The morning light had grown stronger, but the mist still clung to the shoreline, softening the shapes of broken hulls and scattered debris.
I moved carefully, scanning the wreckage for survivors. My legs were steady, more than steady, stronger than I should have been, but I forced myself to walk cautiously. Not because I feared people, but because I feared what I was capable of.
The sea whispered against the shore, a slow, persistent hiss. Salt stung my eyes, but I barely blinked. My left arm- a stump now- ached faintly, a reminder that I was fragile, human, yet… not.
Zadrakos hummed beneath my skin, patient, watching, probing. You are stronger than you realize. Control will come. Observe first.
I ignored the voice, focusing on the people around me. They moved with purpose. A few were dragging broken crates of supplies, others were checking the wounded. None seemed to notice me yet, and I made sure it stayed that way. I wasn't ready to be seen.
A man crouched over a child wrapped in a soaked blanket. The child whimpered softly, shivering, but the man's hands were steady. Nothing in their motions suggested panic. They didn't care about my presence. That small, steady focus… it grounded me more than anything Zadrakos could offer.
I walked along the debris, stepping over splintered planks and overturned barrels. Each step was careful. My right hand gripped a piece of wood like a staff, not because I needed it, but because I felt naked without something to anchor me.
Human enough, Zadrakos murmured. But the pulse…
I ignored the voice again. I couldn't afford to dwell on it. Not yet. My mind was still raw, still fragile from whatever had happened in that infinite dark void. The thought of the monster, of Zadrakos inside me, sent a shiver down my spine.
I survived that. Somehow. But who am I now?
I found a section of hull that had broken free from its ship, forming a small platform above the waterline. I climbed onto it, trying to see the full stretch of the wreckage. Most of the survivors had gathered near a higher mound of debris, sorting supplies and checking each other for injuries. Their actions were precise, deliberate, efficient. No one yelled. No one panicked.
I tried to speak, to call out, but my voice came out dry, weak, foreign. I swallowed. Silence. Better.
A woman glanced toward me, sharp eyes catching mine for a moment. There was no shock, no wonder. Just a quick assessment, then she returned to her task. I exhaled slowly. That was all I could ask for.
I moved closer, careful to make my approach appear casual. I wanted to observe. To learn. To gauge. And perhaps, in the back of my mind, to see if anyone else could sense what I was now.
They were talking quietly among themselves. Names, injuries, supplies. Not a word about me. Not a reaction to my strength, my presence, my glow- I hoped. But I felt it anyway, the pulse under my skin. Zadrakos probing, nudging, testing.
I crouched behind a half-collapsed hull, watching a man lift a waterlogged barrel.
Without thinking, I reached out, my fingers brushing the edge, and lifted it effortlessly.
Too effortlessly.
The man froze, then turned his head slowly, just catching the movement. His eyes flicked to me, a small, almost imperceptible narrowing.
Not fear. Not awe. Just… curiosity, a quiet question in the way men always question something they don't understand but don't yet see as a threat.
I set the barrel down gently, careful to make it look accidental. The man's gaze lingered a moment longer before he returned to his task. I let out a quiet, relieved breath.
Zadrakos hummed faintly. They sense it. You cannot hide it forever.
I clenched my teeth.
I don't want them to see.
The wind shifted, carrying the scent of seawater and smoke.
Somewhere in the distance, a small explosion echoed faintly. Nothing huge, nothing catastrophic- probably a barrel of gunpowder, or a crate of supplies igniting from smoldering wreckage.
But it startled the group. A few heads turned, quick movements, checking the source, tension rolling through them like a ripple.
I watched them. The way they moved, together, without panic. Coordinated, practical, alive. The way they survived. And yet, I knew how fragile it all was. One wrong move, one uncontrolled flicker of power, and everything could fall apart.
Control is key, Zadrakos reminded. And observation.
I didn't answer. I didn't want to. Control, yes. Observation, yes. But trust? Not yet.
Hours passed. I didn't leave the shadows. I didn't speak. I simply moved with the survivors, stepping lightly over wreckage, helping when it seemed safe, letting others notice if they had to.
I caught small glimpses of human behavior- laughter from a child, an annoyed grunt from a man who stubbed his toe, a sigh from a woman trying to stabilize a broken crate. Normalcy, fleeting but tangible.
And then I saw him. A young boy, probably no more than ten, struggling to climb a slippery piece of wreckage. The child was soaked, shivering, trying to pull himself up with a rope that was fraying. Without thinking, I reached out with my only hand, grabbed him, and lifted him to safety.
The boy blinked at me. Not fear. Not awe. Just… quiet surprise. He hugged himself against my chest, shivering, and whispered, "Thanks."
I nodded. That was enough. No dramatics, no exaggerated reaction. Just survival, gratitude, the tiny, grounded human connection that reminded me I was still… me.
I stepped back, watching the group, and realized I had learned more than I expected today. Not about Zadrakos. Not about my powers. But about the people. Their resilience, their focus, their quiet efficiency.
The world had continued without me. And if I was going to survive in it, I would have to move carefully, live cautiously, and hide what I've become.
I touched the stump of my left arm. Pain, anchor, reminder. I touched my chest, feeling the unfamiliar pulse beneath my ribs. Zadrakos hummed faintly, patient, waiting.
Soon, it whispered. Soon you will understand. Soon they will understand. But not yet.
I nodded, though it could not see me. I didn't want it to see me fully yet. Not while the humans were watching. Not while I wasn't ready.
The mist rolled in again, softening the wreckage, blurring the horizon. The survivors continued their work, unaware of the monster and the man intertwined within me. I stayed in the shadows, silent, careful, breathing in the salty air, feeling alive, yet already changed.