The air outside carried the scent of wet earth and pine.

A lazy breeze wandered through the village, making the leaves rustle like whispers trading secrets.

Kael stepped out of the house, his hand resting idly on the doorframe as he took a deep breath.

Inside, he had nothing to do.

Evethra had said she was going to help Lyra and then do her job, and Lyra —well, she was already working, so now he was free.

So, now, as he stood there, the sunlight brushed over his hair, gold on black, and his eyes—draconic, molten-gold eyes—narrowed slightly in thought.

He had meant to do something last night.

But, well… the night had taken a different turn.

Now, with the day already well on its way, he decided to take a walk through the village—to see how things had settled since the system's establishment, and to finally finish what he'd planned to do last night before everything got heated.

Without a word, he started walking.

The village was alive in quiet, industrious rhythm.

Down by the stream, a group of men and women were hauling nets strung with glistening fish, their laughter carried easily on the wind.

Children darted between them, trying to touch the fish and shrieking when the slippery things wriggled in their hands.

Farther up the slope, several others moved among the trees with woven baskets—fruit gatherers, most of them new to the work, guided by those who had done it before.

The scent of cooking drifted through the air—herbs, salt, and the savory aroma of something roasting.

Kael's gaze followed the smoke rising near the central square, where Selene's subordinates, the cooks, worked in an open area surrounded by makeshift tables. Huge iron pots bubbled as they stirred stews thick with vegetables and meat.

He could hear the chatter from afar. It was busy but peaceful.

A few of the cooks noticed him and bowed quickly.

"Lord Kael! Good day!"

Kael nodded in return, his usual lazy smile curling his lips. "Smells better than last night's attempt. Progress."

A few of them chuckled sheepishly. "We're still learning, my lord!"

"I can tell," he said, amused.

As he walked further, he saw the maid and butler trainees moving from house to house with buckets and cloths in hand. The new system was still rough, but it had spirit—people helping each other, homes being cleaned and maintained.

He paused to watch a pair of girls scrubbing a wooden porch, their faces pink from the effort but smiling nonetheless.

"Morning, Lord Kael!" one of them called shyly.

Kael raised a hand in greeting. "Don't miss a spot."

The girls giggled, nodding eagerly.

Past the main square, several villagers were working with timber and stone, marking the boundary that would become the village's defensive line. The clatter of tools filled the air—measured, confident, determined.

Kael's eyes swept across the scene and softened slightly. These people, once frightened and displaced, were now building something of their own.

And near the shade of a large oak tree, another group caught his attention—Leron, Leonaris, and a few others sitting with a dozen children.

They didn't have parchment or ink, so the children used sticks to draw letters and numbers in the dirt.

Leron was demonstrating something—some form of arithmetic—while Leonaris corrected the symbols one of the boys had drawn backward.

Rue and Rina were among them, sitting close together, their tiny hands smudged with soil and smiles bright as morning.

When they noticed Kael, Rue immediately stood up, waving her stick in the air.

"Kael!" she shouted, grinning from ear to ear. "Look! I wrote your name!"

Rina followed, holding up the dirt drawing shyly. "Mine too…"

Kael laughed softly, his gaze warm. "You two are already geniuses, I see."

Rue beamed. "Leonaris said we're faster than him!"

Leonaris groaned, rubbing his temple. "I did not say that."

"You implied it!" Rue insisted, causing Rina to giggle.

Kael chuckled again, shaking his head as he moved on. The children's laughter followed him down the path, like bells ringing faintly in the breeze.

He stopped a little way off, glancing around as his expression slowly shifted.

Something felt off.

It wasn't danger—no, nothing so immediate—but a sense of incompleteness, as though a single thread in the tapestry around him was missing.

He frowned slightly.

"What am I forgetting…?" he murmured.

The breeze shifted.

And suddenly, he felt it—

A ripple of mana from the far end of the village.

Subtle but powerful, like a heartbeat beneath the earth.

His golden eyes sharpened.

"…Ah."

He exhaled softly, half a smile curling his lips. "Found you."

He looked once more toward the workers hammering at the wooden stakes—he had meant to check on their progress—but the pulse of mana drew his focus like a whisper in his ear.

"Later," he murmured to himself, stepping off the main path.

With that, Kael turned toward the far corner of the village, his stride unhurried yet purposeful.

............................

Meanwhile, some distance away from the village, the forest floor trembled softly.

A dozen jagged spikes of earth shot upward in a perfect line, slicing through the air with a deep thrum before crumbling into dust.

"Haah…"

The small, plushy bear standing amid the cratered clearing sighed—if an enchanted stuffed animal could sigh.

His little paws were crossed, his button-like eyes gleaming faintly amber as faint ripples of mana coiled around him like invisible steam.

"Not bad," he muttered, his soft, muffled voice edged with smugness. "Perfectly aligned. Perfectly timed. Perfectly deadly. Hmph. Of course it is."

He turned, staring at another patch of soil, and jabbed a paw toward it.

A dozen more spikes erupted—only this time, they spiraled upward, forming a twisting helix that caught the sunlight through the trees.

Druravn, guardian of the village, earth-bear of the forest, and part-time plushie of doom, gave a satisfied nod.

"I can form a wall now…" he said thoughtfully, tapping his chin like a scholar. "Before, I could only make spears from the ground. Now look at this!"

