot waves of energy dissipated harmlessly into the harbor water.
The city fell silent. Broken stilts groaned but held. The tiger exhaled a vibrating breath that swept mist from the docks.
Hai Cheng and Yue Lan stood side by side, exhausted but alert.
The Admiral took a slow step back, observing. "You are stronger than I anticipated. Perhaps…a true Balancer."
Hai Cheng's eyes followed him. "Stronger enough to stop your furnaces from destroying the city? Not yet. But I will learn."
From the shadows, a hooded figure emerged—the first official Orang Selindung (Veiled Folk) Hai Cheng had ever seen. Their eyes glowed a soft green.
"The currents are listening," the figure said. "You have begun to merge them. But one wrong pulse, and the city will fall. The Straits remember. The Straits will judge."
Hai Cheng exhaled slowly. The hybrid array faded, leaving only the tiger prowling the foam. The city had survived, barely.
Above, the morning sun finally broke through the mist. Lanterns reflected in broken puddles, shining like scattered stars. But far below, in the hidden veins of the harbor, pulses of Lingqi still throbbed.
This was only the beginning.
The currents were rising.
And the Silent Admiral was only just beginning to test them.