A week has passed since I came here.
And in that time, I've done everything I could to avoid looking like a complete country bumpkin.
So I read.
Old records, war reports, trade logs. Even half-rotted scrolls that barely held together when I touched them. If I was going to survive in this world—no, if I was going to lead, then I needed to understand it.
Encantadia wasn't just some fantasy land. It was a world divided by power.
Lireo is strong, still ruled by Queen Amihan. Hathoria remains a dangerous power, led by Hagorn, whose ambition and cunning have only grown with the years. As for Adamya, it lies within the protection of Lireo and Sapiro… Sapiro has been devastated by the war. Its cities lie in rubble, its people scattered across Encantadia. That's why the price for their services is so high—the few Sapiryans willing and able to work are stretched thin, and their skills, particularly with the earth and construction, are in such demand that only the wealthiest can afford them.
From what I gathered, a ceasefire had been established. One of the Sang'gres, Pirena—had reconciled with her sister. That alone was enough to shake the entire balance of power.
Even more surprising… Queen Amihan was pregnant. A future heir and symbol of hope.
Encantadia, for the first time in a long while, was beginning to breathe again.
"…Must be nice," I muttered, closing the worn book in my hands.
Because here in Eldrinor?
We were barely surviving.
I leaned back in the chair, staring up at the cracked ceiling of the library.
Five hundred thirty-four people.
That's all we had.
One hundred three children. Eighty-four elderly. That left only three hundred forty-seven people who could actually work.
And even they were stretched thin.
Food was scarce. The land had healed from the curse, yes—but not enough. Crops barely grew, and what little we harvested wasn't enough to sustain everyone. Hunger wasn't a possibility.
It was already here.
Weapons? Almost nonexistent.
Most of what remained were rusted, broken, or too fragile to use and we weren't blacksmiths. We couldn't just make new ones.
Hathoria controlled the weapon trade and they weren't generous. High prices. Heavy taxes. Complete control over supply.
Even if I wanted to buy from them… we didn't have the resources.
Housing wasn't any better. Straw huts, weak structures and no proper foundation.
If we had the money, we could've hired Sapiryans to build proper homes with earth magic but that might as well be a dream.
Everything we needed… we didn't have.
I let out a long breath and covered my eyes with my hand.
"Manpower, food, weapons, shelter…" I muttered. "We're missing everything."
Silence filled the room.
Then slowly… I lowered my hand.
"…well technically not everything."
Because unlike them—
I wasn't originally from this world.
Earth.
The Overworld.
A place without magic… but filled with things this world didn't have.
Technology, mass production, cheap resources and more importantly… Accessibility.
My gaze shifted to the ancient records spread across the table. Among them was one I had read over and over again this past week.
A relic, a forgotten treasure of Eldrinor. A device capable of opening a portal to the Human World.
At first, I thought it was just another myth. But the more I read… the more I realized—
It was real.
And if it worked the way I thought it did…
"…Then this changes everything."
Gold still held value. That much was universal. Eldrinor's treasury wasn't empty. If I could take even a portion of that gold to Earth, I could exchange it.
Convert it into there currency and with that money? I could buy everything we needed.
Food that actually grows fast, tools that make work easier, weapons that don't break after one swing and materials to build real houses.
Not magic nor miracles. Just… things. Things that could save lives.
A slow grin spread across my face. "For once… being from Earth actually helps."
I stood up, the chair scraping softly against the floor.
It was time to act.
The doors of the library swung open with force. Damir was already waiting outside, along with a few others, men and women I had chosen over the past few days. Not the strongest, but the most reliable.
They straightened the moment they saw me.
"Your Majesty?" Damir asked.
I walked past them without stopping. "We're heading to the treasury."
They didn't question it.
The group followed behind me as we made our way through the halls, our footsteps echoing against stone. The deeper we went, the colder the air became, as if the very walls were guarding what lay ahead.
Then we reached it.
The treasury doors. Massive, ancient and still intact.
With a push, they opened. Inside, at the very center of the chamber, stood a stone pedestal.
And atop it was a crystal floated in the air.
Black and white intertwined, swirling endlessly like two forces refusing to separate.
Light and darkness.
My steps slowed as I approached it.
"So this is it…" I murmured.
The gateway between worlds. The answer to everything or the beginning of something far more dangerous.
I reached out and placed my hand on the crystal.