In the village, the news traveled fast. Many people gathered around the house at the edge of the village. The old woman, who was also the village chief, was present. All of them waited to see if there was any response, but the well was as quiet as a haunted house.
The old woman looked at the rope intently. Since this rope was cut clean, maybe he discovered something. Let's just wait and see.
Inside the well was absolute darkness. Only footsteps echoed in every direction of the underground maze. It was Killial, running for his life while following a ball of lightning he controlled especially to lead the way. Both of his hands were busy carrying the cocoon. His body was charged with lightning, improving his physical state.
But there was one problem. His heart was beating faster, his thoughts racing. His elemental sight was not yet mastered, so he found it hard to sense anything. Still, he could hear footsteps following him.
Damn it… why am I always so unlucky? This damn spider appeared out of nowhere and it's very fast. I should find a way out before it catches up with me.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps disappeared. Killial knew better than to relax his vigilance. It seemed to him that the giant spider had taken a detour, or a shortcut, which meant advancing might be dangerous. Retreating was also not safe until he locked its position. So he paused in place and listened carefully.
As he listened more and more, his senses sharpened and a strange feeling invaded him. It was very close to the feeling of the lightning element he controlled. But this time it came from the stone walls of the tunnel, even the floor beneath his feet. He felt as if he could control the earth element just like he did lightning.
At that moment, the spider appeared in front of him. Its black body was covered with red dots. Its fangs were as sharp as blades, and it attacked Killial immediately. But a wall rose from the ground and blocked the way, protecting him at the right moment.
Killial's heaviness eased, but his mind was far from relaxed. Did I just do what I think I did? No way… I've never heard of anyone who can control two elements. Am I imagining things? Or was it not me who did that? Someone helping from the outside? I need to get out of here soon, otherwise I'll never find out.
He turned around and ran as fast as he could with the help of the lightning body, trying different routes and hoping to find light at the end of one of them.
On the other side of the well, people still gathered. That was when two figures appeared and everyone made room for them to pass through. The old woman saw them and immediately welcomed them. It was none other than Renald and Verena.
The man immediately approached the old woman. "Where's Killial, did anything dangerous happen?"
The woman also approached, worried and impatient. The village chief explained, "The boy has been tracking a lost kid from the village. Unexpectedly, he found himself looking for him in this well. It's been hours since he went in, but there's no news."
The words fell heavy on the hearts of the people, especially the parents. Then she continued, "The boy is very brave and confident. I don't think he's in danger that easily. But I suspect he found something odd, that's why he took so long."
The man couldn't stand it any longer. He decided to go for the rescue. But Verena stopped him. "I will go. If there really is danger, my water attack magic is far more useful than your healing ability. I will make sure nothing goes wrong."
Renald looked at her determined face and decided she was right. His wood magic was limited to healing, and in a locked environment like the well it was almost useless for fighting.
As Verena approached the well, noise suddenly came from within.
"It's Killial!" Renald shouted.
Instantly, a boy carrying a strange cocoon jumped out of the well. Everyone looked up in awe. Young and energetic, even the little kids wished they could have half his bravery, but none knew his secret. He landed on the ground.
Verena rushed to him. "Are you okay, Killial? What happened in there? I thought something happened to you…"
But his mind was foggy. He had questions of his own, but he also had to check what was inside the cocoon. "Mom, I'm okay. But I think the kid is here." He pointed to the cocoon. "He might still be alive. Let's not waste time."
The words shocked everyone, especially the parents, who rushed forward. Renald came to his senses after witnessing Killial's jump. He hurriedly inspected the cocoon and cut through it.
To everyone's surprise, Killial was right. The boy was indeed inside. His breathing was weak, and his body was consumed and frail. As a doctor, it was Renald's duty to look into it. He instructed the parents to bring him inside. Verena rushed to help.
That was when the old village chief waved her stick at everyone. "All of you, Back to your business. And be careful these days, we don't want any more lost children." The village chief waved her stick.
As everyone disappeared from the scene, the old woman turned back and saw Killial standing there. "Why don't you tell me what happened inside that well? I am curious."
Killial decided to share everything that happened in there except for the fact that he could somehow make a defensive wall even though he was not an earth elemental. Even so, the old lady was shocked and decided to speak with Renald and Verena. An underground maze haunted with a demonic spider was very concerning.
With that, Killial was left alone in the backyard, guarding the well and thinking about what to do next. "Should I go back in? Without the burden of the cocoon I might have better chances."
But his thoughts were suddenly interrupted. "Boy, you're not thinking about going back in there now, are you? If it wasn't for my intervention you would have ended up dead by now."
This familiar voice came from within, followed by a wild laugh.
Killial could not ignore it. "I can't thank you enough. If it wasn't for your guidance I wouldn't have known which direction to take." He knew he owed him.
The inner demon sighed. "Hmph. I have saved your life since you were a baby. When the mind breaking curse was about to destroy what was left of you, it was I who absorbed it and saved your life. I bet my main body suffered a lot because of that. I don't know why I suddenly woke up, but I feel that I can't hold it. So do me a favor and don't do anything foolish while I'm gone."
Hearing this, Killial immediately remembered. Upon losing the elemental crown, his inner space was filled with a black malicious liquid. But it was absorbed by the demon statue. Could it be that liquid was what Morbious called a mind breaking curse?
More importantly, he remembered that he wanted to test whether he was really a dual elemental of earth and lightning. He closed his eyes and focused, trying to sense the earth element just like he did with lightning. But his mind was unable to focus. His vigilance toward the well would not let him relax. The demon giant spider was vicious, and letting it roam might invite trouble in the future.
He closed his eyes again, trying hard, but he failed again and again.
In the end, the well was blocked with stones by the villagers. The little kid was saved, and according to Renald his health was good as long as he ate well. Everything was settled except for Killial's eagerness to test his control over other elements.
After coming back home, he went to his father's library. Although it had mostly medical books, there were also books about elemental mastery that belonged to Verena. So he decided to read. Most of these books he had read before, so he aimed for the ones he disliked. But in the end, none spoke about dual elementals. On the other hand, they considered it impossible to control more than one element due to natural conflict between elements.
But that did not convince him. "How did I pull a stone wall out of nowhere? This can't be taken lightly. Maybe I should try a different element that is close to lightning in nature. If I'm not dual earth and lightning, then what about any other elements?"
With this thought in mind, he brought a candle and put it in front of him. He tried to focus as much as possible to light it. He spent the entire night trying, but to no avail. The morning light was conquering the darkness of the night, and he only needed one spark of fire to prove his theory.
Nothing came until Verena called for breakfast. He decided to give up. He got on his feet, walked, and opened the door. As he turned around to close the door of his bedroom, he saw what his eyes could not believe.
The candle was lit.
He sighed deeply and walked downstairs.