Chapter 8: Echoes of the Tower

The fight had ended with the suddenness of a storm.

Two attackers lay groaning in the dirt. The red-hooded man, his cloak torn, had vanished into the shadows once more—leaving behind scorched earth and more questions than answers.

Luma's breath came in quick bursts. Her hands trembled, but she hadn't fallen.

She had stood her ground.

Ion placed a hand on her shoulder. "You did well."

Luma wiped sweat from her brow. "He's no ordinary raider. Who is he?"

Ion's face was hard to read. "He was once like you. A student of the Tower."

She blinked. "What?"

Ion sat on a stone, his eyes distant. "His name was Saren. Brilliant. Driven. But he believed that physics could be used to break the world apart instead of understanding it."

"He… wanted chaos?"

Ion nodded slowly. "Entropy. He called it the true law—where order crumbles and everything returns to dust. The Tower rejected him. He vanished. But he did not forget."

Luma looked toward the horizon, where Saren had disappeared.

"How did he do those fire bursts?"

"Stored energy," Ion said. "Tricks using powder, pressure, heat. Not magic—just physics twisted into something dangerous."

She sat beside him, quieter now. "Then teach me more. If he's using the laws, I want to understand them better."

Ion's expression warmed. "Very well."

He stood and began walking along a narrow cliff trail. Luma followed.

"Let's begin with linear motion," he said, tossing a small stone ahead. It bounced and slid in a straight path before slowing to a stop.

"When something moves in a straight line, that's linear motion," he explained. "If it moves at the same speed, it's called uniform motion."

He pointed at the stone, now still. "But real life? Rarely uniform. Things speed up, slow down, stop. That's non-uniform motion."

Luma picked up a stick and rolled it downhill. It sped up. "It accelerates?"

"Yes. Because a force—gravity—is acting on it. Acceleration happens when something speeds up or slows down."

They reached a ledge overlooking a rushing river.

Ion took out a small slingshot and a round seed. "Watch closely."

He pulled the sling back and paused. "Now the seed has potential energy—energy waiting to be released."

He let go.

The seed shot forward, arching through the air.

"As it flew, the energy changed—potential became kinetic, the energy of motion."

Luma nodded, replaying the moment in her mind. "So even standing still… something can have power."

Ion smiled. "Exactly. Motion is more than movement. It's story. It's transformation."

A sudden rustle snapped their attention to the trees. A whisper on the wind.

Ion's voice dropped. "We don't have much time. The Masters of Entropy won't stop."

Luma swallowed. "Then I need to learn faster."