It's been a year.
At least, I think it has. Hard to tell without a calendar or phone, but my baby body has grown a little, and the days feel longer now. I've learned the language—not fluently, but enough to understand words, sentences, and... books.
Yeah. I read books now.
It started with crawling. At first, I moved just to test my muscles. Then it became a game. My mother would think I was asleep, but the moment she left the room, I'd sneak toward the old shelf near the corner of our hut. It was packed with dusty tomes and scrolls.
Turns out, I was born into a world where knowledge sits right in front of you if you're clever enough to reach for it.
And I reached.
According to the texts, there are three major continents in this world.
Auren, the continent we live in, is ruled by humans. It has kingdoms, sprawling cities, farmland, and ruins older than the current bloodlines. Goblins roam its outer forests, scavenging what's left of the abandoned.
Then there's Liora, the elven continent. Forests shimmer with magic there, lakes glow under the moonlight, and cities sit on treetops like something straight out of a fantasy anime. Goblins there are sneakier—lurking in deep woods and caves, hiding from sight.
Finally, there's Drakar, where the Dwarves and the Shear live. The Dwarves are brutal and efficient warriors; Shear are so intelligent it's terrifying. Every book talks about their advancement in swordsmanship and strategy.
But what really caught my attention?
Aura Mages.
Apparently, power here is ranked. I pieced together the scale:Z > S > A+ > A > B > C > D
Each tier is represented by a unique aura color. Most people are born in D to B rank. The higher you go, the rarer it gets. Z-ranks are basically myths.
Here's what I gathered:
Z-Rank Auras:
White (0.1%)
Black (0.5%)
Flame Blue (1%)
White-Black (??? — not mentioned in the books, but I saw it in an illustration… and it gave me chills)
S-Rank Auras:
Red
Brown
Yellow
Blue
The rest—A to D—weren't detailed much. I'll need to dig deeper.
Once someone awakens their aura, the next step is choosing an element. There are four known elements: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire.
Humans, if they're gifted enough—especially those at Z-rank—can learn all four. Elves, on the other hand, can only master one or maybe two, though they're far more precise with them than humans.
But… I noticed something else. An empty section in the book. Torn pages. Mentions of "forbidden affinities." Could it be... Devil Elements?
And the most insane part?
Humans, theoretically, can access them all... if their trait allows.
Me?
I've started to suspect I'm not just "human."
Before I could get further into it, I heard footsteps.
The door creaked open, and my mother peeked in with a warm smile.
"Time for bed, little one," she said, walking over and gently picking me up.
She smelled like herbs and something sweet.
As I nestled into her arms, I let the book drop behind me with a soft thud, already planning when I'd sneak back tomorrow.
Because this world? It's hiding something.
And I intend to find it all.