Editing Shattered Sun (section)

====''The Embrace''====
People soon began studying these interesting creatures however they could. Scholars became driven by the possible discovery of the meaning behind their lethal touch and the mysterious culture that seemed to surround it. The first inkling of knowledge behind the touch came from a passing ship traversing along one of the Shardstreams. Observers noticed a pair of Anchordread swimming together much like a pair of mated dolphins would playfully traipse the surface. At times, their fingers became entwined, eliciting strong pulses of light surging through veins in their arms while they made pleasant sounds from the contact. It was then when it was first suggested that the electricity they possessed was not just a weapon, but a means of communication between them.

The story spread like wildfire through the research community, bringing forth countless theories behind what a possible Anchordread society may entail. Social scientists and wildlife experts teamed up with the world's finest Alchemists to bring their studies closer to the creatures than they could above the surface. Over time, the Alchemists came up with sturdy submersibles which could bring people under the seas for the first time in their memory. At first, such adventures bore very little fruit. Maybe a sighting of one of the creatures, or perhaps even a group of them in transit. But nothing groundbreaking, as they were hoping.

All until they found a group of them with a pod of orca-like cteylaxes, seemingly riding them like warriors would horses on the land. The aquatic steed were every bit as swift and agile as the sailors told them to be, making it tremendously difficult to discern them in detail. Fortunately for the researchers, the Anchordread seemed able to detect their presence and acknowledge their curiosity by slowing down. This gave the researchers the ability to glimpse at just how the creatures were able to hold on to them. They held onto bored holes in the steed's head, the electric light subtly pulsing along their arms as they manipulated the behemoths' every movement. It was as if the Anchordread were accessing the cteylaxes' minds directly through their touch.