Twenty years prior

Yalena had not been in the mood to talk while she waited at the edge of the Dark Well.

She only peered down into the swirling water after Maui had told her that it was starting to rise.

She focused on Maui, a man intent on following her to the edge of the world, but then took a step back, facing away from the well and looking toward the door that led back to the surface.

She knew that each drop of water slowly appearing in the well likely meant life was being spent above ground. Yalena passed a hand through her white hair in a rare moment of contemplation.

She did think about going back up, about helping Iakopo, about leaving Maui behind. Maui was a follower and a great one at that. But was having a follower with a Dark Water Affinity worth losing Iakopo over?

She knew that once she emerged, no matter how many excuses she could make, Iakopo would never tolerate her presence again. Maui hadn’t understood what kind of person Iakopo was, and Yalena didn’t feel the need to explain that there was a good chance they might leave the island as criminals, especially if some Cultist ever came out and explained how Maui had acquired his Dark Water Affinity.

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And so, she felt torn.

She had also lied to Maui. The reason she hadn’t gone down to gain the Dark Water Affinity for herself wasn’t that she would lose her Star Water—that had been a lie.

She had already found a way to maintain both Star Water and Dark Water at the same time.

No, the reason was far more complicated. She didn’t even think she herself would lose her mind. Her Star Water was too powerful, and she knew she could seal even the tremendous Dark Water away from influencing her into insanity.

She was sure Maui would suffer some serious side effects from acquiring Dark Water, but she wasn’t particularly worried about that.

He wasn’t the brightest of the bunch anyway, and Yalena needed Dark Water too much to be concerned about his wellbeing. However, there was someone she had been worrying about when choosing not to get the Dark Water Affinity.

Yalena gently placed one hand over her belly and then looked up at the rocky ceiling, thinking of Iakopo currently fighting an army of Drakes.

She knew she could have survived acquiring Dark Water without any trouble. She was stronger than she had allowed Iakopo to know and far stronger than Maui could ever imagine. But what she didn’t know was whether acquiring the Affinity would tear apart the life growing inside her.

Unbeknownst to the two men who had followed her there, she had experienced a rare moment of weakness when making this choice, opting for a suboptimal route—very unlike her—and choosing a small, almost insignificant life over one of the greatest power she could have ever acquired.