The world faded into a blur of water and light.
One moment, Makai stood beside the old man in that calm, misty clearing—heart still pounding from the battle with the monster. The next, he was submerged in what felt like an endless ocean… yet he could breathe. His feet touched solid ground beneath the waves. Schools of glowing fish danced around coral towers, and strange whale-like beasts glided through the sky above.
"This is the Ocean Realm," the old man said, his voice echoing as if spoken through both water and air. "Here, oceans are not boundaries—they are homes, kingdoms, weapons. And it's here you'll begin your real journey."
Makai looked up. Massive floating cities shimmered above the waves, made of blue crystal and bone. Beings with aquatic armor and glowing eyes moved through gates guarded by shark-headed sentinels. It was a kingdom born of water and war.
The old man's form began to shift. His back sprouted translucent fins, his eyes glowing like pearls. "I am Izael, High Seer of the Abyssal Circle. You are now heir to our legacy—Kaion."
With a motion of his hand, a sphere of energy formed in front of Makai. It pulsed with the very rhythm of nature—wind, water, earth, flame. "This is your core. You draw from the environment, feel it, bend it. Let the sea be your spine and the storm your heartbeat."
Over the next weeks, training consumed him.
He learned to shape spheres of condensed energy, fire beams from his palms, and listen to the pulse of the ocean floor. He swam with ancient beasts and fought under crushing currents.
But what changed him most… was the beast inside him.
Each night in his dreams, it roared—a translucent creature of ethereal armor and glowing eyes. It wasn't just a weapon—it was a part of him.
"Soon," Izael warned, "the storm will rise in Fiji. A creature unlike any before—six arms, forged of pure water magic and endless hunger. Only Kaion can stop it. And you… you must become him."
Makai clenched his fists, the ocean trembling around him.
"I won't let that monster destroy the world. I'll be ready."