In the days following the tense emergency meeting, the village transformed. The cheerful laughter of children that usually filled the air was replaced by a quiet, purposeful industry. Every resident moved with an efficiency born from fear, yet in their eyes, there was a resolve as hard as steel. They were preparing for the storm.
Kenzo began the first part of his plan. He took Lina to the quiet riverbank, far from the anxious gazes of the villagers. She sat before him, her small feet swinging over the water, her face still shadowed with confusion from that night's events.
"I don't want to make the big light again, Big Brother Kenzo," she whispered, her voice small. "It made everyone scared."
Kenzo knelt before her, meeting her gaze. He knew logic and "code" wouldn't work here. "I know," he said gently. "Think of it like this, Lina. Inside you, there's a very big, powerful water faucet. That water is your magic. That night, the faucet turned on all the way and got everyone soaked."
Lina looked at him, her wide eyes trying to understand.
"Your job isn't to stop the water," Kenzo continued, "because that water is a part of you. Your job is to learn how to turn the faucet. To close it slowly, until there's just a tiny drip, or even nothing at all. Understand?"
The analogy seemed to work. Lina nodded slowly. "So... I have to learn to close my faucet?"
"Exactly," Kenzo said with a smile. "Now, try. Don't try to make light. Just try to feel the warmth inside you, then imagine you're holding a faucet handle and turning it very, very slowly."
It was a difficult process. The first few times, Lina's hands began to glow faintly by accident, causing her to panic and release more energy. But Kenzo was patient. He kept guiding her, calming her, until finally, after nearly an hour, she succeeded. She was able to hold the warmth inside her for several seconds without a single speck of light leaking out.
"I did it! I can do it, Big Brother Kenzo!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining with pride. Her trust and reliance on Kenzo were now even stronger, a bond forged in the midst of a looming threat.
Meanwhile, the second part of the plan was in motion. Kenzo met Haelan in his hut, which was filled with the scent of dried herbs and old wood. On a piece of bark, Kenzo had drawn a rough sketch.
"We need something that functions like a grounding in an electrical system," Kenzo explained, pointing to his drawing. "An object that can passively absorb excess mana energy from Lina and disperse it into the earth without a trace, so she doesn't 'shine' in the eyes of other mages."
Haelan studied the sketch, his wrinkled finger tracing the logical lines Kenzo had drawn. He then nodded slowly and walked to an old bookshelf. He pulled out a thick, leather-bound book.
"That sounds like a Grounding Rune," he said, turning the fragile pages. "A complex piece of ancient magic. Usually used to stabilize volatile magical artifacts." He pointed to a complex drawing of a rune, filled with spirals and intersecting lines.
Prometheus instantly analyzed it in Kenzo's mind. [Complex rune syntax. 47% redundancy detected. Can be simplified for higher efficiency.]
"This rune... can we remove this part, and this?" Kenzo asked, pointing to several spirals that Prometheus deemed unnecessary. "The function should remain the same, but it would be faster to carve."
Haelan looked at Kenzo in amazement, then back at the rune. After a moment of thought, his eyes lit up. "Clever boy," he murmured. "You're right. Those are just the poetic flourishes of ancient mages."
And so, they worked together. Kenzo's modern logic met Haelan's ancient tradition. They decided to carve the simplified rune onto a pendant made from a smooth river stone.
Outside the hut, the village had turned into a makeshift fortress. Under Borin's direction, the men reinforced the walls, re-sharpened the stakes at the bottom of the trench, and built additional barricades at weak points. The women stockpiled supplies, made more medicine, and prepared hiding places for the other children in the village hall. Among them, Elder Garek could be seen working half-heartedly, frequently glancing towards the forest with anxiety, as if hoping he could escape at any moment.
Two days later, the charm was complete. Haelan uttered the final activation chant, and the rune on the stone glowed for a moment before its light faded. They called for Lina and Kael. Kenzo placed the pendant around Lina's neck.
Haelan closed his eyes, concentrating. After a few moments, he let out a breath of relief. "Incredible," he whispered. "Her aura... it's almost completely gone. Unless a mage is standing right in front of her, no one will ever know."
It was a small moment of victory, a glimmer of hope in the middle of the tense wait.
That night, all preparations were complete. The village was deathly quiet, shrouded in a thick tension. All they could do now was wait. Kenzo stood atop the defensive wall, gazing into the dark distance, his mind racing. Kael approached him, standing silently beside him.
"Thank you for everything, Kenzo," Kael said softly, his voice hoarse. He looked towards his home, where Lina was already asleep. "Look after her for me." He paused, swallowing hard. "If... if something happens."
It was the final transference of trust from a father. Kenzo could only nod, feeling the weight of that promise press down on his shoulders.
Just as the emotional moment ended, a figure stumbled out of the darkness beyond the gate. It was one of the scouts stationed deep in the forest. He ran with the last of his strength, his breath ragged, his face pale in the torchlight. He pointed to the distant ridge with a trembling hand.
"They're... they're coming! A line of silver... on the horizon!"
The storm had finally arrived at their doorstep.