Chapter I
"Are there really a different civilization other than us in this world, father?"
My father looked at me with either anger or annoyance as he wiped a glass with a cloth. He was tired—I knew that—but I couldn't put my curiosity on hold. Not after I overheard his conversation with the group of rangers who visited our tavern. He ignored my question and continued working. He placed the glass in the compartment behind him and started checking the contents of the bottles and flasks on the counter. He refilled them each night from the barrel.
"If there really were others like us, would they be friends or enemies?"
"Will you please shut up and help me refill these bottles, Dmitri Flammel?" The coldness and finality in my father's tone made me quickly drop the subject.
My mother, who had overheard our conversation while counting the tavern's income, stood and spoke to my father.
"Pierrie, dear, aren't you being too harsh on our son? You know him—if he wants answers, he won't stop until he gets them."
"I know. It's just that…" My father looked at me, then at my mother, and continued with a sigh. "…It was a long day at the tavern. Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Relocation."
"We all had a long day, dear, including Dmitri who helped me serve the customers. I must remind you that the Initiation is approaching. He'll finally awaken this time, and once he's at the academy learning Ideas and surrounded by mentors he can bother, you might not get the chance to be asked like this again."
That somehow silenced my father. I knew that no matter how tired or annoyed he was, he loved me—and he cherished our time together.
"I'm sorry, son… Uhm, how do I put this… hmm. I just miss being a ranger. When my former colleagues visited and talked about their recent missions earlier, I couldn't help feeling left behind. Like you, I want answers. But instead of asking for them, we sought them. That's what rangers do." He spoke with a fascination that made it seem like he still was one.
"I thought you quit being a ranger, father. You said you wanted to. You said there was nothing out there but a vast expanse. You also said it wasn't worth risking your life for random magic beasts."
"Haha! I know, child! But that doesn't mean I don't miss the thrill of battle. We quit because we had a family—and an adorable child to look after." He patted my head and glanced at my mother.
"Wait… mother was a ranger too?!"
"Yes, Dmitri! Your mother was a ranger, and a very skilled one. She was backline support, an expert in Idea Enhancers. With her abilities, we could slay high-level magic beasts with ease."
"Wow! Why didn't you tell me? I can only imagine Harlan's face tomorrow when he finds out my parents aren't just tavern owners."
That spoiled brat won't bully me anymore once he learns this! If both my parents were Idea Wielders—rangers, no less—then surely I could manifest Ideas too. Harlan was already in the third year of his apprenticeship, while I was facing my third and final Initiation attempt. I had failed the first two, but others had also failed and finally awakened on their third try. Now that I was thirteen, and knowing what I now knew, there was no way I could fail.
Except—I haven't felt anything unusual yet… aside from the faint glow I see on things and people.
I asked my parents about it, and they said it might be a sign I'm finally manifesting Ideas. They didn't experience it during their awakening, but they also said those experiences were unique to each person. They didn't help me pass the Initiation, though.
"That boy still bullying you for failing your attempts, son?" My mother, as always, knew how to get inside my head without using magic.
"Yes, mother, but I know better. I'll pass this time!"
They said those who fail to manifest Ideas have something wrong in their head! You're a fucking imbecile! Hahaha! Harlan's words and his friends' laughter echoed in my mind. But I forced myself to smile. I was proud of my parents. Even though they were just tavern owners now, they were good people. I'd learned more values from them than Harlan ever could. Thinking of Harlan in his own words made my smile widen.
"Bullying is not justifiable, son. Being a bully doesn't make you stronger—it speaks more of your weakness than your victim. I'll speak to the boy when I see him."
I saw the concern in my father's and mother's eyes, but that only made me feel pitiful. I didn't want to feel like a failure—not after learning today that both my parents had once been among the bravest who explored and mapped this new world. I will pass the Initiation. I will awaken. I will manifest Ideas—and become a ranger they can be proud of.
"Uhm… about my question earlier, father…"
"Ahh, yes. There have been discoveries in the eastern, unexplored region beyond the outskirts of our fortress—remnants of another civilization. When a group split up to investigate, half of them vanished without a trace—except for one survivor who returned… insane."
Insane? To lose your sanity in this world makes you a threat. Ideas would leak and manifest, attacking anyone nearby. The thought of the king or any high-level ranger going mad sent a chill down my spine. They could be stopped, of course—but at what cost?
"What happened to the ranger, father?" I asked, though I already suspected the answer.
"She was killed, son. It was…" My father looked at my mother, searching for words. "…Kalea. One of my colleagues. A friend of ours."
"Oh, dear…" My mother gasped. That explained my father's sour mood earlier.
Her words hung in the silence as sound seemed to vanish from the tavern. My father approached and hugged her. Whoever Kalea was, she must have meant a lot to them. I could see their grief. A faint gray glow shimmered at their sternums.
To break the silence, I asked, "Who was Kalea?"
"She was an exceptional Idea Wielder," my father said. "She had a rare power—Beast Manipulation. She could control mid-level beasts by imparting Ideas to them. She was your mother's best friend before we left the Rangers."
I was confused. None of the rangers who had visited our tavern were ever called Kalea. If she had been my mother's best friend, why hadn't she visited all this time? Before I could ask, my father continued:
"Rasu, one of the rangers I spoke with earlier, was the first to spot her. He said they found her at dusk—naked, wrapped in some thick black, sticky material like mud. Her eyes had turned red—a sign of insanity. When they approached, she released a pack of bear wolves at them and killed one of the Vanguards."
You might think this is graphic for a 13-year-old like me, but nothing about this surprised me—except that Kalea had been close to my parents. I ask questions. I read. I know the brutal history of our people before the Relocation. As the wise king of the old world once said: "Knowledge—knowing the danger and how cruel reality can be—is how we adapt and survive."
"Then what happened?" I asked.
"When the rangers fended off the wolves, something… unexpected happened. A humanoid beast emerged from inside Kalea. It ripped her apart from the inside. The thing was black, with two horns—translucent, without a clear or solid form. Like smoke."
He seemed to anticipate my next question.
"According to confidential reports, the beast was a Level 10 threat. That's what the group's Evaluator said. I don't know if it's true. Level 10… is supposed to be impossible."
"Yes, father! That's the level we assign to the Havocs—from the other world!"
At the mention of the Havocs, my mother flinched. Even three decades later, the scars of those dark days remained. Without the Relocation, humanity would have been wiped out.
"What happened next?"
"The Teleporter used his power to get the group out. The rangers who gathered here weren't just celebrating—they're forming a party to face the beast. Some seek revenge. Others don't believe Kalea's truly dead. Some even think it's a hoax."
"Pierrie, dear… did they ask you to join?" My mother's question sounded like a statement for she already knew the answer.
"Yes. And I decided to join them."
"Have you gone mad, Pierrie? We agreed to leave that life behind. We have Dmitri. And if Kalea's truly gone…"
"We don't know for sure, Mary. And if this threat really is Level 10, then we're all in danger."
"If you're going… I'm going too."
I was stunned by how quickly the conversation escalated and how much had been revealed to me.
"What about me, father?" I asked, reminding them I was still part of this conversation. He smiled.
"Maybe it's time we finally left this tavern and returned to the palace as High Marshals. We asked the king for a peaceful life after helping build the fortress, but Kalea's death… we can't ignore it. As for you, Dmitri, you can undergo your Initiation while staying at the royal house."
Was this a dream? I looked around at the tavern I'd grown up in. It was so simple. My parents lived like clockwork. And now… to learn they were High Marshals, the king's personal guards, second only to the royal family?
I looked at them with excitement. For the first time, I felt what it must be like to awaken… and manifest Ideas.