CHAPTER 1: THE GLOWING TIDE

Nasugbu, Batangas – June 2025

The first hint of dawn painted the sky over Calayo Beach in soft shades of orange and pink when Kael dropped his net into the water. The banca rocked gently beneath him, its wooden hull groaning a familiar song he’d known since he was old enough to hold a paddle.

“Lapu-lapu, please,” he mumbled, checking his line for the third time that morning. “Just one good catch, and Lola can stop worrying about the electric bill.”

The sea was calm today – almost too calm. The water stretched out clear and blue to where it met the sky near Verde Island, with only the occasional splash of a jumping tanguigue to break the surface. Kael had been out before sunrise, hoping to beat the other fishermen to the good spots. But so far, his net had come up nearly empty – just a few small galunggong and a handful of shells.

He leaned against the boat’s edge, letting the morning breeze ruffle his hair. In three weeks, he’d be heading to Manila for his scholarship interview at the University of the Philippines – his shot at a degree in marine biology, a way out of the cycle of scraping by that had defined his family for as long as he could remember. He’d been studying for months, staying up late by the kerosene lamp after long days at sea.

“Focus, Kael,” he muttered, pulling his net up again. Nothing.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, he’d given up and turned the banca toward shore. As he neared the beach, he noticed something odd – the water close to the sand was shimmering, as if filled with tiny pieces of broken glass. He’d seen bioluminescence before on dark nights, but never in broad daylight, and never this bright.

He anchored the boat and waded into the knee-deep water to pull it onto the sand. The shimmering grew stronger the closer he got to the shoreline, and when he dipped his hand in, the water glowed a brilliant, almost electric blue around his fingers.

“Whoa,” he breathed, lifting his hand to look. The glow faded quickly in the sun, leaving only salt on his skin.

“Kael! Hoy, Kael!”

He turned to see his best friend, Dencio, running down the beach, his barong tagalog wrinkled from the heat. “Your Lola’s looking for you – she says there’s lomi ready at the house.”

“Did you see that?” Kael asked, pointing at the water.

“See what?” Dencio squinted at the sea, then shrugged. “Just water, pare. Come on, I’m starving.”

Kael looked back at the ocean. The shimmer was gone now, as if it had never been there at all. He shook his head – maybe he’d been out too long in the sun. He grabbed his empty net and followed Dencio up the path toward the cluster of houses where their families lived.

Lola Isang was waiting on the porch of their nipa hut, her silver hair tied back in a neat bun, a plate of steaming lomi on the small wooden table beside her. The rich smell of garlic and pork made Kael’s stomach growl.

“Uy, anak,” she said, patting the chair next to her. “You look tired. Did the sea not give today?”

“Nothing much,” Kael said, sitting down and picking up his spoon. “But Lola – I saw something strange. The water was glowing blue. Like… like it was alive.”

Lola’s hands stilled as she poured him a glass of coconut water. She didn’t look at him, but Kael noticed her knuckles whitening where she gripped the pitcher.

“Must have been the sun playing tricks,” she said quietly. “The sea does that sometimes. Nothing to worry about.”

But her eyes were fixed on the ocean, and in their dark depths, Kael saw something he’d never seen before – fear.

After lunch, Kael took his worn notebook down to the beach and sat beneath a coconut tree, reviewing his notes for the interview. Every few minutes, he’d glance at the water, half-hoping to see the glow again. As the sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of purple and gold, he packed up his things to head home.

That’s when he saw it.

The entire shoreline was glowing now, bright blue waves rolling in like rivers of starlight. The light was so strong it lit up the beach, turning the sand silver and the palm trees into dark silhouettes against the water. He stood frozen, watching as the waves broke in pulses of light, each one leaving a glowing trail that faded slowly in the sand.

A voice behind him made him jump.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Kael turned to find a woman he’d never seen before, standing at the edge of the trees. She was dressed simply in a white baro’t saya, her long black hair flowing down her back. Even in the blue glow of the water, he could see that her eyes were the same color as the sea at dawn.

“Who are you?” he asked.

She smiled, but it was a sad smile. “Someone who’s been waiting for you, Tide Keeper.”

Before Kael could ask what she meant, she turned and vanished into the shadows of the coconut grove. He ran after her, but when he reached the spot where she’d been standing, there was no one there – only the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze, and the sound of waves glowing as they rolled onto the shore.

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