Moments after the fall, I found myself looking up toward the light—the hole I’d fallen through. The water was lukewarm. Consistent drops of water echoed alongside my breaths.

 “It’s kind of comfortable…”

 As I floated around, there wasn’t any sign of life, and the waters were oddly pure—I could probably relax. Mana Sigh. I trust you. Shutting my eyes, I relaxed. I could get out whenever I wanted, but it’s calming here. It’s cool and nice, and the water is just right.

 My consciousness slowly drifted to dreamland until a thud echoed, and slight pain coursed through my head. I’d hit a wall. When I opened my eyes, the light was gone, and when I glanced over towards a gleam, it appeared that I had drifted quite a distance.

 “Well, that’s enough fooling around,” my voice echoed throughout the empty chamber.

 I sighed and concentrated mana across my body; the water beneath me became luminescent as I slowly weaved it to push my back—Hands of Water.

 As Hands of Water helped me up on my feet, I gathered mana and condensed it at the top of my finger. A warm sensation coursed throughout my body—Navi.

 A ball of light brightened the area, revealing boring walls and dark depths. Navi left my palm and ventured into the water—illuminating the bottom. At the bottom of the pool was a scaled creature curled around itself. It had dark blue crystal scales and small wing-like fins.

 “Oh? A water dragon?”

 I bent down, taking a closer look with Mana Sight. The dragon moved slightly, and I didn’t see mana decay… it was alive. But why can’t I see the mana flow? I focused on Navi and noticed there wasn’t any mana radiating from it.

 “Hah… no wonder I couldn’t sense it…”

 But suddenly, the massive creature’s eyes flung open. Its scales were brightly illuminated, and it bolted toward Navi at incredible speeds, gulping the spell down as it breached the water’s surface, causing a vortex and waves. Its golden reptilian eyes locked with mine.

 “Aah…”

 Swiftly, the dragon dove towards me. Hands of Water threw me to the side as I concentrated mana beneath my feet—Water Walk.

 Gliding on the water’s surface, my heart pounded out of my chest. I cast Wind Blast and shoved myself to the side as the dragon surfaced again.

Roar!

 Instinctively, I cast Water Bubble to dampen the noise as it roared, which caused massive waves. I reached my hand out, casting Pry Waters to split the waves heading towards me—only to see the giant reptile’s mouth wide open, channelling a breath attack.

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 “Uhh?! My mana can’t pierce that!” I cried at the top of my lungs as I cast Body Reinforcement and tried to distance myself.

 It drew the surrounding waters in steams, turning them into a glowing vortex. It then released a jet beam—splitting the waters and causing strong drafts as I ran for dear life—freezing the water beneath my feet to make a rough solid sheet for smoother manoeuvring.

 “Tch!”

 I need to cut out the source somehow! But with what? I can’t get close enough, and casting more powerful spells takes more time than I have… Think Achrin, think!

 “…!”

 I got it! I channelled mana into the Link Crest on my left hand, summing the void gem. As I continued to dash around, my heart raced faster, and my breath turned heavy. I pulled out all of the iron scales, stitching them together like a shield, and reinforced them as I cast Water Barrier over Water Bubble and threw the shield toward the beam.

 The jet beam hit the reinforced scale shield, and it slowly degraded. By that time, I had gone underwater, using Hands of Water to drag me to the dark depths. I then cast Shade on the shields to blend in better with the depths.

 It shouldn’t be able to detect my mana flow. Sure enough, it had stopped its breath attack, probably thinking I had died.

 “Phew…” I sighed in relief.

 As I hugged myself in the corner, the dragon dove into the water and swam around, making my heart skip as I held my breath, afraid of it noticing me. My clothes clung close to my skin, getting itchy and uncomfortable. Eventually, the dragon curled around itself again, positioning for rest. Its scales slowly dimmed until the waters became dark.

 Being extra cautious, I waited for a while before moving around. After that, I found my way to the surface. But I noticed that the small hole I’d come through was nowhere to be seen.

 “Ugh…don’t tell me…”

 I cast Shade on the water’s surface so as not to irritate the dragon again. I then cast Navi again and surfed on Hands of Water to look for the hole. But it was gone completely.

 “…”

 Are you kidding me…?

 I lay down on my back, floating. Is this the end of me? I thought. But then, the faces of family members popped up in my head. I recalled the time Mama gently placed a hand on my shoulder—she had a mana potion in her hand… I recalled Papa smiling at me from a distance—throwing a bunch of spells at me as I dodged for dear life.

 “Ah… those were some good memories…”

 My brother and sister would always look up to me with admiration in their eyes. It was worth it. I stretched my hand toward Navi, trying to grasp the light. Time would then pass, and I wasn’t sure for how long I’d been drifting with Hands of Water cruising me around.

 But even I knew it would take too long to drill myself out. Not only that, it would likely awaken the water dragon again. I closed my eyes.

 “Well, I’m not alone. At least, I have Mister…Miss? Water Dragon—ouch…”

 Before I could finish the deprecating sentence, I’d hit a wall again, but as I reached to pat my head, I noticed the lack of a wall. As I used Hand of Water to get up, I saw stairs leading to a hall.

 “Aa-ha…”

 It seems like I’ll be stuck in a dungeon for a while... and now that I think about it. The dragon’s breath didn’t damage the walls, did it? I never had a chance of ever drilling my way out, did I?

 “—Wait… I’ve already eaten all the food!”