Chapter 20: The Glass Lake

“There.”

Spade was the first to spot the lake, her grey eyes peering out into the horizon. Leo looked over and turned off [Judgement].

Throughout their journey, he’d continuously used the skill in an attempt to level it up as quickly as possible. When personal skills reached level 3, they developed both a passive and an active effect, and he assumed the fragment would amplify both.

He wasn’t going to hold out hope for some incredible new ability, but even just being able to keep [Judgement] on passively would help a lot with mana conservation—especially now that he also had spells to worry about.

Beneath their feet, the hard earth softened, the dirt darkening into a richer color as moisture from the lake seeped into the soil. The grasses here, too, were taller and denser than the ones around Sindrey.

Up ahead, just beyond a slight uphill slope, sat the Glass Lake.

The Glass Lake was Avel’s defining feature, occupying about a fourth of the country’s combined territory.

Legends claimed it had once been the heart of the water fae’s civilization, but it had been abandoned after the Fall of the Ancients. Old magic, however, still lingered in its waters, and some even whispered that a few of the fae still remained, lingering deep within those depths and biding their time.

The three of them crossed to the top of the slope at a steady pace, and Leo blinked his eyes.

The waters of the Glass Lake ran perfectly clear. To the naked eye, their surface appeared as steady and unmoving as a flat mirror. It shone under the sun, and the wall of light looming in the distance added a new golden shine to the crystalline surface.

The lake extended far into the horizon, stretching vastly under the boundless sky. A smooth plain that gleamed like the brightest metal, and yet seemed transient enough to disappear if one were to look away.

A wind whistled past, stirring waving blades of grass, but the surface of the lake remained unmoving.

Leo stood and stared, transfixed, as though he himself had been caught in the lake’s stillness.

“It’s beautiful.”

Allan was the one to break the silence. Leo forced his eyes away and nodded.

“I guess we’re real Avel citizens now,” he joked.

Looking around, the [Fragmentholder] noted the blocky shapes of buildings a little further away near the lake’s shore. A village, he guessed. From what he see, the hoof prints on the main road curved in the village’s direction, but he couldn’t see anyone around currently.

“Let’s get closer,” he said quietly, just in case. Allan nodded, and the [Fragmentholder] stepped forward, sliding a little down the slope on the soft dirt.

The nearer he got, the more uncanny the still brightness became. He knew there were a number of islands deeper in the center of the lake, but from here it really did look like a flat line.

Squinting, Leo attempted to stare down into the water.

Even though it was crystal clear, its depths were obscured by a strange haze. It hurt his head to look at for too long. More of the lingering fae magic at play, he guessed.

The [Fragmentholder] paused and glanced to his side.

So far, Allan had been oddly quiet. On one hand, for someone like him who’d been born in and lived his whole life in Avel, he imagined the sight of the Glass Lake would carry more meaning. It was, in many ways, the heart of the country.

The expression on Allan’s face, however, wasn’t one of awe or reverence. On the contrary, the [Healer] was frowning, brows furrowed slightly as dark eyes gazed out into the water. Leo studied him closely.

“…Is something wrong?”

Allan glanced over, and for a moment he didn’t say anything. Finally, he shook his head.

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“It’s nothing.” The [Healer] turned back to the lake. “Do you think there’s a fragment down there?”

Leo frowned at the obvious change in subject, but decided not to comment on it. Past experience had taught him that when Allan got like this, it was usually better to wait for him to say something first.

“Not necessarily. It could be on the shore or close by, or maybe it’s on one of the islands.”

If the fragment was inside the lake, that would be difficult. Even the Hounds would have trouble getting to it, especially given all the superstitions about living fae still hidden in the water’s depths.

Leo turned to the third member of their party, who had remained silent so far. He frowned.

“You been here before?” She didn’t look particularly awed, but he couldn’t tell if that was because she was familiar with the sight or if it was simply because all her reactions seemed so muted.

“Once, yes.” Spade turned, and her scars were especially prominent in the gleaming light. A hint of amusement entered her voice. “I assume you have a question.”

“Are the tides really as bad as they say?”

The [Executioner] didn’t respond verbally to that. Instead, she crouched down and plucked a few swaying grasses from the ground, silently tying them together to form a crude wreathe. She stepped forward and dropped the circle of grasses onto the water. Leo held his breath.

Despite the lack of visible waves or ripples, against all odds, the loop shifted, pulled across the water by an invisible tide. Dark green against glittering light.

The grasses drifted straight ahead at a steady pace, not especially violent or lurching.

And then, just as Leo was beginning to contemplate finding a boat to search the lake for the fragment, it vanished.

Leo’s head jerked around, blinking his eyes. His vision wasn’t tricking him—the ring of grasses had really disappeared from view.

“What the hell?”

A hand tapped his shoulder, and he turned to see Allan pointing to the left, expression serious.

Several meters away from where the grass had vanished, it had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, atop the water drifting in a completely different direction.

A maze of magic, the legends said. Invisible tides that warped space itself.

The grass disappeared again, and this time it reappeared as a distant dark dot passing into the horizon, swaying back and forth, unreachable.

Crouching down to pull out a few grasses himself, Leo threw them in, carefully watching their movements and activating [Judgement]. Just like before, they moved along invisible waves only to suddenly vanish and reappear elsewhere atop the lake.

The [Fragmentholder] frowned. [Judgement] didn’t pick up on anything.

Squinting, he turned the skill off and tried again, activating [Mana Recovery] afterwards as well for good measure. His mana reserves had gotten quite low.

[The skill [Judgement] has leveled up! Current level: 3]

The notification flashed across his vision, and Leo studied the lake again in anticipation.

Still nothing.

The [Fragmentholder]’s mind churned. It was possible that because the magic of the Ancients existed outside the System, [Judgement] wouldn’t work on the lake even with the boost from the fragment. He frowned. If that was the case, then it was frustrating, but understandable.

Before Leo could test his skill further, however, his thoughts were interrupted.

“Behind us.”

Spade’s low voice rang in his ears. His shoulders automatically tensed. Subtly so as not to draw attention, he turned his head.

Standing atop the slope, three figures approached along the road.

Their cloaks billowed in the breeze, and he could make out a gleaming spear in one man’s hand and two sheathed shortswords hanging on another woman’s belt. The sounds of their voices, carried by the wind, filtered over as fuzzy murmurs.

“—report back—”

“—light wall—”

“—think a fragment—”

“ —Zelyra—”

Given their current position, the incline then downward slope of the shore hid them from view, but Leo wasn’t going to bet on that being enough.

He pressed closer to the ground, making himself as small as possible, and Allan and Spade did the same.

“Run or hide?” Allan whispered, so quiet that the [Fragmentholder] barely heard him.

Leo pursed his lips. With the lake behind them, they didn’t have a lot of places to run to. [Fade into Background] only worked on himself, but if they remained quiet enough, it was possible the group might pass by without noticing them.

He opened his mouth to respond, but a flashing notification stopped him in his tracks.

[??? has activated the [Watcher] skill]

A chill ran down Leo’s spine. Slowly, his eyes shifted upwards.

Two of the members of the group hadn’t turned around, seemingly in the middle of an argument, but the [Fragmentholder] barely processed their distant, muffled words. His attention was directed elsewhere.

The woman with two blades was staring directly at them.