It was a day of reckoning, a day when Talia felt she would either become a monster, like she had always feared, or a savior – but most importantly, it was a day where the Deep would exact its dues.

It was a Water Rider saying – the Deep always exacts its dues. It meant that reality always caught up with perpetrators of crimes, monsters, and even the Kraken itself. At first, it could sound as if the Water Riders believed that the Deep was on the side of Abyssal Creatures and their king, the Kraken, but that was not what the saying truly meant. The Water Riders believed that no creature, human or otherwise, could run unchecked for too long, not even the Scourge of the Deep itself.

This was their explanation of how a Water Rider eventually managed to kill the Kraken for long enough to give the many inhabitants of the Great Archipelago of Nā Moku Kai peace and respite from the carnage.

***

“Do you see any monsters?” Akua asked with a tone that sounded a little too relaxed, considering that they were hiking through a monster-infested island and that she wasn’t Initiated.

In fact, even though Talia had used [Eyes of the Abyss] to locate the Abyssal Scuttlers and avoid them, Akua seemed way too comfortable for someone whose only escort was a teenage girl. Even a guard with a lance in their hand would be nervous about an off-road track like the one Talia was leading them through in order to dodge as many monsters as possible. Instead, Akua strolled comfortably a few paces behind her, seemingly not worried in the least.

“There are none in our vicinity,” Talia said, glancing over the merchant’s shoulder. “No monsters.”

Akua didn’t know it, but her behavior and what her eyes could see – a skill that no one but Takai and Fiora knew about – confirmed all of Talia’s suspicions.

Talia knew that there had been foul play involved in the monsters invading the island.

Abyssal Scuttlers, and the creatures of the Deep in general, wouldn’t normally leave the Deep. There simply wasn’t enough Mana to keep them alive and, unlike humans, they didn’t have a self-regenerative reserve of Mana: they depended on the ambient Mana found in the dark waters of the Four Seas. Therefore, the Abyssal Creatures never trespassed into the Calm Belt as a matter of self-preservation.

Not unless someone provoked them, Talia thought, looking over her shoulder.

Nonetheless, the monsters weren’t the only thing to worry about.

For now, the citizens would be safe, and if her plan worked, they would be able to leave the island without any trouble.

The problem for her immediate future, as soon as the crisis was resolved, though, was that the Abyssal Scuttlers hadn’t made a great impact on her Primary Mana Channel Level.

She needed a Primary Mana Channel at Level 2 if she wanted to pass the second test that would be administered to the self-Initiated, aspiring Water Riders at the Academy. Without that, even though she had Initiated herself, she wouldn’t be considered worthy of teaching all the Hydromancy-related knowledge that had been accrued over centuries at the Academy; that was because a Primary Mana Channel roughly established how many levels one could gain in a Class before leveling up became a miserable endeavor and slowed down to a crawl. Without a Primary Mana Channel at Level 2, it was almost impossible to reach even the end of the first year or to complete the easiest missions, as one could barely reach Level 20.

So, Talia needed to find a way – any way – to bring her Primary Mana Channel up to speed, especially considering that the Water Riders would probably show up sooner rather than later after hearing of the monsters—which also meant they might speed up the transportation process to the Academy…

All considered, her chances of passing this year’s test were looking rather grim.

[Name: Talia]

[Age: 16]

[Class: Lifestealer Lv. 4]

[Rank: Novice]

[Primary Mana Channel (Water): Level 0.4 {Dormant}]

[Secondary Mana Channel (Blood): Level 5 {Flowing}]

[Core Skill #1: Blood Siphon Lv. 2]

[Core Skill #2: Hemomancy Lv. 3]

[Core Skill #3: Eyes of the Abyss Lv. 2]

[Auxiliary Skill #1: Missile Swimming Lv. 1]

[Auxiliary Skill #2: Crimson Wisdom Lv. 2]

[Strength: 8]

[Agility: 0.3]

[Constitution: 1.1]

[Intelligence: 1]

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[Wisdom: 0]

[Charisma: 0]

[Free Attributes: 0]

[Talent Trees:

* Bloodborne Warrior

* Carmine Thunder

* Sanguine Guardian

* Hemomantic Artisan

* Crimson Sage (1)

* Life Thief

]

[Free Talent Points: 0]

At least she had leveled-up twice and gotten a free Int point thanks to her use of [Crimson Wisdom] to enhance her [Hemomancy].

