The well

Ren plunged into the abyss filled with water and darkness. He tried to examine his surrounding with great vigilance because of the system's warnings. He saw nothing, it was too dark even for him, who was somehow accustomed with the darkness.

"Why tell me now? When I'm beyond the point of being saved?" The words lingered in his head. At this point, he couldn't help but think that the system was toying him. He reached this place with great efforts thinking it would be the 'safest' place he could be, but it turned out that the well was actually connected to an underground lake about the size of an ocean.

Ren looked around and found no threats just yet. He was expecting some gigantic shark or squid, maybe a kraken to come and eat him whole.

Moments later, he started swimming up to the well. He would drown if he continued staying there plus he didn't feel comfortable staying there as well. He was feeling something eerie watching him flay around. It might have been his imagination but he would not try to risk it.

"I just need to balance myself between the walls of the well and hang there until those freaks leave... if they found me... I'll dive right back in." He thought as he swam upwards.

He kept swimming and swimming while holding his breath. Strangely, instead of getting closer to the hole, he felt like he was going deeper instead. The light was getting smaller and smaller signifying that he was moving further away from the opening. Veins started to bulged on his face as he continued to hold his breath. If he succumbed and decided to breath, living would no longer be an option.

"Is this it?" Ren's swimming speed got slower.

"Inventory!"

"Opening inventory: 30 seconds ETA."

"Ah yes. Ofcourse." He couldn't care less anymore.

Finally he stopped. Suspended in total darkness, Ren's body continued to descend into the abyss. The light was so tiny now, if he miraculously wake up now, even if he erupted with 300% of his current strength, he would drown before he gets out.

Ren descended for a good 30 minutes until-

*thud*

His body landed on something. It was an iceberg but no ordinary one. The ice extended beyond what ordinary eyes could see. It was huge, bigger than the valley-kind of huge.

Ren's body sat on top of the ice then suddenly, the ice started melting. The ice around Ren's body looked like it was absorbing him. Slowly, Ren's body started sinking into the ice. It started to glow blue, following a rhythm almost everyone is familiar with. Heartbeats.

The glowing began slowly. However, now that Ren's body was almost inside the ice, it started to glowing more eratic. If someone was watching everything that was unfolding right now they would think, 'Is it Aang?'.

Eventually Ren's body was gone. It was fully absorbed into the ice. Ice stopped glowing and it reverted back into it's old state. Just an iceberg at the bottom of the ocean.

.....

Meanwhile, back at the surface.

The people looking for Ren lost him. They passed the well numerous times but to them the well was was not there. It was replaced with a rock instead.

"Where did he go?!" One of them couldn't help but shout.

"We need to bring him back or else how would we explain to those people what happened to Drey?!" Anxiety was written on their faces.

"Let's just kill those scums and present their body instead."

They left the area of the big rock, no one suspected that Ren would be 'inside' it.

....

Inside a tent lied Drey body. He was wrapped up like a mummy and on his hands were soaked in green water. The wounds on has already closed up. There were no scars at all.

"This kid! I told him not to enter the battlefield and stay at the camp!" An old man wearing a white robe said.

"It must be difficult for you to take care of the young master, Sir Mon." A middle aged man wearing an armor said. On the armor was the signia of Flaming bird. He looked intimidating and powerful but, in the presence of the old man, he was docile.

"He is troublesome, but I've been his caretaker since he was born. So I'm used to it." The old man replied casually.

"Isn't it dangerous, I mean the stunt the young master pulled off? He disguised himself as one of our students and went on this mission to secure the valley-"

"It's fine, he has a soul-bound treasure that would block life-threatening attacks for a minute. Once it activates, as long as the space is not sealed, I would be teleported to him." The old man leaked a bit of his aura.

The surrounding took a turn for the worst; it became extremely oppressive that one would have to will themselves to breathe to actually breathe.

"As expected from the Royal family.. So strong!" The middle aged man thought.

He felt insignificant against such aura. He imagined what would happen if he confronted the old man. Just a flick of a finger, he would be dust. He actually knew that the boy snuck in their group, but he didn't think of it as a problem, considering they were just heading to an unnamed valley. The valley was like a safe haven, in this world filled with monsters and beasts, the valley which is mysteriously void of such creatures was an important asset. If they captured it and put up a stronghold in this valley, they wouldn't have to return to the kingdom everytime they finish their hunt and they would be able to go farther in their explorations.

Who knew that there was someone else with the same intentions, and that someone else happened to be their rival sect, the Horned Serpent sect. The founder of both sects were archnemesis and they fought a life and death battle which ended with both of them 6 feet on the ground.

"I allowed you to stay here to get familiar with you, maybe keep you in debt with me. Instead you instigated a war by going after that Gred kid and now you even brought this overpowered butler of yours that won't even help me win the war you created... even the medicine we used on your hands came from my pockets. Tell me again, why did I let you stay?" The middle aged man had a migraine when he started thinking about it but there was nothing he could do about it. The adversary's family and influence far outstrips his. He was just one of the teachers of the sect after all.

"Here." The old man snapped his fingers and a stone appeared in his hands.

"This will compensate for your herbs." He continued as the stone floated to towards the middle aged man.

"!!!"

"Thank you for your benovelence." The middle aged man was agitated, what he recieved was a high-grade aether stone, which contained huge amounts of aether that is extremely beneficial in training.

The middle aged man bowed.

"I guess it wasn't such a bad idea." He thought in glee.