Hundreds of years ago, a calamity struck when a meteorite collided with the oceans. As a result, the land sank, and the oceans rose as if a curse from the gods themselves. Wiping out most of humanity, only twenty percent of humanity’s total population survived. Leaving the world almost entirely azure, only ten percent of the world’s land remained. With a new world before them, all humanity could do was adapt. And so they did. Where the dregs of society sank, artifacts arose from the tides as if to make life easier for everyone, but they weren't without their dangers. 

The bounty of artifacts was hidden beneath the waves, and with dangerous sea creatures lurking around every corner, hope seemed bleak. It was then that the very first divers emerged as a shining beacon to the people; their bravery and sacrifices led to artifacts becoming the cornerstone of society. With the help of artifacts, humans regained a fraction of their former brilliance. With many of the world’s oceans still unknown, it jump-started a march across fifty years known as humanity’s great exploration era of the depths and what lies beyond.

Year 5136 - August 28th

On the western equator, a small cluster of islands occupied the ocean. Known for its shimmering golden flora, tropical climate, and verdant waters, it was appropriately named the Aurum Isles. Awash with beauty, it was a popular vacation spot. In the city, people traveled the streets in light apparel. Stalls lined the street, and vibrant, colorful arrays of fruits and vegetables filled the stands. The sweet smell of tropical fruit filled the air. On a beach residing on the first island of the chain—Sorimi—a lone girl paced the sands. 

She was dressed in a yellow tank top that was a size too small, which revealed her midriff and black bikini bottoms. She trekked across the sands barefoot, extending her arms to her sides.

“Ah~! The sunlight feels so good today! It's a damn good day for training, too!” She exclaims.

She starts stretching her arms, then her legs, and finally her back. After finishing that, she goes running along the beach. A common beachgoer watches her from the comfort of their shaded beach umbrella.

“Hey Mark!” She yells while dashing past.

He finished sipping his drink before getting the chance to respond. 

“Oh, it’s Yvie again,” Mark states.

His friend, lying against their towel, looks up at her.

“Does she come here often?” He asks.

“Pretty much every day. She’s been doing this spartan-looking training for at least a year or two now.” Mark explains.

“Spartan? Isn’t she just running on the beach?” His friend questions.

“Well… Yeah, but does two full laps around the entire beach each day.” Mark replies.

“You’re not serious, right? The full length of the beach is 30 miles!” He exclaims.

“Yeah, I have no idea what she’s training for,” Mark says, tossing his hands up.

“Sheesh, why don’t you ask her?” He questions.

“...True.”

Yvie continues her daily run down the length of the beach. Running past all manner of people, playing in the sand and water.

“Today’s the day! I’m finally going to take the first step on my journey!” Yvie says as she takes another step.

The bright sunlight overhead was casting down its harsh light on the residents of the island, and Yvie was lying in the sand after her run, heaving for air.

“Now that that’s done…” She eyed the ocean to her left, watching the waves rush onto the coast.

Yvie slowly rose from the ground, and her body suddenly shivered as something touched the back of her neck. She turned around to see Mark standing there with a cold water bottle in his hand. After she turned, he tossed it to her, and she caught it with her left hand. 

“Here. That was an insane run.” He says.

“Thanks.” Yvie opens the bottle and takes a sip,

“What are you training for?” He asks.

A sigh of refreshment escapes her lips as she raises the bottle into the air. 

“To become a diver.” She states.

“Oh… Wow, good luck.” He says.

“Welp, I’m gonna get back to it! Thanks again for the water.” Yvie dashes off toward the sea and jumps in.

“Ouch, a diver… I’ll pray for her…” His friend says jokingly.

“Man, shut up!” Mark exclaims as he kicks sand at his friend. 

After diving, Yvie floats toward the bottom with her legs crossed and a hand on her chin.

“I wonder if eighteen minutes is long enough for me to make it in the exam. Training my breath capacity is much harder than training my stamina.” She thinks. “I’ve done pretty much all I can to train it; I doubt I’ll make much progress just off of today… But just in case, I’ll try pushing my limit!” 

