The Zora prepared to depart after a night of rest.
The children of Hateno gathered near the convoy.
—Come back!
—Bring us more funny stories!
—And big fish!
Sidon laughed heartily, placing a hand over his chest.
—I promise! —he said—. —And when the rains finally stop… I'll personally invite you to the Domain.
Eric approached him.
—Take care of the carts —he said—. They're not indestructible. And remember, from now on you'll have to buy the batteries from me.
Sidon nodded.
—Don't worry. The Zora won't treat you badly—
Eric inclined his head.
—Thank you —Sidon said—. For reminding us that we're not alone in the middle of this calamity—
Eric bowed his head slightly.
—Roads exist to be shared. And one day, I'll connect all the tribes along a single path!
Sidon smiled.
—I'll be waiting for that day. You have my full support—
The Zora climbed onto the carts.
—Sidon —Eric called one last time—. Remember to bring that matter up with the king—
Sidon paused, thinking for a moment before answering.
—Oh, don't worry. Leave it to me. But first, you'll have to bring us your mother's consent—
Eric bristled instantly.
—Come on. Are you serious? —he said.
The wheels began to turn, and the convoy slowly pulled away.
—Of course I'm serious. If you die because of your stubborn idea of boarding a Divine Beast, we naturally don't want to be held responsible. Your mother is terrifying when she's angry— Sidon's voice grew fainter— Or have you forgotten when I tried to offer you the Domain's special drink—?
Eric stared at the horizon, a look of pure frustration on his face.
Obviously, his mother would give a firm no.
—Fine —he muttered—. Great… —he added, not sure who he was talking to.
….
The caravan advanced at a steady pace.
Sidon learned quickly.
In every village, they left fish behind and received grain, salt, moisture-resistant fabrics, and goods the Domain had not seen in months.
It wasn't about dire survival.
It was about easing the strain, relieving a bit of the tension and stress weighing on the Zora due to the relentless rain and the troubles surrounding the Divine Beast.
—Slowly —Sidon would say cheerfully—. If the road flows, everything flows.
Then one cart stopped.
The wheels ceased turning, and the convoy came to an abrupt halt.
Several Zora looked around tensely, expecting ambushes that never came.
Sidon smiled.
—Easy—
He approached the motionless cart and crouched beside the axle.
From a waterproof pouch, he pulled out a small battery.
He placed it carefully near the wheels and adjusted the anchor just as Eric had taught him.
With a gentle pulse, the wheels responded.
—See? —Sidon said, standing up—
The cart resumed its movement, and the convoy continued onward.
As they traveled, Sidon thought about it.
Those devices didn't require their creator to be present.
You only had to understand them… and respect their limits.
By late afternoon, the caravan crossed one last bridge and set its course back home.
They returned loaded with crates of supplies they hadn't seen in months, even years.
There were also new routes opened.
And new clients.
And then, a week passed….
In Hateno, the wind no longer swept freely through the streets.
A wall now stood tall around the village.
Thick timber, treated and layered in reinforced segments.
Sharpened stakes crossed one another along the surface, ready for anything that tried to climb.
The construction didn't yet encircle the village completely, but the intent was clear.
It would.
Travelers always stopped to stare at it, admiring the work.
With Eric back, construction advanced at a rapid pace.
Above, at strategic points, strange moving heads scanned the horizon.
One resembled a short cannon, compact and heavy.
Another, a straight horn aimed toward the roads.
Farther along, two maw-like shapes with jagged forms, as if waiting to breathe fire or ice at the slightest provocation.
—What is that? —many asked.
The villagers, still only half-aware of their true nature, shrugged with newly learned confidence.
—Sheikah devices —they said—.
—Did Lady Purah develop them? —others asked.
Naturally, everyone knew of the brilliant and eccentric Sheikah scientist who lived atop the mountain in the abandoned laboratory.
One villager shook his head.
—We haven't seen Lady Purah for weeks. But we did see Master Symin coming down the mountain with a little girl—
—Then who in the world built all this? I need it for my house—
—Ha! Not for sale, my friend—
Conversations like these drifted through the village.
No one argued.
Because honestly… it looked the part.
Inside, Hateno had changed as well.
Warehouses were better organized and larger.
Rations rotated efficiently.
Local militias trained with new equipment and shields that no longer shrieked at the first impact.
Carts came and went regularly.
The village breathed like never before.
At night, some swore they saw the heads atop the wall turn slightly, tracking shadows that never quite approached the settlement.
Then came distant explosions.
And the screams of monsters.
Others said it was just exhaustion.
What mattered was this:
Ever since the walls rose and those "things" stood watch, monsters kept their distance.
The story spread quickly.
A merchant, soaked and breathless, swore he had seen two Moblins emerge from the forest behind him.
He ran without looking back until he reached the village perimeter.
—I thought I wouldn't make it —he said, still shaking—. I could already feel their heavy breath on my neck. Then it happened—
—The moment I crossed the boundary, something moved above. One of those strange heads snapped into position, aimed… and fired—
Silence followed.
—It was incredible —the merchant continued—. Especially because they're automated, like the Guardians that once ravaged the kingdom.
It became the talk of the village.
Meanwhile…
The one responsible for all of this was at the far edge of the settlement, beyond the last cultivated fields.
Eric trained in quiet focus.
Drawing in a deep breath… he raised his right arm.
Ancient markings spread across his skin like veins of dim light, and Ultrahand answered instantly.
A massive log, too heavy even for five grown adults together, lifted from the ground.
It simply… floated.
Eric frowned in concentration and rotated his wrist slightly. The log obeyed, spinning in the air as if it weighed no more than a feather.
—Again —he murmured.
He set it down carefully and lifted two rocks at once.
Then four.
Then six.
He stacked them midair, separated them, rejoined them at impossible angles.
Each movement was more precise than the last.
Little by little, he was developing absolute control.
Ultrahand didn't just lift objects.
It understood them.
It sensed their structure, their balance, their points of tension.
Sweat ran down his temple, not from physical strain, but from the mental load it demanded.
—This isn't normal —he thought—. Not even for something "ancient."
He uprooted a massive tree with ease, turned it, and fitted it precisely between two large rocks.
Though it hadn't been his intention, the resulting structure had an unnatural shape he couldn't quite describe.
It simply felt… wrong.
And yet, when he finished, it stood on its own.
Eric lowered his arm, breathing steadily.
—I can control anything… —he whispered in realization—. As long as I understand its structure—
He looked at his hand, still wrapped in a faint green glow.
Just then, hurried footsteps approached.
—Eric! —the voice was unmistakable—. A letter!
One of his brothers emerged from between the trees, waving an envelope sealed with a symbol Eric knew all too well.
—Another bill? —Eric joked.
—No —the boy replied, grinning—. It smells like fish.
Eric raised an eyebrow.
He took the letter, broke the seal, and recognized the handwriting immediately.
Sidon didn't write.
He thought on paper.
Eric sat down on a fallen log and began to read.