Ten thousand days have passed since the sudden appearance of the great Witch, who brought chaos upon our goblin captors and released us from our toil, where we worked to death in the mines and icy caves. The bravest among us followed the robed figure as they dove deeper into the heart of the planet. We do not know their final fate, for they did not return to tell us. However, some hope that the Witch took them with them to the site of their final miracle.
As our forefathers made their escape from those accursed caves, they captured in coal the ruins of the holy mounts that the Witch had made use of. Their power has left them, but their history has been preserved. Two days after our predecessors made it to the surface, they began constructing a new home for themselves, far away from the goblin strugglers. These goblins had been reduced from their former glory as rulers of the underground to disjointed gangs of dangerous thugs by the magical might of the Witch.
Then, the miracle happened. For a moment, the sky turned golden before the clouds opened, and pure gold rained down upon us. This occurred before the memorial of the Witch struck the ground, creating a crater that remains to this day. Upon it, in letters of pure solid gold, their achievements were written. The Witch both broke the peace with the gods and renegotiated their benevolence.
It described the fight against the mighty slumbering dragon and Kolmisilmä, who guarded the key to the miracle of gold we still enjoy today. More tales of acts we have yet to fully understand have been included, along with drawings that give us some idea of how to survive in our hostile world without our savior.
One such tale speaks of when the blessings of the gods will infuse the great pillar tree, allowing our most ingenious travelers to reach the center of the hanging village, to follow the Witch's example and explore the depths of magic one day at a time—every 365 days.
The writings have also spoken of the realm of the gods, high above, between the monster-infested skies. One could seek the ultimate knowledge of the gods to be bargained with gold for such spells. In the nearly 30 cycles since the disappearance of the Witch, none have succeeded in going to the heavens to confirm such myths.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
The memorial also spoke of magical wands. Those have been found and brought under the safe keeping of the families that became the original rulers of our society. One thing that seems to have improved since the time of the Witch is humanity's ability to channel magic on their own. Anyone can pick up a wand and channel its magic, but only true wizards can tinker with its inner workings.
It has been discovered that, ten cycles after the miracle, one can channel the inner power of their mind through a spell to cast it or, under the blessing of the gods, inscribe a working onto their mind. The size and number of such magic vary between individuals. Another discovery after the time of the Witch has been the rediscovery of boons. Originally, one could receive a boon from the gods in the holy mountains, but after their destruction and the sealing of the caves, the possibility was considered impossible.
However, such assumptions were proven wrong five cycles ago when the first hermits returned from their self-isolation, learning the nature of magic. None of them could agree upon the nature of magic, as their views were contradictory at times. However, their boons proved that they discovered something, and people began to flock around these scholars, validating their theories partially when others received their own boons similar to their masters.
The subject is still hotly debated, especially after the original master of fire went on to study under the master of lightning. Most wizards above the age of 20 could reach at least the level of their master's boon in a cycle or two, but even though the master of fire is a proven genius, even two whole cycles under the master of lightning are insufficient for achieving a second boon.
Life has not been simple. The goblin hordes did not remain weak forever, and as the cycles went on, the monsters from the old caves reappeared. Common wisdom theorizes that their thirst for our people's flesh has carried them through kilometer-long caves in complete darkness to the surface. For now, our leaders have found some reason with goblin packs, and we were able to fight back the monsters with our combined magical might.
However, the Witch's memorial speaks of much greater horrors that lie underground. Our people must rediscover the Witch's wisdom to survive and maybe even thrive. Thus, every cycle, more and more people seek knowledge, searching the sealed underground caves or any other answers that could provide us safety. Many do not come back; some who do are scared forever, babbling about metal caves unmentioned in the memorial, containing men of steel and lightning. Others return afflicted by malignant magical essence that spontaneously releases itself. Usually, those unfortunate enough to discover such essences are swiftly snuffed out by their own power.