1 The Beginning of Rai's Adventure
"Child, it's time to wake up."
I let out a small groan when the rays of sunlight entered my room, and they hit directly into my face.
I straightened up, went to the bathroom, and showered. Once I had cleaned up and dressed, I went outside to observe the place. I inhaled deeply and set out to track down the creature that always wakes me up early.
"Good morning, my lord."
"Good morning."
Everyone always gives me a hearty greeting when I pass by. I noticed someone hopping quickly in my direction as I went by the waterfalls. It bowed softly in front of me.
"Good morning, my lord. I apologize for my tardiness."
"It's fine. I expect it to be the last."
"Yes, my lord."
"Then could you take me to 'that' place?"
"Of course, my lord! Please follow me."
I followed him as we went to the west side of this floating island. Yes, a floating island.
This world was once called Eteron, where harmony and peace resided. It was said to be the greatest period of all time. But, everything went downhill when the world was struck by a huge explosion, splitting it into two continents and naming them, Aeshira and Phekia.
Even though the sides of the world split, both have been supporting each other, trading foods and supplies. Years passed by and the Phekian were running out of resources, while the Aeshirian were always producing and harvesting foods every day.
The Phekian were starting to get jealous of the Aeshirian and went on to steal their food. The Aeshirian people have no choice since the Phekian started to kidnap the children in exchange for all of their food. The Aeshirian gave all their resources to the Phekian, leading them to starve for months.
The Phekia bloomed once again, which made them celebrate for the blessings that they received. The Aeshirian people went to the Phekia and told them if they could have children back.
The Phekian people just laughed and led them to a dungeon, where the Aeshirian people saw the cruel fate of those poor children. The Aeshirian people couldn't do anything, as they escaped back to their nation. The entire Aeshira continent was mourning the deaths of hundreds of children they couldn't even protect.
Years have passed and the Aeshirian are slowly regaining their smiles. The food was also going smoothly. Enough for all the people to have something to eat, three times a day.
Until one day, two strange man appeared on their nation. They have the same face, hair, and eyes. They introduced themselves as travellers from different worlds. The Aeshirian people greeted them warmly and gave them a place to stay.
The two men were grateful for the Aeshirian's kindness. The next day, everyone came out of their homes and saw that their land was blessed with different types of fruits and vegetables. They were so delighted that they hosted a festival for 2 weeks.
This is the Aeshirian's way of thanking their savior. The news quickly spread among the Phekian people. They couldn't accept the fact that the Aeshirian were getting everything that the Phekian could not achieve.
The Phekian people were so engulfed in greed that they planned to kidnap the two travellers who helped the Aeshirian. But, things didn't go well on their side, they did not expect the Aeshirian to fight back. They tried to hold on a little longer, but one of the travellers decided to offer himself in exchange for the safety of the Aeshirian people.
The Phekian retreated from the Aeshira and held a long festivity for their achievement. The traveller was mocked and humiliated by the Phekian people, as they tried to squeeze his blessing. The traveller was hit by a rock, and they were all shocked to see his golden blood flowing.
Without even showing mercy, the Phekian people started to slit his body and more blood came out. They continued doing it for days, spreading his blood to the fields. The plants grew instantly, they would display the traveller at the center.
Many days went by, and the traveller was slowly dying. It's been days since the Aeshirian people helplessly attacked the Phekian, but they weren't as strong as them. The other traveller was also getting weaker as he sensed his partner was slowly withering.
The day the captive traveller died, the Phekia land rained so heavily that all of their resources were gone. Huge waves were making it impossible to hunt aquatic animals. The land animals also died one by one; it was like they were being punished for the crimes they committed. The children mysteriously died one by one, and after that, there was a plague.
The Phekian decided to wage another war, but they were all stopped by the other traveller as he stood in front of them.
He pointed his right index finger to the Phekian tribe as his silver hair fluttered. "Never set foot on this land, or your entire land will rot like a dead man." He placed a curse towards them, and they were all pushed back before creating a barrier.
Days later, the traveller decided to go back to his realm to recuperate, for the loss of his brother. But before leaving, he blesses the Aeshirian people with powers so that they can defend themselves.
"Thank you so much, Savior, for helping us." The head chief gave his courtesty.
