The roar of the waves still crashed against her ears. Nuhna could barely breathe, her chest tight and trembling. Yet amid the chaos—one voice rose clear inside her.
—Come back…
It was not the tongue of humankind, yet her heart understood every word. A whisper carried within each curl of the waves striking the shore: You are a part of me…
Her eyes widened, body quivering. The chill of the sea seeped into her veins. She tried to cry out, but no sound escaped her lips—only the thunder above echoed in harmony with her racing heartbeat.
And then—a silhouette stepped forth from the swell.
He was not merely human, but one to whom the entire ocean bowed. His long, drenched hair flowed with the wind, his eyes a deep sapphire gleam like the abyss of the sea. With each step he took, the ground beneath him dissolved into rippling spray.
The warriors froze, breath caught in their throats. Some sank to their knees without knowing why, as if the weight of the ocean itself had pressed down upon their shoulders.
Nuhna stood motionless, gaze locked upon the figure who had emerged. Fear coursed hot through her veins—yet laced with a pull she could not deny.
The voice of the waves within her heart entwined with the glow of his eyes—
—At last, we meet.