Chapter One: A Shattered Legacy and the First Drop

**Prologue**

In ages long past, the continent upon which we now dwell was one single land, where humans and the Elemental Incarnates lived together in peace. But as time wore on, greed crept into every heart. Humans longed to possess supernatural power, while the Elemental Incarnates coveted the Heart Cores of mankind—cores resembling crystal, lodged within the human heart—seeking to grow ever stronger by claiming them.

A long war ignited, raging for decades, its fires never once dying down. Then, in a decisive moment, a great leader intervened to end the devastation—and what followed, no one could have foreseen: the vast continent split apart into two distant islands.

Humans settled upon one island, and the Elemental Incarnates upon the other. Yet despite the distance between them, the enmity never truly ended. The humans resolved to seek out the Elemental Sigils to defend themselves, but they found only two: the Fire Sigil and the Water Sigil. The rest had been stolen long ago, and now lay imprisoned upon the island of the Elemental Incarnates, guarded with all their might.

And from here... our journey begins.

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Chapter One: A Shattered Legacy and the First Drop

In the heart of an island that had been split apart centuries before, within a house encircled by a still and silent pond, our hero Kaelon lay deep in peaceful slumber. But this tranquility was not destined to last; for as the first threads of sunlight broke upon the horizon, his aged grandfather's footsteps echoed into the room, heralding the start of a new day.

The grandfather began rousing Kaelon, and the boy did nothing but wake with a groan, his voice thick with sleep:

"What time is it, Grandfather?"

The grandfather answered, his tone firm and decisive:

"Half past five in the morning."

Kaelon's grumbling only grew louder as he exclaimed in protest:

"And why must I wake at such an hour?!"

The grandfather replied, his features set with seriousness:

"It is time for training. The heir to the Water Lord must not be so lazy! I have lived seventy-eight years, and I no longer have much time left to me."

Kaelon sighed and said:

"Very well, Grandfather. I'll get up."

Kaelon rose and made his way to the washroom. As he looked into the mirror, his distinctive features stared back at him—eyes of a cold, frost-blue hue, and hair that flowed in pale blue like the restless waves of the sea. He washed his face and brushed his teeth quickly, then strode with confident steps toward the training grounds, where he found his grandfather already waiting.

Kaelon said as he fastened his training belt:

"Here I am, Grandfather."

The old man looked upon him with a gaze of pride and said:

"Two years ago, you were so weak you could barely lift a sword. But today, you've grown stronger, and you've mastered the many forms of the Water Droplet combat style. So... take up this sword and face me! If you defeat me today, you shall receive half of the Water Sigil."

Kaelon raised his brows in astonishment and asked:

"Why only half? And where is the other half?"

The grandfather answered, his gaze drifting toward the horizon:

"Don't be so hasty... Five hundred years ago, when one of our ancestors retrieved the Sigil from the Guardian's Cave, he found it split in two. He had just grasped the first piece, and before he could reach for the other, a sudden and overwhelming flood of water surged forth, sweeping him entirely out of the cave, and sealing the tunnel behind him with a colossal wall of stone—impenetrable, unbreakable."

Kaelon's eyes widened, and he asked eagerly:

"And where does this tunnel lie now, Grandfather?"

The grandfather replied, his words shrouded in mystery:

"It is said that the cave lies right here, beneath this very house, sealed behind that wall of stone—yet we have never been able to find it. Now... enough questions! Take up your wooden sword and ready yourself!"

Both took their fighting stances. Suddenly, the grandfather launched a lightning-fast assault, so swift that he vanished entirely from Kaelon's sight! In the blink of an eye, the old man appeared behind his grandson, sword poised at his head, ready to end the duel with a single strike.

But Kaelon, thanks to his rigorous training, spun around with the speed of lightning, raising his sword to guard his neck and successfully blocking the strike. He then pivoted and launched a powerful counter-attack aimed at his grandfather's free arm—the one not holding the sword. The grandfather dodged with astonishing grace, and in a flash, brought his blade down with all his strength toward Kaelon's sword.

In that instant, Kaelon sensed the danger; he knew this strike would cost him the duel, just as it always had before—he remembered how his grandfather's swift, crushing blow had sent him flying time and again. Kaelon pleaded within himself: *I need greater power and speed!*

A wild idea struck him, and he resolved to use his own technique. For a fleeting moment he wondered: *Will this form even work without possessing the Sigil?*—but he refused to give up. He gathered his energy and cried out with all his might:

"Water Assault... The First Drop: Aqua Collision!"

It was a technique of blinding speed, delivering a sudden, lightning-fast strike from whatever angle the opponent stood. When the two wooden swords collided with terrifying force, a thunderous crack rang out—Kaelon's wooden sword shattered, its splinters scattering through the air. The form had simply been too heavy a burden for an ordinary sword to bear, without an iron blade and without the power of the Water Sigil behind it.

Kaelon lowered his head in sorrow, staring at the broken hilt in his hand, and said:

"I've failed... I've lost. Even my sword is broken."

But contrary to what he expected, a warm smile—brimming with pride and affection—spread across his grandfather's face. He looked at his grandson and said:

"Well done, my boy... and now, truly... you have succeeded!"

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