"Thank you so much."
"We will forever remember you, savior."
"It was my pleasure to help, and also, you can just call me Alexio," he said before disappearing.
They decided to change the name of their nation to Alexio, where all the humans, beastmen, and other mythological creatures lived here for another thousand years. In Alexio, every creature coexists in harmony, and it was a place full of love and laughter instead of crime.
But suddenly, everything changed when the Phekian people came back and destroyed the barrier. A battle broke out between the Phekian people and the Alexios. The war claimed thousands of lives.
Alexio, the traveler, came back and sacrificed his life just to end the war and seal the Phekian again. Following the sealing of the Phekia, Alexio became a true god and bestowed five items upon the four humans and one beastman.
He began by giving the beasts a diamond cup, recognizing their extraordinary strength. Alexio gave the magician the second gift, his favorite crystal, as he saw that she had a lot of potential to grow in strength and be a good leader for her people. Because he also had faith that she would righteously lead her people. The third gift was a light-colored seed, because he is confident that he will guide his people with moral and upright values. The fourth gift was a crown. A beating heart was Alexio's fifth gift.
"That heart belongs to my son, I value it greatly. He offers you his heart to ensure this continent's future." The fifth person accepts his gift and gives their thanks to him for saving this continent.
"It's time. I will leave this continent in your hands. And remember, never betray each other, and never betray the gifts that I gave. Lead your country to a brighter tomorrow."
"Farewell, my beloved children." Half of the Alexio floats up, leaving them all behind. Alexio vanishes from sight and gains invincibility. After several decades, no one is aware of the whereabouts of the island. Some speculate that it might fall into a lonely location where nobody could find it. Some claim it has evolved into a location where the gods reside, while others assert that it has become unbearable and that it shields the continent from harm.
They change the name of Phekia to Dark continent, it is to serve as a warning and insight for everyone about how dangerous and greedy they are just to have a powerful weapon to control.
They divided the continent into five distinct nations. The kingdom of Angora, in which the beast-man resided, is the northernmost portion of the land that is protected from the dark continent. They keep the inhabitants of the Dark Continent safe.
The Sylthana empire, which has the strongest armed forces and can easily track bandits and pirates, is located in the southernmost region of the continent.
The Lustina Kingdom is the easternmost region. They brought various foods, drinks, spices, and other items from the continent to the Crescente Kingdom. The western portion was largely under the control of dwarfs and elves.
Finally, we have the Elyarus Kingdom, which can be found at the center of the continent. The kingdom is full of brilliant and gifted mages.
"We are here, my lord."
In front of me is a massive cave encircled by enormous trees. The guardian of the earth threw much protection around this cave, which no one could enter without my permission. As soon as I touched the door, it unexpectedly opened. Calliste, my butler bunny—I like to call him Callis—and I went inside.
A variety of legendary creatures could be seen as I ventured halfway into the cave. Some of them are dormant, some are phobic about the outdoors, some are old enough to have lived a millennium, some are strong enough to wipe out the entire continent, and some are the rarest of species that will eventually go extinct. A portion of them lodged in this cave and vowed never to leave.
I passed them by and entered the cave's lowest section, which is home to various rare plants, toxic plants, and trees, surrounded by butterflies, and they are tended by the fairies.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, my lord."
"How's everything, Caliphe?"
"Everything's great, my lord. The new herbs that you gave to us are as healthy as ever."
"Keep up the good work."
"Thank you, my lord."
Caliphe is the queen of fairies and takes care of the plants that I buy every time I go to the human world.
"My lord, are you going to the human world again?" Callis questioned me.
"I have to. There are lots of mythical creatures that are hiding around the continent. Some of them are captured, and they are sold on the black market."
"How cruel of them to do something outrageous! You don't need to push yourself, my lord."
"*sigh* I better hurry." As soon as I went outside, I could hear the world tree calling for me.
"My child."
"Callis, call the dragon lord."
"Understood." Abruptly, Callis vanished from my sight, and I made my way to the island's center, the location of the world tree. I walked up to the world tree and stroked the trunk.
"What's wrong?"
"My child, Rai, go to the human world."
"Why so suddenly?"
"You must locate the dryad known as Danalis. She is aware of the Dark Continent's resurgence."
