CHAPTER 2
"Look, Poul, our boy opened his eyes!" said a woman.
"Wasn't he supposed to be crying?" Poul asked, unsure.
"Well, not all babies cry at birth, dear."
"Yeah, maybe you're right. By the way, dear, I'm going to buy some things now."
With that, he left the room to get the supplies.
What could he be buying? I hope it's food… Well, it doesn't matter. I'll just enjoy the best phase of life, the phase where I do nothing, thought Gabriel.
"Ah… I wish Poul and I could choose his name," she said, looking a little down.
"But since he's not here, let's call you… hmm… oh, I know! How about Hyou Jay?"
Hyou Jay?! Is that my name? Well, at least it sounds a little nice.
Maria picked up Jay, holding him up so he could see a part of the world outside.
Am I in the interior of some continent? Jay thought.
She lowered him and hugged her dear son. Time passed since his birth, and Jay was content with his new life and family.
By the time he was one year old, he began noticing strange things that nobody seemed to care about. One day, the children were hurt, and the next day… the injuries were gone, as if the falls had never happened.
Could this be healing magic?! Jay thought as his mother pampered him.
If so, I must be in a magical world.
On his mother's lap, Jay noticed a bookshelf full of books.
Looks like history books… I have to make this woman read to me.
He began to babble, stretching his tiny arm toward the bookshelf.
His mother noticed and asked:
"What's wrong, Jay? Why are you babbling?"
He pointed his little finger at the bookshelf.
"You want books, Jay?" she asked, raising her eyebrows and opening her eyes wide.
Jay nodded.
"Alright, I'll get your 'book'."
She picked up a children's book, but Jay looked disappointed.
What?! He doesn't want a children's book, he wants another one?!
Jay pointed to a specific book. Maria was even more surprised, her mouth wide open. She picked it up and sat on a chair by the window.
She began to read:
"Before the world existed, there was only darkness. Until one day, one of the gods, bored of seeing only darkness, decided to create many things — he created the earth, the sun, the moon, and several other planets."
As she read, she glanced at her son and saw his eyes shining like a star, full of anticipation.
How can a baby have so much excitement for a book?! Just how?! thought Maria.
"This god was named the God of Creation, but the earth was made only of rocks. Then the Goddess of Life saw that pile of rocks and decided to create life there. She raised her hand and said, 'Let there be water.' Water appeared on the land. She then spoke several other things until the world existed, creating animals, humans, dwarves, and elves..."
When Jay heard 'dwarves and elves,' he was amazed — he had reincarnated in a fantasy world.
She continued reading:
"But the Goddess of Life realized something: balance did not exist between the races. So, along with the God of Creation and the God of Chaos, they created magic, giants, and dragons. Over the years, species spread across the continents, and hybrids of these species began to appear… The God of Spirits created magical and elemental spirits, along with spiritual energy. Time passed until a moment in history when elemental spirits rebelled against the gods. As a consequence, the elemental spirits were sealed among humans and giants. Among humans, the families 'Hyou, Hi, Kaze, Chikyū, and Mizu' received these spirits. At birth, a spirit is automatically sealed. Among giants, the spirits were sealed randomly, and when a giant is born, it may receive an elemental spirit — this only happens every ten years, and only four elemental giants appear. This can be called a curse for both giants and spirits."
She closed the book and looked at Jay.
"That's enough for today. It's time for your nap, Jay."
She picked up Jay, who pouted.
But after singing an irresistible lullaby, he fell asleep like a rock.
Time passed, and the mother kept reading more of the book. Every new piece of information fascinated Jay even more.
What a rich world! This is amazing! Look at how many different cultures… Humans worship two gods, the God of Creation and the Goddess of Life, while elves worship only the Goddess of Life.
He discovered that giants were mostly an irrational race, dragons were rational and largely atheist, and that many other religions existed around the world.
Jay also learned that his elemental power could only awaken after the minimum age of 3 years, with the maximum awakening age being 8–9 years.
"The Hyou family will be responsible for ice elemental spirits for all eternity," said the God of Spirits.
"Very well, it's an honor that this duty falls upon my family," said the head of the Hyou family.
Poul closed his eyes and the book.
"And that is how the Hyou clan received the elementals."
"This is very interesting, Father!"
"Isn't it?!" Poul said with a smile.
"Father, can you create something with your power?" Jay asked, his eyes sparkling.
"Uh… I'm not sure."
Jay was disappointed that his father couldn't demonstrate anything.
"Well, there's one thing you must do!"
"What must I do?!"
