Vallynor, casting aside all thoughts, began to reminisce about his childhood, which was already in turmoil, filled with false illusions. He remembered how he used to go to the forest for barbecues with his parents and relatives, how he played with friends, hunted rabbits and birds. He recalled a satanic ritual he conducted with a cult, where a fat deputy trying to escape the country became the victim. He remembered being pursued, but in the end, he destroyed them all, then made a huge circle from the pieces of their bodies. That was the time when he became famous among the cult circles.

While Vallynor remembered everything related to nature and the forest, a weak coughing sound made him stop and listen carefully.

This feeling was similar to a tingling sensation, but it didn't bring discomfort or pain. On the contrary, it brought pleasure. Vallynor wondered, "Am I becoming a masochist?"

Heading towards the source of this tingling sensation, Vallynor heard an inner voice saying, "Go where it feels good."

"Shut up. And don't use such strange words. It's like I'm a child being lured by a damn pedophile," Vallynor responded.

As he approached, the tingling sensation intensified and spread throughout his imaginary body. Then, at one moment, this feeling disappeared, and Vallynor fell into a stupor, not knowing what to do. Nefan remained silent. Vallynor understood from Nefan's tone that he was offended. He decided to apologize later.

Feeling that he was very close to the source of the tingling, Vallynor tried to make contact with it. But nothing worked. He tried again and again, with the same result. Finally, he gave up and decided to contact Nefan first. An idea came to him: if he couldn't contact the source, he would talk to Nefan.

Vallynor attempted to connect with the source once more, but felt nothing. He was about to turn to Nefan when a new idea struck him. Vallynor stopped, thought, and decided to try this idea. If this didn't work either, then he would talk to Nefan.

So Vallynor attempted to make contact more than seven times, and just when he was about to turn to Nefan for sure, he felt a piercing sensation. It was as if something had passed through him. Afterward, darkness fell. All feelings vanished, as did desires and the ability to think. Fortunately, these feelings disappeared, and Vallynor woke up. Before him stood Nefan, who was gazing at the sky with boredom. Sensing the change, he turned to Vallynor and said with a smile:

"Congratulations. From today, you've taken one step closer to becoming a dragon," Nefan said, rising and gathering his things. "To use your abilities, you must do the same as you did with the rings. But here, you need to direct the energy into your heart or soul. Do it as you find it easier."

"Uh, um... why are you leaving?" Vallynor asked in surprise, looking at Nefan. He had suddenly heard a few words from Nefan and saw him start packing his things. Maybe something bad had happened, and now Nefan was getting ready to leave, packing his things in a suitcase.

"It's already 11 o'clock. Our lesson is over. I'm leaving. You should go to Horkim, if I'm not mistaken. Tomorrow we'll check, and I'll tell you about the inner space. If waiting until tomorrow is too difficult for you, use the feelings and knowledge of those rings on your hand as a guide... I'm leaving," Vallynor didn't even notice when Nefan had already packed all his things and flown away from where he came.

"Have I been in this state for so long?" Vallynor pondered Nefan's words. It was hard for him to believe that he had been in this space for so long. He had several possible answers, but which one was correct was another question.

"Are you here? Why are you sitting like an idiot? I've been waiting for more than 10 minutes. Waiting, waiting, saw that you're not coming, and thought something happened. I'm not even surprised because it's Alexander. But you're still sitting there like a lady in the sun, waiting to be raped..." Horkim appeared and immediately started speaking. "Let's go."

"Today is theory, and tomorrow it's practice, practice, and practice," Horkim said, banging his fist on the table and looking directly at Vallynor. Vallynor sat on a chair and examined various ores placed in front of him. Only the fist hitting the table made him look at Horkim.

"Listen to what I'm saying and look straight. You'll be looking at these ores in the future, or do you no longer want to learn?" Horkim continued, looking at the silent Vallynor and taking it as agreement to continue. He picked up raw iron ore and a pure iron ingot.

