Silence prevailed across the village of Arkonos, but it was not the silence of fear this time; rather, it was the silence of satiety. Torches scattered around the main square swayed with the cool breeze, casting dancing orange shadows upon the faces of the villagers, who still could not believe their eyes. The tables, which hours ago were merely dilapidated wood, now groaned under the weight of dishes "blessed" by Zuo's touch.
The scene was a feast for the senses. There, in the middle of the grand table, lay a whole roasted lamb, its skin browned and crispy, glistening under the firelight, exuding the aroma of wild thyme, garlic, and hot fat slowly melting and dripping onto the thick loaves of bread placed beneath it. Beside it, massive earthenware pots contained thick forest stew, saturated with rare mushrooms and plant roots cooked until they were like butter.
Zuo did not stop at main dishes; with his touch, he summoned types of fruit that did not grow in this cold climate—plump, purple grape clusters ready to burst with sugar, and crimson pomegranate seeds like facets of ruby. The villagers ate cautiously at first, watching Zuo, who sat at the head of the table like a marble statue, but hunger and pleasure broke the chains of fear. The clatter of plates and spoons began to rise, and the laughter of children, their mouths stained with honey, began to bring life back to the place.
Zuo sat there, his back against his high chair, his straw hat thrown beside him. He ate little, enjoying the observation of the human "farce"—how a good piece of meat could make people forget that the person feeding them was the same one who had split the earth beneath their feet moments ago.
"Mayor," Zuo called out, his quiet voice cutting through the din of eating.
The mayor flinched as he wiped his chin, wet with stew, and stood up hastily: "Yes... yes, my lord?"
"I want water," Zuo said coldly, surveying the crowd. "Bring pure water, enough to fill a cup for every person present here. I want no one to sleep with thirst overpowering them after this salt."
The mayor and his men rushed to bring jars from the nearby wells, and the villagers began moving actively to execute the order, thinking it was another generous gesture from their new "master."
At that moment, while everyone was busy fetching water, Zuo noticed a small piece of wood lying beside him; it was part of an old table support that had broken during the commotion. He slowly reached out, touching it with his fingertips.
In his mind, he did not see wood. He saw molten sand, he saw fire, and he saw absolute transparency. The matter intertwined under his touch, and the piece of wood began to shrink and chemically alter. No sound was made, no dazzling light appeared; only a silent, swift transformation.
In his hands now rested a small glass bottle, no larger than the palm of a hand, yet it was sculpted with a precision no human could attain. The glass was so clear it was almost invisible, topped with a small natural cork stopper.
"What is that, master?"
A small, soft voice made Zuo pause. It was a little child, no older than six, standing beside the table with eyes wide with curiosity, watching the transparent object that had suddenly appeared in Zuo's hand.
Zuo looked at the child for a moment. In his eyes was no malice, but that usual philosophical coldness. He smiled faintly and placed his finger on his lips in a commanding gesture for silence.
"Do not concern yourself, little one," Zuo whispered, lightly stroking the child's hair, "this is just a bottle for holding broken dreams... go and finish your food."
The child walked away in awe, while Zuo, with a skillful sleight of hand, hid the bottle within the folds of his linen clothes. No one knew that this small bottle was the "safety valve" upon which he would build his next game against the Sovereigns.
In the Higher Dimension... The Mirror of the Cosmos
"Did you see?" the "Mediator" shouted, clapping his hands with childlike enthusiasm, the yellow fire in his head dancing crazily. "He made it! He did not ask for a weapon, he did not ask for armor—he made a bottle! What a genius... he knows exactly how to provoke you!"
The three Sovereigns were watching the scene with a heavy silence.
Lilith, Queen of Magic, narrowed her eyes as she looked at Zuo through the mirror. "That bottle... it is not just glass. He has fused a part of the 'Oblivion' he brought with him into it. He is trying to create a container for powers he does not understand. This human is playing with a fire that will burn him before it burns us."
As for Mordred, Lord of War, he gripped the hilt of his massive sword. "He is buying the loyalty of the rabble with food and water. Very classic... but falling on his face before the village should have broken his pride. How did he regain his composure so quickly? Using time to undo the fall was an impudent move. He is openly mocking our laws."
Orion, Judge of Souls, continued to stare at the moment Zuo touched the child. "What is concerning is not the bottle, Mordred. What is concerning is his calm. He is distributing water now as if he were a saint, while he plans to turn this world into ash. Look at his soul... it is not turbulent. Even while he lied to that child, his soul was perfectly steady. This person does not possess a conscience; he possesses a 'plan'."
The Mediator laughed again, his voice echoing in the void: "Have you not tired of the rules? Zuo is the 'variable' that will make the game enjoyable. He is hiding the bottle now because he knows you are watching him. He is not hiding it from the villagers... he is hiding it from you!"
Back to the Village
The water had been distributed, and everyone drank until they were quenched. Zuo stood in the middle of the square, the villagers looking at him expectantly, waiting for another miracle or another word.
Zuo looked to the sky, to the stars that seemed like the eyes of the Sovereigns watching him. He felt the small bottle in his pocket, sensing its cold, hard texture.
"Today you ate and drank," Zuo said, his voice echoing in the silence of the night. "Tomorrow, we begin work. I want to understand this world, and I want to see if your gods are worthy of worship, or if they are merely shoddy actors in this grand farce."
He gestured for the guards to open the gates and walked toward the chamber prepared for him, with "Pebble" following him with heavy hoofbeats, leaving the villagers in a state of beautiful bewilderment... a bewilderment they did not realize was the beginning of the end of the world as they knew it.
Zuo entered his room, took out the bottle, and placed it under the moonlight streaming through the window.