The girls were having a hard time.
A flinch when sunlight hit a puddle.
Emma covering her hands too quickly.
Cleo walking around the drinking fountain like it was a minefield.
Rikki pretending she didn't care—but definitely caring.
Zanya watched.
Quiet, observant, pretending her own weird wasn't humming under her skin like static.
By lunchtime, the System whirred alive with its usual convenient timing.
[NEW MISSION AVAILABLE • Animal Crossing]
[Craft: Wooden Fishing Rod
Tip: Follow recipe and use AC Portable work bench to assemble.
Next: Catch your first fish.
Reward: Random Ocean Buff]
Zanya stared at the prompt. "Seriously?"
But fine. Fine. If doing a cutesy island-side errand kept her from spiraling about moonlight or dream voices, she'd take it.
After school she found 5 pieces of driftwood the equivalent of 5 wood beaches and then sat by the dunes, and assembled the rod with practiced ease.
Once done, she let her gaze drift to the sea.
The tug in her ribs—the Saltborn pull—woke instantly.
"Alright," she muttered. "Let's see what you want from me."
She waded knee-deep into clear water and cast the line.
The bobber danced once.
Twice.
Then shot downward with a force that almost yanked her off her feet.
"Oh—!"
She reeled hard. The rod vibrated violently, and when the splash settled—
A massive, gleaming blue-black Coelacanth hovered in the shallows, ancient and unreal.
It stared at her.
She stared back.
Then the System chimed:
[RARE CATCH ACQUIRED: COELACANTH]
[Buff Applied: +Water Luck (48 hours)]
[Trait Synergy Detected: Saltborn Soul- increased resonance chance]
Zanya gently released it back into the water.
The sea shivered around her in approval.
---
That night, everything got worse.
It started when she stepped under the streetlight outside her house—the moment silver light brushed her skin, the System vibrated.
ting—
[PASSIVE UNLOCKED]
[LUNAR AFFINITY — Level 1
Heightened intuition and sensory sharpness near moonlight.]
Zanya frowned. "Moonlight isn't supposed to… unlock things."
Or maybe it was.
Saltborn.
Dream-linked.
Chosen by something she hadn't even met yet.
Her chest tightened.
She walked along the shoreline, restless. Moonlight spilled over the sand, catching on the waves, clinging to her skin like cool silk. Each time she stepped into a brighter patch, her senses sharpened: the smell of salt, the pull of the tides, the faint humming beneath the water.
The System blinked again:
[INF. NIKKI OUTFIT AVAILABLE: Moonlit Wanderer]
[Effect: +Perception (Night), +Stealth (Shadows)]
The outfit materialized in her inventory—a midnight-blue ensemble with pale glowing trim, ethereal and practical. She slipped it on, and the world shifted around her—cleaner lines, crisper sound, deeper shadows.
The moonlight thickened around her, humming like a tuning fork against her bones.
And then—
The walking - waking dream stirred.
A flash of deep water—silver chains—glowing scales—
A low voice, closer now:
*"You… hear me…"*
Zanya jolted, breath caught.
"Oh, that's not good."
The tide whispered back, urgent.
---
Two nights later, the System chimed before she could fall asleep.
[MISSION UNLOCKED: Observe Moon Pool Reaction
Objective: Go to Mako Island (no entry into Moon Pool required).
Reward: Labyrinth — Crystal Orb (Basic)]
Zanya sat up.
Her pulse climbed like a rising tide.
"…So it's time."
The ocean called her name all the way across the water.
She took one of her dad's smaller boats, unused but well maintained like all his 'toys' were.
By the time she reached Mako's rocky path, the moon hung low and heavy, tugging at her ribs like gravity had shifted just for her.
When she entered the main cave, the air hummed.
Soft blue ripples crawled across the walls—subtle, alive—like the cavern itself was breathing. Her fingers brushed the stone, and a faint vibration traveled up her arm.
[Quintessence perception: Voltron-coded sensitivity awakening.]
"Oh," she whispered. "That's new."
She approached the Moon Pool, but didn't step close enough to tempt fate.
Instead, she pulled out the newly acquired reward:
Labyrinth Crystal Orb (Basic)
Cool. Weightless.
A beginner's vision focus.
She barely touched it before—
It slipped from her hand.
clink—
The orb rolled straight to the edge of the Moon Pool, stopped, and bloomed with light.
A vision erupted across its surface:
Chains holding down a massive silhouette coiled around an ancient underwater column.
Emotions: furious and growing in impatience.
Serpentine eyes like molten silver opening—searching—aching.
A whisper rose from the water, clearer than ever:
"Come…"
"…Saltborn…"
Zanya staggered back. Her pulse thundered.
Then the System pinged sharply:
[SYSTEM REWARD GRANTED
• Tidemaker — Minor (manipulate small surface currents; push/pull gentle flow
• Infinity Nikki — Tidechaser Boots (+2Speed in shallow water, slip-resistant, wave-harmonizing fabric)]
She stared at the glowing pool.
Something ancient, powerful and chained was calling her.
The ocean wanted her closer.
The moon wanted her aware.
Zanya felt the truth settle in her bones like a rising tide:
Whatever waited in the deep was waking up.
And it wanted her.