(Maguro's POV)
If you've never seen a storm crawl, let me tell you—it's horrifying.
I mean, I've seen my espresso machine growl once, and that was bad. But this? This was the kind of storm that slithered.
We were sent to Tidebreak Shore, a little fishing town that smelled like anchovies and old regrets. Gaji said it was a "minor disturbance."
Which, apparently, meant "Expect violence, but bring snacks."
The sky was too still when we arrived. Not a bird in sight. Fog lapped against the cottages like silent fingers. And the sea? Flat. Like it was faking innocence.
Gaji floated beside me in full armored crustacean mode, giant pincers flexing.
"This town's too quiet," he muttered. "Smells like a setup."
"You say that about salad bars," I whispered.
He grunted. "They are suspicious."
We were joined by two other sea allies
Tuli, a jellyfish priestess who glowed when nervous (which was always), and
Karu, a manta-ray swordsman with a dramatic scarf that trailed behind him even underwater somehow. I think he had a wind machine built into his belt.
"Where's the disturbance?" Tuli asked, voice small.
A fisherman nearby—sunken eyes, trembling hands—pointed to the beach. "The waves started singing," he whispered.
"And the children... they followed the tune into the water."
My stomach dropped.
"Maguro," Gaji said "Form up. Something's coming."
The first sign was the smell.
Salt, yes. But also ozone and rot, like seaweed that had once been alive... and then turned on its friends.
Then came the singing.
Soft. Hypnotic. Like lullabies through a seashell, except wrong. Twisted.
A wave rose on the horizon.
No—not a wave.
A shape.
Massive. Serpentine.
Ribbons of fog and lightning coiled around it. Sea-serpent body, skeletal fins, a maw full of barnacled teeth. Its eyes were glowing blue—but not ocean-blue. Dead-blue.
"Vritra's spawn," Tuli whispered.
It let out a screech that shattered windows, and then it lunged.
"MOVE!" Gaji roared.
We scattered.
I dove toward the shoreline, calling water to my arms. It answered — wrapping around my fingers like eager snakes.
The serpent surged forward, mouth opening like a whirlpool. A fishing boat cracked in half. Lightning danced in its wake.
Karu spun through the air with his blades, slicing at its tendrils.
"Come on, fishface!" he yelled. "You're not even symmetrical!"
Gaji punched it. With his whole shell. "Taste crab steel!"
I swam low and fast, ducking a blast of cursed mist. My gills fluttered, stinging.
My arm caught a stray tentacle. I yelped — the thing was cold, so cold — like it had been dead for centuries.
"MAGURO, NOW!" Gaji shouted.
I didn't think.
I just threw.
Water surged around me. I summoned a wave, spiraled it upward, and slammed it into the creature's eye.
It reeled.
But it wasn't enough.
It twisted, tail smashing through the docks, and I saw a kid—a little girl, barely eight, frozen at the end of a pier.
Too far.
Too late.
Unless…
I moved.
Faster than I ever had.
My legs kicked. My arms sliced. The water obeyed.
I dove through debris, caught the girl just as the creature's tail smashed down, and twisted to shield her.
I screamed.
Not from pain.
From power.
Something cracked inside me—like a dam breaking.
The water surged around me—not attacking, but protecting. Wrapping around my body in a veil of glowing tendrils. My hair lifted. My eyes burned.
For a second, I wasn't just a girl.
I was the riptide.
The creature hissed, recoiling.
I floated to my feet, still holding the kid. The girl blinked up at me, completely calm.
"Are you a fish princess?" she whispered.
I grinned, teeth sharper than before.
"Close enough."
I set her down safely and turned back to the beast.
And then I charged.
Water coiled around my arms like blades. I flipped over its tail, slid beneath its ribs, and punched with everything I had. I could feel my scales shift, the gills burn, my vision sharpen.
I was fast. I was wild. I was terrifying.
It howled.
Karu joined me, slicing through its flank. Tuli cast binding spells, glowing sigils trapping its limbs.
Gaji hit it with a boulder-sized clam.
I'm not joking.
Then — the creature staggered.
Collapsed.
Dissolved into water and mist and shadow.
Silence fell.
For a heartbeat, I thought it was over.
But then...
The water around us turned black.
Thick.
Still.
And a voice slithered out of the depths
"So... the little tuna still fights."
The temperature dropped.
Everyone froze.
The voice oozed like oil. Cold. Ancient.
"You should have stayed in your café, girl. You cannot stop the tide."
I trembled.
Not from fear.
But rage.
I stepped forward. "You talk big for a coward hiding in a trench."
"We will meet soon," the voice rasped. "And when we do… you'll beg to be a fish again."
The voice vanished.
The fog lifted.
The town was safe.
I collapsed on the sand, gasping.
My hands still shimmered with waterlight. My hair was soaked, seaweed tangled in it. My heart? Loud.
"Maguro," Gaji said, helping me up. "You good?"
"No," I wheezed. "But I feel awesome."
He grinned.
"Then you're ready."
Back in the town square, villagers began to gather. The little girl waved at me. Her mom cried and bowed.
Tuli wrapped me in glowing seaweeds like a blanket.
Karu leaned on his blade. "You're not bad, landfish."
I smiled faintly.
But inside?
I was shaking.
Because now, I had heard Vritra.
And he knew my name.
To be continued….