One could get free Attributes, especially when those Attributes were very low, just through training and combat. Some even advised the cadets of the Water Rider Academy to keep as many Free Attributes as they could until they gained more Skills – a luxury Talia had not been able to afford since she had to carry the heavy glaive with her. In her specific case, though, she wasn’t too worried about not gaining enough Attributes through the traditional methods.

Thanks to [Blood Syphon], she had gotten a whole point in Constitution, thanks to all the monsters she had slain on the way over.

“You’re really brave,” Akua broke the silence while Talia was doing some mental math about her Primary Mana Channel and how many monsters she still needed to kill.

“I’m Initiated, you’re not,” Talia stated matter-of-factly without turning. “You are the brave one.”

“How do you know I’m not secretly Initiated?” Akua smirked, prompting Talia to give her a second look with [Eyes of the Abyss].

Akua’s energy looked very unremarkable. Even though she did look like she had more energy than the average islander, Talia attributed that to the herbs that the woman traded and most likely consumed. But still, there was no chance Akua was Initiated—even Takai had more Mana in his body than her.

“I guess you’re right,” Talia shrugged. “I can’t know for sure.”

“I’ve met your mother before, you know?” Akua said, trying to keep the conversation alive.

And that did indeed catch Talia’s attention.

“When?” Talia frowned.

“Before she fought the Kraken, of course,” Akua said with a strange inflection when mentioning the Scourge of the Deep. “My mother was a merchant, too. We met your mom during one of her trips to the North Deep.”

“You’ve been to the North Deep?” Talia frowned. “Uninitiated?”

“There are plenty of Uninitiated people in the Calm Belt and close to the North Deep. And the outskirts are not as dangerous as people make them to be, you know?”

Talia was stunned.

The North Deep was the most dangerous of the Four Seas, the one where the Kraken would usually respawn.

“What about my mom?” Talia asked warily. “Did you spend time with her?”

“No, no,” Akua cleared her throat, “it was a rather sudden meeting. We didn’t stay with your mother for long. She just… purchased some wares.”

“I see,” Talia muttered, for a moment forgetting about what she knew about the woman. “What type was she? Everyone always tells me she was a hero, but I never get a real description.”

“She was a hero, alright,” Akua said with a weird bitterness, which made Talia’s eyebrows jump as she looked ahead, her expressions hidden from the merchant. “She was very, very interested in justice, in what was fair, and all those things. She could barely stand the idea that not everyone considered the Kraken a monster, for example.”

“Like who? The Cultists?” Talia frowned.

“No,” Akua laughed. “Just normal people who don’t care. See, your mother was one of those people that cared about everything. That was my quick impression of her. But don’t take my word for gold—it was many years ago.”

Hearing someone not describe her mother as a hero for the first time in so long made her somewhat lighter for a moment.

It was always hard to imagine living up to the perfect heritage left behind by her mother, the Hākai Pō, the Kraken Slayer—possibly the last of them.

And considering how hard it was for Talia to merely prove to people that she wasn’t a monster, the Kraken’s spawn, she couldn’t help but smirk at the thought of her mother being a bit of an asshole.

Her self-indulgence in those thoughts was quickly brought to an end when she saw the forest starting to clear up.

“We’re at the river,” Talia said, sighing and clenching her glaive tighter.

Akua was surprised by the fact that Talia had led them to their destination without meeting almost any monsters, and even those they had met, the girl had dispatched without using any Mana, almost as if she didn’t want to showcase her powers.

While Akua was taking in the view of her large, enchanted storage that no one but her had access to, she turned to study the teenage girl that now stood by her side.

The young man who had come screaming moments before the girl had reached the rest of the villagers had called her the Kraken's spawn. Akua had heard the rumors before, but she had considered it to be like all rumors on an island of bored, Uninitiated people: drivel. But when the young man had described in vivid detail one of Talia’s skills, it sounded eerily similar to one of the better-known abilities of the Kraken. This had given Akua pause, and she had immediately elaborated a new plan.

And Talia was central to this plan.

“You know, Talia, there are a few things I haven’t told you,” Akua smirked. “See, behind us—”

“Hey, Lani!” Talia called out before Akua could say anything else.

The merchant looked at the girl, flabbergasted, and turned in the same direction she was looking.

Uncertain, Lani appeared from behind the trees and slowly walked up to them. Takai’s mother looked at Akua quizzically, and Akua looked at her with the same confusion etched on her face. Neither of them had any idea how Talia had spotted her.

But they were soon to find out that the girl knew much more than the fact that Lani had followed them.

“Akua,” Talia cleared her voice, “I know you’re the one who brought the Abyssal Scuttlers to the island. And, as a future Water Rider, I declare you under arrest.”