Water flows quietly. But if its course changes, everything will change.
Nereis, the capital of the Aqua Empire.
Upon the endless sea, Nereia gazed at the still surface of the water.
“Water flows. But it does not move at random.”
She was reading the currents of the sea.
There was a clear difference between when water moved swiftly and when it was calm.
Now, the sea was creating a vast wave.
Far in the distance, the flames of Ignis were spreading toward Metalum.
And the sea knew it.
“Ignis continues to spread its fire. Yet they are weak beings who pose no threat to us. Our Aqua Empire could even confine their flames.”
To Nereia’s left, trees were growing toward the sky.
Drian of the Silva Empire, befitting the lord of trees, was expanding his city, but there was still no sign that he was preparing for war.
He had chosen growth, and seemed to have chosen flourishing over collision.
To her right, fierce tremors were spreading from the Metalum Empire.
Metalum’s fortress was becoming even sturdier, and the footsteps of its soldiers were perfectly coordinated.
They had yet to respond, but their preparations already seemed complete.
And the land not far from Aqua still remained in silence.
The Terra Empire was moving ever so slightly, but it was quiet.
Yet Nereia knew.
Terra was merely waiting.
Terra was an existence that could become the most terrifying force the moment the balance collapsed.
Nereia raised seawater above her hand.
She had to make a decision.
The time had come for Aqua to move, and the flow of the sea had to be changed.
“When water moves, there will be no one who can resist its current. Now, we must decide the flow.”
Within Aqua’s fortress, where the whirlpools of endless sea currents unfolded.
Nereia spoke to Sian, the tidal architect.
“Sian, the flow is changing from them. Now our time has come as well.”
Sian bowed his head before her and replied.
“Our sea currents are aligned from this fortress. The fortress must deepen further.”
“Can we begin now?”
“Yes. However, we will need a large quantity of Wave Cores.”
“That is no problem. Use as many Wave Cores as you need.”
“Understood. I will begin the deepening process.”
Outside the fortress, Sian traced his fingertips across the surface of the water.
Droplets rose above the surface.
Inside the fortress, Nereia slowly raised her hand.
Water condensed at her fingertips, then transformed into blue energy and seeped into the center of the fortress.
“Deeper and wider. Our energy must flow far and wide.”
According to her will, the fortress began to transform.
The walls made of water grew thicker and more elegant,
and spray began to coil around the surrounding streams.
The pulse of the fortress changed.
The second field of flow had now opened.
The fortress of the Aqua Empire was reborn, no longer a simple stronghold of water streams, but a nexus of currents, the point of origin and destination for all sea currents.
Nereia smiled as she looked at the pillars of water surrounding the fortress.
“Now we can summon the flow.”
Sian bowed his head to her.
“The barracks have also nearly completed preparations for deepening. We will be able to train soldiers of a higher caliber.”
“Good. I will look forward to it.”
As the deepened fortress held the center of the sea in place, the barracks also began to be reorganized accordingly.
The interior of the barracks, redesigned along the waterways, now contained a flow entirely different from before.
Its entire structure had formed in layers, like deep-sea currents.
Soon, new troops quietly revealed themselves.
Their name was the “Abyss Spearman.”
If the previous current infantry were the waves upon the sea, then these were the overwhelming power of stillness rising from the bottom of the ocean.
“Erode the enemy’s will.”
As Rebian, the Guardian of Tides, said, they entered battle with harmonized waves.
They advanced along the flow of the sea, surged forward like waves, and thrust their spears.
Rather than relying on solid defense, they dug into the enemy’s openings with flexible movement.
Alone, they were small and quiet, but when they gathered as one, they covered the enemy ranks like a massive tidal wave.
The waves bursting from the tips of their spears disrupted the enemy’s flow and broke down their formations.
“There is no need to push the enemy back. Create a flow that makes them be swept away on their own.”
The Abyss Spearmen did not move rashly.
Nor did they move separately.
They first waited for the enemy to approach, then, at the moment they aligned into a single wave, they fired waves all at once to coil around the enemy ranks.
“We are not breaking the wall of the enemy formation. We will make that wall collapse on its own!”
Behind Rebian’s shout, Nereia quietly nodded as she looked upon the new soldiers.
Now Aqua’s fortress had deepened another level, and the barracks had accepted a new change as well.
There was still empty space in the sea of the Aqua Empire.
Nereia looked at that place and said,
“We need to create a stronger wave.”
She summoned Rebian and Sian once more.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“We need a way to strengthen our army. What is needed to make the soldiers who have completed their training even stronger?”
Rebian answered.
“I believe it would be best to research new tactics. However, the barracks lack the space to conduct tactical research. We must construct a separate research institute.”
