On the trunk of a towering tree, twenty meters high, a suspicious sight could be seen: a boy sitting cross-legged in meditation. This alone wasn't strange; what was truly odd was that he was sitting on the underside of the trunk, defying the laws of gravity as if they were merely a joke.
A young man wearing a black hat approached, a satisfied smile on his face as he assessed the scene.
"Alright, Aarin, that's enough. Follow me, we're heading back."
I opened my eyes calmly, and with a fluid motion, I flipped from my spot and landed lightly on the ground. I saw no need for any ceremony.
I looked at him without emotion:
"It's not time for a break yet. Is there something urgent?"
"Not exactly. But we're leaving the city. Mike asked me to bring you… he has something to tell us. By the way, your mana control is better than I expected, though it doesn't rival mine. Your strange training method seems to have helped you."
I didn't comment. I just nodded and followed him. If Harvey wanted me to know, he would have told me himself. If he didn't, it was either because he didn't know, or he didn't want to disclose it now. In either case… I would find out sooner or later.
As we walked back to the city, I reviewed the results of this week. Honestly, I had only made one tangible advancement: mana control.
It was true I succeeded in the leaf training Harvey had explained to me, but what intrigued me more was an old memory from the "Ninja" novels in my previous world. I decided to try their technique: walking on trees. And I succeeded. But when I tried to repeat the experiment on water… the failure was crushing. No matter how hard I tried, it didn't work. In the end, I gave up and returned to the tree.
More importantly, I examined my body. The mana pathways seem normal… but I noticed a slow re-accumulation of frozen mana. It's not obvious now, but over time the pathways will close again, and the fatigue that has plagued me since childhood will return. The problem is, I'm not the same person anymore.
Previously, I lived with this weight in silence. But now, after tasting freedom, how could I accept returning to that detestable state?
The thought shook me for a moment before we arrived at Mike's house. We opened the door and went in.
He was sitting on the sofa with a serious expression, more serious than usual.
Harvey smiled as usual as he threw himself onto the opposite sofa:
"Your face is scary, Mike. I brought you 'Arin', and now… aren't you going to tell us what you have?"
I sat silently on an empty sofa. My relationship with Mike was purely transactional, which made me even more curious to know why he had summoned me.
Mike took an old book out of his spatial ring. I recognized it immediately. The book that had occupied him all week.
Harvey raised an eyebrow:
"Isn't that the book I gave you? Did you finish deciphering it?"
Mike nodded confidently:
"Yes. If it weren't for my uncle Humphrey being the head of the Magic Tower… I wouldn't have been able to. Some of the secret books there helped me break the codes."
Humphrey? Leah and Asher's father? The head of the Tower himself? … I pressed my lips together. Knowing this name as a mere "villager" would seem highly suspicious.
Mike ignored our reactions and continued:
"The book is a diary belonging to someone who appears to have been an emperor… written in the language of the Imperial Age, meaning seventy to one hundred and fifty thousand years ago."
Harvey got excited at first, then frowned:
"Don't tell me it's all politics."
Mike smiled sarcastically:
"Part of it, yes. Clan conflicts, the balance of power… but there's something more important."
We looked at him.
"The Dragon's Blessing. The book says the imperial family must maintain the prosperity of the people, as the Dragon's Blessing feeds on their prosperity. When the people reach their peak, the family's power reaches its summit."
I raised an eyebrow.
"An Imperial Blessing? What is that, exactly?"
"He didn't explain it clearly. But piecing it together, it seems to be a kind of blessing that grants the family's descendants exceptional talents and strong luck. However, they can't fully control it… as luck belongs to no one."
I thought about it; it made sense. If they could control it freely, the whole world would be under their feet by now.
Harvey interjected suddenly, as if struck by a heavy thought:
"Mike… Isn't your uncle on good terms with the imperial family? In your opinion, do they really possess a Dragon's Blessing?"
Mike froze for a moment before answering:
"I can't be certain. A secret like that would never leak from the imperial family. But…" he looked away as if weighing his words, "if we base it on the talents of their children, the probability is high."
Harvey laughed lightly, without humor:
"I agree. I've never heard of an incapable royal heir. All of them are at least magicians or warriors."
I interjected quietly:
"Isn't it normal for children to inherit talent?"
Mike smiled, but his smile looked more like a sneer:
"A fair question. Yes… but according to nature, there should appear among them some who are worthless. And yet, it has never happened."