He waved both arms dramatically.

From the earth surged a thick barricade of spikes, layer upon layer, interlocking like scales. Then, with another gesture, the spikes melted seamlessly into a solid wall.

Druravn hopped once — and the ground beneath him rose like an elevator, carrying him to the top of the barrier. He looked down proudly at the miniature fortress he had created.

"…I am amazing."

His voice dripped with smug satisfaction for exactly three seconds—then soured into a grumble.

"Not that anyone cares."

He dropped to his fuzzy haunches atop the wall, letting out another huff as his small legs dangled over the edge.

"Everyone knew I was supposed to reawaken my powers last evening. Everyone! But did anyone ask me how it went?" He crossed his paws and glared at a passing bird like it was personally responsible. "No. Not even that shiny lizard Kael."

The bird chirped and flew away.

Druravn squinted at it. "Yeah, you better run."

He kicked his tiny paw, sending a pebble tumbling down the wall. "I waited all night. I thought, surely, someone will come. Maybe Rue and Rina. Or that bunny girl. But nooo, they were all busy. And that dragon—don't even get me started!"

He leapt down, landing with a small puff of dust. The ground rumbled faintly when his paw touched it—an automatic reaction now.

But then, he noticed something.

"…Huh. Mana flows faster too," he muttered, his earlier irritation fading into reluctant wonder. "My regeneration's at least doubled. Strength, speed, endurance—everything's gone up. What kind of monster is that dragon to make me this strong just by naming me?"

He stood there for a moment, a little ball of fur and mana radiance, eyes gleaming in the morning light.

"…Still, could've remembered I exist," he grumbled again, stomping a paw. The stomp caused a small shockwave, flinging up dirt and leaves like a burst of wind.

He blinked.

"…Okay, that one was pretty cool."

He tried it again—this time raising both paws. Two massive spike pillars shot from the ground, and he used them like stilts, bouncing from one to the other with surprising agility.

"Behold!" he declared, his plush voice echoing through the trees. "The new and improved Druravn—lord of spikes, breaker of boredom, and—"

"—and grumbler-in-chief, apparently," a familiar voice drawled.

Druravn froze mid-jump.

One of his spike pillars crumbled, and with a startled "Gah!" He fell straight onto the ground, leaving a plushy-shaped imprint in the dirt.

"…Ow," he muttered, muffled by soil.

Kael stood at the edge of the clearing, arms folded, that lazy golden gaze fixed squarely on him.

The sunlight framed him like some noble out of legend, though his grin betrayed none of the seriousness that image demanded.

"Tried something new?" Kael asked, stepping out from between the trees, boots crunching over roots and stones.

Druravn leapt to his feet immediately, dusting himself off with exaggerated dignity. "Ahem. Yes. Just… perfecting my already magnificent skills."

Kael's brows lifted slightly. "You call this perfecting?" He gestured to the uneven spikes, the cratered ground, and the wall still jutting awkwardly sideways.

The bear puffed his cheeks—or what would've been cheeks if plushies had any. "You weren't here to supervise!"

Kael chuckled under his breath, eyes glinting with amusement. "You've improved. Your control's more refined, and your mana flow feels cleaner."

"Hmph." Druravn turned away with his arms crossed. "Of course it is. I was born talented."

"Sure," Kael said dryly, ignoring how he could sense the change in the bear's personality. "Totally unrelated to the dragon who gave you a new name and accidentally made you even stronger."

"Exactly."

Kael blinked. "That wasn't sarcasm."

Druravn whipped around, glaring at him with tiny, furious button eyes. "You forgot about my awakening last night, didn't you!?"

Kael paused, hand on his chin, pretending to think. "…I was busy."

"With what? Sleeping?"

"In a way, yes," Kael smiled, recalling how he slept. "I was tired, after all."

Druravn stared at him for a while, and seeing how he couldn't really be angry at the person who gave him this power, he grumbled under his breath. "Fine. Whatever. Doesn't change the fact that you forgot."

Kael crouched down, his golden gaze meeting the bear's annoyed stare head-on. "Then let's make it up to you. Show me everything you've got."

Druravn blinked, tilting his fuzzy head. "Everything?"

Kael's smile widened. "Everything."

A moment later, the forest erupted in motion.

Massive spikes shot skyward like an army of fangs. Stone traps triggered in rhythm with Druravn's paw movements. The ground shifted and rippled like waves, forming stairways, walls, and even crude stone platforms that hovered briefly before slamming down with seismic force.

Kael stood calmly at the center of it all, his coat fluttering in the gusts, eyes gleaming with mild admiration. "Impressive," he murmured. "That's near high-tier earth manipulation."

Druravn panted lightly, looking smug again. "Heh. Told you I was amazing."

Kael chuckled. "You are. Just next time…"

He reached out and poked Druravn's plushy head with one finger. "Don't sulk so much. I'll make sure everyone knows you awakened properly."

Druravn turned away quickly, trying to hide the faint warmth rising in his chest. "Hmph. I-I don't care if they know or not."

"Sure, the earth bear who can now change back into what he looked like, but still stays in this form because people—especially Rue and Rina—like you better in this form, doesn't care," Kael said with a grin. "Totally believable."

The bear huffed, but the corners of his stitched mouth twitched upward.

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