Nereia looked at Sian.
“As Rebian said, build a research institute in this space. We must fight wisely.”
“As you command, Your Majesty.”
“Raise our soldiers, who are like waves, into a tidal wave.”
Sian and his subordinates piled condensed water crystals above the surface of the open space.
The research institute was a spiral-shaped building that looked as if it were whirling.
Within the research institute, studies began on techniques to subdivide and refine the energy of water.
This was also research to strengthen the combat techniques of the soldiers.
Once the research was complete, the soldiers could now fire waves with even greater power.
They would launch them from the tips of their swords and spears, and suppress the flames of Ignis more effectively.
In addition, the soldiers became able to use barriers.
By condensing the waves that surrounded them, they could block enemy attacks.
“Our power is water. And water always seeks a better flow.”
With her fingertip, Nereia drew ripples across the map floating upon the sea. Beside her sat Rebian, Naus, and Sian.
“Ignis is moving. They are currently heading toward Metalum. In which direction would it be best for us to advance?”
Rebian was the first to speak.
“If they are targeting Metalum, it would be best to strike that opening, but the problem is the distance. Moreover, the Terra Empire lies before them, and Terra not only blocks our path, but is also in a position to receive support from Ignis.”
Naus then spoke.
“Ignis’s recent movements have been unusual. They are currently advancing toward Metalum, but they have also attempted contact with Terra. There can be only one reason. They must have intended to hide behind Terra and protect themselves from us.”
Sian also spoke.
“It is disadvantageous to us that Terra happens to be located right in the center. I am concerned that they may threaten us at any time. I wish to focus on constructing a defensive wall so that Terra cannot invade our territory.”
Nereia quietly nodded.
“Waves are originally meant to wait until they roll in on their own. We have no need to hurry.”
Rebian said,
“Then I will increase the patrols in the south. I will organize the army around the Abyss Spearmen.”
Naus gazed at the map with calm eyes.
“At the same time, I believe it would be best to advance toward Silva. We cannot extend ourselves recklessly, but if we move forward slowly, even little by little, we may be able to form an alliance with Silva.”
Sian added to Naus’s words as well.
“I agree. Terra threatens us, but I understand they are weak against Silva. Terra is unlikely to advance in that direction, but it would be best to move before they cut off our route. I will move with them and build a defensive wall to stop Terra.”
Nereia placed her hand upon the water’s surface again.
Ripples spread in four directions.
South, the blaze of flame.
West, the tremor of steel.
East, the growth of trees.
Center, the silence of earth.
“Silva is the only stem of life we can reach. But they, too, will not welcome us approaching rashly.”
Nereia’s eyes were like a calm lake, yet beneath them lay a whirlpool.
“We will approach Silva like dew. Let us flow, but not hurry. We will also track to the end where the flames of Ignis flow.”
The three retainers nodded.
Rebian said,
“We will follow your will. I will have the soldiers stand by quietly as well.”
Nereia looked at the three retainers and spoke one last time.
“We are not a storm. We are the sea. A calm current creates mighty power. Soon, we will change the world.”
The Aqua Empire flowed according to Nereia’s command.
As time passed, Aqua’s currents moved toward farther places.
The waterways adjusted according to Nereia’s orders were quietly expanding beneath the surface.
Those waterways were not simple paths, but the flow of will.
Silva had yet to show any response, but trees were, by nature, beings that sensed moisture in the earth first.
Aqua’s tides were, unintentionally, speaking to them.
Not by raising a voice, but simply by seeping in.
“A little farther, just a little farther. The defensive line should be around here.”
Sian was adjusting the undersea blueprints, while Naus inspected the troops’ routes and coordinated them so they would not cross the boundary.
Rebian stationed a small unit of current spearmen near the edge of the underwater thicket.
And after several days passed, the scouts moving along Aqua’s perimeter discovered a faint movement among the clusters of green moss.
“Could that be……?”
Aqua’s waves trembled.
Their waves slowed, and from one direction came a response like the trembling of leaves.
It was not hostility, nor was it wariness.
It was almost like a greeting that had occurred naturally.
And at that moment, one of the Abyss Spearmen turned his body slightly toward it.
Then, beyond the flow, two strands of vine staggered as they parted the current.
Someone existed there.
And that someone did not avoid Aqua’s approach.
That quiet response was conveyed to Nereia as well.
“At last, our seeping flow has reached that place.”
She smiled quietly.
Then she said in a low voice,
“We have now arrived. I hope Silva is ready to accept us.”
The Silva Empire also sensed the movements of the Aqua Empire.
The energy of Aqua’s water was already seeping into the citizens of Silva.