Skimming the Surface

Chapter 1

The morning sun glimmered across the surface as waves rippled in the sunlight. Seagulls' cries sounded high in the cloudless sky as they circled the water, searching for food. Underneath the surface, a variety of colors mingled together as the sunlight exposed the bright coral to the world. Some of the coral swayed with the light current as if waving hello to the fellow marine life swimming through it.

This reef provided a sanctuary for the diverse fish and sea creatures that inhabit it. No worries of dangerous hooks or traps. During this time of the year, the fish rarely saw any human visitors because of the cold water. It also offered a private place for Kairi to be herself away from the prying eyes of the land dwellers. The cool water felt refreshing against her purple fins as she drifted around the reef. A young hawksbill sea turtle approached, nudging her hand.

While petting the turtle, she noticed a thin fishing line cutting into his neck. She retrieved the knife that she made in last week's rune class from her bag. She poured hours into the assignment and eventually created a new rune, a rare event these days. The surprise her professor exhibited when she presented her project brought her great satisfaction. The knife's ability allowed it to cut anything inanimate and became dull as soon as it touched something alive. She brushed the sharp edge of the blade against the fishing line and the turtle's neck. The fishing line snapped.

Satisfied with the results, Kairi explored the reef to find more creatures that would appreciate her help. The reef encompassed the entire island which could already house a small town if it wasn't a nature preserve. After swimming for a while, Kairi spotted her next target. A black tip shark prowled around the reef with pieces of a net wrapped around its fin. Probably not life threatening but a shark was better off with no net at all.

The weary shark surveyed Kairi as she approached deciding to take off in the opposite direction as her. She let the shark gain a short distance as she took a minute to cast an acceleration spell. The spell created a small current that propelled her forward. She zipped along almost passing the shark. The startled shark tried to turn but Kairi prepared another spell that caused the water around the shark to tighten as if caught in a lasso. She worked quickly, not to agitate the shark any more than necessary. After seconds, she freed it. The only appreciation she received was the shark dashing away once she released her spell.

As Kairi continued to look for more animals, her mind drifted to her next class that began in a few hours, "Battle Techniques of The Devil's War 1666". She never saw the point of learning the battle techniques of a long ago war. They used magical creatures as components in spells, extinct magical creatures because of that war. Warfare magic today completely differed. Working guns barely existed in the 1600, let alone guns powered by technology and magic. She still needed to reread her essay before she submitted it. It would be accurate to say her rescue mission was a form of procrastinating.

Breaking out of her line of thought, Kairi realized the activity of the fish ceased. No life forms nearby and the water had become chilly. The hair on her neck raised, something was wrong, unnatural. At that moment she understood what prey felt before the predator attacked. Kairi twisted around to find the source of the unnatural feeling but the clouds blocked out the sun casting shadows everywhere. Panicking, Kairi bolted for the shore when she felt a presence under her.

Beneath her laid a sight that Kairi couldn't comprehend. The massive head of a lion darting towards her, its flowing mane swept back by the current. With no time to think, she dashed out of the charging lion's path. Kairi could feel the current brush against her cheek as it narrowly passed her. She then realized its hind legs were that of a sleek seal. A literal sea lion from her "Extinct Mythical Creatures" book was attempting to make her its lunch.

Pushing her tail to the limit, Kairi took off towards the shore. Making it back to land was her best chance of escaping this terror. She didn't have time to cast an acceleration spell with the sea lion so near. The creature's powerful tail allowed it to catch up to her more quickly than any shark. She could feel its presence mere inches from her tail as she dipped below a rocky edge. She heard the snapping of the sea lion's jaw echo in the water. That maneuver only gained a little time for her and was no place to hide.

Kairi casted her water lasso spell again using a rock as an anchor. She could see the faint outline of the water squeezing the sea lion, temporarily pulling it back towards the rock. Within seconds, the creature's strength overpowered her spell and it broke free. This beast was more powerful than she expected.

She ducked into a rocky area of the reef as she pulled out her knife. Making quick work, she cut a piece of the rocky coral off and grabbed it with her water lasso spell. This time she whipped the lasso around with as much force she could muster and sent the rock hurling towards the sea lion. The creature didn't even bother to dodge and let the rock hit his face. Not phased, the lion continued to charge her.

Running out of elemental spells, Kairi flipped around and cast her last quick spell to create a mini whirlpool. With her limited time, the whirlpool wasn't very powerful but relief burst through her as the creature became tangled in it. The relief was short lived as the lion roared and the whirlpool disappeared. The creature possessed magic canceling abilities. She needed to pay more attention in class.

Shocked by the dispersal of her spell, Kairi didn't have time to dodge the sea lion's sharp claws as it raked down the side of her body. Searing pain crippled her as the creature turned to attack again. She screeched from the pain, the noise resonating far louder than anything she had produced before. The lion's eyes glossed over and blood drifted from its ears. Not to push her luck any further, she limped towards shore.

The roaring of boats sounded above her. Looking, she saw multiple military style boats approaching. Shit, they must have been tracking the sea lion. Splashes sounded as multiple black suited divers entered the water. They were definitely military mage divers. Each one used a magic respirator which replaced the need for a tank that non-mages used for air. They also each had a weapon that was used to better conduct water magic, a weapon that would have been useful in her fight. They were headed towards the sea lion which gave her a chance to escape. In that moment, one diver turned around and their eyes locked.