Mix of herbal berries, check.

Essence of bioluminescent seaweed, check.

Two shells from the rarest bivalve, check.

These ingredients were supposed to be for a brand new batch of herbal medicine. She spent many phases looking for items that were never considered necessary. Now, Lynette is a candidate for the Knyghts Voyage. The neytives of Myalón have given her the chance to prove herself.

When she finishes packing, her mind jumps to the neytives who would break down in sorrow with her absence. Her aunt and uncle will have a hard time without their niece around. They always watch her care for those who are ill or wounded. She also thinks about her assistant, Layc, who’s always willing to help her make new medicine and travel to the depth of Myalón’s oceans. She couldn’t deny that he’s been trying to get close to her recently. There may have been something between them that she would’ve enjoyed.

Pushing the thoughts of farewells aside, she grabs her bag and swims to the current that surrounds her trybe’s isle. The docks are located on the inside of the gulf, where the entire island forms a crescent shape. Since Hydradon neytives have no need for the docks or their island, they all reside in the ocean. They’re more capable and adaptive in aquatic environments.

At the edge of the reef, her aunt and uncle are waiting for her with a heart wrenching goodbye. Jarita’s tears don’t blend well in the water.

Both of them pull Lynette into a tight embrace, not wanting to let go yet.

Jarita’s voice is shaky. “My little pearl, are you sure?”

Lynette doesn’t want to let go either. “Yes. This will be good for all the trybes, especially ours.”

“I understand, but…”

“The Chancellor chose me because I am good with medicine. I know I can be of great help to the other candidates.”

Lynette looks past the reef and catches the sun starting to set. She gives Jarita and Daleas one last hug and starts swimming, until she feels a tug on her tail.

Daleas pulls her back to him and hands her a small box. “Before you leave, please take this. It was a gift from your parents. We were waiting to find the right moment to give it to you, but I suppose now is a better time than any.”

With the sun setting on the horizon, Lynette’s face was hard to read but she clearly wasn’t happy to be given something from her parents. She hesitates at first until she realizes this is the parting gift Daleas wants her to have. She takes the box with hidden disdain and swims to the docks.

She breaks the surface and passes the mouth of the gulf, spotting the docks illuminating the edge of the island. It’s been too long since she set foot on land, she wonders if her legs will be of any use walking.

Lynette pulls herself onto the wooden planks and watches her aquatic form fade away.

In the ocean, the lower half of her body morphs into two shiny webbed tails. Her dark blue hair changes into algae-like strands when she wets it. On land, her legs are bipedal with no webbing and her hair is in the form of anemone strands. The most disappointing change is that her gills disappear from her abdomen.

Lynette sits up for a moment to dust off the sand from her clothes. She finds it hard to believe anyone from Hydradon would enjoy living on land. The amount of pressure she’s putting on her legs is strenuous.

“You are late. Time is essential Lynette,” her Preeminent is standing behind her with an impatient glare. She trying her best to have a scowl on her face, but it’s hard to match up. “We still have fourteen isles to visit.”

“I still do not understand why you are trying to act ruthless. We know you are kind and caring Kolora.”

“Shhh,” she places her hand over Lynette’s mouth. “I need to keep up this façade, so the other Preeminents will not see us as weak. Do you understand?”

“Right, I am sorry.”

Lynette hurries to follow Kolora to the tidal vessel.

The build of the vessel is layered with steel and the languages of Myalón are etched onto the sides. Three platinum ribbons that appear like sails connect from the bow to the foremast to the stern, fluttering with the twilight wind.

One step onto the ship hits Lynette with a feeling of remorse. She never said goodbye to Layc. He’s been faithful to stay by her side in the middle of her work, but she didn’t consider meeting him before she left. However, Kolora’s warning about time and that she shouldn’t waste it reappears in her train of thought. She’ll come back to say goodbye and hello to Layc.

Kolora offers to take her to the cabin, but she insists on staying on the main deck for a bit longer. She feels like staying out with the stars and near the water for the time being.

Phase has already set and the vessel drifts over the soothing dark waves. Lynette leans over the railing and gets the urge to stare down at the cold abyss, silently whispering goodbye to her trybe beneath the water.

Above the horizon, two of Myalón’s moons, Aûrora and Dèlila, pass over one another. Beneath the moons, they both cast their ichor red and hazy green glow to the ocean. It’s a rare occurrence to see two moons cast their blessings at once. It’s even rarer to see all three. She’s only seen one moon cast its glow in her life and it was a memory she cherishes up to now. Neytives call these glows blessings, because it feels like the moons are giving Myalón nourishment and tranquility. With all the planet has endured in its history, it’s well deserved. Lynette admires how majestic the sea becomes under the moons’ influence.

No one else is on the main deck with her, so she decides at that moment to activate her trigger and bring the water closer to her body. She waves her hand over the side of the tidal vessel and catches a stream of saltwater crawl alongside the ship. Flipping her hands up and pinching her fingers, the stream of water splits into several orbs. She hasn’t activated her trigger for such a long time, but it still fascinates her the way her mind can control it. She flicks her fingers skyward and the orbs burst over the main deck.

Lynette can’t help but laugh once the water splashes over her head. It feels refreshing to feel the saltwater cover her skin. Her hair starts to change back to its algae strands. The webbing on her legs appears out of thin air.

Her unwavering smile falters though when she hears a cough behind her.

Standing on the other side of the vessel is a male neytive who’s slightly taller than her. His messy hair is pitch black with red streaks everywhere and his eyes glow with strong red pigments. On his back, dark spikes protrude along his spine in various shapes. His skin looks scaly, but it’s hardly noticeable even in the glow of the moons. He has a medium built to his figure and a difficult expression to read.

Lynette takes in every detail of the neytive in front of her, including how he’s soaked head to toe because of her.

She begins to apologize which ends up turning into rambling. She’s not sure what she said before noticing a mist of steam surrounding him. The water on his skin evaporates to nothing. Lynette stumbles back when she finds out she’s standing before an Inphernos neytive. The Inphernos neytives are considered warriors on Myalón.

He starts walking to her side of the ship. “You are the candidate from the Hydradon trybe?”

“Yes… um, Lynette, my name is Lynette,” She does her best to start a conversation, but feels weary.

The steam around the Inphernos neytive dissipates, but his facial expression doesn’t change. “Try not to waste too much of your energy. The Knyghts Voyage is not something to take lightly. There are fourteen other candidates we have to meet. They will think the reputation of the Hydradon trybe is true. Don’t give them a reason to believe it.”

Lynette couldn’t make any sense of how this neytive is expressing his character. He doesn’t look or sound angry, upset or helpful. She also can’t interpret if he was ridiculing her or being sincere.

She wants to speak up on the matter, but the Inphernos neytive turns around and makes his way to the lower decks of the vessel. He stops at the stairs and looks back at her. “My name is Branton.”

Lynette couldn’t tell if she made an ally from another trybe or if she was insulted for being a Hydradon neytive. Whether it’s one or the other, what he said forces her to rethink her plan. The one goal in her mind is to put in an effort for the Knyghts Voyage. That’s something she can't afford to make a mistake with. There are many things to think over before it starts. One of those things to think about is her encounter with the Inphernos neytive.