Poul smiled and continued:
"You must never hurt another person. That is the rule of our family. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I won't hurt anyone."
Why would I hurt or even kill someone? Jay thought innocently.
"Good. Now let's eat, Jay. You can read later."
Jay nodded.
He ate quietly, then went to a tree near his house with his father. Leaning against it, he opened his book and began reading with his father — a book about good and evil gods. His interest in the world was immense.
"So… these walls are necessary to prevent giant attacks and seal the most dangerous giants. Did you know, Jay, that the reason our city is called the Wall City is because of this?"
"No, I didn't know. Why were they sealed, Father?"
"Not all giants were, Jay, only some. Our city's name comes from a gigantic wall built to imprison the most powerful giants. All races joined against the giants, and we managed to seal many, but not all. Some weren't sealed and split apart. This city was built to monitor the movements of the giants."
"This is so interesting!" Jay's eyes shone like stars.
"That's why we'll leave here soon. This place is dangerous; giants are nearby. We'd better leave, right, Jay?"
Jay nodded.
Poul smiled proudly.
"That's my boy."
Jay and Poul read so much they didn't notice nightfall. They quickly went home, had dinner, and went to sleep.
Jay, already in bed, said goodbye to his mother and closed his eyes. But then he heard a female voice:
"I love you, you are my beloved. Your melancholy is so delightful; it's what made me fall for you. I hope we meet again soon, my love."
Jay sat up straight.
Am I hearing things?! That was a woman's voice, right? This is so bizarre! he thought, startled.
He couldn't sleep well that night, spending the entire day thinking about the mysterious voice. His parents noticed but he didn't tell them.
Days and months passed, and he never heard that voice again. Though concerned, he let it go for a while.
During this time, he studied a book about the "differences between humans and other races," which said:
"Elves are a beautiful and powerful race. They master all wind magic and other special magics, like water, earth, etc… There's a rare chance for an elf to be born without wind magic but with fire magic. In such cases, elves may abandon them or even sacrifice them to the gods."
After reading, he realized elves were arrogant and considered humans extremely weak.
These elves think they're superior just because they can use magic, Jay thought, sighing as he closed the book.
Some humans can also use magic, even if it's just two types, healing or shadow magic… but they're still magic.
A call interrupted his thoughts.
"JAY, COME EAT!" shouted Maria.
Jay got up and went to his nearby house.
At the door, an announcement echoed through the city:
"CITIZENS, EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY! SOME GIANTS ARE APPROACHING."
Everyone grabbed their important belongings and ran to the boats.
Another announcement followed:
"CITIZENS, OUR VICTORY HAS TURNED INTO… DEFEAT."
The population panicked. Poul, Maria, and Jay gathered their things and rushed to the boats.
Halfway there, the wall collapsed for the giants, destroyed by a single giant. Poul froze, staring at the giant, which slowly walked toward the wall. More giants appeared behind it.
Poul grabbed Maria's arm, who held Jay's, and they ran.
Jay heard a thunderous noise. Turning, he saw a giant approaching. Each step made his heart pound faster.
Suddenly, the giant lunged, and Jay felt something pull his arm. His mother pushed him back, her lips moving, trembling:
"I… love you."
The giant struck, nearly breaking her arm in two, her ribs piercing her organs. She was thrown with immense force against a wall. Blood flowed over her head, her vision turning red. Weakly, she said:
"Go… survive for me—"
Before finishing, the giant struck again, then grabbed her body.
Poul was furious. He almost went to fight but had to get his son to the boat.
"Ma… MOM!" Tears filled his eyes.
No, I can't lose my mother again… not again, memories flooded his mind.
Poul ran, reaching the boat, holding his five-year-old son, who laughed as tears streamed down his face.
A mysterious voice consoled him:
"It's okay, love, it's okay. She is with the gods. Don't worry. She's happy you're safe."
As she spoke, she embraced him. He accepted the comfort and cried.
Poul also embraced him, voice trembling:
"The fault was mine… not yours. I was weak… forgive me, son. If I were stronger, I could have protected your mother. Damn, why am I so weak I couldn't protect my wife?!"
The ship sailed away. The King of the Wall watched, dodging anti-giant projectiles. He felt a faint aura at a distance and ran toward it.
Nearby, a giant sat by a calm lake, fishing, with a rusty sword beside him. The King of the Wall approached, drawing his sword.
The giant blocked the attack, surprised by his speed.
With a proud smile, eyes showing superiority, the giant said:
"Look, a wild giant… interesting." — Cobel looked at the King of the Wall.