"Alright, so you three are telling me the lake up near the eastern side of the Valley fluctuates in temperature?" Magnus sat at the riverbank, his gaze shifting between the three boys he had stopped. They seemed partially distracted by the floating flame he'd conjured to help them dry off. Occasionally, one of them would grab a rock and toss it through the flame or wave a hand beneath it, marveling as it remained unaffected.
"Sort of," one of the boys said after a pause, clearly trying to gather his thoughts.
"It still freezes when it gets cold, I think. It's just... the edges of the lake are really, really cold compared to the middle." The other two boys nodded in agreement, backing up their friend. Magnus let out a low hum, lost in thought as his gaze drifted to the horizon. The map Marcos had shown him came to mind. He’d noted the lake on it—the source of the river cutting through the valley—but he hadn’t expected it to possibly be the hot spot he was looking for.
"Hmm. I guess the only thing I can do is investigate it myself," Magnus murmured, brushing dirt from his hands as he stood off the ground. He clapped his palms together, and the floating flame burst apart in all directions, its flickers of condensed mana fading into nothingness. The three boys stared at the empty space where the flame had been, their expressions falling slightly; it wasn’t every day someone got to see magic up close. Magnus turned back to them, his sharp gaze landing on the group.
"Now, as for you three..."
One of the boys flinched, blurting out in a panicked voice, "Wait! Please don’t tell anyone we’ve been to the lake!"
The other two exchanged a look before quickly jumping in.
"Yeah, don’t tell our parents!"
"If they find out, we’ll get in trouble!" Their frantic pleas overlapped as they spoke, voices growing louder. Magnus raised a hand, signaling for them to calm down.
"Relax," he said, his tone calm.
"I’m not going to tell on you. I don’t even know who your parents are." The boys let out collective sighs of relief, their shoulders visibly loosening.
Still, what they did was pretty reckless, especially with the monsters and this glitch running around. Maybe I should scare them a little.
Magnus crossed his arms, letting a serious expression settle on his face before speaking again.
"But... your parents are right. It’s dangerous to go past the village boundary. There aren’t just monsters out there; there’s something even more dangerous lurking in the valley. Haven’t you noticed all the soldiers around?" The boys’ relieved expressions quickly stiffened as they exchanged uneasy glances.
"Wha-what do you mean? What could be more dangerous than a monster?" One of them asked hesitantly. Magnus let a sly grin creep across his face.
"Who knows? We haven’t been able to find it yet. But based on what you told me, it probably lives in that lake you were swimming in. I wonder... do you think it noticed you splashing around?" His words painted a vivid picture in their minds: a dark, shadowy figure gliding silently beneath the surface, its predatory eyes fixed on them, deciding if they were worth the effort.
Magnus shrugged lightly.
"Of course, I can’t stop you if you really want to go back there..." All three boys shot to their feet, shaking their heads furiously.
"No! We won’t go back! We promise!" Magnus rubbed his chin as if considering their words.
"If you say so. In that case, you’d better head home. We’re planning to hunt for that thing soon, and you don’t want to be outside when that happens, do you?" The boys quickly nodded and turned to leave, walking so fast it bordered on running. Magnus couldn’t help but chuckle when they finally broke into a sprint, disappearing down the path toward the village.
"Kids are so much easier to handle in this world," he mused, shaking his head. Of course, it wasn’t hard to see why. Unlike Earth, where danger was a distant concept for most, life here was raw and unforgiving. Death was quite literally a step into the forest away. In any case, with them gone, his thoughts shifted back to the matter at hand as he glanced at the river, its surface calm and untroubled. His eyes followed its winding path upstream, toward the bend where it disappeared into the distance.
Could the lake really be this thing’s lair? It doesn’t add up with my theory. Why would a fire-type mana beast, of all things, have a lair underwater?
The inconsistency nagged at him, but he shelved it for now. Turning, he made his way back along the path to the village.
Whatever the case, it’s about time I met back up with Marcos. Maybe he found out something I didn't.
