Hours had slipped by like a breath, and the sky above the clan had thickened with heavy, steel-gray clouds.
Drip drip!
The rain started soft but soon grew steady.
Drip drip drip drip!
Drops pelted the stone ground, forming puddles that mirrored the glow of lanterns.
Lira Cole stood outside the temple, scanning a list of names with a furrowed brow. Beside her, a man in a fully blue tunic moved his hands, fingers tracing slow circles as he stared at the sky.
Swish!
The water seemed to obey him, veering mid-air to avoid Lira and those nearby.
'What a pain,' Lira thought, wiping a stray drop from her cheek.
Her assistant, a young guy in a black tunic like hers but with brown trim instead of blue, stood next to her. He held a board with parchments, checking off names as spectators arrived.
His quill scratched the paper, though the rain smudged the ink slightly.
"Miss Lira…" he said, glancing up with a worried look, "the rain's getting worse. We'll need more water controllers if we don't want the crowd soaked before the fights start."
Lira clicked her tongue, glaring at the sky.
'Damn it…' she thought, feeling another drop slip down her neck.
"Have you talked to Saria?" she asked, referring to a girl who'd reached water-master level.
'If anyone can fix this easily, it's her.'
The assistant shook his head, adjusting his tunic's hood.
"She's in isolated training," he replied quietly. "No one knows when she'll be back."
Lira muttered under her breath, clearly annoyed.
'Great, just what I needed…' she thought, clenching her fists.
"What about apprentices? No one competent available?"
Her voice was sharp, like she was holding back a shout.
The guy checked his list, though he seemed to already know the answer.
"No, miss…" he said, shrinking a bit. "Most are already covering other clan areas. The rest don't have the skill for something like this."
He hesitated, then added, "A big storm's coming."
Lira took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
'Seriously… why does this have to happen when we're using the outdoor arena?' she thought, eyeing the crowd gathering under the guild's overhangs.
"What about Kain?" she asked, irritation creeping in. "That idiot's always bragging about his water control. Where is he?"
The assistant scratched his neck, uneasy.
"Last I saw, he was at the training field, doing drills," he said. "Not sure he'll want to help with this, but…"
"Go tell him it's a favor for me," Lira cut in, her tone leaving no room for argument.
'If Kain won't do it for the clan, he'll do it for me,' she thought, though she wasn't entirely sure.
Kain was unpredictable, but he owed her a couple favors.
The assistant nodded fast and took off, dodging puddles as he ran toward the training field.
Lira stood alone with the water controller, who kept weaving his hands like he was crafting an invisible shield against the rain.
The crowd, dressed in modern clothes—leather jackets, jeans, even a few sharp suits…
"Ooh!"
Some ditched their umbrellas, noticing the clan's water controllers, all in black tunics with blue trim, making gestures like the man beside Lira.
Swish!
Drops parted in the air, forming a dry path from the entrance to the temple's interior.
Spectators whispered, awestruck, some pulling out phones to record.
"Look at that!" a woman exclaimed, pointing at the water dancing around the controllers.
"Like superpowers," another said, chuckling as he stowed his umbrella.
Lira rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.
'I don't get why Father insists on wowing these outsiders,' she thought, annoyed.
But then…
BOOM!
A thunderclap roared, so loud it made people cover their ears.
Some yelped as Lira stepped back, startled.
'What the hell?' she thought, staring upward.
A lightning bolt lit the clouds for a split second, its echo rumbling in her chest.
'This shouldn't happen,' she thought, heart racing.
The clan had installed a new lightning rod system after the last incident, specifically to prevent strikes from wreaking havoc.
'How could lightning hit a clan building again?'
Lira spun toward her assistant, who was sprinting back, his tunic soaked.
"Wait!" she called, raising a hand. "Send someone to check what the lightning hit. We can't risk a fire."
The guy nodded, panting.
"Got it, miss," he said, then dashed off again, vanishing into the crowd.
Lira stood there, rain pouring.
'I hope this doesn't spiral…' she thought, a weight pressing on her chest.
◇◆◇
Charles jolted awake, heart pounding like it wanted to burst free.
Thump thump thump!
It was dark, and the air smelled damp and scorched.
'Where am I?' he thought, blinking fast to clear his vision.
He was seated, but couldn't move right.
'Crap!'
His wrists were bound to a wooden chair, ropes chafing his skin.
'No way!'
He twisted his head and saw an open window behind him, rain gusting in and wetting the floor.
It was Lira's room.
'That damn…' he thought, fury swelling in his chest. 'She set me up.'
Crack!
Charles yanked the ropes with all his strength. The fibers gave way bit by bit until—Snap!—they broke.
He sprang up, shaking off the scraps.
"Ha!" he barked, laughing bitterly. "Lira, not so great with knots, huh?"
Suddenly, the burnt smell hit him again, stronger now.
'What's that?'
He scanned the room for anything off, but it looked the same: the table with cake crumbs, the clean sink, the TV off.
'Nothing weird…' he thought, until he glanced at his tunic.
Dark patches marred the fabric, like it'd been singed, and the rope scraps had blackened edges.
'What the hell?'
A lightning flash lit the room for a second, followed by a thunderclap that shook the walls.
BOOM!
Charles stumbled back, startled.
'It's night,' he thought, peering out the window.
Rain poured in sheets, the sky so dark he could barely make out the temple's outline.
'The fights…!'
The thought hit like a punch.
'I can't be late!'
He didn't know how long he'd been out, but if the fights had started, he was screwed.
'No way I'm letting Lira win like this,' he thought, clenching his fists.
He bolted for the door, but it was locked.
'Damn it!'
He tugged the handle—nothing.
'Come on, open!'
He rammed the wood with his good shoulder, and to his shock—
CRASH!
The door splintered into pieces, shards flying everywhere.
Charles blinked at the wreckage.
'What?' he thought, confused. 'Was it that flimsy?'
He shook his head.
No time to overthink.
Clack clack clack!
His boots echoed down the hall as he ran.
He rounded a corner, nearly crashing into a servant carrying a tray.
"Whoa!"
The guy shouted something, but Charles didn't stop.
No time.