Enzo and Rena wandered through the streets of Baybreach, enjoying the sights and sounds of the festival. They stopped and stood on a busy street corner to watch as three men juggled flaming bottles. The gathered crowd oohed and awed as the men grew increasingly creative with their combinations of throws and flips, eventually building to a fevered pitch. Everyone within the square was enamored with the show, tossing coins at their feet.

Abruptly, the mood shifted. Some of those at the outer edge of the crowd had turned and hurried off back down the streets toward the gates. Shouts and cries, initially a part of the festivities, became darker. The jugglers caught their bottles and began scooping up the coins on the ground as quickly as they could.

Enzo noticed the guards on the wall scrambling to defensive positions. The patrols on the ground rushed down to the docks and terrified citizens fled in the opposite direction. The crowd that surrounded them began to move randomly with anxious energy. Dark clouds brewed on the horizon and rain began to splatter the ground. Enzo pulled Rena from the crowd and climbed up the entry steps of a nearby shop. He stood tall, and looked out over the crowd toward the harbor.

Just visible, three ships flying black flags had entered the bay. They moved faster than ships their size had any right to, gliding across the water as though the bay itself had decided the ships needed to be docked immediately. One ship stopped and remained at the edge of the bay while the other two pressed forward toward the port. Enzo reached for his hammer, but Rena pulled at his arm.

“I know you want to help, but we have to warn the village,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “The guards here are strong, and the governor has Lazarus. Baybreach won’t fall.”

Enzo nodded. I want to help but she’s right. Our first priority is to warn Starstone. Best case scenario, we need to be ready to receive refugees. Worst case, we need to be ready for war. He turned and dashed down the cobbled streets with the rest of the townspeople, Rena close behind him.

The pair paused as they passed the gates to the inner city. Most citizens of Baybreach poured through the narrow passage, certain the strong walls of the heart of the city would be able to protect them. Royal guards stood at the gates and ushered people inside, directing the traffic and trying to keep the public calm.

All around the city, guards were manning the walls, equipping bows and firing ballista into the ships as they docked at the port. The ballista caused great damage at such close range, but the invaders jumped ship with reckless abandon. They had no concern about losing their ships. They came to conquer.

Enzo had no more time to watch as Rena pulled him onward to the far entrance of the city. They raced past the gate and were nearly out of sight of the coast when they heard it. Like the flowing water of an engorged river after the first snow melts, but bigger. Enzo couldn’t help but stop and watch. Rena tried to urge him onward before turning and looking back at the sea herself.

Towering over the ships, over the walls, over the city itself, was a massive wave. The sea pulled back from the docks as the wall of water moved closer to the shore. The deafening cries of before were now silenced. Time stood still, as both guards and attackers alike watched the wave. The roar of the wave filled the empty space. Atop the highest wall of the inner city, a figure appeared.

Enzo glanced over at Rena. The girl stood, eyes wide frozen in fear. He turned back to the scene before him. There must be another Affinity user here. We have to hurry and tell Tobias and the others.

The wave grew as it moved closer, now unfathomably high. As it finally neared the first rows of docks, attackers and defenders alike realized what was about to happen. The two invading ships were swept up into the wave and crushed, adding more wreckage to the wall of water. Chaos erupted as both sides scrambled for higher ground. Men took the opportunity to stab and cut each other in the back. Those on the wall braced themselves, letting loose final arrows into the melee below before taking cover. The bloodshed was short lived, however.

Like a colossal giant tripping on a stone, the bottom of the wave abruptly crashed against the solid stone foundations of the port. The wall of water, no longer supported from below, began to topple. The entirety of the water of the bay crashed into the first outer walls, smashing them to bits. Stone and men flew through the air, before being swallowed up in the raging crash of water. It continued to surge forward, poised to level the entirety of the city in one swoop.

Enzo turned to the road and tried to pull Rena along with him, but the girl was rooted to the spot.

“There is some kind of powerful mage here! We have to go!” he shouted, but the girl ignored him. Her gaze was focused on a figure on the wall.

“He’s about to use Lazarus…” Rena replied in a hushed voice. She pointed to the top of the wall. Enzo followed her gaze and watched as a sword of legend fought against the oncoming crush of water.

The figure on the wall raised a green sword, shining bright against the bleak backdrop. He swung down in a clear circular motion, cutting an enormous gash into the city below. A great chasm formed, plunging deeper and deeper into the foundation of the city until it reached the bedrock far below.

The great wave of sea water plunged into the new void, its momentum still crashing against the wall, but no longer strong enough to topple the inner city. Water rushed around the inner city, flowing through the streets, but rapidly losing momentum. It nearly reached the gates to the inner city before finally receding back into the sea.

The first swing of the sword clearly affected its user. The man raised the sword again, this time for an upward slash but his form was weak and his body shook violently. With great effort, he swung the uppercut, and, at first, nothing happened. Silence reigned again, as defenders and attackers alike watched with bated breath. The figure collapsed to one knee on the wall.

After a moment that felt like a century, the ground began to shake. Enzo looked around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Rena gasped and pointed out at sea.

A great spike of rock jutted from the ocean, slowly rising until it was as tall as the old walls of the city. The third ship, speared through the middle, rose ten feet from the water before splintering in half and crashing back into the waves below. The guards and citizens let out a cheer, and Rena turned and hugged Enzo tight.

“That has to be the governor with Lazarus!” Rena cheered as her excitement bubbled over. “I can’t believe I got to see that! We’re going to be okay!”

“It isn’t over yet,” Enzo replied warily, his eyes still out at sea. Another wave had begun to rise. Though much smaller than the first, it carried a figure rapidly to the shore. Enzo looked back to where the governor had stood on the wall but the man was gone. “This is far from over. We need to go now.”

The pair sprinted down the road back to Starstone as the renewed sounds of battle roared behind them.