The sound of a fist against wood echoed through the hallway of Elder Krakatoa's dormitory.

Riala stood outside Talia's door, her fist starting tu hurt from repeated banging.

"Talia!" she called out, her voice strained. "Open the door. We need to talk about what happened."

Silence was her only answer.

Riala leaned her forehead against the cool wood, frustrated.

"Please, Talia. Don't shut me out. Not now."

What Talia had done had completely stunned Riala and all the others present to the point that Elder Kahua seemed on the verge of smiting her.

Somehow, her younger sister had summoned Dark Water—something Riala knew only one other person could do.

The soft click of a door opening caught her attention.

Riala turned to see a concerned Nami emerging from her room, the Shield of Lilo Moana.

"Miss Riala? What's wrong?" Nami asked, tightening the sash of her robe. "I heard shouting. Is everything okay?"

Riala's repeated knocking had gone unanswered.

“There was a problem at Elder Kahua’s School during Talia’s test,” Riala sighed. “She’s not answering.”

"I'll try to talk to her," Nami offered, stepping forward. "Maybe she'll open up to someone who wasn't there."

Riala hesitated, then nodded reluctantly.

"Alright. Just... be careful. Sometimes, she’s just not herself."

The white-haired girl turned and walked away.

That was when Nami felt a pang of deep worry.

If Riala, the Champion of Elder Kahua’s School, was this distressed, what in the name of the Deep could have been the reason?

Again, Riala was a celebrity at the Academy, and even the North Deep’s Great Families treaded lightly around the girl who was known to be a future powerhouse, a savvy student, and most certainly a future Elder—if not a Kraken Slayer like her mother.

Nami approached the door with her heart in her throat, knocking gently.

"Talia? It's Nami. Can we talk?"

To her surprise, the door creaked open.

Nami exchanged a quick glance with Riala before stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

What Nami saw inside stopped her in her tracks.

Instead of finding Talia distraught or brooding, she discovered the girl sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by a menacing red energy that pulsed and swirled around her.

Nami cleared her throat nervously.

Talia's eyes snapped open at the sound, the eerie glow fading from them as the red energy dissipated.

"Nami," Talia acknowledged, her voice oddly calm. "I was just investigating a new Skill."

"I... see," Nami replied, trying to hide her unease. "Talia, what happened at Elder Kahua’s? Your sister is very worried sick."

Talia's expression darkened.

"Elder Kahua was angry when I passed his test too easily and after he had set me up to fail. He pitted me against a second-year student, threatening to expel me if I lost."

She paused, her fists clenching.

"Then, I won.”

Nami listened with wide eyes.

The girl’s hands twitched slightly at her sides as she processed Talia's words.

She defeated a second-year student?

Nami wondered if Lilo would be able to do that.

Perhaps she would, but Talia doesn’t look beaten up at all.

Her feet shifted nervously as if instinctively preparing to move back, but she stayed rooted in place, her concern overriding her unease.

"That's... that's unacceptable behavior from an Elder. Talia, I think you should drop out of Elder Kahua's classes. They start in a few days, but I'm sure Elder Krakatoa would understand if—"

"No," Talia interrupted, her voice firm. "I'm going to take those classes."

Nami frowned. "But after what happened—"

"Exactly because of what happened," Talia said, standing up.

Her eyes gleamed with determination.

I need to understand what Elder Kahua is really up to, Talia thought to herself.

"What do you mean? What happened?" Nami asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

I can’t tell her, Talia thought. It’s too dangerous. And I don’t know how much I can trust Nami. She’s a part of the Great Families — I know way too little to make any real decision right now. But the rumors will start circulating soon anyway.

“I got a new Affinity,” Talia said, briefly explaining what had happened.

Nami listened to what had gone down with wide eyes.

“Right now, though, I need to get stronger, Nami. I need to sell that secret and find more. Do you have any classes today?”

Nami shook her head.

“But Talia—”

“If you have nothing better to do, how about you fetch your sister, and we all go trade some secrets? I’ll sell it to you girls for a discount.”

Nami hesitated.

She fidgeted with her sash.

She searched Talia’s face for reassurance but found none.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

There was something different about the girl’s aura.

For the past two days, Talia had seemed very excited about this new life, but she was also passive, overwhelmed by her new reality.

Now, however, there was a dangerous glint in the girl’s eyes that Nami hadn’t seen before.

Talia’s entire demeanor seemed to have changed.

