Eden knelt by the lake, his trembling hands brushing against the cool, damp earth. For the past two days, he had been trying to channel his mana into the water, hoping to coax some kind of response, but all he had to show for it were faint ripples and the numbing ache in his body.
The sun hung low in the sky, its warm light reflected on the still surface of the lake. A serene beauty surrounded him, yet it felt like a cruel joke. The water mocked him with its unwavering calm, refusing to yield even the smallest sign of his efforts. He exhaled sharply, frustration bubbling within him like an overboiling pot.
"Why won't it work?" he muttered, his voice barely louder than the whisper of the wind. He clenched his fists, trying to hold onto the fragile remnants of hope.
Eden closed his eyes and reached inward, searching for the spark of mana he knew was there. He felt it—a faint warmth, like embers of a dying fire buried deep within his chest. Gritting his teeth, he willed that warmth to grow, to spread through his veins and flow out into the world.
"Just... respond," he whispered.
The warmth flickered, and for a brief moment, he thought he had succeeded. A ripple danced across the lake's surface, gentle and fleeting. But it vanished as quickly as it came, leaving the water undisturbed once more.
Eden slumped back, his hands falling limply to his sides. His breaths came in short gasps as sweat dripped down his face. He stared at the lake, anger rising like a tide within him.
"Am I doing something wrong?" he asked aloud, though there was no one to answer.
The silence pressed down on him, heavy and suffocating.
---
The Second Day
By the time the second day dawned, Eden's body was sore and his mind teetered on the edge of collapse. He had spent the night restless, haunted by fragmented dreams of snow and whispers he couldn't understand. Still, he forced himself back to the lake.
This time, he tried a different approach. He didn't focus on the mana inside him but instead on the lake itself. He imagined the water as an extension of himself, picturing its gentle flow and the strength hidden beneath its still surface.
He stretched out his hand, his fingers trembling as he visualized the mana flowing out of him and merging with the lake.
"Flow with it," he murmured, repeating the words. "Don't force it... just flow."
The effort was excruciating. His arms ached as though weighed down by invisible chains, and his chest burned with the strain of maintaining focus.
A faint ripple formed, spreading outward from where his mana touched the water. Eden's heart leapt, hope rekindling inside him. But before he could celebrate, the ripple faded, leaving the lake as calm and indifferent as ever.
"No!" Eden slammed his fists into the ground, his frustration boiling over.
His breaths were ragged, his vision spinning. He wanted to scream, to curse whatever cruel force had brought him to this world and left him with nothing but confusion and failure. But he didn't. He couldn't.
Instead, he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the ground. His voice was barely a whisper as he said, "Please... just give me something."
---
The Third Day
Eden hadn't realized when he fell asleep, but the sharp chill of dawn woke him. His body felt heavier than before, his muscles stiff and uncooperative. He sat up, rubbing his arms in a futile attempt to ward off the cold.
The lake greeted him with its usual stillness, its surface reflecting the pale morning sky. For a moment, Eden considered giving up. Maybe magic wasn't something he could master. Maybe he wasn't meant to.
But the thought of leaving the lake filled him with dread. He couldn't explain why, but he felt drawn to this place, as though something deep within the water was calling to him.
With a groan, he pushed himself to his feet. His legs wobbled beneath him, and he had to steady himself against a nearby tree. "One more time," he muttered, though he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince himself or the lake.
He approached the water's edge, his reflection staring back at him. His pale skin and white hair looked almost ghostly in the dim light. He clenched his fists, summoning every ounce of strength he had left.
This time, he didn't think about the warmth or the flow. He simply let go.
He extended his hands toward the lake, his fingers splayed open. He didn't focus on controlling the mana or directing it. Instead, he let it spill out of him, untamed and wild.
The effect was immediate. A powerful ripple spread across the lake, and the air around him grew colder. For a moment, Eden felt a surge of triumph, but it was short-lived. The mana slipped from his grasp, leaving him drained and gasping for air.
Darkness crept into the edges of his vision. His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground, his body giving in to.
When Eden opened his eyes, he was no longer by the lake. He was back in the snow world. The endless white stretched out before him, cold and silent.
Panic gripped him as he stumbled to his feet. "No... no, not again," he said, his voice trembling.
He looked around, searching for any sign of life, but the world was as empty as he remembered. The cold seeped into his bones, and he wrapped his arms around himself, trying to keep warm.
A faint glow caught his attention, and he turned toward it. In the distance, the ice sphere shimmered like a beacon. He hesitated, fear and curiosity warring within him.
As he took a step toward the sphere, dream start shattering.
Eden woke with a start. The sound of something cracking filled the air, sharp and startling in the quiet night. He sat up, his body trembling with fatigue.
The lake was no longer calm. Its surface shimmered with a strange light, and cracks spiderwebbed across an icy sphere that had formed in its center.
Eden's heart raced as he watched the cracks grow, spreading like veins across the sphere. Each crack emitted a faint glow, illuminating the darkness around him.
Finally, the sphere shattered with a deafening sound, sending shards of ice flying into the air. From within the sphere, a shadow emerged, its form shifting and twisting as it stepped onto the lake's surface.
The Kelpie had Awaken.