It was a late Tuesday morning in the coastal Cenna Valley.

The plethora of businesses within the neighboring cities and towns readied themselves for the afternoon rush-in of customers, while tourists and locals alike readied themselves for a day of exploring the different parts of the valley. In the busy city of Brinola, there was a similar scene. Brinola was home to Cenna Valley's Gemstone Beach and the vast Cenna Valley University. The Panthera Walkways throughout the campus were somewhat secluded, except for students making their rounds through campus. Others were camping out in their dorms, dining at the cafeteria, studying in the library, or making their way to The Den, the student hub on campus.

It's been about a week and a half since the end of Spring Break. The campus was getting back to its typical after-break routine: Campus events were posted around campus, the cafeteria, and the academic buildings, including Leo Hall: home to the social sciences and literature departments. Except for one class letting out early, others were in their classrooms, listening to their professors lecture about homework assignments, upcoming tests, or whatever was being taught that week. The first-floor lecture auditorium was riddled with Professor Johnson's 11 AM psychology block students. Students were in the middle of a heavy exam. Among those was19-year-old Azurite Mutuku, but most people called her Zuri. She stood in the growing line near the front of the classroom, skimming through her test for the third time in a row, double-checking for any missed questions. She picked herself up and went towards the front to turn in her exam. The commuter student knew how much traffic rolled into Brinola at noon, and she just wanted to make it home before then.

She made her way out of Leo Hall, where her friends Selene Singh and Nova Ramirez were waiting for her.

They were heading to her car at one of the campus parking lots just across the street before taking the 30-minute drive back to the town of Arkae. Sky-high buildings and busy beaches faded away, replaced with suburban households, large-chain supermarkets, and evergreen park trails with endless forests. All three discussed their latest test, knowing that Professor Johnson was due to post them at any minute. " Barrier's up," Zuri commented as she pulled into the driveway. The car pushed through a barrier of ocean blue bolts: harmless but protective. They were only used when Arcane Augury was practiced; its common name was Cryptic Magic. It focused on different elements of the Universe and brought a new meaning to the term mythical. As far as she knows, this has been a part of her life since forever. Her home was a bit different today, the pungent smell of ocean water wafting through the house while a few hints of magic echoed through the house. Maji: water. From the free-flowing liquid to its icy and misty forms, they used all sorts of magic, especially when it came to their frequent beach trips.

"Maji Fluo." She heard her mother, Zahara Mutuku, recite a water spell, followed by the sound of flowing water. Spells were always like this: native tongue with a piece of Latin. In her case, it was Swahili. Her dad was born and raised in the States, but her mom was born in East Africa: Kenya, to be exact. "Nice to see you three are back from class," said Adrian Mutuku, Zuri's father, and the three girls finally found the source of the salty smell. It came from a large black container on the living room floor, which contained large golden shards, while large chunks of hardened dirt and sand scattered around them. "What's that?" Selene asked, peering into the container. "We believe it might be a weapon, but unsure. We found it at the beach." "Not just any weapon. I think it might be a trident," Adrian theorized, performing more purification spells on each shard. Sand and dirt washed away to reveal shining gold chunks basking in the sunlight before he placed them back in the bin.

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"It's hard to tell, but we can't keep them out of the water for too long. If it's what we think it is; we have to keep it submerged in water." "How come the barrier's up?" "You know the saying: if you find something that's magic, that magic can find you. We're not taking any chances of being caught by whatever bad things can be out there. Who knows what could happen?" Zahara sighed. "You girls want to help out? We still have some more pieces to go," Zahara offered. "It'll give us the chance to try the spell we've been working on," said an excited Nova. "Spell?" Adrian questioned his daughter. "It's a way to keep our Earth-based magic under control," said Zuri, who fastened a moonstone necklace around her neck. The three formed a triangle, each sitting across from one another. Adrian handed Zuri a dirt-covered chunk of gold. Zuri held the chunk in her left hand, using her free hand to perform the purification spell. Selene held out her hand towards Zuri's necklace while Nova pulled out a stopwatch and a book.

Maji Purgo: Water Purification.

Chaand Accendo: Moonlight

Tiempo Mora: Slowing Time.

A sphere of water formed in Zuri's right hand, while Selene's moonlight spell caused Zuri's necklace to glow, traces of the light trailing down Zuri's arms and surrounding the dirt-covered chunk. Nova pressed down her stopwatch, and with each tick, a new piece of gold was uncovered. Once the dirt was engulfed in water, Nova released her stopwatch and scooted toward the item. As the water slowly followed the moonlight and carefully washed away dirt and sand, a pointy golden chunk was revealed. Nova carefully clasped it between the palms of her hands.

The other four watched as she kept her eyes closed, eyebrows furrowing back and forth before she opened her eyes. "Whatever was found has history," she claimed. "Wait," Adrian said before Zuri could place the piece in the water. He looked back in the bin at the other components, which Zahara was focused on trying to put together. "It's a point," Adrian said. "If I place it right here…" Zahara concurred. "There." She placed the final piece in the puzzle of a weapon, and a beam of golden light boomed from the bin. Its rays reached the ceiling before quickly disappearing back into the box.

All five were puzzled as they carefully peaked into the bin. This was the first time anything like this was seen. Rather than a clear blue, the water was a darker navy shade. The weapon was shielded entirely by the water, so it was hard to tell what lay under. "Might as well," Adrian shrugged and reached in the black bin. He pulled a large, golden trident out, fully formed and free from damage. "No way," said the three students, amazed at what was uncovered. "You were right about this," gasped Zahara, whose fingertips tread down the handle of the mighty ocean staff. The trident was gold with black and white markings scripted on it.

No one in the room could believe it until Zahara leaned closer to read a phrase, which was scripted in a darker gold.

“A gift for the Bahari faction of the Maji peoples," Zahara read out loud.

A Bahari trident was in their grasp.