The cruel reality of things was that the jungle wasn’t a place for the weak. By now, every creature had something that justified their survival in that dreadful oasis of life. Some were intelligent and cunning, others were big and mighty, while some were simply as devious as they could get. Each and every one of them had been honed for survival and humans weren’t on the cuspid of the pyramid as they had been before the Ocean Song.

2023 was the year when it all began. Strange rifts started to appear in the Ocean and with them the creatures of the Ocean realm.

At first, human armies could resist the onslaught of the Common Creatures and Minor Guardians, but no human army could defend itself against the elemental beasts and above. Since then, humanity has been decimated, just the Swimmers and above survived. Few settlements remained in the Ocean realm and the real world, ruled by the most powerful humans alive.

Aqua and Shio had lived six long years alone in the harrowing wilderness by themselves. Before that, they lived in one of the biggest human settlements on Earth, situated in Malaga, Spain.

The settlement in Malaga, once a beacon of human achievement, crumbled beneath the might of the first Abyssal Elder that humanity had seen. No human even if they were Swimmers, Divers or Aquanauts could do anything against the creature. Aqua and Shio were among the refugees that evacuated the settlement. Their parents were both Swimmers and their bigger brother, a Diver, had been on a mission on another settlement in California.

As they were evacuated to Germany their ship was attacked by a Leviathan and sunk into the Ocean, driven by the waves and the currents, they arrived a desolate island, where the had to fend for themselves until the Song called them.

The first years were the toughest as they had to learn how to kill the common creatures that resided the island and to elude Minor Guardians. They honed their skills as warriors, hunters and survivors for the next years. They had been trained as elites in the settlement, so they knew everything there was to know about survival in the wild and martial arts, even so, they were at the mercy of the Ocean’s will for six years.

They learned to cooperate flawlessly between each other and hunt creatures that way too. Shio would wait on the top of a tree with a chain in hand, while Aqua attracted it and ran for his life with the beast behind him. Then as it passed by the tree, Shio would jump with a chain in hand and immobilize the creature, later to be killed by Aqua’s harpoon. Many attempts had failed, and they paid dearly for their failures, but somehow, they manage to come on top or escape every failed encounter.

1 month before the non-identical twins became 18:

Six long years had etched the harsh reality of survival deep into their beings. Their bodies had grown and were toughened by the long hours of training or hunting for survival. Their bond had become unbreakable and with each scar emotional or physical it grew stronger. As they stood on the shore of the forgotten beach, gazing out at the vast expanse of the tumultuous ocean, they felt a mixture of bitterness and determination.

“The Song will be waiting for us” Aqua said, his carrying the weight of conviction and resentment.

Shio nodded, his eyes mirroring his emotions, a mix of hope and longing. “And we will answer its Call”.

Their days were a ceaseless cycle of survival. They foraged for food, refined their strategies against the island's creatures, and sought shelter from the elements. The nights were even harsher, with darkness amplifying the dangers lurking around them. But they faced it all head-on, armed with their skills and the memory of their lost world.

One evening, as the sun painted the horizon with hues of orange and gold. Shio and Aqua were tending their weapons, while the campfire began to burn. The crackling of the flames filled the atmosphere with a rare, but needed sense of calm.

“Do you wonder if our brother is somewhere out there?” Shio asked, breaking the silence of their camp.

“I don’t wonder about it, I’m sure of it” Aqua said. Their brother had been far away in California, so being a Diver, an absolute elite among humans, the likelihood of his survival was very decent. Meanwhile, the survival of their parents had become a taboo. They didn’t talk about it, because they knew it was a lost cause, they could only grieve in silence. They were Swimmers, but even if they were, they were the ones that stood behind and gained time for their family and millions to have the chance to escape.

“What about other aspirants to the Song? Do you think we’ll encounter them in our First Dive?” Shio asked, his eyes shining with hope. They had been alone for 6 years and the toll it took on them was almost too much to bear with.

“Yeah sure, if it’s a pair of beautiful sisters, I’d be all for it” Aqua said grinning from ear to ear.

“I wouldn’t mind too” Shio mumbled to himself.

“Huh did I hear right? And I thought I was the naughty one. Aqua exclaimed as he put an arm around his brother or at least tried to. His brother was much taller than him, so he couldn’t reach his shoulders.

Shio's cheeks turned a shade of pink, and he playfully nudged Aqua. "Hey, cut it out. I'm just saying, it wouldn't be so bad to have some company other than you."

Aqua laughed as his brother’s embarrassment and kept sharpening his harpoon.

The laughter echoed through the water, a rare and precious sound in their world of survival and solitude. Aqua continued sharpening his harpoon, his fingers deftly moving over the well-worn weapon. "You know, Shio, it would be interesting to meet others who have answered the Song's call. We might learn a thing or two from them."

Shio nodded, a playful glint still lingering in his eyes. "Yeah, like how to deal with someone as mischievous as you?"

Aqua mockingly put a hand to his chest in feigned innocence. "Me? Mischievous? I'm just full of delightful surprises."

Shio replied: “No, what you are is too full of yourself.”

“You know” - Shio’s tone changed to a more contemplative one – “We’ve become quite the team, don’t you think?”

“Well, yeah if not we wouldn’t be here, talking about how we wished to get to know beautiful ladies in that dreadful place. We wouldn’t be alive.”