The soft sound of rain on the roof of the farmhouse woke me from my slumber. Leia was still asleep next to me, so I quietly pulled myself from the warm sheets. I was reluctant to do so, of course, but despite the rain taking care of the crops, I still had animals to feed and care for, as well as a new field to plant. It wasn’t often I felt sore these days, but the extra labor of digging out a new field had definitely left its mark. I could feel the tension in my muscles as I stretched, trying to shake off the ache.

I shoved my work clothes into my inventory bag before pulling them out and replacing them on my body. Of all the magical items I owned, my inventory bag was my favorite. Instant clothes laundering was something I’d never stopped being grateful for. Laundry day on Earth had been a nightmare. It always seemed to stretch on for an eternity, like some kind of bureaucratic ordeal—hours spent waiting for machines, folding, then losing the will to even put things away. Here? This system was far superior. Faster, cleaner, and far less soul-crushing.

Everyone else was still asleep in the farmhouse, so I silently slipped out the door, grabbing a hunk of bread on my way out. I pulled my old rain jacket around myself. Over the years, Reed had offered to make me a new one, and Leia had begged to buy me a new one, but I could never let Grandpa’s old stuff go. It was still missing buttons, and it fit a little tighter than in the past, but there was no way I would get rid of it.

“Hey, Matt,” a familiar voice called out. I turned to see Reed, not at all surprising given the downpour. His ever-present fishing pole rested over his shoulder, and a broad grin split his face. “Want to head to the river and catch some fish?”

I chuckled to myself. Reed’s rule was simple: if it rained, he fished. “Not too sore from digging that field last night?”

“Never too sore for fishing,” Reed replied with a shrug.

I glanced toward the freshly dug field. His offer was tempting. I’d been working far harder than normal lately—surely, I deserved a little break. But the pile of tasks loomed large in front of me, and although the rain had taken care of the arduous task of watering the crops, there still were other chores that demanded my attention. One hour won’t set you back too much, a voice in my head seemed to say. Come on, live a little. The farm will still be here when you get back. I heaved a sigh.

“I can only go for an hour,” I said, giving in to temptation. “Let me milk the goats and grab the eggs, and I’ll meet you by our regular spot.”

Reed and I had a long-standing tradition of fishing on rainy days, when visibility was low and there was a slim chance any of the villagers would see Reed. Most times, rainy days proved to be the best days for fishing, and we always had an abundant catch. Plus, it would give me a chance to ask Reed about the demise of the nature spirits. Woods was being tight-lipped as usual about the subject.

“I’ll grab the eggs, then we can walk over there together. Meet me back here when you’re done.” Reed stowed his fishing pole and took off in the direction of the chicken coop. In turn, I trudged to the barn, a chorus of animal noises greeting me.

As soon as all the feeding troughs were filled with alfalfa, and all the water troughs were topped off, I began working through the dairy animals. Only about half of them were producing milk right now, and half of them were about to calve, meaning they would be producing in the next few weeks. I knew my dwarven neighbors would be excited, especially since my oldest cow Bessie was included in this group. She was a special kind of cow, and her milk was the perfect base for dwarven cheese, something that I looked forward to making every year with Rowan and Renna.

After finishing up with the milking, I found Reed and Link by the farmhouse. The two of them were splashing around in the mud puddles, but there was something different in Reed’s movements—slower, almost heavy, though he was still smiling for Link’s sake. The rain jackets they wore glistened under the downpour, beads of water collecting on the slick fabric like scattered jewels. Reed’s laughter was there, but I could see the exhaustion in his eyes, the weight of something much darker. Yet, for Link, he kept it all together, masking the burden he carried.

“Reed said you guys were fishing, can I come too, Dad?” Link asked excitedly when he saw me approaching.

Every time I took Link to the river, I had flashbacks of a few years ago, when I saved Carter, Renna and Rowan’s bowling ball of a son from the river. Carter had been fine, but I’d almost died that day, and certainly would have if not for the intervention of the sprites. It was the main reason I’d never taken Lucy to the river, and had only taken Link on a few occasions. Worry began to well up inside me as I remembered the fate of the River Spirit. Was it even safe to go to the river right now?

I swallowed hard, pushing these feelings down as I nodded. “Sure bud, but we have to be extra careful this time. Stay close to me and Reed.”