On the way, he spotted the old couple again and gave them a wave. As expected, the old woman waved back warmly, while her husband snorted and looked the other way. Magnus smirked at the predictable interaction and kept walking, arriving at the spot where they’d tied their horse to the fence post. He got there a lot faster than time since he didn’t stop to talk to anyone. Marcos was already there, leaning casually against the fence. When he spotted Magnus, he stood straight and wasted no time getting to the point.
"Any luck?" Magnus gave a half nod.
"I think so. What about you?" Marcos shook his head.
"Nothing. Everyone I spoke to says the valley’s always cold, no matter the season."
"Yeah, that’s pretty much the same thing I heard," Magnus admitted.
"But you said you found something, right? What is it?" Marcos pressed.
Magnus glanced at him.
"You know that lake near the eastern end of the valley?"
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"The one the river sources from? Yeah, what about it?"
"I ran into some kids who’d gone swimming there. At first, I thought they’d been further downstream, but no—they were in the lake. And get this: they said the water around the edges of the lake is freezing cold, but for some reason the middle is warm." Marcos’s expression turned thoughtful as he mulled it over.
"We’ve never searched near that lake before. We assumed this thing was underground, so the idea of it being near water didn’t even cross our minds. But still... isn't your whole theory based on the idea of this creature taking over a fire-type mana beast’s lair? I can’t see a mana well powerful enough to create an Adept-level mana beast like that living underwater, even if the lake’s warm." Magnus nodded in agreement.
"I thought the same, but we won’t know for sure until we check it out."
"Fair enough," Marcos replied after thinking on it for a moment. He went over and untied the horse’s reins from the post and swung himself into the saddle. Magnus followed, hopping up behind him. They turned the horse toward the lake and set off, the rhythmic clatter of hooves echoing against the dirt path.Though the valley was vast, it wasn’t so large that it couldn’t be crossed on foot in a few hours. On horseback, they could make the trip to the eastern end in under an hour.
"So, what’s the plan if we manage to find its lair?" Marcos asked, glancing back at Magnus.
"What do you mean?" Magnus replied, tilting his head slightly.
Marcos shifted in the saddle to look back at him as he clarified.
"If we find its lair, what’s next? I don’t think I need to tell you, but fighting it outright isn’t exactly a smart idea." Magnus let out a small laugh.
"Oh, trust me, I have no intention of fighting it head-on. But I’m not about to leave it alone, either. Even if we wanted to launch a proper assault with all the knights and soldiers we’ve got, it’d be reckless to charge in without solid information on it." That went doubly so, considering this creature was probably a glitch and not a mana beast. Still, even without that context, Magnus saw Marcos nodding in agreement.
"And from the way you’re talking, I’m guessing you have a plan to get the information we need?" Marcos asked, raising a brow.
"Yeah... it’s kind of like a spell. Sensory magic. If I use it, I’ll not only figure out what it is, but I’ll also get a solid read on its abilities. That way, we can actually plan how to take it down." Of course, what Magnus called "sensory magic" was really the Debugging Protocol—by far the most reliable function of the Command Console, considering it could even analyze glitches like the Knockout Brick, which seemed to have an authority level higher than its own. Marcos’s expression shifted slightly, a mix of intrigue and skepticism flashing across his face.
"I didn’t know sensory spells like that even existed," Marcos admitted. There was a wary undertone in his voice. It wasn’t surprising—after all, there was no easy way to tell what spells a mage knew unless they shared that information directly. The only other way would involve mental magic, which was a dangerous and invasive art. The mind was fragile when tampered with, and if someone could breach it with magic, the battle was already lost. That’s why mages who reached the Master-level often cast passive protective spells as soon as the amount of mana their mana cores could pull in reached the threshold needed to sustain them—especially ones guarding the mind.
"It’s something unique to me because of my gift," Magnus explained, though his tone turned more serious.
"But it comes with two big drawbacks." Marcos didn’t look surprised. Considering the mystery surrounding Magnus’s supposed "gift," the idea of limitations felt believable.
"What are they?" Magnus hesitated, then answered.
"First, I have to get close. Really close. The exact distance depends on the target, but... probably close enough to get noticed." The reluctance in Magnus’s voice was obvious, and Marcos furrowed his brow.