"A blacksmith isn't just someone who hits iron with a hammer, that's it. They are creators who process ore and shape it, creating weapons, armor, and even various items. A blacksmith should feel the ore, understand when and where to strike with the hammer, and so on. Not everyone can become a blacksmith, but almost anyone can take a hammer in their hands... or almost anyone, considering those without hands," Horkim explained, playing with the iron in his hand.

"Each ore is unique, and a true blacksmith won't look down on ordinary iron, considering it junk. You know why?" Horkim asked with a smile, expecting an answer from Vallynor. Vallynor pondered for a moment and shook his head.

"It's not that difficult. If it weren't for this pitiful, common ore called iron, sentient beings wouldn't be able to learn and practice the blacksmithing craft. It's like writing without a pen and paper. How to write and learn is a mystery. Such simple ores will always be with a blacksmith. They will accompany every blacksmith throughout their journey until orichalcum and mithril appear and disappear. And don't forget, a blacksmith must always improve, training and training. And here too, simple ore will be of help," Horkim said, displaying the ores in front of Vallynor. Then he turned and moved a few meters away.

"At first, Vallynor expected to receive more information, but he didn't expect Horkim to tell him who a blacksmith is and a bit about ores. However, he was pleasantly surprised that they could start practicing right away, rather than dealing with ordinary theory.

***

Glancing at the clock, Caesar saw it was 12:30. There were still 30 minutes left before the lessons began. Caesar prepared the chalkboard, a chair, and chairs in the library, where he had decided to teach this young man. While he was getting ready, Caesar paused for a moment, sighed, and said:

"He's 10 minutes late on the very first day. Maybe I should give him that teleporting necklace so he won't be late in the future."

After finishing his preparations, Caesar began pointing at books on the shelves, and they instantly flew towards him. One by one, the books flew to Caesar, and he contemplated where to start his first lesson.

It had been centuries since he had done this, and he had almost forgotten what it was like to be a teacher, especially a teacher preparing for a lesson. These thoughts reminded him of times long past and warmed his soul.

After spending five minutes, he finally settled on the basics. The foundation was crucial: the stronger the sword, the better. With these thoughts, Caesar returned most of the books to the shelves and took out others.

"Creation of the World, Basics of Magic, Mana, Laws of the Universe," and so on. Many books flew and settled on the table. Caesar also didn't forget to take paper and a pen. After all, he had to teach the young man using the old method: eyes, hands, brain, and ears.

"One strike lower... Yes, not there. And not so strongly... Not so weakly... Yes, clean your ears and listen when you're spoken to. Strike with moderate force here. And keep the hammer in contact with the iron for three seconds," Horkim shouted loudly after each of Vallynor's strikes, pointing at the red-hot iron as if it weren't hot.

After a brief explanation of all the processes, Vallynor woke up with a hammer in his hand, wearing a leather apron designed to protect his clothing and himself from potential damage.

"...Yes, don't strike so strongly. You idiot, listen when you're told... Huh?... It's time for you, or you'll have problems," Horkim yelled, restraining himself from taking the hammer and hitting Vallynor on the head. This thought crossed his mind several times, and once he was ready to turn it into reality. However, Vallynor couldn't die.

However, glancing briefly at the clock, Horkim quickly forgot about his anger. Joyfully rushing to the heated iron, he noticed that it had lost its red color due to cooling.

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The scene in which Horkim took the iron in his hands and embraced it, as if it were a child, even kissing it despite its tremendous heat, astonished Vallynor. He didn't know what to say, but what impressed him the most was how Horkim regarded the iron.

After some contemplation, Vallynor shrugged off these silly astonishments. He remembered that he was in a world filled with magic, and this world wasn't just any world; it was full of legends.

Leaving the leather apron behind, Vallynor was about to bid farewell, but Horkim was too engrossed in his work with the iron. It seemed he was about to kiss this piece of iron again. Fortunately, instead of this potentially awkward situation, Horkim picked up the hammer and began striking it.

Watching him for a while, Vallynor turned and shouted, leaping out of the forge, "See you tomorrow!"

"... What? Tomorrow?... Oh, damn, I'll have to suffer watching this log..." Vallynor began to complain to himself, recalling all the torment he had gone through watching all of this.