* * *

Nami overlooked a very excited Lilo and an edgy Talia as she steered a gondola through the canals surrounding the Academy.

The imposing silhouette of the Spire gradually receded behind them.

The smell of algae and old wood was getting closer and closer to their nostrils.

That was because they were approaching the Market.

As the older of the Moana sisters had explained to Talia, there was only one place where one could continuously trade secrets during the day. And it would be occupied for the better part of the morning by dealers of secrets.

The Market.

Its name was quite ironic since the Market was really a ship graveyard made up of countless enchanted vessels that had outlived their usability.

The most interesting aspect about the Market, however, was that there was so much enchanted wood everywhere that communication or eavesdropping spells would just return an unintelligible buzz, which was exactly why it had been designated for its purposes.

The dead vessels had also been arranged in such a pattern that even the narrow gondolas could, at best, fit two at a time in the same canal.

The gondola glided into a labyrinth of waterlogged timber and rotting planks.

Talia, Nami, and Lilo ducked as they passed under a low-hanging mast.

The Market sprawled before them – a haphazard collection of derelict ships fused into a floating bazaar.

Nami steered them through the narrow channels barely wide enough for their vessel.

On either side, the hollowed-out hulls housed dimly lit stalls.

Merchants hawked their wares normally, but every once in a while, Talia noticed them whispering or giving suspicious handshakes to their clients.

Talia wrinkled her nose, unused to the pungent odor of the place.

Lilo, who was fidgeting in her seat, seemed equally uncomfortable.

As they progressed deeper into the Market, away from the main stalls, the ambient noise faded into a muffled hum.

The enchanted wood absorbed the sounds, creating pockets of eerie silence.

Talia felt the hair on her arms stand on end.

Nami guided them to a weathered dock jutting from a partially submerged galleon.

"We're here," she announced flatly. "Watch your step. The wood's slippery."

Lilo's eyes darted excitedly from side to side.

"I've heard so many stories about this place," Lilo whispered. "Is it true that you can find anything here if you know who to ask? Even secrets about the Great Families?"

Nami nodded, her expression serious.

"Almost anything.”

“How do you know this stuff?” Talia asked with a frown.

“Shields are usually instructed with these tasks—recon, information gathering, and a bunch of things that are not strictly combat related.”

“She learned how to be savvy,” Lilo added with a smile. “I learned how to be the strongest.”

Talia raised an eyebrow.

The concerted effort the Great Families put behind raising Promised Slayers kept surprising her.

“What now?”

Nami led Talia and Lilo into a dimly lit tavern nestled within the hollowed-out hull of an old merchant ship.

The floorboards creaked despite being cover by a thick layer of grime that should have supposedly muffled their steps.

A morbidly fat waitress wiped down a table with a rag that seemed to spread the dirt rather than remove it.

Behind the bar, a man with bloodshot eyes nursed a bottle, mumbling to himself.

In the corner, four thugs hunched over a card game.

Once again, Talia’s nose was under an olfactory assault.

"This is where we're selling secrets?" She coughed, trying hard not to breath.

Nami shook her head, guiding them to an empty table near the back.

"Not exactly. We're waiting for someone. He told me to find him here. It’s a good contact, someone I was introduced to in Tempest City."

They settled into chairs that had seen better days.

Lilo fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable in the grimy surroundings.

The waitress lumbered over, her breathing becoming labored from the short walk. "Welcome to The Broken Keel. What'll it be?"

"Three cups of water," Nami replied curtly.

The waitress snorted.

"Suit yer’selves."

As she waddled away, Talia leaned in.

"Who are we waiting for?"

Nami's eyes scanned the room before answering.

"A broker. Someone who can help us get the best price for your secret."

Lilo perked up.

"Is it dangerous? Meeting a broker?"

"It can be," Nami admitted. "But this one's reliable. Usually."

The waitress returned with three cups of suspiciously cloudy water.

Talia eyed hers curiously but didn't touch it.

Lilo pushed hers away with a grimace.

Minutes ticked by in intense silence.

The card game in the corner erupted into a brief argument before settling back into just the ordinary amount of threats of violence for such a game.

The bartender finished his bottle and reached for another one.

Talia drummed her fingers on the table.

"How long do we wait?"

Nami shrugged.

“As long as it takes.”

“Lilo, would you like to trade?” Talia smiled. “I need more information on Soul Weapons.”

“Really?!” Lilo’s eyes sparkled. “What’s the secret?”

“I’ll tell you and your sister where the Leviathan Hall is,” Talia said.

