The lost civilization of the past.

Before The Dark Ages, three species coexisted in harmony.

The humans, the elves, and the dwarves.

There was no hostility, no discrimination, and no war among them.

United by a shared purpose, they worked together to achieve spectacular technological and magical advancements, creating wonders that elevated their civilization to unprecedented heights.

Their research was dedicated solely to the betterment of society. Poverty, environmental degradation, and educational inequality were all things of the past. They conquered the land, the seas, and even the skies in the name of progress.

High-speed railways spanned the continent, while sea and airships facilitated trade and transportation. They even developed miniature teleportation devices, far more compact and efficient than the larger models employed by the modern-day SIN organization, capable of transporting individuals over great distances.

Advanced mechs roamed the lands, not as instruments of war but as helpers in agriculture, construction, and various industries. Skyscrapers that seemed to block out the sun with their sheer size towered over cities larger than anything the modern nations could ever imagine.

This was a civilization that had truly mastered the continent.

Their grand goal was simple: prosperity for all.

The creation of the perfect utopia.

But even this utopia had its limits.

As their civilization expanded and thrived, Illustria, their home, began to feel too small. There was no longer enough land to build the vast megacities or industrial zones needed to extract and produce more resources.

Overcrowding became the greatest issue, an ironic consequence of their perfection. The population had boomed to an unsustainable degree, and while the general public remained blissfully unaware, those in power understood the gravity of the problem.

To solve it, they convened the brightest minds from every corner of the continent to discuss solutions. Many ideas were proposed, but most were dismissed due to unpredictability and concerns over safety. However, one idea garnered unanimous support.

Their civilization had already conquered the lands, the seas, and the skies. But there was one frontier left untouched, one they had yet to master.

The dream of outer space—the vast, uncharted frontier beyond the world of Illustria—was irresistible to the minds of this once-great civilization. Most people at the time, and even today, would consider such a venture impossible. But for the humans, elves, and dwarves of that era, the opportunity was too good to pass up.

The prospect of infinite space, unclaimed by anyone, could allow their civilization to expand far beyond the limitations of their world. They envisioned an era unlike anything they had ever seen—an era that should have become known as The Golden Age.

Oh, how they dreamed. But those dreams quickly began to crumble as they confronted the monumental challenges standing between them and the stars. The very notion of reaching outer space presented issues that no one had ever solved, problems that were almost insurmountable.

The first step was secrecy. A project of this magnitude had to be kept far from the prying eyes of the public. So, they established a research base, hidden beneath a remote shrine, deep in the largest and densest forest on the entire continent, The Eldaron Forest.

This would be the home of the joint project, a collaboration between the three species focused solely on overcoming the obstacles to space exploration.

The first challenge was perhaps the greatest of them all: breaking through the planet atmosphere. Before they could think about operations in outer space, they needed to find a new method of propulsion powerful enough to escape the gravitational pull of Illustria.

All of their existing machinery and transportation systems were powered by refined mana stones. These stones functioned like mana engines—similar to the one inside a human heart, but on a much larger scale.

Normally, they were more than sufficient, powering everything from massive airships to ground-based industrial machines. But for space travel, the existing refined mana stones were inadequate.

To escape the planet’s gravity, the mana stone would need to generate a massive amount of thrust. However, simply adding more mana stones, or increasing their size, would make the vessel too heavy to launch. In other words, it was an impossible task with their current technology.

They recognized two critical problems:

The first is insufficient thrust. The engine could not output enough energy to create enough thrust and overcome the gravitational force of the planet.

The second is rapid energy depletion. Even if they could solve the thrust problem, the refined mana stones would drain their stored mana far too quickly. Mana stones functioned as both an engine and a storage unit for mana, but once depleted, there was no way to replenish them in-flight. If the mana ran out mid-flight, the spacecraft would plummet back to the surface.

Despite the ingenuity of their civilization, it seemed like this project was beyond their reach. They needed a radical solution, something entirely new. But giving up wasn’t in their nature. They began exploring alternatives—ways to unlock a new kind of power that could defy gravity itself and open the door to the stars.

