Pisces Rising's Arc

Chapter 2 of 6

Pisces Rising woke to water flowing backward. The sound pulled her from sleep—not the familiar splash of the fountain, but something closer. She stepped into her chamber and stopped. Thin streams ran up the walls in spirals, defying Neptune's usual pull. The patterns moved like writing. She pressed her palm against the wet stone. The water spelled three symbols she'd never seen before, then collapsed into droplets. Her pulse quickened. If the gravity wells could write futures without her touch, without her gift—then what made her special? She ran outside to the water garden where ancient pillars stood half-submerged in pools. The water there flowed upward too, weaving between the columns in shapes that looked deliberate. A crowd had already gathered, pointing and whispering. One woman traced the patterns with her finger, reading them aloud like instructions. Pisces Rising pushed through the crowd toward the stone circle at the garden's center. Water spiraled up from the basin, forming clear letters in the air. She recognized them now—coordinates, dates, warnings. Anyone could read these. Her translucent form caught the morning light, refracting it uselessly across the wet stones. The visions she'd promised to share tomorrow were already here, written plainly for everyone. Her chest tightened as she watched a merchant copy the patterns onto parchment, nodding with understanding she'd never been able to give him. She turned back toward her chamber, where the domed building gleamed with its aquatic patterns. The statue she'd commissioned stood beside the entrance, still beautiful, still meaningless. But inside, water still crawled up her walls in private spirals. She stepped closer and touched the stream again. This time she saw something different—not the same patterns displayed in the garden, but deeper currents beneath them. The public prophecies showed what would happen. Her visions showed why, and how to change them. The gravity wells had given everyone the map. She alone could see the territory it described.