In the wild pool full of mud, four people effortlessly walked with no trouble. They all had a faint mana covering their feet. Especially the fairy at the front. She looked clean and beautiful. Her steps didn’t create any splashes or ripples. However, there was one rugged man at the back of the group who looked grumpy. His clothes were covered in dirt and mud, splashed from walking through the muddy land.

Yomp! yomp! squelsh!

Mud splashed his cloth. “Argh, this is so hard! Why is everyone else able to move so freely?” He struggled to walk through the mud.

“Faye, how are you able to walk on it like that?” he asked. While using his dirty hand to brush the mud off his pants, hoping to make them cleaner and move faster,

“Ah, we use mana to cover our feet,” Faye replied. “For me, I make my steps lighter, making it easier to walk on mud or squishy things. It also helps me lower the sound of my steps, like an elegant woman should do.” She elegantly lifted the tip of her skirt with her hand, simulating the movements of a fair lady.

“Wow... that is convenient, as you can adjust your weight too.” My eyebrow raised slightly, impressed by this ability. It didn’t mean she could fly, but mana was truly an awesome thing. “And do the others do the same?” I asked.

She smiled at Rain, “As I said, this is only my method, my style.” She smiled and pointed her finger at the princess in front of us. “Look, Ella. She uses mana to harden the mud she steps on, making it easier for her to walk.”

That was also good technique, creating a stable platform for her to fight, dash, and jump on. She prepared for any situation.

She then pointed to Eeon. “I don’t know what he’s doing, but he walks as if the ground beneath him is solid. I can only sense some faint mana on the bottom of his feet.”

This one was harder to understand. Maybe he was changing the mud to normal ground, like Ella, but it still looked and felt like squishy mud. It was weird how he could do that. Nah, I shouldn’t think too much about it. He was the chosen one, after all. He could do anything.

Then Faye looked at me and smiled. “As for your beauty, long-haired lady, Lovely Rocky, she controls water around her feet. Just let her mana and feet flow elegantly, go through any water, like as she is the same way of water itself.”

I nervously glanced at Aria and held onto Rocky tightly, aware that her black eyes might turn towards us again. But nothing happened. She didn’t gaze back like last time. Maybe she was too far away or focused on her mana while walking. I could relax and release the tension on my shoulders.

Little did he know, Aria had heard the entire conversation, but she only muttered under her breath, ‘Rocky needs to be dead,’ in a voice too soft for anyone else to hear.

“Hey Faye, could you lend me a hand? I really want to learn how to walk gracefully like you,” I pleaded, hoping she would use her magical powers to help me in this tough situation.

“Aww, you wanna be a fair lady like me, too? Such a sweet boy. But Calling woman for help, that doesn’t handsome at all, you know. I can’t give you a hand, that not my lady’s principal. Maybe you can ask Aria. She will suit you well, maybe even carry you like a princess, a fragile boy with a stone maiden. Oopsie! my bad mouth.” Faye said.

Rain tilted his head to confirm that nobody could hear Faye’s nonsensical talk. “Ok—ok, thank you for your sincere help, but I’ll figure it out on my own.”

“Yes, be like that brave boy, everyone have own way,” Faye replied before walking back to the rest of the group, leave him all alone.

Yomp! yomp! squelsh!

Mud splash into his mouth. “Yak! mud tasted bad!” Taste of brownie earth all of my mouth. I can’t use force to run in mud. It does not make me move faster at all, I have to move slower.

He walked slowly in the mud river, try to think something.

Looking around, this place filled with nothing but mud, that was squishy and soft. I couldn’t change or transform it like others, since I couldn’t use mana at all. He glanced left and right, only to see a few wet twigs poking out after the water had receded. Only some few fish that not swam fast enough left alone, flickering on the mud. How a tragic life, always have a good life in water, fry and swim freely. One day, forced to stay on the floor like a land animal. Is it good if you also can swim in mud too?

Swim in the mud? How were they not drowning in it? ‘go through any water, like as she is the same way of water itself’ Rain recalled Faye’s words about Aria.

He swiftly turned left and right to look around quickly to find something, then he found a rugged log that stranding from afar. He smiled widely. “Haha, my style, right? Let see, mine.”

Meanwhile, Rain was absent from the group, while the others were getting closer to their destination.

“We’re almost there,” I pointed to the island emerging from the muddy river.

“Finally, a land without mud! I’m so exhausted, using my mana like this. I wish there was a water source over there,” Ella said with a relieved expression, glancing at Aria, waiting for my response.

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I nodded and gave her a reassuring smile, confirming that there was indeed water on that island.

“Has anyone seen Cursed Child? He was long lost from my presence detect length.” Ella said. “Maybe he drowned in the mud. That would suit him well, returning to where he belongs.”

Not concern what Ella said, Aria looked at Red Witch. Requested words from her.

“I don’t know either,” she shrugged. “The last time I saw him, he was struggling in the mud, searching for something. Perhaps he was looking for materials to create his Roc—” Saw Aria's glowing eye, Faye's slippery mouth stopped and turn word agility, “Imaginary friend.” Her face still smiled, but her back ran with cold sweat. In her mind, she scolded herself for speaking carelessly, blaming Rain’s absence for not receiving Aria’s blade instead of her.

“Maybe he just ran away. That would also suit him well!” Ella said.

“No, He doesn’t!”

“He not gonna be like that!”

Two women stared at each other, both thinking the same thing. Why opposite side confirmed and said like that?

“Ah, we’ll never know the truth about him. He was a prisoner, fleeing from jail. There’s no guarantee he wouldn’t do the same again. Maybe running is his best aspect,” Ella said.

