Every year on the same day, the inhabitants of the island of Solara, dressed in their best cotton, bearing ceremonial tattoos, and donning tall and spiky weaved hats, would stand on the forbidden shore for the arrival of the Water Riders.

Most fidgeted, knowing monsters lurked in the dark, nearby waters north of their island. There began the Deep – the world of the Initiated.

Solara was the northernmost island of the peaceful southern archipelago, making it the first stop for the Water Riders looking for new recruits.

The golden, dawn-kissed sand was still cold under Talia’s feet but not as cold as the sweat running down her back.

At sixteen years old, she was finally old enough to test during the Water Riders’ visit and become an Initiated if her talent proved enough.

“Takai! Are you there? Come on, let’s go! The sun is rising twice above the sea!” Talia called out at the rendezvous spot.

A scrawny boy peeked from behind a tree and sighed in relief when he saw his friend.

“Talia,” Takai smiled.

“Let’s go,” the girl didn’t waste any time. “Keep your head down, and let’s follow the tree line. We only come out after the Water Riders land on the beach.”

The boy, one year older than her, nodded.

“Talia, I don’t know that I should—”

“Don’t start,” she said. “We practiced together. There’s a good chance your Primary Mana Channel might have reached Level Two.”

To enter the Water Riders Academy, one would need, at the very least, a Level Two Primary Mana Channel and develop it to a Level Five to fully graduate.

Takai had already tested the previous year and he had not made the cut. His Primary Mana Channel was barely Level One. He had trained hard together with Talia, but his chances weren’t great. Leveling up a Primary Mana Channel was very hard and usually not something that could be accomplished by someone not Initiated.

“How are you feeling?” Takai asked as they walked toward the northernmost shore of the island.

“I can’t wait,” Talia said, balling her fists.

“You’ll leave everyone holding dead fishes,” Takai said, confident in his friend.

Talia had been waiting for Initiation Day her whole life. She had been treated like a monster despite her mother, Yalena, being the last Hākai Pō, the Kraken Slayer.

Today, on the day of her sixteenth birthday, and also the day the Kraken was defeated sixteen years ago, she would finally enter a different world.

Once she passed the test, she would follow the Water Riders into the Deep Belt, where their Academy was located amidst the waters infested by the Abyssal Creatures.

Her mother, the most celebrated hero in Nā Moku Kai, the Great Archipelago, had possessed a Level Ten Primary Mana Channel. Her sister, unsurprisingly, had tested a Level Nine.

Talia was confident that now that she had finally unlocked her Mana, she could easily test as high as her sister or even aim for her mother’s level.

I’m going to show everyone...

I will be stronger than Mom.

I’m not a monster.

I will be the next Hākai Pō.

Now that she was going to become an Initiated, she could show everyone that she wasn’t a monster, that she wasn’t the Kraken spawn, but Yalena’s daughter.

In fact, Talia fully expected to unlock Star Water the moment she got Initiated, just like her sister did.

“Takai,” Talia whispered, pointing forward.

Talia and Takai crouched behind the dense foliage at the edge of the beach, observing the scene before them.

The golden sand was now teeming with life as what seemed like the entire population of Solara had gathered for the momentous occasion.

The crowd was a brilliant mix of colors. Men, women, and children of all ages stood eagerly waiting for the Water Riders, their best cotton garments fluttering in the gentle sea breeze.

Many wore ceremonial tattoos on their arms and faces, blue and green like the ocean, to propitiate the outcome of their children’s test.

The most striking sight was the tall, spiky woven hats that rose above the crowd like a forest of exotic plants.

Each hat was unique.

At the forefront of the crowd stood the village elders. Their hats were the tallest and most elaborate. Among them, Talia spotted the Head Elder, Noelo, with his stern gaze fixed on the horizon.

Despite the jovial atmosphere, tension permeated the crowd.

Many kept casting nervous glances toward the dark waters to the north, where the Deep began. Even from their hiding spot, Talia could sense the mixture of excitement and fear that permeated the air. Families huddled together, parents holding their eligible children close, whispering last-minute advice and encouragement.

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Younger siblings watched with wide eyes, dreaming of the day it would be their turn to face the Water Riders' test.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, casting its warm light across the scene, a hush fell over the crowd.

“They’re here,” one of the adults said, pointing toward the sea. In the distance, following his finger, people saw a group of half a dozen Water Riders.

Talia felt a shiver running through her body.

Far away, shapes began to appear on the horizon – the silhouettes of the approaching Water Riders.

Talia felt her heart race with anticipation. This was the moment she had been waiting for her entire life. She turned to Takai, her eyes shining with determination.

“It's time,” she whispered. “Are you ready?”

Takai nodded, his face a mixture of nervousness and resolve. Together, they prepared to step out of their hiding place and join the throng.

As Talia and Takai finally stepped into the gathering, an adult screamed, “What is she doing here?!”

Everyone turned.

Whispers and sidelong glances followed right after.

A group of teenagers huddled together, pointing and snickering.

