Shadows on the Tide
The second city had begun to breathe on its own. Glyph-stone walls rose from the sand, streams flowed into new channels, and the first square glowed faintly at night with hundreds of small sparks. Children practiced sparks at the edge of the tide. Builders shaped docks that rode the waves. For the first time, the hearth existed without Hei Long's constant touch.
But the sea was watching.
One evening the fishermen on the new docks called out. Dark shapes had appeared just beyond the breakers — not ships, but something gliding beneath the water, following the tide in slow circles. Glyphs carved into the sand flickered faintly, answering a rhythm older than crowns.
Hei Long walked to the shore with his three flames. The Origin's glow pulsed faintly in his chest.
