Part I: The Tremor
Zaire's body hit the ground with a thud.
Dust curled around him like a breath held too long.
The forest, dim and quiet beneath the moonlight, seemed to hold its breath.
Ozais loomed above — silent, unmoving, more shadow than brother.
Zaire coughed, forcing air back into his lungs. His hands trembled as he pushed against the dirt.
His brother's eyes... they were cold. Too cold.
"Get up."
Zaire groaned as he stood, limbs shaking. Every breath burned. His ribs throbbed. His knees buckled beneath his weight.
His Flow — the sacred force that had once surged through him like a tempest — was silent.
Why is this happening? Why can't I
bring it back…? Why now?
Without warning, Ozais moved — a streak of black and silver in the moonlight.
Zaire barely dodged. The wind from the punch cut across his cheek like a razor.
Another strike — a spinning kick — landed clean.
His body lifted off the ground and slammed into a tree. Bark cracked. Branches snapped. His vision blurred.
He gasped.
Brother isn't holding back. He's not
testing me. He's fighting me.
Ozais: "Don't patronize me by holding back! I KNOW you have more power in you. SHOW ME!"
Zaire: "I TOLD YOU I CAN'T!"
(Thinking) What's wrong with him? He's always levelheaded, always in control... but now...
If I don't figure something out soon...
I'll lose. Or worse.
Part II: The River's Forbidden Name
Far from the battlefield—
Esther sat upright in bed. Her breath caught in her throat.
Esther: "Oz... Oz... OZ, WAKE UP!"
Her husband stirred. Then shot upright.
Oz: "What? What is it?"
Esther: "The boys. They're gone."
Panic flashed across Oz's face. He leapt from the bed, pulling on his tunic.
Oz: "Uriyah?! URIYAH!"
The soft patter of feet echoed. Uriyah stood at the doorway, rubbing her eyes.
Uriyah: "Yes, Father?"
Oz: "Where are your brothers?"
Uriyah froze. Her lips parted, but no sound came.
Oz knelt in front of her, voice trembling but firm.
Oz: "Baby girl. I need the truth. My job is to protect you, your brothers, your mother. Please."
A long pause.
Then softly:
Uriyah: "...They're down by the river."
Oz's heart stopped.
Oz: "What river?"
Uriyah looked down, whispering:
"The one behind the hills. With the moss like clouds. The place you said we should never go."
Esther gasped. Her voice barely a whisper:
"The lake of Rahab."
Oz: "No..."
Uriyah hesitated, guilt in her voice.
"We always go there. When no one's watching."
Oz's fists clenched.
"I told you. That's where Rahab sleeps!"
Esther looked into his eyes.
Esther: "Save them, Oz."
Oz snatched his cloak and bolted into the night.
Foolish children... They have no idea
what they've awakened.
Part III: Overflow
Back at the river—
Zaire rose slowly, hands shaking, knees scraped raw. Blood painted his chin. He could taste iron.
Ozais closed in like a storm cloud ready to burst.
Zaire gritted his teeth. His body wanted to give in — but something within him refused.
He's too fast. Too strong. But I won't
go down. Not like this.
Then—
The river pulsed.
It was faint at first — like a heartbeat beneath the earth. Then it grew.
Zaire's chest began to glow. Light bled from his veins like cracks in breaking stone.
His eyes ignited — glowing blue like the deep.
The surge came violently.
A shockwave exploded from his body —
not peace, but pressure.
The trees groaned. The river pulled back in awe. The very air trembled.
The ground beneath him cracked.
Zaire hovered an inch above the soil. His arms spread instinctively, as if bracing for the storm within him.
"I—I don't know how to stop it…"
Water from the river reached for him — not like chains, but like a tide recognizing its source.
His Flow had returned.
Not as a whisper.
But as a storm.
Part IV: The Spark
Ozais stared in silence.
His brother hovered with light and water circling him, the very river bending in reverence.
Ozais's fists clenched.
Even if my Flow were active… I
wouldn't stand a chance.
And yet —
The river responded to him too.
Tiny droplets clung to his skin. They quivered. Then—
SNAP!
A spark.
A sharp jolt flickered across his arm — small arcs of lightning dancing between water beads.
Ozais gasped.
"What... what is this?"
He looked down at his hands. The crackle faded, but he could still feel it buzzing in his fingertips.
"Is this... my Flow? But... it feels
different."
His brow furrowed. Confused. Curious. A little afraid.
I can sense the hydroflow like usual...
but electricity? That's never happened
before. What changed...?
When did it—"
Another faint spark licked his wrist.
No... this isn't just my Flow. It's
something else. Something
awakening.
But the questions vanished as quickly as the sparks.
The river watched in silence.
Part V: Drowning Light
Ozais: "Tell me... how could you — MY BROTHER — go from living in my shadow… to now casting one over me?"
Zaire: "What? I never tried to—"
Ozais: "ENOUGH!"
He stepped forward.
Water surged beneath him. His steps crackled with electricity.
Zaire stumbled back.
Ozais's voice dropped — heavy, shaking.
Ozais: "If that's your Flow..."
Lightning crackled across his shoulders, mixing with rushing water.
Ozais (quietly): "...then I need to understand mine — before it becomes something I can't control."
Behind them — the river roared.
A guttural growl echoed from its depths.
And something stirred.
Zaire (thinking):That wasn't anger in his voice... It was fear. Fear of being powerless. Just like that day. Brother... you're still trying to protect us. Even if it means turning against me.
A great ripple. A dark shape moving beneath the surface.
Not just power.
Not just Flow.
Rahab.
To be continued...
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Flow of the Divine River™ is an original work by the author.
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