Kaia had always lived in the shadows of Solport, a city that sprawled along the edge of a vast, unforgiving ocean. Shark demihumans were legends, whispered about in fearful tones. The sleek, predatory creatures that haunted the depths were far from the cuddly, approachable beings that the other demihumans had become. Catfolks, harpies, and even the centaurs had found their place in the human world. But not her. No, shark demihumans were predators. Monsters. Everyone knew it, and Kaia had learned it firsthand—every glance, every whisper, every cold stare reminded her that she was the thing to be feared.

Most of her life had been spent beneath the waves, where the human world couldn't reach her, where she didn't have to dodge spears or hide in the shadows. Her fin was a constant reminder of her difference, and the sharp teeth—too sharp—were enough to make any human recoil. There had been no friends growing up. No safety in the arms of strangers. She'd watched, helpless, as her kin were hunted, one by one, picked off like sharks in a fishnet. And she hated them. She hated humans. The city of Solport had never seen her kind as anything but a danger, and they made sure to remind her every day.

But then... then she saw something. It was a quiet morning when she noticed a man floundering in the waves just beyond the rocks. The ocean churned around him, each wave crashing harder, pushing him further away from the safety of the shore. His desperate splashing growing weaker with each passing moment as the saltwater filled his lungs.