When Rio stepped into Olivia's magical workshop, his breath caught in his chest for a moment. The place was far more than an ordinary house; it was as though a fragment of a magical world had risen from dreams and legends. The walls were crafted from pale green marble, streaked with silver veins that shimmered faintly in the soft light, seeming almost alive as they shifted subtly from time to time, like veins of light pulsing within the stone. The high, majestic ceiling was adorned with stained glass, refracting sunlight into beams of blue, purple, and gold that danced across the stone-covered floor. At the center of the workshop stood a large table of dark oak, upon which rested an array of wondrous tools: crystal orbs with swirling light glowing within, quills that scribbled invisible lines in the air without a hand to guide them, and stone bowls filled with luminous liquids in hues of emerald green and ruby red. Wooden shelves lined the walls, brimming with ancient scrolls on yellowed parchment, books with weathered leather covers, and a faint fragrance of magical herbs—frosted mint and glowing night-blooms—wafting through the air, lending the workshop a sense of vitality. In one corner, a stone fireplace burned with sky-blue flames, smokeless and emitting only a gentle, comforting warmth. A large, arched window framed with thin silk curtains that swayed in the breeze offered a view of the tribe outside.
Olivia spoke with a soft dignity, "Sit here," gesturing toward a wooden bench by the window, adorned with a few velvet cushions in deep purple. Rio stepped forward with a sense of wonder and settled onto the bench. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his white hair and making his silver eyes gleam like polished mirrors. Olivia sat beside him, gracefully adjusting her long robe and holding a simple scroll in her hands.
Before she could say more, Rio blurted out with eager haste, "I want to know about magic! How does it work? What's its source? Is it a measurable force or some unknown law? Can I create something with it right now?" His voice brimmed with curiosity, as if the spirit of Christopher Ride, his former student self, had awakened within him, yearning to uncover the truth. His eyes sparkled, and with his hands clasped tightly together, he seemed ready for a trial still unknown to him.
Olivia regarded him for a moment, a faint smile playing on her lips as she tilted her head in quiet contemplation. "Calm down, Rio. I understand your eagerness—it's like that of a student chasing the secrets of the universe. But you've spent your whole life in the palace, cut off from the world. Magic means nothing without understanding the world around you. Before I can teach you magic, you must first become aware of this world and the events unfolding within it."
Rio furrowed his brows slightly, though his curiosity remained undimmed. "The world? Do you mean the tribe? Or something beyond it?" He gestured toward the window, pointing at the tribe's marble houses.
Olivia took a deep breath and cast her gaze outward. "Yes, the tribe—but far beyond it. This land, this world, is brimming with magic, Rio. Not just in your hands, but in the trees, the breeze, even the stars." She pointed toward the sky visible through the stained-glass ceiling. "Magic is a current that binds everything together. But without knowing your place in this world and what surrounds you, you can't truly grasp it or wield it."
Rio fell silent for a moment, his eyes drifting to the crystal orb on the table, its inner light swirling hypnotically. "Then why does this magic manifest as ice in my hands? Why can't I control it?" He opened his fingers, and a cold vapor rose from them, shimmering like radiant mist in the workshop's light.
Olivia placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and said, "Because you don't yet know yourself, Rio. Magic resides within you, but it's like a river—if you don't know its course, it will sweep you away. You've been in the palace, detached from the flow of life. You know nothing of the enchanted forests that whisper their secrets, the dragons that claim the skies, or the people who live with magic."
Rio paused to reflect, then asked in a softer tone, "So where do we start? How do I come to know this world?" Curiosity still danced in his eyes, though his earlier impatience had given way to thoughtful anticipation.
Olivia unrolled the scroll and replied, "Right here. First, I'll tell you about this land—its history, its creatures, its mysteries. Then I'll teach you to read and write so you can seek your own answers. Magic requires patience, Rio, even for someone like you."
Rio gazed at Olivia with shining eyes, his heart pounding with excitement. The workshop seemed to come alive with her every word, each sentence a key unlocking new doors to the mysteries of this world in his mind.
Olivia carefully placed the scroll on the table and unfurled it, glancing at Rio seated on the velvet bench by the window. His white hair glowed in the sunlight, and his silver eyes sparkled with curiosity. She spoke in a calm voice, "Well, Rio, it's time I tell you about the world."
The world, as Olivia described, was composed of several vast continents: Parmis, the Continent of Shadows, and two others known as the Dead Continents. Parmis was the heart of civilization, where life flourished most vibrantly. It was made up of many lands, one of which was the Elven Kingdom, home to the Sun Tribe—Rio's people. The Sun Tribe was secretly nestled among hundreds of floating islands, suspended in the sky by ancient magic, part of the Elven Kingdom surrounded by sprawling, dense forests. To the south of the continent lay a land inhabited by humans—not alone, but alongside races like the Ahils and Kabans.
At the mention of humans, a sudden spark of joy flared in Rio's heart. Humans felt familiar to him, but the strange names of Ahils and Kabans puzzled his mind—races he didn't know or understand. Still, he remained silent, listening intently as Olivia continued.