"And the second?" He pressed as Magnus sighed, bracing himself.
"After I use it, I’ll need time to process all the information. It could take hours—maybe even longer, depending on the target. And during that time... I can’t use any magic at all." A heavy silence fell between them, broken only by the wind rustling through the meadows and the rhythmic clopping of the horse’s hooves. After a long pause, Marcos let out a slow, resigned sigh.
"So, you’re telling me you’ll basically be useless once you cast this spell," Marcos said, summarizing the situation.
"Yeah, pretty much," Magnus admitted.
"Which means once I do-" Marcos cut him off, already understanding what he was about to say.
"It’ll be up to me to get you out in one piece."
"Exactly," Magnus said, his blunt confirmation earning another long sigh from Marcos.
"Nothing's ever simple with you, is it?" Marcos muttered, glancing at Magnus.
"Alright, for now, let’s just see if the lair’s actually there. No point making any decisions if our target’s nowhere to be found." It was a reasonable enough plan, though it didn’t erase the weight of their options if the lair was at the lake. The first choice would be for Magnus and Marcos to go in alone, gather as much information as possible, and return to the outpost to formulate a strategy with everyone else. The second would be to confirm the lair’s location, leave immediately, and regroup with Mia, Gerald, and the others to explore the lair as a full team.
There’s safety in numbers, but escape would be harder. The more of us there are, the more likely a scouting mission turns into a head-on fight. If that happens, trying to use the Debugging Protocol becomes pointless or even a detriment. And then it’s not just me and Marcos at risk—everyone would end up trying to confront some unknown glitch without any idea of what it does or what it's capable of.
That thought stayed with Magnus as they rode, lingering until the lake finally came into view. Marcos pulled the reins, slowing their horse to a steady walk as they approached. The lake stretched before them like an oval, tucked against the rocky hills that framed the valley’s eastern corner. It was a tranquil area, with fields of green grass and wildflowers giving way to a glass-like surface that mirrored the world above. The sky, hills, and sun all reflected perfectly, the stillness broken only by a faint ripple where the lake fed into the river.
The horse stopped at the lake’s edge, and the two dismounted. Marcos didn’t bother tying the reins—there was nothing to tether the horse to, and it wasn’t necessary. Considering it was trained for military use, it wouldn’t stray far, and even if it did, a quick whistle could bring it back. The horse lowered its head to the water, drinking as Magnus scanned the area. Aside from where the lake met the river, the surroundings seemed untouched.
"This place looks pretty normal," Magnus said absently, speaking more to himself than anyone else.
"No, you were right," Marcos countered, his voice drawing Magnus’s attention. He turned to find Marcos staring intently at the lake’s center.
"It’s faint, but the mana concentration is denser near the middle of the lake," Marcos explained.
"It’s subtle enough that no one would notice unless they were actively looking for it." Magnus’s brows rose slightly in surprise.
"So, it’s there? The mana well?" Marcos nodded.
"Most likely. But judging by how weak the concentration is at the surface, it’s deep underwater." That posed a problem. Knights could enhance their swimming speed with aura, even outpacing some aquatic creatures, but they were still bound by the need for oxygen. And there was no telling how deep this lake went. The two stood silently for a moment, considering their options. Magnus tapped his chin thoughtfully before an idea struck him.
"Well, if swimming isn’t an option, then we’ll just have to walk." Marcos frowned, clearly about to protest.
"What are you-" He stopped mid-sentence as Magnus raised a hand. Mana condensed around them, forming a large dome that easily encompassed both men. As Magnus stepped forward, the dome moved with him, its edge starting where it touched the ground.
"You can make mobile barriers?" Marcos asked, tapping the dome with his knuckles. The mana shimmered and rippled under the touch.
"Not exactly," Magnus admitted with a small smirk.
"The barriers I make can’t move, but I can create mana constructs like this that can. It’s not as sturdy as a barrier, but it should hold against the pressure." He turned to Marcos, his smirk widening slightly.
"So, you ready to go diving?"