The Valein was the first race the System brought. They were skinny but smart creatures whose bodies were completely white, with one exception, their purple eyes. They received the same mission and were given powers. The System didn’t explain much, but after using their knowledge and exploring, they discovered the worlds of the System were filled with all kinds of creatures.

They were able to replicate part of their powerful technology and travel across the worlds of the System. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get back to their original home, no matter how hard they tried.

Their belief was that the System chose them because they were the most advanced race it could take to fight against the Ouroboros. They conquered a lot of worlds and founded an empire.

Despite their new powers and technology, the Ouroboros was too strong for them, and it continued to devour world after world. The Valein Empire was not enough.

The System decided to bring another race to help. The first era ended, and the race of the Tolgar welcomed the second one.

They are much larger and stronger than the valein, who called them red devils. They conquered everything in their sight, and with the powers of the System they waged war against the Valein Empire for thousands of years. Both races fought each other and tried to defeat the Ouroboros, but they were still too weak. They made a truce for a while, but more worlds were lost.

The second era ended with more bloodshed and defeats. The third era began with a new race being brought into the fray. The Rak.

They were shadows that could change shape and form at will. They didn’t have powerful technology like the Valein or the brute strength of the Tolgar, but their keen senses for cunning and using everything to their advantage made them a powerful faction.

They agreed to join the truce with the other races, but during a battle against the Ouroboros, they betrayed them and killed some of their leaders. The world was devoured, and war broke out between the three races.

With more worlds lost and the races fighting each other instead of the Ouroboros, the System took on another race, the Pix. The fourth era began with the Pix being hunted down and killed by the inhabitants of the worlds and the previous warriors of the System.

Both the Tolgar and the Rak were hostile toward the Pix to prevent another race from joining the war, but the Valein offered peace and cooperation. The Pix became official members of the Valein Empire and learned about the history of the System and their predecessors.

***

"That’s mostly the history of the worlds. I was there when we allied with the valein leader. They taught us a lot about how to use our powers, how to travel between the worlds, and other things." Cink was looking at the ceiling, but his eyes were watching beyond into the sky, lost in memories of the past.

No one wanted to interrupt him, except for one person.

"Are the pix still allies of the valein now? How do you travel between worlds? Can we join the Empire?" Silas wanted to know more. There was no guarantee that Cink wasn’t lying, but it would still have some useful information mixed in with the lies.

"I can answer that. The Valein Empire traveled the worlds using some type of gate they made with technology. Sadly, the gate we used to come here was destroyed during a tolgar attack a little more than a thousand years ago. We haven’t been in contact with the Empire since then."

"You haven't talked with them in 1,000 years. Then you don’t know if the Empire is still active?"

"Oh, they are still fine. They wouldn’t perish in such a short amount of time unless the Ouroboros killed them all, which is very unlikely. This was a small colony, so we’re on their low priority list."

"Can I ask you something?" Emily interrupted them.

"Go ahead."

"Why are the plants so hostile to the System. If they live here, doesn’t that mean they were created by the System?"

"In a way, that’s correct and wrong at the same time. They were born in the world of the System, but the Bors just came to exist naturally, at least according to them. They are the manifestation of the forest and its guardians."

"But the one you saw us fight talked to us like we were a pest. especially when he saw my body. Are all the Bors like that?"

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"I can imagine he will react aggressively to your presence. I must admit, I haven’t seen someone like you before, but you have to see things from their perspective. They used to rule these lands until several strange creatures came and tried to take their land or enslave them if they resisted. Valein, tolgar, and rak, all of them were hostile or tried to subdue the Bors and their way of life. By the time we arrived, they were sick of invaders."

"So, the Valein aren’t completely pacifist then. Good to know." Silas said. He had to be careful when interacting with other races.

"I never said they were. Most pix accepted and joined the Empire, but that required us to abandon a lot of our traditions and customs. The valein think their way of life is the best. If you can’t conform, they will just force it on you, by word or sword."

A silence fell on all the members of Dawn. They took their time to process everything till now and formulate questions, but Cink was the first one to make an offer.

"I think that should be enough for today. I want to move on to the reason I'm calling you to our humble village. Humans, are you interested in making an alliance?"

"I assume you mean with you and your tribe, not including the Valein Empire."

