Prologue

Once upon a time, on a faraway little island, used to live a small population of humble villagers who were carrying on with their lives in the simplest way of a life could be. They were satisfied and happy as they got all their elementary needs and more, at least in their modest perspective.

They mostly used to cover their needs through fishing; very few of them resorted to the limited farming.

And, among them there was only one woman who used to be their healer. A young lady who had knowledge exceeding their naïve lore; with enough charms she used for the good of her people, the healing; especially when they lacked the gift of a proper physician.

They never understood the nature of her abilities, moreover they never questioned it. They trusted her for she had always showed her fidelity and devoted her concern to their well-being. 

She was their guardian angel.

Unfortunately, life isn't always fair. Not long after they gave her their best wishes for a prosper and happy life in her thirtieth celebration that she fell sick. She weakened promptly and her death came as swift as a gust of a wind.

She passed away before they realized, but sure enough, not without leaving a six years old daughter behind; a little beautiful girl whom the villagers swore to take care of as a way to honor the memory of their former angel.

Many of them even had high expectations on the child to follow her mother's path and to become their new healer, seeing she had inherited her mother's charms.

Blinds were those who fail to see beyond her charming innocence resided a great power that might even had exceeded her forerunner. Everyone started to notice how the kid was very familiar with her own gifts and could use them instinctively. She was talented!

One of the neighboring families offered to take care of her and becoming her foster parents; a simple couple who lacked the cheerful presence of children.

Although Tari, the six years old witch, was emotionally broken down from the loss of her mother she was very grateful that by moving out to her foster house she didn't have to lose her second most important person in her life, her friend Cai.

 In the time where all the kids in the village looked at her cautiously, keeping a constant distance from her in fear and in wonder of her young yet very obvious powers, he was the only boy who approached her with all easiness and steadiness.

He wasn't afraid of her!

Quickly he became her one and only ally.

 Shaggy brown hair that brought out the brightness of his dark chocolate wide eyes dusted with green specks, his most pronouncing features were both of his passion and his courage which were reflected on every single molecule of his existence. Tari could swear they radiated from him, she could see a vibrant green aura always surrounding him and that screamed of affection and daring.

Tari admired him for those traits that she couldn't find anywhere. With him, there was intensity about his feelings' expressions and within his soul, an intensity that didn't exist within anyone she met. And she knew his element was fire.

And that wasn't the sole thing about him that attracted her, but his amiability and his heed towards her seemed to be her only link to the life especially after her mother's death. Of course her foster parents were very kind to her but it was always Cai who was there for her even before she moved out to their house.

He was always the caring big brother, the loyal concerned friend, and recently he became her most reliable and her sole family. Soon, Tari became tightly attached to him. Only his presence would bring her a smile, and in his absence things became meaningless all of a sudden. She even made sure to arrange her daily breakfast with him.

After her mother passed away, their bond became even tighter if it is possible. Cai never wasted a chance without making sure his younger fellow was feeling alright. After allowing her enough time to mourn, he made everything in his power to lessen her grief about her mother's loss, to distract her from the memories that were only bringing out her tears.

He persevered on managing their daily breakfasts together without missing a day; he played with her and invented new games just to overcome her depression. He told her stories he could managed to distract her mind, and went further to the point of encouraging her to focus on learning all she could about her powers, even offered his help many times. And true to the word, in many occasions, he indeed helped her practicing some of her mother's old incantations, all the time showing his genuine interest and his tender patience.

And one of the most favorable habits to Tari, was when he took her with him to the shore or that little cliff that stood out nearby the eastern shore where the open sea's view took their breath away.

The open seas weren't of actual concern to Tari, but they started to catch her interest when she knew they were the true core to Cai's enthusiasm.

The boy was truly obsessed with the ocean!

 It was satisfying enough for her to witness his excitement while talking in a delightful tune about it or while staring at the cerulean dancing waves before him; his dark brown irises dilated and the green specks twinkles like a fairy dust around them giving his gaze these shadowy green rays of a vivid spirit… his spirit. 

It was sincerely a great relish to her, which made her forget about her solitude and pain, to just witness his reaction about the sea. She knew it was always his dream to get sail on these silky sheets of azure, to solve out its eternal mystery, to probe its troughs and to tame its insurgence.

