Chapter 15
The tram ride out of Irondale was quiet, the city’s industrial sprawl fading into the background as they neared the western edge.
The further they traveled, the less crowded the cars became until, by the last stop, it was just them and a handful of passengers.
The tram slowed, hissing as it came to a halt at a lonely platform near the outskirts. Beyond the station, the terrain stretched into rolling hills and dense thickets of mana-infused trees.
A faint golden glow shimmered within the bark, a quiet hum of magic thrumming beneath the surface. The land felt alive in a way that was different from the towering cities Eli had seen so far.
Alira stood first, motioning for him to follow. "This is our stop."
Eli stretched as he stepped off, rolling his shoulders. “So, we’re really walking for two days?”
She smirked. “You’re the one who wanted to experience the world.”
Eli groaned but didn’t argue. He glanced back toward the tram as it started its return journey into Irondale.
His HUD pulsed, notifying him that the city’s map data was now stored, but his focus was elsewhere.
“Hey, so, Venya,” he said, watching Alira adjusting the strap on her satchel as they started westward. “She is intense, and her ping said Ruby-tier user and light and illusionist mana. Also, she is part something called ‘The Hidden Blade.’”
Alira glanced at him, “I didn’t hear any questions.”
Eli huffed. “So, what is the history with you two? She seems like a scary political opponent.”
“She always has been.” Alira said.
Alira didn’t immediately answer. The wind stirred the leaves as they walked, a gentle rustling against the quiet.
“I worked with her during the former Monarch’s rule and then the very beginning of the current’s rule. She was always ambitious and good at verbal sparring.” she said finally.
“Venya never lies, but she only ever gives about twenty percent of the truth. She’ll tell you exactly what you need to hear to steer the conversation where she wants it.” Alira said.
Eli exhaled. “I got that from her, but she also seems genuine when she turns it on. Like her spill about not meaning to talk bad about the Arindal, her feeling bad about it, I actually believed that.”
Alira smirked faintly. “Being around the political landscape you start to see the patterns of each of the different type of political player.”
Alira looked at Eli, “I have only been surprised by one person, and that is the current Monarch. Elarion Vaedros.”
“He never seemed to strive to be anything more than a scholar. He never put himself in the political game. He became part of the council and was apprehensive taking the position.” Alira said this with a distant look in her gave.
“But, back to your original question. Venya is a formidable opponent, but she is predictable.”
She looked at Eli, “Now you understand why I left the political world, too many games and too many people playing them.”
They continued in comfortable silence for a while, the rhythmic crunch of their boots against the earth the only sound. Eventually, Eli ran a hand through his hair, sighing.
"Man, this world doesn’t slow down, does it?”
Alira tilted her head slightly. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, it’s been, what, five days since I got sucked into a, what did Lilly call it, Realm Rift?” Eli asked himself.
“Since then, I’ve fought for my life, nearly died. Met the most mysterious person in any realm, she turns into a super mentor. Got a Celestial Mana Guide downloaded into my head. Got to watch a magical compass dissolve into my hand.” Eli looked at his hand when he said that.
“Went on a quest to find a mythical place, that bunches of people on this planet have looked for and never found. Found that. Met a Celestial being that is so powerful they killed the dinosaurs because one of them sneezed or something like that.” Eli didn’t seem to take a breath during the entire review of his new life.
“Lilly the Celestial, yes, that is correct, I am on first name bases with the for mentioned being, she touches me and I became a magical warrior. Got a Celestial AI awakened in my head, that I had to mute because he talks more than I do. Learned to meditated from my super mentor, which thank you again.” Eli nodded his head and Alira nodded back with a small grin.
“Learned I have to fight some galactic battle, learned I have 5 affinities in me. Which turns out to be impossible. Just kidding, I can do it.” Eli ran his hand through his hair.
“Taken multiple mana trains, flew in a mana airship, I did have the great steak and juice ever. I got questioned by a shadowy government official, learned that poop mana exists, and now I’m on a two-day hike to meet some legendary warrior.” He threw his hands up. “Does Caelum ever take a break?”
Alira chuckled softly. “You forgot about almost fighting a group of Monster Guild Guards, missing a tree and punching a bush, and don’t forget you dodged the shadowy government official’s attempt to track you.”
“I have no memory of this elusive tree, but sounded like the bush got what it deserved.” Eli said with a mock indignation.
“I have a good memory; would you like me to retell the event?” Alira asked.
“Nope.” Eli said quickly.