The solution was bold—perhaps even reckless—but it was a stroke of genius. The researchers theorized: Why not kill two birds with one stone?

Mana, the essence of life and magic, was abundant in the world of Illustria. It flowed through the skies, soaked into the earth, and filled the seas. Every living being, save for a rare few, carried mana within them. If mana was everywhere, why not draw directly from it, tapping into this infinite source of energy?

Their grand idea was to create a new kind of engine—an engine capable of detecting and absorbing ambient mana from the world around it. This engine would constantly replenish the mana stone while in flight, providing perpetual motion, an energy cycle that could power the transportation indefinitely.

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Theoretically, this engine could generate a burst of energy, just enough for a single thrust to break through the atmosphere while still recovering mana reserves along the way.

If they succeeded, it wouldn’t just revolutionize space travel. It would change everything. Cities could float above the clouds, suspended by mana-powered reactors drawing from the very air. Underwater civilizations could thrive, with entire metropolises submerged beneath the oceans. Power plants could generate limitless energy by tapping directly into the mana-rich environment. The possibilities were endless.

For the first time in a long time, the researchers’ passions were reignited. This wasn’t just about solving overcrowding or finding new resources—it was about creating a future unlike anything anyone had ever imagined. A future where their civilization could truly thrive, with the boundless potential of mana at their fingertips.

With their goal set, they embarked on a monumental task. They designed the first prototype of their new engine—one that could draw in mana and sustain a perpetual cycle of energy. But it wasn’t just the engine that was revolutionary.

For the first time, they constructed a new kind of mech designed to withstand the extreme conditions of outer space. A mecha capable of conventional and space flight, resilient enough to survive the vacuum and radiation beyond Illustria’s atmosphere.

This was the hidden piece of history that had been lost for over a millennium. The culmination of the combined knowledge and dreams of humans, elves, and dwarves.

An advanced engine, a mecha built for space, all locked away in this research base, forgotten under the fallen shrine.

And now, after all this time, it waited to be uncovered—by someone bold enough, or perhaps destined, to find it.

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The room was just as Ren remembered it from the game—a massive hangar-like space filled with long-abandoned engineering tools and machinery. Dust coated every surface, a silent testament to the ages that had passed since anyone last set foot here. But something was wrong.

This was supposed to be the location of the hidden item, a treasure that players could discover: a humanoid mecha, smaller than the modern-day mechs but faster, more agile, and constructed from materials so advanced they could withstand the harshest conditions—even the vacuum of space.

But instead of the fully assembled prototype, all Ren found were scattered, unassembled parts. His heart sank.

"No... this can’t be right," he muttered, pacing the room as he tried to make sense of the scene. "The prototype should’ve been intact!"

He scanned the area, desperately hoping he’d overlooked something, but the reality was undeniable. The mecha he sought was never completed. The researchers had evacuated before they could finish their masterpiece.

"What happened to make them leave so suddenly? And why leave something this valuable behind?" Ren mused, frustration lacing his voice.

Sighing, he continued to search the room for clues. Eventually, he stumbled upon a cluttered table covered in dusty papers. Among the debris, he found the schematics for the mecha—blueprints so detailed, they outlined every component with meticulous precision. The materials were the same as those used to construct the shrine, likely chosen to ensure the prototype schematics would survive the passage of time.

Ren examined the schematics but quickly realized the complexity was far beyond his comprehension.

"This... is way out of my league," he muttered with a bitter chuckle. Still, the level of detail was awe-inspiring, a clear indication of the brilliance behind the project.

Among the scattered notes, he managed to salvage a few that were still legible, though most had degraded over time. Ren squinted at the faded ink, trying to decipher the fragmented words.

“Evacuated… capital… massive casualties… skies… split…”

The notes mentioned a massive attack on the ancient capital, with heavy casualties and evacuations. But two words stood out, confusing Ren: skies split.

“The skies split? What does that even mean?” Ren murmured, puzzled. "Surely they don’t mean that literally, right?"

From the game's lore, Ren remembered that the base was attacked by an unknown enemy, but there was no mention of an assault on the capital, let alone the skies splitting.