 His dream was to become a sailor. 

And as much as she loved his admiring expressions of passion about his dream, she couldn't dismiss her fear from losing him to the big foreign ocean. Even as little as she was, her innate magical powers let her being very sensitive to the peril of a mad face of Mother Nature. She was aware of the great risks of such admiration.

Not every monster could be tamed, not every innocent quiet could be patronized.

However, when she revealed her worries to him, Cai only gave her his shinny grin and brushed her fears off easily. He faced her intently and when his dark brown eyes met her aquamarine gaze he promised her that nothing would ever separate them, nothing would ever take him away from her and that he would always return back to her no matter what happened.

Only then did she relatively calm herself down, pushing the tug in her heart aside and the bad ghosts in the back of her mind and let herself believe his promise and trust his words. She always smiled in response.

Days and nights run away, as they grew up together their bond became even firmer, however Cai's dream became all the more pressing, Tari's worries darkened more and her feelings to her best friend became deeper.

Every day they watched the sun drowning into the dark blue depths, she sensed the euphoria radiating from her dear companion reflecting on her but quickly she snapped out of it by the harsh reality overwhelmed with her dark concerns. She confronted him with her fears again and he replied by his promise to her again. Looking into his eyes, she couldn't keep arguing with him. The older she became the more affected she was. Her breaths were caught as their gazes met, and she drowned in his lakes of chocolate. His voice became melodic like a sedative lullaby. His laugh, his smile, his words, his habits, even his frown affected her profoundly!

Until realization hit her… she loved him!

How ironic?! A siren –not to mention one of the predecessors at that- who had the ability to attract people's admiration by her charms, had fallen so hard to the charms of her best friend… a guy with no magic whatsoever!

And as days went by, after such realization, her feelings for him grew deeper and deeper with their own aging. And so did her fear from losing him as well.

In the year of the eighth anniversary of her mother's loss, he took actual step and started training to be a sailor and the following year he started his real sailings and journeys leaving behind him a panicked Siren who secluded herself away from her people and her society spending her time to only pray for his safe return to her.

She refused to eat properly and neglected her health letting her worries ate her out alive. Only when his ship being seen from the shore that she was relieved and rushed there to warmly welcome him back. Only when he was in front of her with his breathtaking smile and that she hugged him tightly that her eyes showed true peace and joy.

With the following year, his sailings became more frequent and traveled a lot which exposed him and fellows aboard to the dangers and risks of the harsh swings of atmosphere and rough sailings. By consequences, his ship wasn't making its return on the scheduled time, and the delays might be prolonged for a couple of months.

And, that was when Tari completely lost it, and started to take action on her own responsibility. She started to use her magic as a Siren to call him back to her and as a witch to overcome the storms by challenging both Wind and Water elements of Mother Nature to protect him and to get him back safely.

At first, her lack of experience as a witch of only sixteen springs wasn't in her favor; however her skillful natural talents and her will were her powerful weapons. Her Siren's powers were very robust –being one of the first generation of the Sirens, and not just any Sirens but the Amore Sirens who derived their powers from the love- so that they were almost enough to counteract the effect of the Nature.

Moreover, she magnified this effect by applying her incantations she learned from her mother's old witchery books; incantations and spells with potions that fought two of Mother Nature's elements via enhancing the other two elements creating provisional imbalance in the nature each time a storm roared. 

As time flew by, and years passed she grew in experience in that kind of magic as she only focused on it. She grew up into a blossomed young beauty –naturally as the beauty was one of a Siren's charms- and with great powers to which she was much blindfolded to realize as they grew darker and darker.

She surpassed her own mother in both beauty and powers, indeed, though she lowered herself by unconsciously joining the dark side of the sorcery.

All she believed in was her faith and trust in whom she loved and for whom she almost devoted her powers; her faith in her love and her trust in his promise and fidelity. And, as every time he returned back to her, she grew confident in the path she chose that she started to use her magical ways with every sailing even when no danger risked Cai's life; increasing her bold challenge to the life balance and to the fate.

Little did she know that Mother Nature's vengeance was closer than she expected.

Little did she know that a turnover in her life was about to ruin it for eternity.

Little did she know that being forgiving and merciful were never among Mother Nature's qualities.