The next day began like any other — with the smell of solder and the sound of someone knocking on the door far too early.
Eddie blinked awake at his workbench, still slumped over a pile of notes from last night. His first earned coin from the farmer's job sat beside a half-empty mug of tea, gleaming faintly in the dawn light.
For a while, he just stared at it — that single bronze coin.It wasn't much, but to him, it was heavier than gold.
His first honest pay in another world.A day's work, a repaired pump, and a quiet sense of belonging.
He tucked it into his shirt pocket, grinning to himself. "First paycheck, no taxes. Heaven is real."
Then the door banged open.
"Mister Eddie!"
Lyra burst in, breathless. "You have to see this!"
The Village Gossip Network
The village square was packed.
A cluster of people crowded around a noticeboard, talking animatedly. Eddie rubbed the sleep from his eyes as Lyra dragged him closer.
At the center of it was a sketch — crude charcoal lines of a man holding lightning in his hands, grinning like a lunatic.
Above it, in large letters, someone had scrawled:
⚡ THE LIGHTNING HAND SAVES LORYNE! ⚡
Eddie blinked. "…I look like I just got electrocuted."
Lyra giggled. "That's supposed to be heroic!"
"Heroic?" he squinted. "That's me? I look like a fried shrimp!"
A nearby merchant chimed in, "The children made the poster! You're famous, Mister Lightning Hand!"
"Oh no," Eddie groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "It's happening again. Rumors have achieved sentience."
Renn arrived soon after, looking far too amused. "Morning, 'Lightning Hand.' I see your marketing campaign is off to a shocking start."
Eddie stared flatly. "If you ever make that pun again, I'm charging you for emotional damage."
The Power of Gossip (and Free Bread)
Word spread fast in Loryne. By noon, people were dropping by the shop just to see him.
Some brought food. Others brought broken tools. A few just wanted to hear the story of how he'd "defeated the mana storm."
Eddie tried correcting them — "I just fixed a pump, folks, not fought a dragon" — but no one seemed to care. The legend had already outgrown him.
Lyra handed him a fresh loaf of bread from the baker. "You're getting free stuff now! You're, like… locally famous!"
He sighed. "I'd settle for locally left alone."
"Too late," Renn said, flipping through a parchment. "Rumor says you can fix anything that channels mana — even people."
Eddie froze mid-bite. "…Even people?"
Renn nodded. "Someone claimed you touched their shoulder and their back pain vanished."
Eddie frowned. "That's because I cracked his spine back into place! He sneezed too hard!"
Enter the Guild Courier
Late afternoon brought a knock — the kind that came from someone trained to deliver bad news.
A young courier in grey Guild robes stood at the door, sweating nervously. "Message for Mister… Eduardo Ramos?"
"That's me."
He handed over a wax-sealed scroll stamped with the sigil of the Tinkerer's Guild.
Eddie broke the seal and scanned the message. His expression sank with every line.
To the Unlicensed Artificer Operating in Loryne:
Your unregistered activities have been observed. Submit all schematics, materials, and personal notes for review within seven days. Failure to comply will result in suspension of local trade privileges.*
— Signed, Examiner Falden, Central Guild Chapter.*
He exhaled through his nose. "Yup. There it is. Bureaucracy's lightning strike."
Lyra peeked over his arm. "They want your notebooks?"
"All of them." He frowned. "Even the doodles of coffee cups, apparently."
Renn frowned. "Falden's the same examiner who saw your bamboo system. He must've reported you to headquarters."
Eddie leaned back in his chair. "Wonderful. Fix one well and suddenly I'm a public enemy. Figures."
The Town Reacts
When the townsfolk heard the news, they gathered outside his shop that evening.
"You can't leave!" someone shouted. "You helped us!""Those Guild people just want your ideas for themselves!""Lightning Hand belongs to Loryne!"
Eddie raised both hands, embarrassed. "I belong to nobody. Especially not people who nickname me after static electricity."
Lyra tugged his sleeve. "You're really leaving?"
He smiled tiredly. "No, kid. I'm not leaving. But I'll need to play this smart."
He looked around at all the faces — villagers, farmers, even the baker's cat for some reason — all staring at him with trust.
It hit him then: somewhere between fixing things and feeding people, he'd accidentally become part of their world.
Reflections at Dusk
That night, Eddie sat outside the workshop, coin still in his pocket, Guild notice beside him.
The twin moons hung low over Loryne, their light glinting off the copper lines of his lamps.
Renn joined him quietly. "You know, they're afraid of you."
Eddie chuckled softly. "Of a guy who uses bamboo and duct tape logic?"
"They fear what they don't understand," Renn said. "You've proven magic can be practical, cheap, and… well, human. That shakes their foundations."
Eddie leaned back, watching fireflies drift near the road. "Where I come from, that's called innovation. But yeah — it scares people."
He pulled out his coin and flipped it once, catching it in the moonlight. "Still, if this is the price of helping people… I'll pay it."
Lyra's voice piped from the doorway. "Mister Eddie? The mayor says there's trouble with the east lamp post again."
Eddie grinned, standing. "Then let's keep the lights on."
He slipped the coin back into his pocket — a quiet reminder that second chances weren't given; they were earned, one fix at a time.
As he grabbed his toolbox and stepped into the night, the villagers watched from their windows, whispering in awe.
"Look! The Lightning Hand walks again!"
Eddie sighed but smiled anyway. "If this keeps up, I'm printing business cards."