“But back to your original question, No, this world doesn’t slow down, and especially when the Preserver and Reformer are involved.”
Eli groaned. “Cool, it had only been a few hours since my last panic attack over the whole ‘You have to challenge the two scariest beings this side of the void.”
Alira gave him a sympatric grin but didn’t say anything.
They walked on for a few more minutes before Eli glanced over at her. “Mind if I ask you some personal questions?”
Alira gave him a sidelong look. “I suppose you’ve earned that much.”
Eli grinned but hesitated. He hadn’t expected her to agree so easily. "Alright…why do Monarch’s want your opinion? Like, I get that you’re a legend, but you don’t exactly seem like the politician type.”
Alira hummed, considering. “I wasn’t. Not at first.”
Eli waited, sensing there was more.
She continued, “I have been around a long time and seen a lot of things. I have experienced a lot this world has to offer. I have lived in every region this world has and made many contacts throughout each.”
“Not friends?” Eli asked.
“Friends are hard to find when you live for as long as I have. My affinity allows my aging to basically be at a standstill. I am sure I will die one day. And I don’t fear that day.” Alira said.
“But when you outlive many ‘friends’ you stop looking for friends and start making ‘contacts.’ I gave some help here and there and word spread about that. I became… useful. When enough powerful people realize you can resolve conflicts without bloodshed, they start asking you to resolve all of them.”
Eli frowned. “But you don’t do that anymore?”
She shook her head. “No.” she sighed.
In that sigh, Eli heard the many years, decades, even centuries that she had experienced. The life times she has lived, the different lives she has lived.
“I stopped a long time ago. I have seen enough powerful people make decisions that get a lot of good people killed. Then the blame lands on everyone around them.”
“I have seen that play out too many times, and seen good people, or who I had thought were good people, turn their back on the people they are supposed to protect, just for them to hold onto power a little longer.” Alira said this and then took a deep breath.
Eli thought that might be the first time she got to say some of this out loud. He made a note to himself, no matter how powerful you are, you are still only human.
Alira and Eli walked in silence for a few minutes after that. Eli feeling like there was more to the story but he didn’t want to pry. He knew how that felt when someone asked you about wounds that regardless how old, still hurt.
Instead he asked, “Okay. What about you? Like, you, personally. What do you want?”
Alira glanced at him, and for the first time since he met her, there was something almost uncertain in her expression.
Eli shrugged. “I mean, you’ve spent lifetimes helping the world helping people, but what do you want for yourself?”
Alira didn’t answer immediately. She looked ahead, the wind shifting her cloak as she walked.
“…I’m still figuring that out.”
Eli studied her for a moment before nodding. “Fair enough.”
The conversation drifted after that, but something in Alira’s expression lingered in Eli’s mind.
They walked for hours, the sun dipping lower in the sky.
Eli absentmindedly ran through his HUD while they moved, listing out everything new he had stored.
Occasionally, he’d point something out—a unique plant, an unfamiliar mineral formation—and Alira would confirm or correct what he was reading.
At one point, he went through his abilities, double-checking what he actually knew how to use. “I haven’t accidentally punched a hole in anything since the inn. Progress.”
Alira smirked. “Barely.”
Eli continued scrolling. “I still have no idea how to fight properly, though. But Dainen is the guy for that?”
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Alira nodded. “I could train you, but if you want to maximize your potential, you need Dainen.”
Eli glanced at her. “So, what is the deal with him?”
Alira exhaled. “We haven’t spoken in… a long time. Didn’t end on good terms, either.”
Eli’s brows lifted. “That bad?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Just… unresolved, a matter of different approaches to get to the same answer.”
Eli decided not to pry—yet.
Alira continued, “Dainen has always been the type of person who would sit down and have a conversation with his worst enemy just to understand them. But don’t mistake that for softness.” She glanced at Eli, her expression serious. “He might be one of the deadliest people on Caelum.”
Eli let that sit for a moment.
“…Cool, cool, cool. Definitely not terrifying at all.”
Alira smirked, but before she could respond, Eli’s HUD pulsed again.
☰ ALERT: Unstable Mana Zone Detected
☰ Location: 2.3km Radius – Active Distortion Present
Eli frowned. “Uh, Alira? My HUD just pinged something about an unstable mana zone.”
Alira nodded. “I know.”
Eli blinked. “Wait. You knew?”
“I sensed it a few hours ago.”
“…And we’re walking into it?”
Alira sighed. “I checked for alternate routes. Skirting around it would double our travel time.”
Eli groaned. “Of course it would.”
