Before Sophie could reach the river, a deafening explosion nearly knocked her off her feet. A towering column of water shot up nearly eight meters before crashing back down.
Children's screams pierced the air. Sophie sprinted toward the riverbank, cursing her human limitations—*Why don't I have more legs?!*
The scene before her was surreal:
The lake's surface was littered with fish floating belly-up. Children scrambled at the shore, hurling fish onto land, while Raki directed the younger ones to gather them. Charles stood triumphantly on the bank, Little Bai perched smugly on his shoulder.
**"What happened?!"** Sophie's mind flashed to her hometown, where fishermen sometimes used **dynamite** to stun entire ponds of fish at once.
*Did someone use explosives here?*
She approached Charles cautiously. Whatever had occurred, he'd clearly been involved.
"Charles! What was that explosion?" Relief washed over her as she confirmed he was unharmed.
"Mom! You're awake?" Charles turned and hugged her tightly—though his loud greeting made Sophie cringe. *Kid, must you announce my oversleeping to the entire village?*
(Not that it mattered. By now, all of Pamir knew their "immortal" had slept past noon.)
"Mom! Look! I blasted all these fish! Aren't I amazing?" Charles beamed, awaiting praise.
"You... *blasted* them? With what? Dynamite?" Sophie was baffled. Had he secretly gotten his hands on explosives?
"What's dynamite?" Charles tilted his head.
Sophie massaged her temples. "Then *how* did you do this?"
"You taught me that beginner fire spell—Scorching Orb! I threw one into the water and made it explode! Boom—fish everywhere!" Charles explained, as if it were obvious.
Sophie's eye twitched. *Oh. Right. Magic.*
"Ahem. Of course! My brilliant boy!" She ruffled his hair while internally scheming: *I need to learn that spell ASAP. Unlimited fish forever!*
Spotting Raki still gathering fish, Sophie nudged Charles. "Sweetheart, they can't possibly eat all these. Let's store the extras in the Phoenix Bag!"
As they loaded fish into the seemingly bottomless bag (which, unlike a fridge, sadly couldn't freeze ice cream), Sophie made a mental note: *Must have Charles learn ice magic later.*
Charles shivered at her suddenly sinister smile.
Raki, hauling three bulging sacks, was ecstatic—enough fish for a village feast! After setting aside milkfish for Fika, he left to fetch more helpers.
Watching the villagers carry their bounty away, Sophie swelled with pride. *My son did this.*
---
By afternoon, the lake had cleared. Children splashed about, with Charles now attempting to swim under their guidance.
Onshore, Sophie secretly studied the Scorching Orb incantation, mouthing the words silently—*Best not test this near people.*
Two hours later, stiff-necked from studying, she abandoned magic practice for playtime.
With a gleeful shriek, she plunged into the water.
The children, who'd been about to leave, cheered and rejoined the fray.
Sophie splashed a boy—only to become the target of a unified watery assault. Charles, newly proficient at swimming, rushed to her defense.
Soon, the battle lines were drawn: Team Sophie vs. Team Mars (the oldest village boy).
Back-and-forth splashing escalated until Sophie hatched a devious plan.
Sneaking behind enemy lines, she dove underwater, surfaced with a handful of mud, and—**SPLAT!**—direct-hit on Mars.
Her victory was short-lived.
The kids instantly adopted the tactic. Mud flew indiscriminately—immortal or not, Sophie became a prime target.
Soon, she was coated head-to-toe in stinky sludge... and laughing harder than she had since leaving the elven village.
---
The commotion caught the attention of a newcomer.
Dr. Libor, en route to Pamir, paused at the lakeside, smiling at the shrieking, mud-flinging chaos.
Then a girl emerged from the water—more radiant than any elf—hurling a mudball with a warrior's precision.
Her joy was contagious. Libor's pulse quickened.
"Dr. Libor! Perfect timing!" Raki called out, sweating from fish-hauling. "We're having a village feast tonight—fresh catch! Let me fetch Immortal Sophie and the children."
*"Immortal Sophie?"* Libor's lips curved. *"How intriguing. It seems my quiet days are over."*
**What game is the doctor really playing?**