Link nodded eagerly, and the three of us made our way northward, our boots squelching on the muddy paths. I couldn’t help but gape at the marbled greens of the forest, all this new growth feeling more sinister than it had before. The once blighted woodlands had been transformed into a jungle, complete with massive ferns and vines that would have looked more at home in Jurassic Park.

Before long, we arrived at the riverbank.

“This spot looks as good as any,” I said, rolling my shoulders to ease the tension. The river felt… different today.

Reed stood still, staring down at the pebbles scattered across the shore. His expression darkened, his usual sharp-eyed focus clouding into something distant. He blinked, then shook his head and gestured farther down the bank.

“Let’s fish over there,” he said, voice light—too light. Forced. “I think this spot’s a little, um…” He hesitated, then shrugged. “Let’s just move downriver a bit.”

I watched him for a moment. The way he refused to meet my eyes. The way his shoulders tensed, betraying whatever it was he didn’t want to say. He seemed as off as the river itself.

But I didn’t push. Not yet anyway. I’d ask about it later, maybe after Reed had caught a fish and was in better spirits.

Instead, Link and I followed him a few paces down the shore, settling into an identical spot on the riverbank.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Reed lent Link his old fishing pole, it being the perfect size for a child, and as a trio, we sat on the pebbles that lined the riverbank. I glanced around, trying to discern any difference in the river or its surroundings. It felt off. Eerie in some way, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

I tuned out Reed and Link’s conversation, which was basically just a ridiculously embellished story of Reed catching a shark one time at the beach with Finn and turned my attention downstream. I didn’t have magical senses like the sprites, but I could feel that something was off, even though on surface level, it looked like a normal rainy day. Picturesque even. Ripples from the rain danced across the surface of the water, amplifying the thrum that filled our ears.

Despite this, I felt something ominous brewing under the surface of the peaceful scene, and I was utterly powerless to fight against it. My grip tightened on the fishing rod. There’s a wrongness here… but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe we should call it quits and head back to the farm. My stomach clenched, but Link spoke up, bringing me out of my thoughts.

“Have you ever caught a shark, Dad?” He looked up at me with his huge eyes.

I swallowed hard, pushing down all negative thoughts. “Well, that’s funny you ask. I seem to remember helping Reed catch a substantial swordfish in Crimsonshores, but I’ve never seen a shark there before.”

Reed sniffed, not acknowledging my doubt in his previous story. “I remember that catch. I recall that was the time you caught an old boot.”

“Filled with treasure.”

Link’s eyes widened at this, his mouth falling open. “Are you serious? What kind of treasure?”

Reed snorted, but I ignored him, smiling as I recalled the memory. “There were a couple of coins and a strange pocket watch. I probably still have it at home somewhere. It was years ago.”

Link was enthralled by the simple story, and he focused back on the river, his sense of determination renewed. “I’m going to catch something amazing just like you, Dad.”

Reed rolled his eyes. “I’ve caught much more interesting things than an old boot stuffed with a rusty pocket watch. Once, I was fishing with the southern sprites…”

I stopped paying attention to Reed’s story and glanced at the river again. I couldn’t shake the feeling that we shouldn’t be here. The overgrown forest loomed around us, as though it were poised to engulf us at any moment. I shivered involuntarily, drawing concerned looks from both Link and Reed.

“It’s just chilly today,” I lied, attempting to dismiss the uncanny atmosphere hanging over the river. I reeled in my line, casting it back out again. If something is as off as it seems, I shouldn’t be out here fishing, I thought, I should be trying to level the farm.

Woods seemed convinced that reviving the Goddess would solve all the problems, and I didn’t have any other solution, so that was what I needed to focus on. Really, it had been the focus of the past five years, but with each gained level, the next was harder to achieve. I suspected that each level needed considerably more experience than the last, and the farm had been at level nine for a long time.

Link squealed with excitement, making me jump slightly. He struggled to reel in his line, wrestling with whatever was tugging on the other end. I watched as he battled, finally triumphing over his hard-won prize. Attached to his line was a small minnow, its shimmering body no longer than my finger. Link’s enthusiasm deflated, his shoulders slumping.