"The base was supposed to be attacked, but this... this is new. Why was there no mention of this in the game?"

He scratched his head, growing increasingly frustrated. The more he learned, the less sense it all made. Could the same enemy have attacked both the base and the capital? And if so, why had the researchers in this world managed to escape, when in the game they hadn't?

"Ugh, it's all too confusing," Ren grumbled, rubbing his temples.

Deciding to shift focus, Ren moved to inspect the mecha parts themselves. The metal was the same as that of the shrine, but lighter and much stronger. "Definitely combat-grade," he murmured, running his hand along the smooth, cold surface. "This thing could really go to space..."

From the looks of it, the main components were intact, but the researchers had never completed assembling them into the full prototype.

"They must have evacuated in such a hurry that they left their greatest creation behind," Ren thought as he continued surveying the room.

Ren then gathered the schematics and notes to carry it with the origin metal just so he could inspect it again when he disappeared.

For the next hour, he wandered through the massive hangar, searching for more clues. But all he found were old gears, rusting machinery, and more degraded, unreadable notes.

Disappointed, Ren slumped onto the ground. He had come all this way, only to find a pile of unassembled parts. "I really wanted that mecha," he sighed to himself. Piloting one had been a childhood dream, just like it was for many kids.

"Who doesn’t want to ride a giant robot!?" Ren shouted.

He then stared at the unassembled parts, trying desperately to find a solution to this predicament. That mecha could have been his fastest way out of the forest, but now it all seemed impossible.

“I think someone up there really wants me to suffer in this world,” Ren sighed in frustration. “It’s like something is purposely making this journey harder than it should be.”

His body ached from the long journey, but Ren refused to give up. He kept searching his mind for any idea that could help. Sitting there, staring at the mecha parts and the dusty blueprints, a wild thought began to take shape. His gaze shifted to the Origin Metal wrapped around his body.

"What if..." he whispered, barely daring to hope. He leaned forward, eyes locked on the metal. "Could you... assemble this thing? Follow the schematics?"

The metal pulsed slightly, responding to his call.

"Is that a yes?" Ren muttered, unsure if he was going crazy. But with no other options, he decided to take the risk. "Alright, let’s do this."

Standing up, he brought the schematics closer, giving them one last look. He chuckled to himself. “This is insane. I don’t even understand half of these terms.”

But the Origin Metal seemed to react to the schematics, moving as if it understood. From Ren’s arm, the metal surged toward the blueprint, enveloping it, devouring it into its form.

“I really hope you know what you’re doing because those schematics were the only ones we had,” Ren muttered, holding onto a sliver of hope.

Moments later, the metal stopped moving and began reacting to the scattered parts of the mecha.

"Whoa, okay… does that mean you're ready?" Ren asked, a glimmer of excitement creeping into his voice.

The metal continued to react, rippling toward the parts.

"I’ll take that as a yes." He exhaled deeply, steadying himself.

He stood before the disassembled parts, pressing the timer and extending his hand. With sheer determination, Ren commanded the Origin Metal to gather them. Like liquid, the metal expanded, wrapping itself around the parts and pulling them together. Ren kept his gaze on the metal, focusing all his energy as he directed it to follow the schematics.

The Origin Metal obeyed, swirling around the components and forming new connections wherever parts were missing or damaged. It worked with precision, guided by Ren’s mind, reconstructing the mecha piece by piece. But the process was taking its toll. Sweat dripped from Ren’s forehead, and a sharp headache began to build.

“Just... a little more," he gritted out, refusing to quit.

Images of the schematics flooded his mind, overwhelming him with knowledge. The influx of information was like a tidal wave, pushing his brain to its limits.

Seconds dragged on. Every moment became more painful than the last. Ren’s vision blurred, and his head felt like it was splitting apart, but he couldn’t stop. "Almost... there..." he whispered, his voice strained from the effort. The mecha was nearly complete. Just a few more pieces...

With one final push of willpower, Ren finished the construction. The mecha stood before him, fully formed and operational, but Ren could barely see it through his exhaustion. His body had reached its limit. With one last glance at the magnificent creation, Ren collapsed onto the cold, hard floor, unconscious.