Alira smirked. “Besides, I’m probably the scariest thing here.”
Eli snorted. “You make a very good point.”
The terrain shifted as they moved forward. The air felt different—thicker, charged. Strange distortions flickered at the edges of Eli’s vision, like heat waves in the distance.
Alira slowed her pace, scanning the area. “We need to stop soon.”
Eli exhaled, checking his stamina. “Yeah, I’m down to below 40%.”
Alira nodded, reaching out with her Earth Affinity. The ground pulsed faintly beneath her touch, sending subtle tremors through the terrain. After a moment, she gestured ahead.
“There.”
Eli followed her gaze to a cluster what looked like some overgrown trees on some hills. But looking longer he made out some ruins nestled between the hills. The structures were weathered but intact—enough to provide some actual shelter.
As they neared, Eli squinted. “You sure nothing lives in these?”
Alira smirked. “We’ll find out.”
Eli sighed. “Why do I feel like I’m about to regret this?”
Alira chuckled. “Because you probably will.”
They approached the ruins, the last light of the sun casting long shadows across the stone. Eli had a feeling resting here wouldn’t be as peaceful as they hoped.
The ruins stood like the skeletal remains of a forgotten era, crumbling stone walls interwoven with thick vines, the faint hum of residual mana pulping beneath the surface.
The air was still—too still—like the land itself was holding its breath.
Alira led Eli toward a partially intact structure, its entrance flanked by two weathered stone pillars etched with faded runes. The building had once been a place of gathering. A small meeting hall, maybe a classroom—long abandoned, but still holding traces of its past.
She stepped inside first, scanning the area with a practiced eye. No fresh disturbances, no signs of recent use. The walls were cracked but standing, the ceiling mostly intact.
A row of ancient wooden benches, worn and half-collapsed, lined the sides of the room, facing what had once been a lecturer’s podium.
“This will do,” Alira said, nodding to herself.
Eli, stepping inside, took in the space. “Huh. It kinda looks like my old college lecture hall. Except, y’know… way cooler.” He ran a hand along one of the walls, his HUD flashing to life.
☰ Ruins of Vel’Theras
☰ Formerly: The Academy of Elemental Philosophy
☰ Founded: Approx. 100,000 years ago
☰ Purpose: Training scholars and diplomats in mana theory and political strategy
☰ Notable Figures: Headmaster Jorahn Veyrith – Architect of the First Mana Accords
☰ Current Status: Abandoned due to mana destabilization and regional conflict
☰ Potentially Harmful: No active enchantments detected. Structural integrity: 47%
Eli blinked. 100,000 years?
“Yo,” he said, rubbing the stone as if that would make the numbers make more sense. “Uh, Alira? This place is… old. Like, ancient ancient.”
Alira, who had been in the process of reinforcing the entrance with a few well-placed mana anchors, snapped her gaze toward him. “What?”
Eli wiggled his fingers. “HUD stuff. Just gave me a full history rundown.”
Alira stared at him. Then at the wall. Then back at him. Her mind immediately started racing.
“…Eli,” she said slowly, stepping closer, “you’re telling me that simply touching this wall gave you historical data about this place?”
Eli shrugged. “Yup.”
Alira’s eyes narrowed. “What else?”
Eli frowned, scrolling through the HUD details again. “It says this place was built for scholars and diplomats—like, an old-world think tank for mana governance. And some guy named Jorahn Veyrith was in charge.”
Alira went completely still.
“…Jorahn Veyrith?” she repeated, her tone suddenly unreadable.
Eli nodded. “Yeah, the HUD calls him the Architect of the First Mana Accords.”
Alira inhaled sharply. That name was not one she had expected to hear.
Jorahn Veyrith. A name that had been lost to time.
He had been one of the first recorded figures in Caelum’s history, a man who had tried to create a unified system of mana laws before the modern nations had even formed. He had been both revered and feared, depending on which side of history one stood on.
And then, he had disappeared.
Records of him had faded long before even Alira’s time. She had encountered his name only in fragmented texts, old stories passed down by scholars who still debated whether he had been a visionary or a tyrant.
Yet here Eli was, casually reading his name off his HUD.
Alira exhaled slowly. She needed to test something.
“Touch something else.”
Eli blinked. “Uh, okay?” He stepped toward the remains of the podium at the front of the room, placing a hand on the stone surface. His HUD flickered.