“Look, it's the traitor's son and the Kraken's daughter,” one of them hissed, loud enough for Talia and Takai to hear.

“Shh! Don't look her in the eyes. My mom says she might be able to turn us into stone,” a third whispered fearfully.

Takai hunched his shoulders to make himself smaller, but Talia straightened her spine and glared at the group. A few of them flinched and looked away, remembering past encounters with her fierce temper.

The older men looked at her with narrowed eyes, but Talia knew it was too late for the Elders to do anything about this.

And so, as the Water Riders got closer, they attracted all of Talia’s attention.

A school of Flashscales, excited by the presence of the Water Riders, jumped in and out of the water. Their gleaming yellow scales reflected the first rays of dawn, like melted gold snaking atop the water's surface.

She held her breath as the first man jumped up in the air with his Mana board, placed it below his arm, and landed gently on the shore before them. He had a head of messy hair reaching his shoulders and a sculpted physique highlighted by his rich tan. He walked barefoot on the sand, slowly reaching for the elders and bowing in front of them.

“Talava,” the man spoke in the ancient tongue.

“Quani,” they replied.

Then, as the rest of the Water Riders started dismounting, the young man approached one of the elders and hugged him.

“That’s Ika?” Talia whispered incredulously, blushing.

“He looks the same,” Takai shrugged. “Still a kid.”

Talia looked at the scrawny boy next to her without saying a word before returning to the Water Rider’s sculpted abs and bulging biceps.

Ika had been one of the islanders in Solara, the most talented Water Rider to join the Azure Ascend Archipelago’s protectors in the last ten years – excluding her sister. But, most importantly, during his time away, he had morphed into the hottest guy she had ever seen.

Ika, now five years older than Talia and the same age as her sister, started walking toward them. A pearly smile graced his lips.

“Talia, Takai!” Ika smiled. He moved to give Talia a hug and, unbeknownst to him, almost a heart attack.

“Ika, you... you look completely different!” Talia exclaimed as he released her.

“It’s the levels,” Ika smiled. “I’m close to breaking through Adept!”

But before they could continue their conversation, one of the older Water Riders, cleared his voice, “Ika, we are here on official business. Come here. You will have time to catch up later. You promised you would behave.”

“Yes, Savali,” Ika replied. However, before running back to them, he winked at Talia, making her blush, “Good luck!”

Talia's cheeks were burning, and she waved at him as he walked back. Before he left, Ika was the only other kid who had never treated Talia any differently despite the freakish marks on her wrists. And that was incredible, considering that Ika’s older brother, Mataku, hated her guts.

As the murmurs grew louder and the tension in the air thickened, Noelo, Ika and Mataku's father, stepped forward. His face was set in grim determination as he approached Talia.

“Talia,” he said, his voice carrying across the now-hushed beach.

“Elder Noelo,” Talia said with a cold expression.

“Talia, I'm afraid I have some news that you're not going to like.”

“Do you?” She smirked.

She knew the man was behind the plan to keep her shut in her hut.

The Elder put on a complacent expression before continuing.

“You're not going to take the test today. Not on my watch.”

The girl felt her heart sink for a moment but then steeled herself.

“I don’t think you have any say in this matter,” Talia rebuked with a smile. “You’re not Initiated nor a Water Rider. Water Riders’ honor laws impose that whoever wants to participate in the test can and will participate.”

“I know the laws,” the Elder smiled. “That’s why I sent a message to the Academy in advance. See, I knew you might escape from the hut somehow. That’s why I have fully explained the situation and how it’s too dangerous to let you be Initiated. You might be surprised, but even with what your mother did, some don’t want to tempt the Deep and allow a cursed child to gain levels and potentially turn into a monster. I’ve had an Elder confirm it—you’re not to be Initiated.”

The words hit Talia like a physical blow. She staggered back a step, her eyes wide with disbelief. “W—What?! They—they can’t!”

“I've received official word from the Water Riders' emissaries,” Noelo continued. “We've already agreed on this. It's for the best, Talia. For everyone's safety.”

“Dad!” Ika was stunned. “What are you saying?! Talia is not a monster!”

“Silence, Ika,” Noelo replied. “You are a Water Rider now, but I’m still an Elder on this island.”

Talia felt as if the ground had disappeared beneath her feet.

“This isn't fair!” Talia cried out, her voice cracking with emotion. Everything she had worked for and dreamed of was crumbling around her. “I'm not a monster, I'm—”

“Enough,” Noelo cut her off, his tone final. “The decision has been made. I'm sorry, Talia, but you will not be taking the test today.”

As Noelo's words sank in and the older man stepped back toward the elders, Talia felt something inside her break.

She looked around desperately, hoping to find a friendly face other than Takai’s, someone who would stand up for her. But all she saw were expressions of relief, pity, and, in some cases, triumph.

Not even Ika said anything after Noelo reprimanded him.

But then, a large, dark man stepped onto the shore, carrying a massive glaive in his right hand, and his voice thundered.

“Who dares interfere with Water Rider law?”