The higher they climbed, the louder the mountain groaned.
Loose stones rolled under Luma's feet as she and Elder Ion reached a narrow ridge overlooking a deep ravine. Below, clouds drifted like ghostly rivers, and above, a faint tower shimmered in the distance—half-hidden behind the veil of mist.
"We're near the Apex Tower," Ion said quietly. "Where the laws of nature are most fragile."
Suddenly, a loud snap! Echoed through the trees.
A shadow leapt from the rocks—a masked figure draped in red robes. He flung his hand forward. A ball of fire surged from his palm and struck the ground near Ion, sending dirt and leaves flying.
Luma screamed, stumbling back. But Ion didn't flinch.
He raised his hand, and a pulse of blue energy rippled outward—like a wave crashing into a mirror. The fire blast recoiled backward, slamming the attacker off his feet.
The masked figure growled and vanished into the trees.
Luma's heart pounded. "What… was that?"
Elder Ion's eyes narrowed. "A test—and a lesson."
He turned to her and placed a pebble in her hand. "Strike my staff," he said.
"What?"
"Do it."
She tapped the pebble against the staff. It gave a quiet clink—but she felt it. A slight sting in her fingers.
"You felt that?" he asked.
She nodded.
"That's the Third Law," Ion said. "You struck the staff with force. The staff struck your hand back—with equal force. Action and reaction. Always paired."
She frowned. "So when the attacker hit us—"
"—we hit back, naturally," Ion finished. "I didn't force the fire away. I simply let its force reflect. The universe returns every push with a push of its own."
They began walking again, the sky darkening above. A storm brewed on the horizon.
As they reached a plateau, Luma noticed a large stone suspended in the air by ropes tied to a strange machine. A group of monks stood nearby, chanting quietly.
"What are they doing?" she whispered.
"Testing equilibrium," Ion said. "The stone pulls down—gravity. The ropes pull up—tension. Two forces. Equal. Opposite. Balance."
Just then, one rope snapped.
The stone tilted, the machine groaned—and the balance broke. The stone swung violently in one direction.
But at the same time, the broken rope lashed backward, hitting the cliff wall with a loud crack.
Luma stared. "So even when things fall… they fight back?"
Ion nodded. "Every action creates an echo. Every force creates its mirror."
A gust of wind howled across the plateau. Ion's robe fluttered like a banner. He looked out toward the tower glowing faintly in the distance.
"The more we understand these reactions," he said, "the more we can guide them—control them. And we must. Because the one who disturbed the mountain…"
He paused.
"…has no intention of respecting the balance."