“It’s okay, Link. That’s more than I catch sometimes in a whole day of fishing.” I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

I’d never been much of a fisherman, even with my level nine perk: King of the Fish. A grand title for a skill I barely used. Probably would’ve helped if I actually had time to fish instead of spending every waking moment farming.

“You can use that little guy as bait,” Reed suggested, setting down his fishing pole and reaching into his bag for a pocketknife. He deftly removed the fish from the hook and swiftly diced it, transforming the catch into bait in mere seconds. He then placed a piece on Link’s hook and instructed him to cast it again. “That should help you catch something a little bigger.”

I chuckled at their exchange. Throughout the years, I had relied heavily on the sprites for protection and assistance in farming. Still, the most fulfilling aspect of our bond was witnessing their interactions with my children. It was as though Link and Lucy had a host of doting older siblings looking out for them. I nodded appreciatively at Reed, and he returned the gesture before casting his line back into the river. He already seemed in a better mood, but I held off on asking about the nature spirits.Top of Form

The river churned, its waters frothing with an increasingly powerful current. I watched it warily. During rainy days, the river often became turbulent and unpredictable. We probably wouldn’t catch anything in these conditions.

From the corner of my eye, I caught movement—a sinuous form emerging from the forest, wrapping around Reed’s ankle. Before I could shout a warning, the thing tightened its grip, swiftly pulling him from the riverbank. Reed yelped and dropped his fishing pole, falling on his face as he was dragged away. He shifted into his animal form, a wolf, attempting to use his claws to resist, but the vine’s grip remained unyielding. He dug his claws into the soft earth but continued to be dragged steadily toward the forest.

It wasn’t until a second vine tightened around my own leg, pulling me in the same direction, that I snapped out of my fearful daze.

“Link!” I yelled urgently, grasping for anything to anchor myself against the relentless force of the vine. “Run back to the farm! Get Woods!” I didn’t know exactly what Woods could do for Reed and me in this situation, but he was the only one with a stronger animal form than Reed, who seemed utterly powerless against the rogue vine. More vines snaked out of the forest as Reed neared the tree line, and they wrapped tightly around him.

Miraculously, my hand found a stray root, and I clung to it with all my strength, fighting against the surprisingly powerful vine that had ensnared me. What kind of creature is this? We hadn’t encountered a monster in years, and this adversary seemed far too formidable to be a lone beast. Is this a corrupt monster, or something more dangerous?

Link’s wide-eyed terror froze him at the edge of the riverbank, his small frame trembling as the roar of the river swelled behind him. My heart plummeted as a massive wave surged up from the water, rising like some malevolent force before crashing down on the shore. I watched in horror as the water engulfed Link, dragging him beneath the surface in a violent swirl.

A scream tore from my throat, but it felt distant, drowned out by the pounding of the river and the rising panic surging through me. My mind was flooded with memories from years ago, the way Carter had disappeared into the depths, helpless and terrified. It was happening again. I shook myself free of the memory, forcing myself to focus on the present.

Link couldn’t swim. The current would carry him far and fast, pulling him deeper with every passing second. Dread clamped around my chest like a vise. I scanned the river, but there was no sign of him, only the persistent churn of water, mocking me with frothy currents.

Desperate, I turned toward Reed, hoping for his help. But he was struggling, trapped in a nightmarish web of vines. His wolf form thrashed as the tendrils coiled tighter, dragging him inch by inch toward the tree line. A vine had wound itself around his muzzle, silencing him, and leaving him unable to call for the other sprites. Panic flickered in his eyes, his body twisting in vain against the plant’s grip.

A flash of movement across the river yanked my attention back. My breath caught in my throat. On the opposite bank stood Carter—no longer the small boy I had once saved but now a strong, broad-shouldered young man. He stood frozen for a moment, staring in wide-eyed horror, his face as pale as death itself. I could see the disbelief in his features, the shock of witnessing the scene unfold.

But then something shifted. Carter’s gaze hardened, and without hesitation, he began sprinting toward the churning river. His feet barely touched the ground as he closed the distance, and before I could even shout a warning, he plunged headfirst into the frothing water.

I clung fiercely to the root beside me, barely able to hold back the surge of emotions that swirled like the river around me—fear, hope, helplessness. The river roared, and I could do nothing but watch as Carter disappeared beneath its surface, chasing after my son.