Manro, a commoner living in Iron'Heits, had always been a man of simple habits. His days were spent tending to his modest plot of land and sharing casual conversations with his neighbors. Life in Iron'Heits was predictable; the town's sturdy stone walls, the ever-present sound of blacksmiths hammering away at their forges, and miners striking stone with their pickaxes gave it a sense of permanence and security.
But everything had changed with the explosion. Then came the news that an army was stationed outside the walls, and the young lord had allowed some people to leave through a secret tunnel. Manro was among those who stayed behind, not trusting the nobles much. He hoped that the young lord and the General would not let them suffer. Besides, he only had this piece of land left to him by his father—where would he go even if he wanted to leave?
A few days ago, a giant creature appeared in the sky. The sheer size and ominous presence of the creature left the entire city in a state of fear and disbelief. Manro first saw it while working in his garden, trying to protect his plants from the torrential rain. He had looked up, wondering when the rain would stop, but instead, he stared at a colossal, dark figure illuminated by flashes of lightning.
The townsfolk were terrified, and Manro was no different. He hurried home and bolted the door, hoping the creature would pass by and leave them in peace. He spent that night in restless sleep, his dreams haunted by the sight of the creature's silhouette.
The next morning, the creature was gone. The sky was clear again, but the memory of its presence lingered. Manro met his neighbor, Old Garven, at the fence dividing their properties.
"Did you see it, Garven?" Manro asked, his voice still shaky from the encounter.
Garven, a grizzled man with a lifetime of hardship etched into his face, nodded solemnly. "Aye, I saw it. Never in all my years have I seen such a thing. Makes you wonder what else is out there, lurking in the skies."
The two men stood there for a while, neither saying much more. What could they say? They were common folk, used to dealing with the earth beneath their feet, not with creatures that darkened the heavens.
Days passed, and life in Iron'Heits slowly returned to a semblance of normality—at least, it appeared like that The creature was gone, and though people spoke of it in hushed tones, they had no choice but to continue with their daily lives. Manro, too, tried to put the incident behind him, though he couldn't quite shake the unease it left in him.
One morning, on the present day, Manro set out to fetch water from the well for drinking and cooking, as he did every day. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting long shadows over the cobbled streets. As he walked, he greeted the familiar faces of Iron'Heits—Old Marla sweeping her porch, young Tomen chasing a stray chicken, and Berta, the baker's wife, who waved to him with flour-dusted hands.
Reaching the well, Manro grabbed the rope and began lowering the bucket, letting it descend into the cool depths. But when he pulled it back up, he found the bucket empty. Puzzled, he looked down into the well, expecting to see the water's surface reflecting the morning light. Instead, he saw nothing but darkness.
The well was dry. Manro's heart skipped a beat as he peered into the well, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. How could it be empty? The well had always been full, even in the driest summers. It was as if someone—or something—had drained it completely.
He straightened up and looked around, hoping someone nearby might confirm what he was seeing. Soon enough, he noticed a pair of guards asking people if they had seen anything unusual. He waved to them, and they walked over.
"The well is dry."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" The guard's eyebrows furrowed as they extended their necks to peer into the well. It was indeed dry. This was strange. The guards exchanged glances before one left to report the situation while the other stayed with Manro, asking when he had last seen the well with water. Before long, a crowd gathered, as many people typically came to the well in the morning to fetch water.
"What's going on, Manro?" someone asked. He explained about how he tossed the bucket and nothing came up. In summary, the well had no water, which raised eyebrows among the townsfolk. They checked the well themselves, while the guard stood by, thinking, "How is this possible?" The well had never run dry ever since Iron'Heits was founded.
'If it is, then…'
He didn't have time to mull over his thought as the crowd gasped and parted, avoiding or maybe welcoming someone. Walking toward the well was a much-discussed figure, both hated and loved: Erik.
Many disliked him because of the tunnel incident, while those who showed him favor were often seen as bootlickers trying to get into his family's good graces. Though not everyone hated him, it didn't mean he was particularly liked, either.
Erik remained indifferent to the murmurs as he approached the well and looked down into it. Just as they said, it was dry—perhaps too dry.
"I'm going in," Erik announced. Before anyone could stop him, he grabbed the rope and jumped in. Valcroy hurriedly grabbed the other end, but the rope slipped, causing him to skid forward, making the crowd jump in shock.
'Why is he like that?' Valcroy thought as he held onto the rope, carefully lowering Erik down. Collum and Mallory were just as speechless, seeing Erik's reckless action. But they chalked it to a Frostborne trait. They had seen their fair share of the family members. Erik's behavior perfectly matches some of them.
