Chapter 4: Beneath Still Ice
Lucas rose before dawn. Not because of an alarm, but because something in him had begun to shift. The cold had stopped feeling hostile. It now hummed, steady and sharp, like a familiar silence.
He layered up: thermals, flannel, jacket. The boots still felt stiff, but they were dry. He tucked the simple rod Mara had lent him into his pack and stepped out into a sky blooming with deep violet and a hint of orange on the edge of the horizon.
The walk to the south lake was quiet. Snow crunched beneath his boots in a rhythm that almost matched his breath. The trees loomed around him like quiet sentinels.
When he reached the frozen lake, it looked untouched. No footprints. Just a smooth sheet of ice reflecting the pale morning sky. He took a few tentative steps, testing weight with each shift.
No crack. Just creaks and echoes from somewhere below.
He found a patch near a drift of reeds poking out like frozen whiskers and knelt. With a borrowed ice chisel, he began to carve.
His breath fogged the air as the hole finally opened—clear, cold water peeking through. He lowered the line slowly, fingers trembling more from reverence than cold.
[Fishing System: Activated]
Environment: Icy Lake, Freshwater (Wild Harmony: +2)
Skill Boost: Stillwater Attunement Lv. 1
Trait Active: Listener — Ambient Flow Sensitivity Enhanced
You feel something beneath the ice.
It listens when you are silent.
Lucas held the rod gently, eyes half-closed. It wasn't just fishing. It was listening.
The tug came slowly—gentle, almost questioning.
He pulled.
Out came a silver perch, slick and alive, twitching in his hand.
Catch Successful: Northern Ice Perch (Rare – Clean)
+25 EXP | +1 Harmony | +1 Dexterity (Temporary)
Unlocked: Recipe – Cedar-Fried Perch
He stared at the fish, heart thrumming—not from excitement, but from something quieter. Something ancient.
He whispered a soft "thanks" to the hole and set the fish into the basket.
As he packed up, the wind whispered through the trees. No grand revelation. No glowing lights. Just the deep contentment of doing something right.
[Daily Quest Complete: Solitary Catch]
Reward: +50 EXP | Trait Progression: Patience (30%)
System Note: Not all growth is loud.
Back in Harlan, no one asked where he'd gone. But when he handed Mara the fish in the grill's back kitchen, she gave him a look—curious, quiet approval—and nodded once.
"I'll fry it," she said. "You can clean the pan."
"Deal," Lucas replied.
He sat at the window while the fish sizzled. Outside, the lake was already fading into white under a fresh flurry.
Inside, Lucas felt something forming.
A rhythm.
A home.