Prologue
This world has never known true peace.
Humans have always waged war. I have seen it; I have lived it.
Today marks the day when I first discovered the place that granted me the powers of the oceans and turned my blood as blue as its endless depths. These three years have gone by so fast. I have become better at controlling my powers while sailing the feral seas in my search for others like me.
It still humbles me to see the change my discovery has caused and the lives it has reformed.
Yesterday, I met a woman with orange blood who could wield fire without burning—a humble woman with a kind heart and coiled hair as black as night.
Adeena, I believe her name was.
She showed me her village and introduced me to the small local gathering of gifted people, where I learned of a new power I have not encountered before.
A man able to heal wounds no mortal could previously survive. His blood was as white as milk. I could hardly believe my eyes when he healed the infected wound that I had struggled to mend these past weeks like it was a superficial bruise.
So far, I’ve encountered six alternative blood colors to red, each with their respective power. However, I am sure there are many more out there waiting to be discovered.
I am thinking about naming this new arrangement of gifted people the Iridis—People of the rainbow.
Tomorrow, Adeena has promised to show me something that she claims will change the way I perceive the gift I have offered the world—at least, I believe that was what she tried to convey.
She intrigues me. We may not look the same or speak a common tongue, but there is something about her smile and the way that she addresses her people that resonates with me.
I look forward to spending more time with her and to learn more about her discoveries before I return to the seas, and they move to their next destination.
As I write these thoughts in the dim light of the flickering flame beside me, I find myself staring at the gilded sample that commenced this entire miracle. It has lost its initial glow, but it is still every bit as stunning as the first time I laid eyes on it.
I am exceedingly aware of every drop of sweat trailing down my skin in this excruciating heat. I feel the water shift deep beneath these burning sands and the clouds dissipating far above us.
It is a glorious feeling—like I am one with all that is water. I cannot wait for the rest of the world to feel it too.
In my heart, I hope that one day, this feeling might unite us as one. I dream that the world can ultimately set its differences aside and end this pointless violence in favor of peace under a single empire.
The union of Heliac.
—Translated excerpt from Jonathan Pavo’s memoirs
