When the being moved, it was not like a common animal startled into flight, nor a beast attacking out of hunger or defense. It was a dry, almost deliberate gesture, as if the creature had simply waited for the exact moment the two humans would lower their guard. A sudden arching of the body between the branches, a sharp tensing of the limbs, and then the leap.
Heridor barely had time to retreat.
The creature sprang from the tree like a shadow torn from the trunk itself, slicing through the air toward them with a speed that belied its size. Its open hands, with long, curved fingers, seemed ready to tear the space between the attack and the target. Falazahr reacted first.
— Heridor, get down! — she cried.
The command was accompanied by an abrupt movement of her arm. Falazahr positioned herself in front of him instinctively, bracing her feet on the damp bank like one preparing to face something greater than her own stature. The flame sparked for an instant in her palm, small, dense, vibrating like a drop of liquid fire.
It was a flame distinct from the usual redness. Falazahr tried to launch it quickly at the ape's figure, attempting to intercept him mid-leap; however, the flame failed. It did not extinguish immediately. It wavered, dissolved in a luminous hesitation, and then dispersed before touching the target, as if something invisible had stolen its strength en route. The ape twisted his body in the air with violent agility, landing heavily in front of them, his paws sinking into the moist soil of the bank.
Falazahr's eyes widened.
— No... — she murmured, shocked.
The ape released a low sound, somewhere between a growl and a click, and launched himself at them again.
Heridor felt his body stiffen, but he had no time to ponder Falazahr's failure or understand why the flame had faltered. The animal was coming again, closer now, too fast for a simple escape. He noticed the dark sheen of the river to his right, the light foam gathering on the bank's stones, the humidity in the air against his skin. Something inside him, however, was different. It was neither courage nor fighting instinct. It was a kind of pull coming from somewhere deep, a sensation that called to him in the same way the dream had hours before.
The two-headed fish.
The black waters.
Heridor did not know what it meant, but he had a premonition that there was a connection between the image and what was happening right there, before his eyes.
The ape jumped again.
Falazahr raised her hand a second time, trying to gather the Blue Flame with greater firmness. The glow ignited with more difficulty, flickering at her fingertips, but still obeyed her for a second. She made the throwing gesture with determination, forcing the energy from her palm.
Still, the flame did not consolidate. It chilled the air for a millisecond and extinguished mid-trajectory, leaving behind only a faint trail of icy light. Falazahr gritted her teeth, frustrated, and stepped aside, trying to maintain her balance as the ape landed between them.
Heridor moved by reflex.
The animal's impact struck the ground and raised splashes of mud. Its claws scraped the earth beside his leg, and the heat of the situation—or perhaps panic—made the world seem too narrow. Everything compressed into a single line: the animal ahead, Falazahr beside him, the river behind, and something inside Heridor demanding passage.
It was then that he stretched out his intact arm to defend himself. There was no conscious technique. There was no instruction, memory, or preparation. Only a sudden, almost involuntary will to prevent the creature from advancing another inch.
And the water responded.
First, subtly.
The river's surface trembled. A circle of ripples spread from a spot near the bank, as if an invisible stone had been dropped into the water. But there was no stone. The movement grew quickly, spreading through the current running beside them. Heridor felt a shiver run down his back. The noise paralyzed everyone, including the ape. Falazahr realized it immediately:
— Heridor...?
He did not reply. His eyes were fixed on the river. The water began to rise.
Not in an uncontrolled explosion, but like something being summoned by the correct name after a long silence. The current tilted, bent, and gathered into a thick, translucent, and living arc, tearing small fragments of foam from the bank. The form grew before Heridor as if obeying the movement of his hands, curving over the water in fluid layers, increasingly dense, until it became a continuous and steady movement.
The ape hesitated.
Heridor felt his pulse quicken. Something in him aligned with the course of the water, as if both shared the same breath. He wasn't just looking at the river; he was inside it somehow, touching its direction, bending its will.
His still-raised arm trembled with effort.
A thick flow detached from the main current and advanced laterally, swirling upon itself until it took the form of a short, controlled wave. The ape lunged again, facing the barrier.
It was a mistake.
Heridor clenched his hand.
The wall of water bent with violence. The movement, previously contained, suddenly gained force, as if it had only been awaiting the confirmation of the gesture. A thick jet shot from the river's surface and struck the ground beneath the creature's paws, tearing the earth out from under him. The ape slipped, lost momentum, and fell sideways, dragged by the short current that now flowed across the bank.
Falazahr backed away a step, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and awe.
— You are... controlling the water?