Hours rolled around as Yvie trained her breath capacity, and soon the sun was high in the sky, which meant noon was upon her. She shot up out of the water and saw familiar faces on the beach.

“Really, Yvie? Training right before you leave?” A woman shouts.

“Ah… I just wanted to make sure I was ready.” 

She swims over to the shore to the familiar faces. Two women and a group of kids with them. The younger of the two women sighs.

“At this rate, you’ll miss your ferry!” She exclaims.

“Seriously?!” Yvie shoots up from the sand.

“No. It’s not leaving for another hour. But you lost track of time, didn’t you?” She questions.

“Kinda…” Yvie rubs the back of her head.

Marissa Law was a woman in her early thirties with silky brown hair that reached her lower back. She was dressed in a modified nun’s tunic; the upper part was removed and replaced with a white cloth that circled her chest, revealing her neck and shoulders. The lower half had a longer skirt and a slit along her left leg that stopped at her upper thigh. Despite not being particularly religious, it was something she wore for fun since the orphanage was renovated from an old church.

“Vie, you’ve been training hard for this. Don’t waste the hard work you’ve put in.”

Teresa Moore, the older woman standing beside her, looked to be in her late fifties. Wrinkles dressed her face, giving her the look of a dignified woman. She wore a dark blue blouse and had peppered hair, tied back into a bun with several bangs that framed her face.

“I know… I just wanted to make sure I was ready.” Yvie added.

Peeking behind Marissa and Teresa, she noticed her large green knapsack—a bag containing everything she owns—resting on one of the beach chairs.

“Have you ever heard of packing light? Or at least splitting things into different bags? That walk down was killer on my back…” Marissa groaned, rubbing her lower back.

Teresa chuckled.

“Since there isn’t much time, you should use one of the beach showers.” 

“That’s a good idea. I’ll be right back.” Yvie races off to the shower stalls. 

“Goodness… She’s so quick to move; she forgot a change of clothes.” Teresa

“Millie, could you take these over to her?” Marissa hands the small girl a set of clothes.
“Sure thing!” Millie exclaims as she dashes over to the showers. The rest of the children play in the sand together while Marissa and Teresa converse. 

“She’s finally at that age,” Marissa says. “Time sure does fly by.” 

“I’m sure she could’ve stayed at least a year longer, but she wants to resolve our debt issues.” 

Marissa grins, wagging her finger. 

“Once Yvie’s made up her mind, that's that. Besides, there was no way you could know the government would change the rules for orphanages. You wanted to help children in need, and you did just that.” Marissa places her hands on Teresa’s shoulders. “Me included.”

“Yeah!” One of the kids chimes in.

Teresa smiles at the children, then stares toward the sea, her face steadily growing darker. 

“I’d feel better about it if it weren’t diving… It's been 20 years since I lost my husband, and seeing her single-minded determination brings me right back to the moment he left through those doors and never came back.” Teresa says somberly. 

“Diving is a dangerous job. I’ll admit that I’m also afraid. But not only have things gotten safer since then, but I believe in Yvie. She’s been busting her ass at this training of hers since she was 17. Three whole years of training day in and day out. Studied up even though she hated hitting the books. Because it was something she wanted.” Marissa states. “Not believing in her after all that work is almost like hoping for her to fail.”

“You can be pretty convincing sometimes when you’re not slacking off.” 

“I don’t slack off! Maybe a little… But—” Marissa begins.

Yvie rushes back to see Teresa chuckling.

Now fully dressed, Yvie was wearing a pair of black pants with patches of fraying fabric and revealing thick white threads. A belt hung half off her pants due to the missing belt loops. A bomber jacket was wrapped around her waist. Her damp yellow tank top was still being worn, however.

“What was the purpose of getting changed without changing your damp shirt?” Marissa questions.

“All the others were getting washed,” Millie sighs. 

“That’s right…”  Marissa palmed her forehead.  “She waited till the day she was leaving to do laundry.”

“I kinda… Only have two shirts.” Yvie admitted.

Marissa and Teresa both glared at Yvie, fire in their eyes, causing her to slowly back away.