The Seine had always been her river.
As a child, Amélie Dufort would spend hours by its banks, her feet dangling over the water as she hummed to herself. The current was calm, patient, carrying secrets only she could hear.
One summer afternoon, when she was ten, her little brother slipped from the embankment. She remembered the splash, the panic, the choking cries. She had jumped without thinking, the river pulling them both under.
In that moment of terror, she felt something stir. The water did not drown her—it embraced her. It flowed through her arms, her chest, her breath. She lifted her brother to the surface on a current she did not understand, saving him before she even knew what "aura" was.
That was the day the river chose her.
That was the day she awakened.
---
Present – Paris, the Seine
The present roared around her.
The rift above the Seine poured darkness into the city, and three demons tore the waters apart.
Kroth, the Drowned (Low-Rank). A bloated corpse-giant, dripping endless black water.
Selith, the Leech Queen (Low-Rank). Skin crawling with swarms of parasites.
Vhalor, the Drowned Emperor (Mid-Rank). Towering, clad in barnacled armor, wielding a trident of bone.
Their combined aura corrupted the river, turning it into a black tide.
Amélie stood on Pont Alexandre III, hair whipping in the storm, her blue aura flowing like water itself. Civilians scrambled behind her, terrified, but her voice was calm.
"This city has bled enough. Tonight, the Seine flows only for me."
---
The Drowned Ones
Kroth lurched forward, vomiting a wave of black water.
"Flood Maw!"
Amélie swept her arm.
"River's Guard!"
The Seine rose in a gleaming wall, colliding with the torrent. Black water hissed and dissolved against her aura.
Selith screeched, leeches pouring forth. They swarmed across the bridge, latching onto soldiers and civilians.
Amélie's eyes sharpened.
"Purification Current!"
Streams of pure water erupted, sweeping the parasites into a whirlpool. The leeches dissolved into steam, shrieking as they vanished.
But Vhalor only watched, silent, the trident gripped tightly in his barnacled hands. His aura was different—older, heavier, like the abyss itself pressing down.
He raised the trident.
"Dread Tides."
The river convulsed. A colossal wave surged upward, black and reeking, threatening to swallow Paris whole.
Amélie's heart pounded. Her aura flared brighter than ever. She spread her arms wide.
"Ocean's Embrace!"
The Seine obeyed. The wave froze midair, trembling under her command. She split it in two, sending it crashing harmlessly into the empty riverbanks.
Civilians cried out in awe. For a moment, it looked like she would win.
---
Flashback – The Burden
But inside, she knew the truth.
Amélie had carried this burden since childhood. To be the wielder of water was not just a gift. It was a chain. Wherever rivers ran, she was tied. She had seen floods, storms, drowned villages. Always, people looked at her like she was salvation.
But salvation had a cost.
---
The Emperor's Wrath
Vhalor roared, surging forward. His trident slammed into the bridge.
"Bonebreaker Surge!"
Stone cracked. The bridge split in two. Civilians screamed as they tumbled toward the water.
Amélie's aura flared. She spun, summoning pillars of water that rose like arms, catching the falling people, lifting them gently to the banks.
But in that moment of distraction, Vhalor struck.
The trident pierced her side, ripping through flesh and aura alike.
Her scream echoed across the Seine. Blood spilled into the water, red mixing with blue.
---
Her Last Tide
She staggered, vision blurring. Her aura flickered, but her eyes never left the civilians still fleeing.
"No… not yet…"
She raised both arms one final time.
"Leviathan's Wrath!"
The river erupted, forming a massive serpent of water. It lunged at Vhalor, coils wrapping around him, crushing, drowning, tearing. His body shattered beneath the serpent's weight, dissolving into ash.
The Leviathan faded with him.
Amélie fell to her knees, blood soaking her dress. Her vision dimmed.
She thought of her brother—safe, far from Paris now. She thought of the river that had chosen her.
"I was only… borrowing your strength," she whispered. "Now… return me to you."
She collapsed, aura flickering once… then vanishing forever.
---
Aftermath
By the time the Council received the feed, only silence remained. Paris was scarred, the bridge gone, but thousands were alive because of her.
In Geneva, Ishita's hands trembled. Rehan's fists clenched. Akira lowered his head. Li Wei closed his eyes.
Amélie Dufort, the River's Child, was gone.
And with her, the tide of hope grew weaker.