She explained that the Continent of Shadows and the Dead Continents were separated from Parmis by vast oceans. To the east of Parmis, facing the Continent of Shadows, lay a land inhabited by vampires—a powerful race with friendly ties to the dragons, particularly the Sun Tribe.
Rio leapt up, startled. "Vampires?! What are those? Are they dangerous?" His mind raced with wild imaginings, not from personal experience but from tales he'd heard in his previous world.
Olivia smiled reassuringly. "Don't be afraid, Rio! These vampires only drink animal blood. If they consumed the blood of sentient beings, they'd go mad."
Rio let out a relieved breath. "Well, that's a relief!" He settled back down and resumed listening.
Olivia then spoke of the Sea Folk, a race dwelling across the wide oceans. Known as a peaceful people, they maintained extensive trade networks with most of the world's races. With their mastery of the waters, they transported goods and news between continents, playing a vital role in connecting the lands.
After finishing her explanation of the races, Rio—awestruck by the grandeur of this world—paused to think. Then, with a hint of wonder, he said, "Wait, Olivia! How do people travel across these massive continents? How do they cover such distances?"
Olivia gave a mysterious smile. "With the Gateways, Rio." She explained that the Gateways were immense, magnificent structures, few in number across the world. They linked distant places and were relics of an ancient era. No one knew who had built them or why they existed. Carved into their surfaces, in an ancient tongue, was a long history that scholars had studied for years, though the unknown language had yielded little progress. Olivia herself was one such scholar, having devoted much time to researching the Gateways. She added that smaller Gateways existed too, though they were rare and controlled by powerful individuals or nations. The Sun Tribe possessed one such smaller Gateway.
Rio fell into thought. Absorbing this information was overwhelming—a world so vast, with magical Gateways and cryptic history. Coming from another world, he hadn't anticipated such complexity. Suddenly, an image of X—the one who had brought him here—flashed in his mind. With that thought, he looked up and asked curiously, "Olivia, what about gods in this world?"
Olivia hesitated, her eyes widening in surprise. The question was unusual for a boy so young, even one like Rio. With a thoughtful look, she said, "Why do you ask such a thing, Rio? That's a big question!"
Rio grinned. "I don't know… I just felt like I needed to know. With all these strange things, where do gods fit in?"
Olivia took a deep breath and began, "Well, let me tell you…"
According to her, the world had been created by a deity called the "God of Life." This god had crafted everything in existence, from mountains and forests to the living beings that inhabited them. But opposing this deity was another, the "God of Death." While the God of Life believed in creation, the God of Death believed in endings and destruction. Since the world's beginning, these two gods had existed in a fragile balance, complementing each other in an eternal cycle. Yet their followers held no such belief, often clashing in bloody conflicts, each side striving to elevate their god above the other.
Olivia paused, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face, as if unsure whether to voice what lingered in her mind. But seeing Rio's eager gaze, she took a deep breath and continued, "There's a third god, Rio. One they call the 'Nameless God.' Its name was supposedly inscribed on the great Gateways, but for reasons no one knows, it's been scratched out and erased everywhere. No one knows who or what it was."
Her words struck Rio like an arrow. Having been reincarnated from another world and brought here by X, he'd half-expected to hear X's name. But there was no mention of X. His mind swirled with questions: Had X lied to him? Was Olivia unaware of X's existence? Or could X be the "Nameless God," erased from history? The questions stormed through his head, threatening to overwhelm him. But Rio was clever. Having faced his father William's doubts before, he didn't want to raise suspicion. He maintained a calm exterior, forced a smile, and decided to shelve these thoughts for later.
Yet one final question burned in his mind, one that felt vital. Rio wanted to know if he was special—if he had a unique trait that led X to bring him here, and whether there was another like him, another emissary. He looked at Olivia and asked quietly, "Olivia, how do these gods communicate with their followers? If they have followers, there must be prophets or messengers, right?"
The question hit Olivia like a thunderbolt. Her eyes went blank, and she rose from her seat, walking toward her desk with trembling hands. She was shaken, anxious, and at a loss for words. Rio had said something he couldn't possibly know. The theory of prophets or divine messengers had only emerged in the last decade, thanks to discoveries in the Gateway texts. This knowledge was confined to a handful of scholars and researchers—Rio, a five-year-old boy, shouldn't have even a hint of it.
Fear took root in Olivia. She recalled a secretive conversation with William, held before Rio had left the tribe with her. William had said gravely, "Pay attention to what Rio says. If you notice anything unusual, tell me. Anything."
Now, this moment was exactly what William had warned her about. Olivia didn't know what to do, but she knew this was no longer a simple lesson—something greater was at play.
Rio, still seated on the bench, noticed the shift in Olivia's demeanor. Yet with the same calm smile, he asked, "What's wrong?"
But in his heart, Rio knew his simple question had opened a door that perhaps should have remained closed.