They quickly instructed the soldiers to keep the civilians back and sent more people down into the well, including Collum and Valcroy. Upon reaching the bottom, Erik felt something strange, like the ground itself was wrong. He knelt down, taking a handful of the earth. It crumbled in his hand as if it had been dry for ages.
His eyes narrowed as he instructed the soldiers to dig a little. As they complied, Erik examined the walls of the well and found them devoid of moisture.
"Are you sure it was full of water yesterday?" Collum asked a soldier, who replied, "Yes, Sergeant, and with the recent rain, it was over two feet deeper than usual."
Collum dismissed the soldier, still puzzled. Others might not feel it, but he could sense it clearly—it was as if this place had been a desert for years. He began searching for signs of foul play, like a talisman, a scroll, or any spell that could cause this. But using such precious items just to dry up a well seemed odd.
While everyone else was busy with their investigation, Valcroy was literally knocking around, trying to locate the water vein. He hoped to restore the water flow but, like the others, found nothing.
As everyone searched, Collum paused to receive a report from a soldier. Valcroy and Erik approached just as he said, "…others as well."
"Okay, go back and tell Mallory to handle the people. Make sure no one panics and causes another riot," Collum instructed. The soldier saluted and left the well. Unlike Erik's hasty descent, proper steps surrounded the well, though ropes were still necessary to prevent accidents.
Collum watched the soldier climb out before turning to Erik. "Every well in Iron'Heits is dry."
Hearing this, Erik fell into deep thought, trying to figure out the cause. Valcroy, frustrated, clenched his fist and punched the wall beside him.
Boom*
The punch cracked the wall, sending dust into the air and causing everyone to cough and cover their faces. Amid the commotion, Erik and Collum focused on something else.
Collum raised an eyebrow, surprised by the force behind Valcroy's punch—it was strong enough to qualify him as an Intermediate Realm expert. Yet something was strange: Collum couldn't sense even a trace of mana from Valcroy, as if he hadn't begun training.
'How can that be?' The question echoed in his mind. Erik and Valcroy were becoming increasingly mysterious to Collum, but he couldn't break through the veil to see what lay behind it.
Erik, meanwhile, wasn't paying attention to the others; his eyes were fixed on where Valcroy's fist had landed.
"Sorry about that," Valcroy apologized, but Erik said nothing as he walked closer to the wall and examined it. His eyes narrowed before he stepped back and asked Collum, "Punch here."
He pointed to a specific spot on the wall. Collum's eyebrows furrowed as he scrutinized the area. Now that he wasn't focused on Valcroy, he also sensed something strange about the wall.
Valcroy stepped aside as Collum clenched his fist. He didn't want to know what an attack from an Advanced Realm expert felt like. Erik also moved back, instructing the soldiers to take cover.
"Here I go." Collum bent his arm slightly before driving his fist forward, straightening it as it made contact with the wall.
Baam*
The well trembled, dislodging pebbles and small stones. Soldiers raised their shields as dust filled the air, many of them wondering what was going on.
Erik didn't explain. He simply walked closer to the wall, moving through the dust cloud. Valcroy followed, unable to sense what was happening without mana and relying on his physical sight.
Cough*
Valcroy coughed as the dust entered his nose and mouth, forcing him to cover them with his hand. Soon, he stood beside Erik, who was observing the cracks in the wall, slowly mending themselves as if nothing had happened. But the culprit was too slow in covering its tracks.
Erik's eyes narrowed as he studied the wall. Collum was doing the same, his eyebrows furrowed in deep concern. He wanted to report this to Kendrick, but remembered what had happened and could only stand there, unable to do anything.
"Again," Erik instructed.
Collum snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the young man before him. For the first time, Erik's calm and indifferent expression as he assessed the situation had a calming effect on Collum's agitated heart. It felt like dealing with a younger version of Kendrick.
*Perhaps that's why the General is testing him,* Collum thought. He then struck the wall again, this time with a little more strength. He was careful not to bring the well down on them, so he continued holding back. But soon, his restraint began waning as he kept on increasing the force behind each one. The soldiers were the only ones who got caught in this crossfire as they braced themselves.
Baaam*
Collum delivered a full-force punch, creating tremors in the well that made the soldiers wobble and question their life choices.
Hah* Hah*
Collum took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He wiped the sweat and dust from his face but kept his eyes on the wall, uttering, "Unbelievable."
The wall was now riddled with cracks, but they were slowly healing before their eyes. The soldiers shared a mix of awe and fear.
"I hope it's not something like the Sky Hunter," someone muttered, sending shivers down the spines of the others. They huddled together, trembling as they looked at Erik, who was studying the crack. Suddenly, a hand appeared on one soldier's shoulder, scaring the life out of him and making the others jump as well. But when they saw it was Valcroy, they sighed in relief.
"Who is this Sky Hunter?" Valcroy asked.