The soldiers looked nervous.
Very nervous.
About twenty armored men stepped into the clearing. Their armor was polished, their swords were clean, and their expressions looked like they would rather be anywhere else.
The man in front wore a red cloak over his armor.
Probably the commander.
He looked around the clearing.
At the kneeling followers.
At the smoking tree.
And finally—
At the young man sitting quietly with a bowl of soup.
The commander swallowed.
"…Is that him?"
Elara answered immediately.
"Yes."
Her voice was calm, but proud.
"The One Who Descended."
Several soldiers exchanged uneasy looks.
The commander slowly walked forward.
Every step looked careful.
Like he was walking toward something dangerous.
The young man watched him approach.
Inside his head, his thoughts were simple.
More people.
That was bad.
The commander stopped a few meters away.
Then he did something the young man did not expect.
He bowed.
Not deeply.
But clearly.
"Forgive our sudden arrival," the commander said.
"We came as soon as we saw the lightning."
The young man shrugged slightly.
"…That wasn't me."
The commander stiffened.
Elara wrote quickly in her notebook.
"The Divine One rejects ownership of natural forces."
The commander nodded slowly.
"Yes… of course."
The young man stared at the sky again.
He was starting to feel thirsty.
He looked down at the empty soup bowl.
"…Do you have water?"
The entire clearing froze.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Even the soldiers looked confused.
The young man frowned slightly.
"…Water."
Elara's eyes widened.
She turned to the crowd.
"Did you hear?"
Voss stepped forward immediately.
"Yes."
He looked deeply moved.
"The Divine One speaks of imbalance."
The young man blinked.
"…What."
Voss lifted one finger.
"Water is the foundation of life."
Elara nodded.
"And yet the Northern Forest suffers drought every summer."
The commander slowly turned his head.
"…It does."
The young man leaned forward in his chair.
"I literally just—"
Elara raised her voice.
"The Divine One has seen the suffering of the land!"
Gasps spread through the clearing.
Several followers fell to their knees again.
Voss looked almost emotional.
"For forty years I have studied the prophecy…"
He placed one hand over his heart.
"And now I understand."
The young man stared at him.
Understand what?
Voss continued.
"The first divine command."
The young man slowly stood up.
"…It wasn't a command."
Elara raised her notebook.
"The Divine One asks for water."
The crowd murmured.
Voss finished the sentence dramatically.
"And therefore the rivers must answer."
The young man blinked.
"…What."
The commander looked extremely serious now.
He turned to one of the soldiers.
"Send riders to the nearest villages."
"Yes, sir."
"Tell them the temple requires immediate access to the river."
The young man lifted both hands.
"Hold on—"
Elara turned to the followers.
"Prepare the sacred channel!"
The young man froze.
"…The what?"
Several men immediately grabbed tools.
Shovels.
Axes.
Ropes.
They ran toward the edge of the clearing.
The young man looked at them.
Then at Elara.
Then at Voss.
"…What are they doing."
Voss answered calmly.
"They will guide the river here."
The young man stared at him.
"…Guide."
"Yes."
"The Divine One has spoken."
He pointed toward the forest.
"The land itself will respond."
The young man rubbed his face.
Hard.
"I asked for a cup of water."
Elara looked moved.
"So humble."
The commander nodded respectfully.
"A true divine being would not ask for more than necessary."
The young man slowly lowered his hands.
Inside his mind, something important was happening.
He was starting to realize something.
Every time he tried to correct them—
It became worse.
Much worse.
Behind him, dozens of people had already started digging.
Someone was shouting instructions.
Others were bringing wood.
Within minutes, the clearing looked like a construction site.
The young man turned slowly to Voss.
"…How long does it take to move a river."
Voss looked thoughtful.
"Normally?"
"Yes."
"Several years."
The young man nodded slowly.
"…Good."
At least that meant this chaos would calm down soon.
Then Voss continued.
"But with divine blessing…"
He smiled.
"Who can say?"
The young man sat back down.
He looked at the sky again.
Then at the forest.
Then at the people digging like their lives depended on it.
Inside his head, one quiet thought appeared.
This is already out of control.
And this was only the first day.
At the edge of the clearing, the soldiers watched everything in silence.
The commander finally spoke again.
"…We should inform the capital."
One of the soldiers nodded nervously.
"Yes, sir."
The commander looked at the young man again.
"…Before this becomes a national matter."
The young man heard that.
He closed his eyes slowly.
Too late.
It already had.