As if charged by the sun itself, light appeared to swirl gently within the gemstones. Atani resisted the urge to touch it. As much as she wanted to, it was an unfamiliar relic. Doing otherwise could put her in harm's way. Soon, however, a thin bar of light connected the two citrine gems, and from the bottom one, another bar of light darted off in another direction back towards the beach. Curious, Atani followed with haste. If the shadow moved past the citrine, she feared the light would disappear.
The bar of light came to a halt as it hit a rune engraved on a wall of rock similar to the ones on the sundial. The rune began to take on the same glow as the citrine gems. Atani felt her hands along the rock, as if there might have been something pressure activated along the wall; however, nothing unusual was there. She did, however, pick up on a strange bubbling sound that came from overhead. The elf climbed up the short wall of rocks to see that it was not just a simple wall, but a part of the perimeter of a tide pool. The waters of the tide pool bubbled gently. Atani dipped her fingertips in the salty water. It was warm to the touch, which was unusual, but it did not seem to pose a threat. She went all in.
Atani gently stepped into the tide pool. She felt a pleasant tingle of energy ripple throughout her body. The warmth of the water seemed to spread, leaving her body with a peculiar yet comforting sensation. Bending down, the elf cupped her hands underneath the water and stood back up. Normally liking the feeling of water running through her fingers, this was something she often did at nearby streams, but this time it was different. The water didn't fall. Instead, her hands acted like a bowl for the liquid whose contents began to swirl. The uncanny feeling of mana seeping from her hands startled the mage and she dropped the water. It splashed into the tide pool below. Cautiously, she bent down again. This time, she simply hovered her hands over the water. Willing mana to emanate from her body, she imagined a sphere of water rising from the tide pool. To her surprise, it did. Shocked, she dashed out of the water and went back to the sand. She had gotten out just in time to see the beam of light dim and the rune to return back to its normal state.
Quickly, she went back to the sundial. Afraid others would discover this relic, Atani covered it back up with sand and attempted to inconspicuously shield it with leaves. Then... She had to know something. Holding her arm out palm facing up, she tried to generate a small orb of water without the aid of the tide pool. She was able to do it. It burst after a mere few seconds, but she was able to do it nonetheless. Atani was left speechless. Whatever had happened that day, she learned that the elders were right about her all along. No longer was she a nature mage of Blue Pegasus. She was a water mage.
-Exit-