The morning sun struggled to pierce the dense mist over Kota Serunai (Serunai City). Broken stilts and shattered docks glimmered wetly, reflecting the pale light like shards of jade. The city's heartbeat—the harbor—was fraying under the weight of last night's battle.
Hai Cheng sprinted along the wooden walkways, Suanpan (abacus) beads clicking furiously. Every pulse of the Arus Dagang (Trade Current) threatened collapse. Around him, terrified merchants shouted warnings, hauling crates filled with spices, silk, and ceramics, while children clung to parents, eyes wide with fear.
"They're moving in from all directions!" Yue Lan shouted, spinning her Batik Lingkar (Batik Array) overhead. The array's turquoise threads glimmered, weaving through fractured stilts and broken beams to stabilize the fleeing civilians.
Hai Cheng's eyes narrowed. Across the harbor, Furnace Enforcers advanced like a tide of brass and smoke. Each carried miniature portable furnaces, emitting pulses of white-hot Lingqi, destabilizing stilts and snapping cargo chains.
"The Admiral wants the city," Hai Cheng muttered, sensing the full scale of the attack. "And he's using the civilians to divide our focus."
From the mist, the Harimau Ombak (Tide Tiger) appeared again, its spectral stripes twisting like batik patterns as it prowled along collapsing planks. It roared, leaping through the fractured currents, striking at the Enforcers with spectral claws that left arcs of turquoise energy.
Hai Cheng spread his Suanpan (abacus) beads outward, forming a lattice over the northern docks. The Arus Dagang, Arus Alam (Natural Current), and Arus Warisan (Heritage Current) merged into a flowing web. Stilts stabilized, planks aligned, and civilians ran through corridors of protective energy.
Yue Lan spun her array, countering pulses from southern channels. Her Batik Lingkar flared, illuminating collapsing warehouses in green-turquoise light. Sparks flew as she deflected molten Lingqi from an exploding furnace into the water below, preventing structural collapse.
The Admiral appeared on a raised platform across the harbor, brass insignia glinting. He raised his hand, and a massive pulse of Lingqi surged outward. Stilts buckled, crates flew into the channels, and civilians screamed.
Hai Cheng's beads spun faster than ever. He extended the hybrid lattice, redirecting the pulse harmlessly into the harbor currents. "Focus!" he shouted. "We have to stabilize the main channels first!"
The Harimau Ombak roared in agreement, leaping between collapsed planks to guard the central lattice. Its batik-striped body shimmered in the morning light, a spectral guardian protecting both humans and currents.
From the eastern docks, a hidden Grand Furnace detonated partially, sending molten Lingqi streaking across the harbor. Yue Lan spun her array, forming a protective dome over fleeing civilians. The turquoise light merged with Hai Cheng's lattice, creating a flowing network of energy that redirected debris into harmless channels.
The Admiral's voice echoed across the harbor: "You think you can protect them all? Kota Serunai is mine to command!"
Hai Cheng clenched the Suanpan (abacus). "The city belongs to the currents!" he shouted. Jade beads spun violently, mapping currents, trade routes, and heritage veins simultaneously. Turquoise and jade threads expanded outward, stabilizing stilts, channels, and warehouses in one massive hybrid lattice.
The Harimau Ombak leapt into the center of the lattice, glowing stripes syncing perfectly with Hai Cheng's arrays. It lunged at the Admiral's Enforcers, scattering them across the stilts. The Admiral's pulse hit the lattice again—but instead of breaking it, the energy flowed around the array, harmlessly dispersing into the harbor.
Yue Lan's eyes narrowed. "We're holding…for now. But there's too many furnaces! He's splitting the currents beyond our reach!"
Hai Cheng's mind raced. The city was alive beneath him—the stilts, warehouses, and even the water pulsing with Arus Warisan (Heritage Current) energy. He realized the solution: merge the hybrid lattice with the city itself.
He projected the Suanpan (abacus) into a massive network, weaving currents through stilts, mangrove roots, warehouses, and even lampposts. The entire harbor became a living lattice of turquoise and jade energy. Each pulse of the Admiral's Lingqi was redirected, absorbed, or neutralized.
The Harimau Ombak prowled the lattice, guiding currents with its spectral presence. Yue Lan spun her Batik Lingkar (Batik Array), merging her patterns into Hai Cheng's lattice. The result: a city-scale web of harmonious Arus Dagang, Arus Alam, and Arus Warisan, glowing like living jade.
The Admiral stepped back, momentarily stunned. "Interesting…you've merged currents with the city itself. Clever—but unsustainable."
Hai Cheng gritted his teeth. "Then we'll keep it alive as long as we can. Kota Serunai will survive today!"
Above the harbor, lanterns swayed in the morning breeze. Water rippled around stabilized stilts. Civilians fled through safe corridors of energy. Broken stilts groaned but held.
Below the strait, unseen Lingqi veins pulsed, whispering secrets older than the city. The currents had learned, and the Harimau Ombak (Tide Tiger) had become their guardian.
For now, Kota Serunai had survived the Admiral's siege.
But Hai Cheng knew the battle was far from over. The Admiral would return, and next time, he would not hold back.
The tides were rising.
And the currents were watching.