Students filled the seats—Arkanites, Zephyrians, Nautarians, Orrukans, Drakarians, and Verdanths—each marked by distinct garb, physique, and aura.
At the center of the amphitheater stood a tall, silver-haired man in flowing robes that shimmered like aged parchment.
“I am Instructor Velm Solren,” he began. His voice was crisp, clear, and strangely melodic. “Welcome to Historical Foundations: Era One to Present Day. This course is not for rote memorization. You will be tested—mind, body, and mana alike.”
He tapped a runed staff against the floor. The room dimmed, and a massive holographic timeline unfurled above the students, stretching from one end of the hall to the other.
“Around 1,074 years ago… the Awakening happened.”
The air shimmered. Scenes formed in light—buildings cracking open, skies split by streams of raw mana, seas rising and collapsing in chaotic surges.
“A cosmic pulse. Earth changed—expanded. Mana flooded the world like blood into a dying heart. And with it came rebirth… and catastrophe.”
Kael’s chest tightened.
He remembered this—not through books or stories, but through screams, ash, and the feeling of blood freezing in midair.
Velm gestured again.
“Soon after, they emerged. Mutants—born from unstable awakenings and corrupted mana. Humans, beasts, birds, even fish… twisted into something else entirely. We called them Veyriths.”
A grotesque image flickered into focus: crystalline spines jutting from twisted flesh, glassy eyes, bones shaped like weapons.
“They tore across the world. Devastated cities. And they’re not extinct.”
Kael’s hand clenched beneath his desk.
No, they’re not. I killed too many to forget. But they kept coming…
Velm moved the timeline forward.
“274 years after the Awakening, the great war began.”
Six radiant sigils bloomed in the air.
“The Six Races, evolved by mana’s touch, clashed for dominance in a century-long conflict. These were the factions that reshaped the world.”
Each hologram now became a towering projection of its race, and Velm elaborated:
Arkanites Versatile, adaptive, and the only race with known Omnimana bearers.Mana Affinities: All known and unknown.
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Zephyrians Graceful beings with wings and clawed feet; swift and aerial.
Mana Affinities: Wind, Storm, Void, Lightning, sound.
Nautarians Scaled aquatic warriors, hardy and fluid in battle.
Mana Affinities: Water, Ice, Mist, Tide, Steam, fog , pressure.
Drakarians and True Dragons Fire-blooded titans; Drakarians walk as humanoids, while True Dragons shift between forms.
Mana Affinities: Fire, Lava, Smoke, ash, Solar.
Orrukans Living monoliths. Masters of mass and form.
Mana Affinities: Earth, Metal, Crystal, Sand, Gravity.
Verdanths Agile forestfolk attuned to life and wilderness.
Mana Affinities: Nature, Wood, Flora, poison, Beast.
Velm’s voice grew quiet.
“But it was not victory that ended the war. It was unity.”
He raised his staff.
Six glowing figures emerged from the light.
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Liora Verd, The Wildheart Queen – Verdanth visionary and lifebinder.
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Korran the Tidebreaker, Shield of the Abyss – Commander of the Nautarian fleets.
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Seren Veylan, The Arkan Flame – A prodigy Arkanite who mastered all elemental paths.
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Thorne Stonesoul, Unmoving Mountain – The silent guardian of Orrukan kind.
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Aeris Vale, The Tempest Dancer – Zephyrian who could weave entire storms with a gesture.
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Raxor of the Crimson Wake, The Infernal Sovereign – True Dragon general, said to scorch the skies with a roar.
“They ended the bloodshed. Together, they signed the Accord of Unity—and the second era began.”
The light dimmed.
Then—another shift in tone.
Velm’s staff struck again.
“But peace… is never eternal.”
The display shattered into darkness. A web of inky black voids spread outward.
“352 years after the Treaty… came them.”
Silhouettes crawled forth—towering, writhing, inhuman.
“We called them Abyssal Invaders. Entities from beyond our understanding, born from a place known only as the Abyss.”
A hologram zoomed in: fanged shadows with too many limbs, bodies that defied known physics.
“The weakest among them are as strong as an Adept—Level 30 and above. They speak no language. But they… coordinate.”
Students shifted uncomfortably. Even Kael’s usually still breath caught for a moment.
Velm’s voice dropped.
“Expeditions into the Abyss brought back strange results. Some explorers returned unharmed, some shattered. Some didn’t return at all.”
An uneasy pause.
“There are whispers of something deeper. Something ancient in the dark. Something… awake.”
The display flickered out.
Velm scanned the room.
“But whispers are not facts. And such things…” his gaze lingered on Kael for a second longer than necessary, “...are not for young minds to dwell on.”
The lights brightened.
“This concludes our introduction. Let history guide your understanding—so you do not repeat it.”
Students filed out slowly. Some chatted nervously. Others, quiet.
Kael remained seated, hands clasped under his chin.
Abyssal Invaders...
He’d never fought one. Never even heard of them in his first life.
So they came after I died…
His gaze sharpened.
This world isn’t as peaceful as it pretends.
He stood at last, cloak swaying behind him, and followed the others out.
But in his mind, shadows stirred.
And in his heart, an old instinct returned: