This was a country where the word “seasons” held little meaning. Brinstar, a nation at the southeastern edge of the world where only the hot breath of summer lingered all year long. 

Even when Undine, now far more accustomed to the name Adalri, first heard the name of this country, it had sounded foreign to her, and it was only through the many stories Raker shared about various nations that it finally made sense. ‘Right, so it really is a different world,’ she had thought.

Brinstar was a land ravaged by severe desertification due to its barren and arid climate, but the hearts of the people who lived there, cherishing the one small lake that remained, were always full of warmth. A land of peace that had sidestepped foreign invasions and wars for ages. The hearts of its people were as clear as water, and that clarity was the very force that protected this country.

Five years had passed since she first came to stay here. The scenery that had once felt so unfamiliar and strange now felt like home. Adalri lived alongside Raker, tending to the lake and caring for its aquatic life. 

At times she joined water festivals in large cities and mingled with all kinds of people, and through that, she grew fairly familiar with the common sense and culture of this world. But what she truly learned was not the words of people, but the stories the water told.

Adalri’s presence breathed new life into the village. Wherever she stayed, moisture lingered in the air, grass and flowers bloomed on land that had been dry, and meadows formed. The villagers believed her power was a blessing that moved in harmony with nature, and they welcomed her with genuine warmth.

“Adalri! What kind of fish is that? Goodness, I’ve never seen a creature this transparent before!”

Buent, a plump little woman, cried out with her eyes wide open. Inside the tank, a single fish swam along at a leisurely pace, releasing tiny air bubbles. Strangely, its body was completely transparent, to the point where its tiny, grain-sized heart was faintly visible as it beat.

“Mrs. Buent, you’re here. This one is newly brought in. It doesn’t have a name yet.”

“How utterly graceful… it lets light pass right through it, like air itself. It’s so beautiful.”

Adalri had long exercised her ability to skillfully regulate water temperature, oxygen levels, and flow, creating diverse aquatic ecosystems. The spaces she built were precise enough to resemble works of art shaped by human hands, while still preserving the beauty of nature in its raw form. 

As a result, the shop called Sweet Spring Water drew more customers seeking Adalri’s creatures than the water itself, and among nobles, her creatures were regarded as the most prized living collectibles. Without quite realizing it, Adalri had become a renowned aquatic life specialist known throughout all of Brinstar.

“Would it be alright if I gave this one a name?”

At Buent’s words, Adalri turned and looked into the tank. The fish met her gaze quietly, as though it could read the look in her eyes. She gave a quiet nod.

“Of course.”

“Ho ho, thank you! Then, how about ‘Phrelia’? The way it swims reminds me of the legendary bird ‘Pruanehr.‘”

“That’s a truly beautiful name.”

Adalri met Phrelia’s eyes and smiled softly. And so the transparent creature received a name. She wrote “Phrelia” on a small nameplate beside the tank, and Buent burst into a delighted laugh.

“Goodness, a fish I named myself! I couldn’t be more moved. It’s all thanks to you, Adalri.”

“I’m the grateful one, really. Thank you for giving it such a precious name. Oh, shall I offer you some tea?”

“I’d love to, but I need to get the kids their lunch, so I should be off. I’ll come again!”

“Of course, enjoy your lunch.”

Buent waddled out of the shop, swaying her wide hips as she went, and once she left, the shop returned to its quiet. Adalri slipped her hand into the tank and gently touched Phrelia’s fin.

“Do you like your name? Phrelia?”

As though in answer, Phrelia dove down to the bottom of the deep tank and shot back up, scattering sparkling droplets of water. Adalri laughed with easy familiarity.

“Heh heh, so lively. How lovely.”

Adalri gently stroked Phrelia’s head, and Phrelia closed its eyes like a person and leaned into her touch.

Back in the days when she was Undine, the reason people had shunned her was precisely this special ability. The power to control water. Wherever she walked, dry earth grew moist, life took root, and even wilted plants shone green again. When she grew angry, dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky, and when she felt joy, soft sunlight and gentle humidity wrapped the entire village.

As the years passed, her ability deepened. She could now commune with invisible water molecules, and through the flow of water, she could hear the sounds and memories of the distant world. The child-like Undine had spoken of this ability honestly to those around her, but all that came back to her was mockery and suspicion.

“Then move that river water into the rice paddies, and we’ll believe you!”

She had naively done as the villagers said, and when they saw the river truly flowing into the paddies, they called her a demon, a sorcerer, a calamity. Her father was pelted with stones and called the father of a demon, and they had no choice but to flee deep into the forest.

But before long, war broke out. A neighboring country’s invasion put the village in danger, and she saved it by sacrificing herself. After that, when she opened her eyes, she was in this unfamiliar world, Brinstar.

“…The place I live has changed, but my ability has not disappeared.”

She could now create living creatures, and by communing with the water within them, she could read their emotions and even their health.

As she gazed into the distant air with a look of someone tracing through memories, lost in thought, the old wooden door swung open with a clunk. In the doorway where warm sunlight poured in, Raker stepped inside, his familiar voice arriving with him.

“Adalri, it’s time to head out. Are you all ready?”

“Of course, Uncle.”

Raker flipped the sign hanging on the shop door to “Closed” with practiced hands, then stepped out with Adalri, a small smile on his face. Waiting to greet them in front of the shop, two sturdy horses stood with their heads bowed quietly. Tied to the horses’ sides alongside the saddles were neatly packed bundles of luggage. A few changes of clothes and a handful of necessities, modest preparations for joining a festival set to open in a nearby city five days from now.

“Well then, shall we go!”

“Yes, Uncle.”

Raker nimbly climbed into the saddle and pulled the reins, and his horse set off at a slow, familiar pace. Adalri followed, mounting her horse and setting her feet carefully into the stirrups. The horses’ hooves struck the ground in a steady rhythm as the two of them set off on the start of a peaceful journey.

Their destination was the Festival of Water, one of the most celebrated among the many festivals held each year. Renowned as the third most spectacular in the entire country, the festival overflowed with aquatic creatures and ice sculptures. Each shop showcased its own aquatic life and sold jewelry and sculptures carved from ice, painting the festival in its full atmosphere.

But the true highlight of the festival was the Altar of Water Competition, held on the final day. Each shop created and displayed a structure built from their own aquatic creatures and ice, and received evaluations from both visitors and judges based on its completeness, originality, and the impression it left. 

The shop that received the highest score earned the honored title of Altar of Water, gained renown across the entire country, and received the right to claim the best position at the following year’s festival.

Raker had previously qualified to participate in the festival thanks to his role as the lake’s caretaker, but he had always placed second or third. After Adalri came to stay with him, however, the results changed. 

With Adalri’s special ability and careful management, their shop claimed first place every year, and Sweet Spring Water had grown into a recognized brand known not only among commoners but also among nobles and royalty. Because all of these changes had come about through her, Raker called Adalri his lucky charm and treated her with more warmth than any blood relation.

“Adalri, let’s give it our all again this time!”

“Of course. I’ll do my very best, Uncle.”

Adalri followed behind Raker, watching his back. The fact that she could live here in this unfamiliar world, smiling like this, was entirely because of him. Simply helping him and building something together like this, that alone was enough to fill something deep within her heart with warmth.

Her bright emotions spread out into the air as an invisible ripple. The air around her grew clearer, moisture gathered to just the right degree, and drifted along the breeze. The wildflowers blooming along the roadside lifted their heads high, and the grass that had been parched turned green again. All of these changes bloomed naturally around Adalri.

The bright clatter of hooves. Dust catching the glint of sunlight. The two of them set off on their journey to the festival, quietly, yet unmistakably.