“I only agree with the latter part. He was good at running,” Red Witch explained. “I saw him swiftly ran into the wilderness and gather plants along the way, but he always came back. I knew he would follow us. He was a lost child who didn’t even know which direction to walk, despite knowing the word ‘North’ but never walked to the north.”

I also knew he wouldn’t do that, he wouldn’t run and flee again and He won’t break his promise, He said ‘he will follow me’, or he wants to do it this time? No, he knows how to promise with us, and he knows it’s recorded.

“He will follow... us,” I said in slowly.

Ella walked to me. “Aria, but we haven’t seen—”

“There’s something following us from far behind, preparing for battle,” Eeon interrupted. Especially, He looked at Ella, reminding her of the word ‘Responsibility.’

There it was, the eerie black creature slithering, attached to two hideous fins. Its tip had a dried, lifeless finger that waved and moved in an irregular motion, out of sync with the rest of its body. Slimy mucus covered it, allowing it to move swiftly, even in the muddy river.

“What is that thing?” Ella asked nervously, her voice trembling.

“I don’t know. I can’t detect any mana essence from it. Perhaps it’s a rank six pentacle, capable of concealing its power from me,” Eeon replied, gripping his sword tightly.

Squelsh! squelsh! yomp!

“It stopped moving!” Ella said

Suddenly, the creature stopped moving. Its head tilted at an ugly angle as it searched for something. Finally, it found the group and considered them its prey.

kawack!

Crack! Crack!

Strange crawling and cracking sounds emanated from within it. As soon as it sensed the group, its body shifted, its dark eyes fixated on them.

Splash!

Then, with lightning speed, it darted towards them, its grotesque fins synchronizing as it effortlessly slithered through the mud.

Splash! Splash! Splash! It moved faster and faster!

“What can we do? What is that thing?” Ella panicked.

“I also can’t sense any mana essence from it. It’s as if it has six pentacles. Perhaps it’s a Digby Dragon?... No! We should run, now! It is strongest in the mud. If it catches you, it will drain your mana and drag you deep into the mud,” she shouted. “Only land is the safe place!”

“W—Why We just attack it with a spell!” Ella said.

“No! It will make things harder. It can swim in the mud. If we attack it, it will become more aggressive. And if that happens, it will be a horror for us,” Faye said.

Arwwooo~ Arwwooo~

It cried out, a dark and eerie sound, as it moved closer to the group. Its maw open widely. Show the group that it is ready to eat them!

“Run!” Eeon shouted, directing everyone in the right direction.

They all started running, except for the Blue Fairy, who remained calm, controlling the surrounding water.

The monster seemed to understand the group’s intentions and cried out angrily, slithering in unorthodox shape. Don’t want to lost it prey!

Arwwooo~ Arwwooooooolll~

The cry sent chills down everyone’s spines. Ella noticed Aria wasn’t following the group and turned back to see her gathering the mana to fight.

“Aria! Don’t! Even you have water affinity, it was still a threat. We can choose a safer path!” Ella shouted.

But when she looked back again, shocked. Blue Fairy turned back and smiled at Ella, as if something good had happened.

“Ah, don’t worry, he won’t hurt me,” she smiled at Ella.

“What are you talking about? That’s a monster,” Ella said with confusion.

“Ella, it’s him, Rain.” She corrected Ella.

splash! splash!

The monster come closer to her but slowly when it arrived at her, then opened its mouth vertically wide. Inside there was a sloppy man that mud is everywhere, stand on the wooden board, holding oars made of wood sticks tied together with vines.

“Aria—Aria, Aria, Aria, did you see my slides? I can do them too! It may look messy, but it can move through the muddy sea just like you. Look, even as a normal person, I can catch up to you with incredible speed,” he said while his hands move up and down, pointed to parts of his mud slider board.

“Aham! Aria, I am proudly present. This is my greatest invention, The Fishman Slider. For the truth, I learned it form a fish that flickered on the mud, but—but this slider is not like It, don’t disappointed, this one can move fast in mud, maneuver easily, It also helps people catch fish easier too!” He rubbed his nose, made it dirtier form mud.

I simply nodded at him. In response, he smiled even, his eyelids closing to make his smile wider.

“Oh, by the way, why did you stop running? Aren’t we racing to that island? Oh, I see, you don’t want to take first place, even though you’re the fastest runner. Ah, you’re so kind, Aria. But I don’t want to lose to the others. I’ll keep going, okay?” Rain asked.

He misunderstood everything, but she didn’t correct him. Aria simply said, “Um—Ok, okay, have a good time.”

“Ok,” He smiled and crawled back to the board, swiftly taking off. He sang, “I’m a fish, a big heaven fish that can fly along the sky~, my fin is largest, even one flip can send me one mountain length~,” He sang the entire way.

Easily gliding through the muddy sea confirmed that the board potentially swiftly slithered past all people. Faye and Eeon were taken aback when they noticed this creature wasn’t being aggressive towards them, but singing in a human language. They stopped walking as it run past them, thinking to themselves, “What is that thing?” Only Ella stared back and noticed something strange in Aria.

When Rain first set foot on the island, he turned back, raised both hands to the sky, and shouted with all his might,

“Yeah!!! I’m the winner!!!”

“I’m the fish king, the king of muddy land!!!” Then he waved his hand with the fullest swing to Aria.

Ella was the most shocked, her jaw hanging open in disbelief. Aria smiled sweetly and even let out a little giggle, saying,

“Hi-he-he, who wants to be the king of the muddy land? He-he, maybe only you, the one who wants it.” She giggled softly and waved her hand at him.