Tidefall lost power during dinner. Not magical power. Actual electricity. The distinction became important because half the first-years screamed anyway. One second the dining hall was bright. The next, darkness. Someone dropped a plate. Harper shouted, "YES." Ava said, "Why are you happy?"

"Drama."

Emergency lanterns along the walls flickered on one by one. They were magical, which raised a question Jasper had never thought to ask. Why did a magical school use electricity? Professor Ward answered later.

"Because electricity is useful."

Harper looked disappointed by reality again. The outage affected a section of the coast after strong winds damaged a line inland. Tidefall had backup generators and magical emergency systems, but staff decided to use the hour as a practical exercise. First-years returned to residence under lantern light. No hovering books. No casual light spells in corridors unless needed.

"Why?" Jasper asked Mae.

"Because everyone casting extra light at once makes it harder to see whether emergency wards are drawing more magic than expected."

Ava immediately loved the logic. Room Fourteen looked strange by lantern. Shadows stretched across the walls. Bag Bed became a mountain of suspicious shapes. Harper climbed onto Jasper's bed to look out the eastern window.

"Whole inland side is dark."

Ava looked west.

"Harbour still has lights."

Small blue ward lamps marked the lower docks. The sea beyond was almost black. Jasper felt the presence. Strong enough to notice. Not alarming.

"There," he said.

Harper turned.

"Does it care about electricity?"

"I doubt it knows electricity exists."

Ava said, "It has seen boats and ward systems. It may recognise environmental changes without naming them." Harper sighed.

"You two are ruining my ghost story."

They sat on the floor with one lantern between them. Without normal lighting, the residence became quieter. Children whispered in nearby rooms. Rain began outside. Jasper listened to the Titan-presence without deliberately reaching. It remained steady. Then something touched his awareness. Not image. Direction. South. He frowned. Ava saw.

"What?"

"It feels... that way."

He pointed.

"South?"

"I think."

Harper said, "What's south?"

"Cove. Tide pools. Lower cliff."

Ava looked at the dark window.

"Storm damage?"

Jasper felt another impression. Pressure against stone. Something loose. Then gone. He told Mae. Mae told Professor Ward. Ward did not evacuate the academy based on one seven-year-old's sensation. She also did not ignore it. A staff team checked the southern cliff drains and pathways once the storm eased. They found a blocked overflow channel above the tide-pool cove. Rainwater had begun backing up behind debris. Not catastrophic. Left overnight, it could have damaged the path. Staff cleared it. Jasper received the report at breakfast. Harper looked impressed.

"Two warnings now."

Ava said, "Potential warnings."

"Rope and drain."

"Yes."

"At what number does 'potential' become warning?"

Ava thought.

"More than two."

Jasper looked at his toast. He had mixed feelings. If the presence was warning him, that suggested intention toward the academy. Or toward Jasper. Or it simply expressed pressure and Jasper happened to translate it usefully. The more helpful the contact became, the easier it would be to assume he understood. That was dangerous too. After breakfast he found Thorne.

"What if it is warning me?"

Thorne did not answer immediately.

"Then you pass the warning to people who can check. As you did."

"And if I'm wrong?"

"They check and find nothing."

"What if people start depending on me?"

That question surprised Thorne. Then pleased him.

"They should not."

Jasper relaxed.

"You are a student," Thorne continued. "Not an alarm system. If your experiences become useful, good. They do not become your job."

Jasper nodded.

"And if we start treating every feeling you report as certainty," Thorne added, "tell us. Adults can repeat old mistakes too."

Jasper looked up.

"I'd have to tell the Headmaster he's wrong."

"A terrifying responsibility."

Jasper smiled. Power returned before lunch. The electric lights came back. Harper booed. Ava said she was ridiculous. Tidefall returned to normal. The Sea did not send anything else.