The morning sun hung low when Kian woke. He scanned the empty road; the weight of the lap pillow from his dream still lingered as a phantom sensation against his skin.
"A dream," he muttered.
He stood, dusting off his clothes. The decision was final: his life as an adventurer was over. He turned toward the east, aiming for his home village. The trek was simple—he ate fruit from trees he passed and drank from streams as they crossed his path. Under the relentless heat, he kept moving.
"It's been a long time since I walked this far," Kian whispered.
Five hours passed. The road ahead shifted, opening into a clearing he didn't recognize. Suddenly, he was surrounded by monsters.
He froze.
"What is going on? This road used to be safe. Only boars and slimes lived here."
The monsters turned and stepped toward him. He glanced left and right, but every path was blocked. Panic flared. He did not understand how monsters had flooded a route that was supposed to be clear.
With no escape, he looked at the sky and braced himself.
Is this where I die?
Kian drew a deep breath. "Bring it on."
The monsters closed the gap. His heart beat fast. A huge bear stopped directly in front of him, flanked by a pack of beasts. They bared claws and teeth, preparing to strike simultaneously.
Kian closed his eyes.
"It's over," he whispered.
But then, a pressure hit him. It was a terrifying presence.
Kian froze, but not because of the monsters. Something behind him radiated a force so heavy it felt like lead.
He watched as the monsters in front of him faltered. Their primal instincts were screaming at them to flee. Kian's body wanted to run, but he was pinned to the spot, paralyzed by the weight of the air.
A second later, the pressure vanished. The monsters scattered, fleeing in a frantic blur.
Kian remained rooted to the spot. He recognized that feeling, but it was not Aura. It was a presence he knew too well, but the person who came to mind couldn't possibly be here. He turned, his voice barely a breath.
"Black?"
He stopped. The figure walking toward him wore a cloak and a conical hat. Silver hair fell past pointed ears.
An elf, Kian thought. Who is she?
"What are you doing here, little boy?" the stranger asked.
"I... I'm walking to the village," Kian stammered. "To the east."
"East?" The stranger tilted her head. "You should hurry. There was a dungeon break nearby. I'm here to investigate."
Kian hesitated. "Are you a Mage?"
"Technically, I am. But I'm not an Adventurer. I don't fight."
She's not an Adventurer? Kian thought. But she looks so strong. She's probably the strongest person I've ever met.
"I am Kyraia Rho," the elf said, kneeling down to look him in the eye. "A magic researcher."
Kian knew the job, even if he'd never met one. Kyraia studied his face, her gaze sharpening.
"Hold on," she said. "Are you perhaps the famous sage the folks in the border town of Kaldorath are talking about?"
Kian stared at the ground. "No. You've got the wrong person."
"That can't be," Kyraia countered. "Dark cloak, black hair, a distinct ring on the left pinky finger. You fit the description."
Kian fell silent. Is she going to turn me over to the knights? I almost got away.
Kyraia looked at his left hand again. On his pinky, she saw a ring every elf would recognize. But she also noticed a second ring on his ring finger—a crimson-jeweled band not mentioned in any of the rumors. She squinted, trying to place it. It looked expensive, yet completely devoid of magic.
I think I saw this ring before, Kyraia thought. It's not a magic artifact. There's no trace of Mana. Where have I seen it? Ancient records?
She knew she had seen a sketch of it, but the memory was like a locked door.
Kian noticed her intensity and glanced down, confused. He did not remember putting on such a ring.
Kyraia looked back at his face.
This kid might not be ordinary, she thought.
"Well, sage," Kyraia said. "Are you going to admit you're the fortune teller?"
Kian remained silent.
"I actually came to Kaldorath to investigate you."
Investigate me? Kian's heart jumped.
"But when I arrived at the border town, you were gone. And a dungeon break happened, coincidentally."
Kyraia's eyes hardened. She was a researcher; she dealt in facts, not the parlor tricks of fortune tellers. She wanted to know the mechanics behind his reputation. She figured he used manipulation or staged events to appear prophetic. But looking at the young boy, she struggled to believe a child could pull off such a calculated scheme.
Or could he?
"I heard you can predict the future, mister sage," Kyraia said, her voice dropping. "Tell me my future."
Kian froze. He stayed calm on the surface, but internally, he was panicking. The silver-haired elf felt like a crushing weight in the air.
He thought fast. "You... there's something you desire the most."
"That's generic," she replied. "Most people have desires. Be specific."
Is this how he tricks them? Kyraia thought. Vague predictions and statistical probability?
"Tell me what my desire is," Kyraia demanded. "I doubt anybody would know it."
"Your desire... is..." Kian guessed, stalling. "You dream of going to a certain place."
Kyraia blinked, stunned. "Impressive. You have a knack for this. It's true there is a place I want to go. But..."
"But what?"
"It confirms you cannot actually see the future. Nor read thoughts."
"Why is that?"
"I took a closer look at you and waited for you to use some supernatural ability. There is none. If you used real powers, there would be a trace of Aura in the air. There is nothing."
Oops. Busted, Kian thought.
Kian sighed. "You're right. I'm not really a fortune teller."
"That's obvious," Kyraia said. "Fortune telling isn't real."
She leaned in close. "Okay, mister sage. If you aren't using real powers, how do you do it? How did you know about the lost items? The dungeon break?"
What is this elf talking about? Kian thought. I never predicted anything. Dungeon break? I didn't know about that.
He looked at her, her face mere inches from his. She was so intense. He had to spin a story.
"I... I deduced it based on information I gathered from sources," Kian lied. "I just put the pieces together, analyzed them, and deduced the outcome."
Kyraia stood up.
"I see," she said. "I had a feeling it was something like that. That explains everything. Your information network and your deductions are impressive. You must be very smart to pull that off."
To Kyraia, logical reasoning was far more believable than supernatural power.
"Okay, mister sage, she said, a challenge in her eyes. "Let's see how smart you are. Tell me the place I've really wanted to go. If you can figure it out, I won't report you. I'll let you go."
Kian's pulse quickened. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," Kyraia smiled.
Kian pressed his fingers to his chin. I just need to guess, and then I'm free?
My dream, Kyraia thought. No one knows because I never told anyone. A place that I'm dying to go. Even if this kid really has a vast information network, he would never know that place. There is no trace of that anywhere. I made sure of it.
Kyraia looked at Kian, thinking.
Most people would assume that any elf's desired place is the Elven Kingdom, Kyraia thought. Any elf would dream of that. But not me.
The Elven Kingdom is a legendary country of elves, but no one knows where it is exactly. Even elves in human territory do not know where it is. Since the day they were born, they grew up in a forest isolated from humans. They built elven villages or small towns for elves, but even they did not reach or manage to step foot in the legendary kingdom of elves.
It was the land of all elven origin. Elves' dream is to find the legendary place of their own origin.
No humans or elves in human territory have ever been to the Elven Kingdom. If any human managed to enter the legendary city, that would be a big event. The Adventurer's Association would issue a huge rank promotion.
Kings and Emperors would offer noble titles.
Why? Because information about the legendary kingdom of elves is such a valuable commodity for humans.
Kyraia was confident that the little boy would assume the place she desired to go is the Elven Kingdom. But what Kyraia did not know is that Kian had no idea that every elf in the world dreamt of finding where the Elven Kingdom is.
He was free from that bias.
Any logical person would think that. But Kian was not a logical person at all. What Kian usually did was to say some random nonsense.
"You want to go deep in the ocean," Kian said.