The water struck the invisible barrier, scattering droplets to the sides, and only a minimal fraction of water managed to pass through a small fissure.

The rest of the water simply accumulated, receded, or diverted, forming irregular puddles outside the river.

On the other side of the invisible wall, the river was almost dry. An entire stretch of cracked earth extended for dozens of meters.

Exposed fissures, stones stained by the moisture that had disappeared, and even logs stuck to the hardened mud showed that this wasn't recent.

"Another barrier?" Kyrian observed, descending a few more meters.

The mark on his hand burned one last time, intensely and firmly. Then it quieted.

There.

The exact point of the distortion was right at the center of the interrupted river. It was impossible to mistake it.

It was another natural formation.

Kyrian pulled the reins, slowing the winged beast as he analyzed the area.

"Descend."

The black horse beat its wings slowly, hovering in the air.

Kyrian looked at the place more carefully, descending with the winged horse until hovering above the interrupted river.

As Kyrian studied the phenomenon for long seconds, in the distance, suddenly, something moved.

A beast.

A medium-sized quadruped creature, with curved horns and dark fur that reflected the sunlight.

It walked cautiously to the dry stretch of the river. It sniffed the ground, scraped its paws, and then lowered its head to drink.

The beast's tongue licked the damp mud, trying to extract whatever remaining water it could. It was almost nothing, but it was all that existed.

Kyrian observed in silence.

The beast looked toward the invisible barrier, where the water stopped. But it stepped back with hesitation.

It seemed the beast was afraid of the natural formation.

That was when Kyrian realized.

"The formation is preventing life from continuing properly around here…"

It wasn't just a natural obstacle. The barrier was draining the natural flow of water, altering the entire environment around it. Beasts, plants, and land depended on that river.

And now, from that point onward, it was still. Dead.

Kyrian clicked his tongue and tugged lightly on the reins.

"Let's take a closer look."

The black horse opened its wings, gaining altitude. Then it descended, almost grazing the river's surface, approaching the invisible barrier.

But then…

'BOOM!'

The massive body of the horse struck something in the air, as if there were a solid wall there. The creature recoiled sharply, neighing in alert and pain.

Kyrian narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Try again."

The horse spread its wings and advanced.

Again it stopped, as if colliding with something impenetrable. The black feathers shook, and the animal retreated once more, clearly frustrated.

Kyrian guided it to the left.

Blocked.

He tried to the right.

Blocked.

He tried ascending and descending at different angles. Nothing.

The barrier seemed to seal the entrance against beasts.

"Looks like I really can't enter while mounted…"

The horse breathed heavily, restless, but Kyrian simply led the mount to the most recessed edge of the river, where the backed-up water had yet to reach.

"Stay here."

The creature obeyed, spreading its wings and lowering itself to the ground.

Kyrian took a few steps toward the riverbed. Then he stopped.

His eyes began to change.

The deep red vanished.

In its place, two pupils took the shape of snowflakes. Precise, geometric. While the iris turned into a cold sky-blue.

The air around Kyrian dropped several degrees immediately.

It was as if the environment had entered the end of winter.

Kyrian raised his hand unnecessarily. His frigid Qi condensed in his eyes and came out like a silent snowstorm. No wind, no sound.

The backed-up water shivered. And then, froze.

From the stretch where he stood to nearly half the river, a thick mass of ice formed, gleaming and solid. The water that struck the warped barrier froze the instant it touched the air around him.

The river, once noisy, fell silent.

Kyrian calmly descended onto the newly formed ice.

The sound of footsteps echoed to the other side of the invisible barrier.

He walked to where the river "stopped."

Right there, a soft distortion shimmered in the air. It was the core of the natural formation.

A faint point of light pulsed above the barrier. Kyrian approached until he was only a few meters away.

The mark on his hand reacted instantly.

A pulse. Then another.

And then, as if both sides were being drawn by the same thread, the mark and the core established a connection.

Kyrian stopped.

His eyes, now blue, narrowed as the sensation overtook him.

He could feel everything.

The erratic flows, the invisible cracks, the Qi circulating in an imperfect and unstable manner.

Again, the natural formation was incomplete, misaligned, and far from normal.

And it was constantly absorbing the river's flow, keeping that barrier active and, at the same time, slowly withering.

"Like the one in the ravine."

Kyrian raised his hand and touched the exact point where the distortion vibrated. The mark burned like liquid fire. A faint sound echoed.

A crack.

And then, the core began to unravel.

The instabilities disappeared along with the barrier, dissolving like dust in the wind.

The point of light shrank. Then vanished.

And the instant the natural formation ceased to exist…

The backed-up water roared.

Kyrian lifted his face. The pressure increased dozens of times.

"Shit."

He turned immediately and ran.

Each step shattered the ice beneath his feet, and the entire river began to tremble.

As soon as he reached the edge…

'CRACK!'

The ice split behind him the same second the water burst through with brutal force.

An entire wall of water plummeted through the river, released after days and days of buildup.

Kyrian twisted his body, pushed off, and leapt onto the horse.

"Fly."

The winged beast opened its wings and took to the sky seconds before the wave flooded everything below.

From above, Kyrian watched.

The river roared as it returned to its natural course. The water filled every centimeter of the dry earth, rushing down the bed with speed, carrying mud, logs, and stones.

As if life had been restored to the place.

Kyrian watched for long minutes.

A strange feeling rose within him. A silent satisfaction.

He looked at the mark. The skin was warm. Different.

It had grown a little more. Almost imperceptible… but Kyrian saw it.

"So you get satisfied too, huh?"

He didn't know the reason the mark guided him to this. He didn't know why it wanted him to restore these natural formations.

But he also saw no reason to reject it.

It was, in a way, good. Helping something he didn't fully understand.

Restoring order to a place frozen in time.

Kyrian adjusted the horse's posture. The beast shifted its wings, ready to continue the journey.

He watched the water flow for a few more moments. Then pulled the reins.

"I'm done here."

His gaze remained cold, firm, and direct as always.

"Let's go back."

The horse opened its wings and ascended, leaving the restored river behind.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.