Harvey continued, with a curiosity he couldn't hide:
"Did the book mention another use for the blessing?"
Mike shook his head slowly:
"Not clearly. But it stressed the danger of tampering with luck and fate. Most importantly… it mentioned a clan called the Fate Clan. And it repeated the warning against provoking them."
Harvey furrowed his brows:
"The Fate Clan?"
"Yes. He described them as mysterious, dangerous, unrivaled in manipulating fate and predicting secrets. And they have survived many ages… which means they are likely remnants from the Age of Calamities."
I raised an eyebrow coolly:
"The Age of Calamities?"
But Harvey simply ignored me, whispering as if trying to connect the dots:
"Strange… I've never heard of them. And there is currently no power proficient in divination. Even spells related to fate are mere illusions."
Mike said sharply:
"I am certain of the book."
I finally exploded:
"Are you two going to keep ignoring me? I'm asking a question here!"
Finally, Harvey gave in to his desire to continue the conversation with Mike. It was clear he was trying to gather as much information as possible, as such secrets could earn him a lot if he brought them back to the Organization. Nevertheless, he turned to me and said, his voice dripping with annoyance:
"My dear Arin… this world wasn't born as it is. It has passed through successive ages."
He paused for a moment, then began to recite, in the tone of someone repeating something heavy etched into his memory:
"First was the Primordial Age. We know nothing about it… just a void. After it, the Age of Gods, where gods were widespread almost everywhere. Then came the Age of Calamities. Natural disasters swept the earth, and it's said the cause was a war between two ancient races… Magicians and Demons. The world changed completely, most of the gods disappeared, and only a few scattered ones remained, ruling what was left."
When he wanted to return to questioning Mike, I interrupted him:
"And what about the other ages?"
He shot me a sharp look, as if seriously considering punching me. However, the memory of me being a disciple of one of the Organization's leaders curbed his anger. He swallowed his frustration and answered reluctantly:
"After that came the Imperial Age. At that time, a new term appeared: Heavenly Emperor… or Heavenly Chosen. Every few thousand years, a bloody competition took place among the races, and even among members of the same race, to determine who would rule from the Heavenly Palace. A palace whose origin dates back to an unknown, older age, perhaps the Primordial itself. And don't ask any more, this is all that is recorded. Just some rumors say the disappearance of dragons and phoenixes happened in that age."
He took a deep breath before continuing:
"Then the Age of Extinction. In it, a strange phenomenon occurred… Mana disappeared from the sky and earth. Innate treasures no longer existed, and mana crystals, which common people used as cheap currency, became rare. It was named the Age of Extinction because the rank of Emperor completely disappeared, and with the death of the emperors who remained from the previous age, everything ended."
I nodded slowly, taking it in.
"Then came the Age of Humanity… or let's say, the Age of Humans and Demons."
I raised an eyebrow: "Demons?"
"Yes," Harvey clarified. "Four thousand years ago, the Demon race reappeared. And from the moment of their return, conflict ignited between them and humans, the two fiercest races at the time. A war that lasted four thousand years. The losses were devastating, and the animosity between the two sides was absolute. Any cooperation with demons meant execution… not just for the individual, but for their entire family."
I sighed: "And how did it end?"
Harvey laughed sarcastically:
"Since you're still alive to ask, the answer is obvious. Just a thousand years ago, the blessed hero of humanity… Farman… succeeded in defeating the Demon King. Victory belonged to humanity."
"And did they disappear completely?" I asked intently. In my memory of the novel, it didn't seem like they had completely vanished; rather, they had a role later on… Even the Organization seemed involved with them.
Harvey replied:
"Not completely. It's true their king was defeated, but the hero Farman himself suffered fatal wounds and only had a few years left. The losses among humans were enormous, so the parties agreed to end the war. The demons established their kingdom in the Forest of Ruin and called it the Demon Kingdom. As for Farman, he returned and founded the Fire Empire, and his family became the rulers of all humans."
I felt the pieces of the puzzle starting to become clear. So, this explains the imperial family's attempt to annex neighboring kingdoms in the novel… They considered it their territory from the beginning.
Harvey finished his speech in a weary tone:
"And the last age? We are living in it. Some don't even consider it a new age. In any case… no one will ask you about it in the admission test. So don't worry."
I nodded. It was a heavy load of information… most of which was never mentioned in the novel. All I knew was that the spirit inside the protagonist's ring belonged to an emperor from the Imperial Age. And now… after what I heard, it seems he was a Heavenly Chosen.