Note: This post is a short story set in The Magical World of Zealandia. Each story offers a glimpse into the wider universe behind the book series — including side plots, hidden moments, and character perspectives.
While these can be read on their own, they’re best enjoyed after reading Zealandia: The Dreadstones Grasp to avoid confusion and get the full context.
The Midtown Dam didn’t make noise.
It thought.
That’s what Arlen told himself every morning, as he clipped into his harness and stepped off the edge.
The dam curved beneath him. Dark, cold stone slick with spray. It rose out of the Mana Awa like part of the land itself. Old. Heavy. Important.
The wind pushed at his jacket as he lowered himself down the wall, boots bumping gently against the stone. His ropes creaked. His toolkit swung from his hip.
There wasn’t supposed to be a crack.
But there it was, just below Spillmark Three. Thin as a pencil line, but water was already pushing through. A slow, steady stream.
It was the only one.
If there were more, the whole dam would be in danger.
The Midtown Dam held back more than just the river.
It kept Zealandia's magic stable.
Without it, the magic of the the Mana Awa could twist, or surge, or spill the wrong way. Spells could fail. Dangerous spells. Lifesaving spells.
They didn’t talk about that in the reports.
They also didn’t talk about the fact that Arlen was one of three workers left on a job that used to need ten.
He knelt against the wall and pressed a cloth into the crack to clean it.
Then he pulled out a thin seal pad and a simple patch. He pressed it into place, holding it firm.
Then he traced a standard repair rune with his thumb.
It held. The leak stopped.
Arlen let out a breath and smiled to himself. Quietly. A good fix. A clean one.
Then—crack.
Two metres to his left, the stone split. Just a little. A second stream of water pushed out, just as strong as the first.
Arlen didn’t curse. Didn’t call for help.
He just looked at the new crack.
Then he sighed.
“Still breathing,” he said.
Above him, the dam stood silent. And the river kept pressing.