***

Vallynor ran quickly, not sparing his strength, realizing he was running late. Every minute was crucial. It was his first lesson with Caesar, and perhaps he could get answers to his numerous questions.

Caesar, tapping his finger on the books floating nearby, looked displeased at the door, through which Vallynor entered moments later.

"You're late," Caesar said discontentedly, tossing an earring to Vallynor. "Put it on. With this, you can teleport anywhere in the city where you've been before. Don't be late next time."

"I'm sorry."

"Take a seat, and let's begin the lesson," Caesar said, watching as Vallynor sat down. Then Caesar turned to the chalkboard and wrote the word "ORIGIN" with his finger.

"I don't know if you know how the universe and worlds came into being. And even if you do, it's not that important. I'll tell you everything... It all started in an empty and lifeless universe, where there were only rocks, dust, and a barren planet. From nothingness emerged the first deity. It didn't know who it was, why it existed, or what its role was. For centuries, it traveled through this lifeless universe, trying to find answers to its questions. Eventually, it decided to descend to a vast empty planet to rest and sleep after many centuries of wandering. Particles of power emanated from the deity's aura, spreading and giving birth to life," as Caesar spoke, he began visualizing all of this using magic, and Vallynor felt like he was watching an anime film.

"That's how nature was born, and then the first creatures appeared. The god's slumber lasted centuries for this world but was fleeting for the god itself. Over all that time, the entire planet became a home for life."

"Plants were born there, followed by animals, both sentient and wild. And when the god woke up, it saw the changes happening and realized its essence. It recognized itself and began creating beings resembling those it had seen. Later, it created beings similar to itself but with some differences. That's how elves, dwarves, giants, titans, and others came into being. The creature that became the Goddess of Life was revered as the Mother of All Life," a colossal woman appeared before Vallynor, stroking the heads of representatives of each race with a gentle smile on her face.

"At that time, most of the laws of the universe did not yet exist, and even the concept of death was unknown. It was a paradise where no one harbored hatred, and everyone helped each other. However, everything has its end. Over time, as the population grew, foreign concepts and desires began to emerge in the world. Children wished for their parents to disappear. Desires for power and the aspiration to have more than others arose. The bright world, full of life, slowly descended into darkness," Caesar continued to narrate.

"And one day, he appeared... the God of Death. With his arrival, the concept of death emerged, and everyone became mortal. Immortality was no more," a blurred image of a very handsome man appeared before Vallynor, who seemed familiar to him. Trying to remember, Vallynor opened his eyes wide and was ready to get up from his chair.

It was the same handsome man he had encountered when he was supposed to become food for all the necromancers. He had used a forbidden word to repel and save himself. Then he appeared before me – the handsome man... Or rather, the God of Death... What the hell happened back then?...

Seeing the surprise on Vallynor's face, Caesar fell silent and waited as if it were self-evident. He waited for Vallynor to stop being amazed. After a while, Vallynor wanted to ask Caesar a question, but he stopped him and said, "First let me finish the story, and then you can ask questions," Caesar interrupted Vallynor, sighed, and continued his narrative.

"With the appearance of the God of Death, a new era began, filled with new concepts like diseases, pain, and death. It was then that the first battle between the gods began. At their first meeting, the Goddess of Life attacked the God of Death, like a crazed mother who had seen her daughter violated and humiliated. This battle lasted a very long time. Both gods were wounded and fell into the void of space, drifting like small leaves on water. That's where they were in space. Due to their weakness and exhaustion, they could no longer fight and were forced to tolerate each other. She hated him for the suffering of her children, and he hated her for her attack when they first met," Caesar narrated.

Before Vallynor, two celestial bodies appeared. He immediately realized that it was the God of Death and the Goddess of Life.

"Time passed slowly. Generations succeeded one another, and the old was forgotten. The gods began to communicate with each other and became closer with each passing day. And when they regained their strength, they immediately embraced each other, realizing that they were created for each other."

A scene was shown where the gods began to create together.

"After the union of the lovers, they began to create new races, such as the undead, goblins, and others. Humans became the last race to be created, inheriting traits from all the others," Caesar paused for a moment and continued.