☰ Lecturer’s Podium – Academy of Vel’Theras
☰ Material: Mana-Carved Obsidian
☰ Purpose: Amplification Node for Mana Projection
☰ Historical Significance: Used in lectures and official debates on inter-regional mana law
☰ Final Recorded Use: 98,742 Years Ago
Eli whistled. “Damn. This thing hasn’t been used in almost ninety-nine thousand years.”
Alira didn’t react immediately. Her mind was already spinning with implications.
If Eli could do this, if his HUD could access history like this…
“…Alira?” Eli waved a hand in front of her face.
Alira blinked, focusing on him again. “You have no idea how valuable that ability is.”
Eli sighed dramatically. “Oh no, am I about to become a research project?”
Alira smirked. “The thought had crossed my mind.”
Eli groaned, rubbing his temples. “Great. Next thing I know, you’re gonna have me touching old artifacts just to see what secrets they spill.”
Alira tilted her head slightly. “That’s… not a bad idea.”
Eli immediately regretted saying anything. “You did warn me that people could try to use me for their own ambitions.”
He flopped onto one of the old benches, rubbing his hands over his face. “Man, this really makes you think, though.”
Alira arched an eyebrow. “About?”
Eli gestured vaguely at the ruins. “History. Like, we think we know what happened in the past, but how much of it is just… someone’s version of events? How much got erased? How much got rewritten to make the winners look good?”
Alira was silent.
Eli leaned forward, tapping his fingers against his knee. “I mean, take this place. Maybe it really was a school, or maybe it was something else entirely. Maybe Veyrith wasn’t some enlightened scholar but some kinda power-hungry manipulator who got written out of history when he lost. We only know what we’re allowed to know, right?”
Alira studied him. He had an unsettling point.
He wasn’t just reading what his HUD gave him—he was questioning it.
That… was interesting.
Alira exhaled, leaning back slightly. “History is shaped by those who survive it. It’s rarely told in full.”
Eli nodded. “Right? So, like… what if the biggest discoveries aren’t the things people wrote down but the things they tried to erase?”
Alira hummed, resting her chin on her knuckles. “You have an interesting mind, Eli.”
Eli smirked. “I contain a multitude of interesting thoughts. Like Eli’s Mana Beans: Brewed for Adventure!”
Alira rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t deny it. For all his ridiculousness, Eli saw things differently. He wasn’t bound by Caelum’s history, wasn’t tied to any political faction, and wasn’t afraid to question what was presented as fact.
That, she realized, could be extremely dangerous.
And yet…
It was also refreshing.
Alira let out a slow breath. “You should get some rest.”
Eli stretched. “Yeah, yeah. But just so you know, if something in these ruins tries to kill us, I will be saying ‘I told you so.’”
Alira smirked, standing. “Then I look forward to proving you wrong.”
The ruins remained silent around them, but as the night settled in, Alira couldn’t shake the feeling that history was stirring again.
The night air was cool, the ruins quiet except for the distant sounds of nocturnal creatures shifting in the underbrush. Eli had just finished wiping the last bit of dust from one of the ancient stone benches when Alira’s posture shifted slightly.
She went still.
Eli recognized the look immediately. “What?”
“Something’s coming,” she said, her voice calm but firm. “Small. Copper-tier. About seventy meters out.”
Eli’s stomach clenched, but there was no panic in Alira’s tone. No immediate need for alarm. She was tracking it, reading its movements, deciding something.
She glanced at him. “Do you want to take it?”
Eli blinked. “Wait—me?”
“You need practice,” she said simply. “And I’m right here if things go wrong.”
Eli swallowed but nodded. “Alright.”
His HUD pulsed to life.
☰ Entity: Rotfang Stalker
☰ Tier: Copper
☰ Base Species: Forest Lynx
☰ Affinities: Elemental
☰ Minor Mutation
☰ Abilities: Stealth, Bone-Spike Pounce
☰ Weaknesses: Fire, Direct Impact Damage
☰ Current Health: 320/320
The Rotfang Stalker. A monster formed from what was once a Forest Lynx, its body twisted by mana corruption. The HUD displayed an image of what the creature used to be—a sleek, predatory feline.
But whatever was approaching them now was not that.
Alira gestured toward the clearing outside the ruins. “Take position. Feel for it.”
Eli tensed, inhaling sharply as he focused. He couldn’t sense mana like Alira, but his HUD gave him a directional indicator—the creature was closing in fast.
Eli looked at his abilities and figured he would try Meteor Dash,
40 meters.
The brush near the tree line rustled.
30 meters.