“If you need information on Soul Weapons, you should only tell me,” Lilo said smugly. “Nami’s got a Legendary Artifact. She wasn’t instructed on how to use White Rose.”

“Talia,” Nami said, clearly on edge ever since they had entered The Broken Keel. “We don’t have any information about Soul Weapons that Elder Krakatoa wouldn’t tell you himself in his Class. There’s nothing that Lilo can reveal without risking our family putting a bounty on her head, at least.”

“But—” Lilo protested.

“I see,” Talia frowned. “Can I just ask a few questions then?”

Lilo pouted, resting her face on her knuckles.

“Sure,” Nami nodded. “It’s not like we have anything else to do.”

“How do you raise the level of a Soul Weapon’s Skill? And how do you make the Soul Weapon level up?”

“You don’t know?” Lilo asked with an almost annoyed tone.

“Lilo, Talia wasn’t born into a noble family,” Nami admonished her little sister. “I can answer that question.”

Nami sighed and stretched her neck.

“Soul Weapons require you to transfer vitality into them to level up. With every level they gain, their skills will level with them. Although this is not well-known, Soul Weapons – and any Soul Artifact for that matter – must be compatible with their user. White Rose wouldn’t be nearly as good a weapon for someone with Steam Water or Sun Water, for example.”

Talia’s heart fell.

“I don’t have Star Water,” Talia realized. “I—I don’t have my mother’s Affinity.”

“It’s quite common to awaken a Secondary Mana Channel later on,” Nami shrugged.

“Ok,” Talia cleared her voice. “So, what happens if the glaive is better for a Star Water user, and I never get Star Water?”

“A Soul Artifact isn’t necessarily stronger than a normal one, as Elder Krakatoa explained,” Nami said. “If your Soul Weapon doesn’t have any skills that synergize with your combat style… you might want to think about replacing it with a different Artifact.”

Talia reflexively clutched the glaive that she had rested against the wall beside her.

“But you won’t know until you’ve injected Mana into your Artifact,” Lilo said with a frown. “Don’t let Nami scare you. Soul Weapons are extremely flexible. It takes time to cultivate them to high levels, but they’re very sought-after for a reason. White Rose has killed the Kraken twenty-three times.”

The younger sister patted the sheath of the sword at her belt to punctuate her statement.

“How do I inject vitality into the glaive?” Talia frowned.

"Channeling vitality into a Soul Weapon requires time. Most Water Riders just visualize their life force flowing into it."

Lilo nodded enthusiastically.

"It's like... imagine your energy as a river and your Soul Weapon as a dry riverbed. You have to guide that river and carefully direct it into the weapon."

"The process can be very draining and damaging if overdone," Nami added. "It's not something you can rush. Some Water Riders spend hours each day bonding with their Soul Weapons, especially in the early stages. Every one of us has a different amount of vitality, you know?”

“Huh, would you guys mind if I tried it now?”

“It’s cool,” Lilo smiled. “It should feel like you have this bucket full of water that you can pour into the dry riverbed. For someone with exceptional vitality, it might feel like a small pond rather than a bucket. The more you pour, the more the Soul Weapon gets attuned to your Affinities.”

“Let’s see,” Talia said, interested.

“By the way, the vitality should slightly resemble your strongest Affinity,” Lilo added while Talia closed her eyes.

Talia grabbed the glaive and placed it on her thighs.

Then, with her eyes closed, she tried to follow Lilo's instructions.

She imagined her vitality as water, searching for the metaphorical riverbed of her weapon.

At first, nothing happened.

Talia furrowed her brows, concentrating harder.

Slowly, she began to sense something.

A connection, faint but undeniable, formed between her and the glaive.

She focused on that link, attempting to visualize her energy flowing into the weapon.

The world around her faded away as she sank deeper into the meditation.

Suddenly, Talia found herself standing before a vast ocean of blood.

The crimson expanse stretched as far as she could see, its surface calm yet somehow alive.

Waves of vitality lapped at her feet.

The sheer magnitude of energy before her was overwhelming, far beyond the "bucket" or even a "small pond" Lilo had described.

As she turned her attention to the glaive, she could feel a vast emptiness in it, and she readied herself to start pouring vitality into it.

But then, she felt a sharp tug on her sleeve.

The vision of the blood-ocean shattered, reality rushing back in a dizzying blur.

Talia blinked, momentarily disoriented.

"Talia," Nami hissed urgently, her hand still gripping Talia's arm. "He's here."