"One day, in the universe, there appeared a river in which part of a god resided. This god was the God of Souls. Over time, the river was named the River Styx. It is the river of souls, where all souls go for purification and rebirth. When the first purifications took place, the world became free from the slowly accumulating filth," Caesar waved his hand in front of Vallynor, showing many scenes with the River Styx and the blurry God of Souls. Vallynor couldn't understand why Caesar was showing them as blurry if he had seen the God of Death and knew about this. He thought maybe it was because mortals couldn't naturally perceive the divine.

"With the appearance of the God of Souls, the concept of the soul emerged. He became the younger brother of the God of Death... Sentient races, living for centuries, believed in different gods and beings. Their beliefs, accumulated over centuries, gave birth to the first gods. They were mighty but also dependent..."

Vallynor looked at Caesar with confusion and awaited explanations about these gods.

"Belief, the faith accumulated in the minds of living beings over centuries, gathers and forms something greater. It's not just energy like mana. It's a feeling and an understanding of the laws. For example, someone realized that there are invisible beings capable of harming humans. To protect themselves from them, they prayed to the one associated with health, for example, the God of Medicine. Their knowledge and understanding of the world's laws merge with faith. Then this faith begins to spread everywhere, with no specific purpose. Over time, it accumulates and grows. Ultimately, it merges and gives birth to a god whose image and thoughts were formed by the prayers of thousands of believers."

"So, that's how gods are born?" Vallynor asked in astonishment, watching the process as if it were a movie. He also confirmed his musings from when he was still a regular human, contemplating such things.

"... That's one of the ways... From that moment on, the second generation of gods appeared, partially dependent on faith and disappearing if there were no living beings left. That's when the primary gods came into being: the God of Time, the God of Weather, the God of the Seas, the Goddess of Fertility, the God of Light, the Goddess of Darkness, and others. These gods were born from the gathered thoughts of mortals and their ideas about the laws," silhouettes of each god appeared sequentially before Vallynor. They were blurry and unfocused, as if the focus had been shifted. Vallynor couldn't understand the reason for this state, but he assumed it might be because as a mortal, he couldn't naturally perceive the divine.

Seeing the God of Light and the Goddess of Darkness, Vallynor couldn't help but recall how thousands of people had wished to be embraced by the warm male hands of light or plunged into the arms of the dark abyss of mothers. However, he dismissed these thoughts as twisted.

After some time, Caesar sighed and continued his story:

"The world was evolving, and as a result, the third generation of gods emerged, still dependent on faith. At the same time, decay and darkness were accumulating in the world, and suddenly, demons appeared out of nowhere. With them came demon kings and Demonic Gods who, like ravenous beasts, preyed on all living beings..."

"Then the first war between the Gods and the Demons began. The demons were weaker than the Gods but very powerful and limitless. No matter how many of them were killed, new ones always appeared to replace the fallen."

"That's when the God of Death and the Goddess of Life decided to venture into space and populate other worlds with sentient beings to increase the volume of faith and the power of the Gods. Even though this world was vast and teeming with life, it was not enough for the Gods to battle the demons on equal terms."

"Slowly but surely, the Gods grew stronger. The God of Death and the Goddess of Life bestowed life upon other worlds. Sometimes, they managed to encounter planets where the Children of Nature thrived."

"The universe, once dead and empty, filled only with a drop of life, came alive and teemed with vitality. At some point, the war ended without victors and vanquished, thanks to the fact that the universe was brimming with life, and everyone found satisfaction in it. Demons and Gods reached an agreement."

"However, this happiness was short-lived. As a result of the war, numerous gods, as well as demons, perished. Gods who depended on the faith of their followers understood that the more followers they had, the stronger they became, and they began a war to attract new followers. The New Alina was filled with the deaths of countless creatures who fought for their gods. Sometimes, these battles escalated to the point where planets inhabited by humans were nearly completely destroyed. Demons did not participate in the war due to the agreement and their serious injuries, but they aided certain gods from the shadows or incited conflicts. It was even more horrific; it was a time when human lives meant nothing... like cattle."