Eli’s fingers twitched. He could feel the slight buzz of energy running through his muscles, the potential of his Meteor Dash coiling in his limbs like a spring.
20 meters.
A pair of glowing yellow eyes flickered in the darkness.
10 meters.
Eli exhaled sharply. Now or never.
He launched forward.
[Meteor Dash]
🔹 Mana Cost: -15
🔹 Stamina Cost: -5
🔹 Cooldown: 8 seconds
🔹 Effect: A high-speed burst that increases momentum-based impact damage.
🔹 Speed Increase: +35% for the duration
🔹 Impact Force Boost: +20%
🛈 Momentum detected. Adjusting balance compensation…
⚠ Caution: Rapid acceleration may reduce reaction time.
The instant he triggered it, time stretched.
His body felt like it was sinking into a different state, like stepping into deep water.
Every sensation sharpened—his breath, the tension in his legs, the heat of raw power coiling in his muscles.
The world around him lost its motion but gained detail.
The rustling of the grass became a wave of individual stalks bending in the wind.
The glow of the Rotfang’s eyes became two burning lanterns in the dark.
The creature’s leap—once a blur—was now a frame-by-frame movement.
Eli could see the exact moment its claws flexed, the way its back legs coiled like springs.
And in that frozen breath of time, he moved.
The world snapped forward as he shot off the ground, Meteor Dash turning his body into a living projectile. The force roared through his bones, his momentum a second heartbeat slamming into his chest.
The impact was instantaneous.
For a fraction of a second, there was resistance.
Then—
Boom.
The Rotfang exploded.
A visceral, wet detonation of bone, muscle, and dark mana ruptured outward. A wave of heat, fluid, and fur slammed into Eli’s body like a sludge-filled storm.
The force of it rocked him back, his boots skidding across the dirt.
For a moment, all was still.
Then—
“OH MY GOD.”
He practically screamed, flailing his arms. “WHAT THE HELL?! WHY DID IT EXPLODE?!”
Alira, who had been watching completely unimpressed, just crossed her arms. “You hit it too hard.”
Eli whipped around. “That’s a thing?!”
She smirked. “Apparently.”
Eli gagged. There were bits of fur, bone shards, and unidentifiable organs sticking to his clothes. “This is disgusting! No one ever talks about this part in the movies! You kill a monster, and it’s just supposed to drop loot, not—THIS.”
Alira chuckled. “Welcome to real life combat.”
Before Eli could respond, his HUD pinged again.
☰ YOU HAVE DEFEATED: ROTFANG STALKER
XP GAINED – ROTFANG STALKER DEFEATED
🔹 Base XP (Copper-Tier Monster): +6 XP
🔹 Copper vs. Copper Multiplier: +0 XP (Same Tier)
🔹 Ability Bonus (Meteor Dash – Single Strike Kill): +2 XP
🔹 Total XP Gained: +8 XP
☰ Would you like to loot the remains? [Yes] / [No]
Eli, still dripping in Rotfang entrails, stared at the prompt. “Oh, NOW you ask?”
He sighed, reluctantly selecting Yes.
The air around him shifted, and in an instant, the mangled remains of the Rotfang Stalker vanished. In its place, several neatly arranged items appeared in his inventory.
☰ Loot Acquired:
☰ Copper Coins (x12) – Standard monster drop currency
☰ Silver Coin (x1) – Uncommon find
☰ Rotfang Pelt – Perfectly skinned and tanned. Suitable for crafting.
☰ Rotfang Meat – Fresh. Inventory storage prevents decay.
Eli squinted at the list. “Wait. How the hell is the pelt perfectly skinned? And why is the meat fresh? That thing just turned into a gore explosion two seconds ago!”
Alira peered over his shoulder, frowning. “That… is not normal.”
Eli threw up his hands. “Great! Cool! More weird HUD stuff that makes no sense!”
Alira hummed, folding her arms. “Some monsters drop rare items, but not like this. There’s always some decay, some inconsistency. Your HUD… is altering how drops work.”
Eli wiped a chunk of something off his sleeve with a look of pure disgust. “So, what, it’s giving me a ‘courtesy clean-up’?”
Alira shook her head. “No. It’s doing something deliberate. As if it’s… translating the system into something you would expect.”
Eli hesitated. “Like a game mechanic?”
Alira gave him a long, unreadable look. “Perhaps.”
Eli exhaled, rubbing his face. His brain hurt.
Alira, however, was deep in thought.
She had seen almost everything this world had to offer.
And then Eli fell out of the sky… and shattered every rule she thought she understood.