Rex didn't say anything at first.
That alone should've worried Lilee.
He crouched near the edge of the platform, staring intently at the house's supports as waves lapped gently against them. The pillars bent ever so slightly with each swell—like tired knees.
He leaned closer.
"…Huh."
Lilee glanced over. "What?"
Rex tapped one of the beams with his knuckle.
It squished.
Just a little.
"…Lilee," Rex said carefully, "question."
"Yeah?"
"Why are the support beams made of pure wood?"
Lilee blinked. "Because wood is easy to shape?"
Rex nodded slowly. "Okay. Follow-up question."
"…Yeah?"
"Why is it soggy wood?"
Lilee opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Tried again.
"…I—"
Rex peered into the water below. His expression shifted.
"Oh. Oh that's not good."
He pointed down. Beneath the waves, the seabed was visibly disturbed. The bases of the supports weren't anchored into stone or reinforced foundations—they were slowly, patiently, sinking.
"…Also," Rex continued, "I am not an architect. Or a builder. Or anything remotely qualified. But should the base under the water be… not sinking?"
Lilee leaned over the edge.
The supports sank another fraction of an inch.
"…Oh."
Rex inhaled. Exhaled.
"And maybe," he added gently, "don't immediately start with a full house? Maybe begin with a flat platform. Test whether the supports hold. Slowly add weight. Find the maximum load. That's usually what builders do."
He paused.
"…So. When did you test that?"
Lilee stared at the water.
"…I didn't."
Vessra laughed.
Not a polite laugh.
A sharp, amused one.
"Oh, I like you already," she said to Rex. "If you keep pointing out Lilee's mistakes so boldly and so directly, we are going to get along very well."
Rex shifted awkwardly. "Uh—thanks? I was just asking nicely."
Lilee turned to him slowly.
"That was nicely?"
Rex winced. "Oh. Oh no. What have I gotten myself into."
Vessra tilted her head. "Rex. Question."
"Uh—yeah?"
"Can you overlay spells?"
Rex blinked. "Overlay runes?"
"No," Vessra clarified. "Combine the effects of two already active spells."
Rex froze.
"…Huh."
He stared into the distance for a moment.
"I've… actually never tried that."
Vessra smiled. "Try."
Rex shrugged. "Okay. Let's see what happens."
He slotted his fire focus into his gauntlet, tightened his grip on the war hammer, and held it firmly in his left hand.
"Aer."
Air spiraled around the hammer.
"Ignis."
Fire bloomed around his gauntlet—then flowed outward, bleeding into the air spell. The wind turned orange, heat rippling through it.
Rex's eyes widened.
"…Huh. It worked."
He raised the hammer—then froze.
"…Wait."
He lowered it again.
"My fire spell explodes. Slamming this into the ground right next to us is a bad idea."
Lilee nodded rapidly. "Correct."
Rex walked over to a nearby tree.
Swung.
The impact detonated in a fiery blast. The tree ceased to be a tree and was launched several meters away in flaming chunks.
Rex stared at the crater.
"…Oh yeah. That definitely works."
Vessra crossed her arms. "Try another."
Rex swapped focuses.
"Terra."
Dark green energy swirled around the hammer. He slammed it down.
The ground responded violently—stone spikes erupted outward like fangs, tearing through earth and rock.
"…Okay," Rex said. "That one's terrifying."
He switched again.
"Fulgur."
Lightning wrapped around him and the hammer, crackling violently. His body felt lighter—faster. The world seemed to slow for half a second.
"Oh," Rex muttered. "That's a mobility boost."
Next focus.
"Aer."
Dense air wrapped tightly around the hammer, compressing inward.
Rex nodded. "That just upgrades the hammer. Don't really need to test that."
Another swap.
"Glacies."
Cold flooded outward. He struck the ground lightly—and ice exploded across the area, crawling up rocks and freezing nearby trees solid.
"…That one I might've overdone."
One last focus.
"Sana."
A red mist poured from the hammer, spreading in a wide radius. The air felt warm. Restorative.
Rex smiled. "Area-of-effect healing. Nice."
Vessra looked impressed. "How many spells do you have?"
"Seven."
Lilee frowned. "Wasn't that six?"
Rex shrugged. "The seventh is a redirect spell."
Vessra nodded slowly. "Of course it is."
She looked back at the slowly sinking supports, then at Rex's glowing hammer, then at Lilee.
"…We are going to need stronger foundations."
Rex sighed. "Physically and emotionally."
The house creaked again.