A cool breeze stirred Nicki from her sleep. Easing her eyes open, she was met with the pitch-black darkness of the night. She lazily turned her head to the entrance of her hut. The sun hadn’t even begun to rise yet. 

Nicki readjusted herself beneath her hand-made blanket and closed her eyes. She began to succumb to drowsiness when another breeze blew right into her face. She drew the blanket in closer to herself. She would’ve believe it was enough to shut her blessing up, however years of experience had taught her otherwise. But a girl could dream, right?

On that thought, a gust of wind shot under her blanket, sending a chill through her body as the blanket was blown up and over her head. She threw away the little corner of the blanket she still held as she wished for the days when she could’ve slept in til noon.

Why do wind shamans have it so rough?

Regardless of the rude awakening, Elemental Protection would only wake Nicki up if an abyss was appearing. With the little motivation she could muster, she began to pull herself out of bed.

“Bioluminescence.”

At her command, the tribal pattern tattooed across her body began to emit a blue glow. Once her eyes readjusted to the light, she climbed to her feet and made her way to the hut’s entrance where she’d usually be able to take in a majestic oceanside view. But at this early hour, that sight was blacked out.

Guided by the sound of crashing waves, Nicki looked through the darkness toward the ocean. She scanned the open water before her and found what she was looking for. A cluster of lights pulsing faintly beneath the surface of the water offshore.

- 02:17:31 -

30. . . 29. . . 28. . . 

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwnn.”

Nicki couldn’t help but let out a yawn as she watched the red numbers count down. Which got Elemental Protection to blow more cold wind at her. She wrapped her arms around herself as she was reminded that she was only wearing a two-piece swimsuit.

“Change pattern: Fire Dancer.”

A comforting warmth began to flow through Nicki’s body as the plain white suit darkened to a deep red and an orange flame pattern etched itself into the fabric. Now fully awake and with a clear head, she could start preparing for the day ahead of her. Two hours wasn’t that long, but it was enough for a quick pick-me-up.

She exited the hut and began to walk down the beach. After a few minutes, she found a break in the treeline which marked the beginning of a well-beaten footpath that lead inland.