"Correct, there is no need to involve those who aren’t present. I can give you a place to stay safe and part of the resources. I can also help you develop your power and identify your class."

"It is a good offer, but what do you want from us?"

"I just want to have more allies with powers. The arrival of your species is the beginning of the fifth era. Changes are about to occur in all the worlds. I want to start our relationship on good terms."

"There has to be more than that old man. You must want something more."

"That depends on whether you take my offer. I won’t force you, but I can’t tell you everything. I need something to gain trust."

"Same here. Can we have a moment to discuss it?"

"Take all night; it is already late. You can stay here, and tomorrow morning tell me your decision." Cink stood up and ordered the attendants to give them beds to sleep in.

After Emily made sure there was no one spying, they talked about the offer. "We should be fine, but we don’t know his power, so please refrain from talking about our abilities and skills."

"Are we going to trust everything he says?"

"It's not like we have anything to contradict him, partner."

"B-but if he asks us to do something bad. Maybe he wants us because he saw we could kill the plant creatures, and he’s planning to make us kill each other." Rebecca was scared about the possibilities, but Franco explained his theory.

"I think he’s planning to make us fight, but not the Bors or whatever they are called. My gut is telling me this whole tribe is in the middle of some fight."

"Y-You mean like war?"

"Yeah, the way they moved and the guards around the village made it clear they weren’t expecting animals, but it looked like they were preparing for others like them. Emily, can you confirm if the houses on the border were attacked by weapons?"

"I did. A part in the southeast is abandoned. There are arrows and some weapons discarded. You’re probably right; another group is attacking them, and he wants us to join his side."

"If that’s the case, fighting with another party could be dangerous, but depending on his power or gear, making him our enemy is also bad. We should at the very least gain his favor. Let’s vote to side with him, but we won’t join in any fight unless we see his power."

They all agreed to at least listen to more about what Cink and his tribe could offer. The next day, they told them their decision, with Silas acting as the representative.

"We agree to enter into an alliance with your tribe, but we won’t fight anyone unless you show us how much power this tribe has."

"Sounds fair. I don't have anything to hide, but I can guarantee that joining our side is best for your group."

"Guild, you need to show us something so we can believe you."

"Would you like to know what class you are?"

"Is that your power?"

"No, but we need to do it in a place that’s close by. I’m sure you don’t want others to peek. I'll also learn more about your guild this way."

He agreed, and Cink took them to a small cascade. "There is a cave behind the cascade that goes deeper, but it only has one exit. This way, the two of us can talk freely. You can enter one at a time, and I’ll tell you your class and a little information about it."

"Why can’t we go all together? Kinda sketchy." Nathan raised his eyes, but Cink replied in an instant.

"Come on, even one of you is enough to kill me. I need a chance to live. I’m not that strong." He scratched the back of his head with a silly tone, but he was making sense.

"Fine, I’ll go first. If we don’t come back in ten minutes, you’ll know something is up." Silas volunteered. He followed Cink behind the cascade, and they descended using a stair made of rocks, all the way to the bottom, where only a small torch in the wall served as illumination.

"Aren’t you scared?"

"Why are you asking me that now?"

"You look the type to always think the worst of others. I wasn’t expecting you to volunteer as the sacrifice, hahaha."

"Sorry to say, but I’m one of the weakest in the guild. If I die here, I’m sure the others could wipe out this whole village."

"How confident, but you shouldn't be so ready to throw your life away only to gain information." He clapped once, and a chest appeared in the middle of the air.

How did he do it? A skill, or maybe a hidden inventory?

"I may be weak compared to so many others, but I have a couple of aces up my sleeve like this one." He opened the chest and took a small bell from it. The roots, being controlled by Emily, stopped responding with a single sound of the bell.

She lost them for a moment. There was a small sphere where she last felt their presence, but now it was a void.

Silas couldn’t help but smile, seeing that his opponent had taken precautions. Cink’s display of caution was already winning him over. "Nice job, old man. Are you killing me or telling me my class?" Sweat dripped down his back as he spoke.

"Hehehe, don’t worry, is a bell that cancels powers or skills to spy on us. In this circle, no one would know what we were saying. Now to see your class, I need to use another of my relics." He took out something that looked like a card.

"Silas, please use your power against this." He threw it at the ground, and a white creature appeared.