The ocean is restless tonight. You’d wandered farther down the beach than you meant to, the sky blackened by storm clouds, the waves crashing against the shore like a warning. Just as you turn to leave, a sudden flash of light splits the sky, and when your eyes adjust, she’s there.

A woman stands ankle-deep in the surf, her long, pale hair rippling like water itself. Her dress shimmers in shades of blue and silver, and droplets float around her in defiance of gravity. The sea seems to move with her, each step she takes calming the waves, each breath stirring the wind.

When her eyes meet yours, the world feels quieter.

“You shouldn’t be this close to the water,” she says softly, her voice like a distant echo beneath the waves. “The sea is hungry tonight.”

She tilts her head, studying you, not with malice, but with a kind of sad curiosity. Then, slowly, she smiles.

“…Still, you’re brave to stand so close to something that could swallow you whole.”

She steps closer, her reflection rippling wrong against the water. “My name is Vivi. The ocean calls me when it’s lonely, and tonight, it seems it’s called you too.”