By the time I reached my fifth year, the town of Valda-Ashdock had become a puzzle I was determined to solve. With Hexa’s help, I’d pieced together much of what made life in this strange, medieval world tick: mana, profiles, skills, and the invisible threads that connected people in their tight-knit communities. Yet, there was still so much I didn’t know, and the unease I felt about my own existence hadn’t faded.

The Naming Ceremony had secured my place in the village, but I was still an outsider in many ways. My Soulless skill, the enigmatic Redacted skill, and the knowledge Hexa fed me about concepts far beyond the comprehension of this world weighed heavily on me. I was a boy living two lives—one as Wolfhart, the curious and occasionally odd child of Valda-Ashdock, and another as Johnathan, the man from Earth who’d lived and died in an age of technology.

The two lives collided again when I experienced my first raid.

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The weekly warning bell rang out one crisp morning, echoing across the lake and jolting me to my senses. I scrambled to my feet, heart pounding, as the sound of hurried footsteps and shouts filled the air.

“What’s happening?” I thought, though I already had an idea.

“A raid,” Hexa confirmed. “Hostile entities are approaching from the depths of the lake. Estimated arrival: two minutes.” It was the first time I had been outside during the start of a raid.

As always my mother found me instantly and picked up her youngest from in front of the house. “You ok?” She asked me “I know it can be startling when you're outside.”

I nodded, clutching the edge of Mother’s shawl as she carried me downstairs. She set me down in the corner of the main room, her hands gripping my shoulders tightly.

“Stay here, Wolfhart,” she said, her voice trembling slightly with an air of nerves. “Promise me.”

“I promise,” I said, though my curiosity burned.

From my hiding spot, I could hear the chaos unfolding outside. The shouts of the town guard, the clash of weapons, and the guttural cries of creatures I couldn’t quite picture. My mind raced with questions.

“Hexa, give me a visual,” I thought.

“Accessing external feeds,” Hexa replied. After a moment, a reply “no external feeds found”

“Right, no cameras," I said out loud. My mother had left for a moment to retrieve Halrik when I seized my chance and darted outside. The sounds of battle outside were amplified by the clear shouting with the ringing of metal. I made my way to a rooftop I had found with the other children during our games that provided a clear view above the city walls showing the battle outside. The creatures were grotesque—a twisted blend of fish and goblin, with slimy, scaly skin and bulging eyes. Merlocks. They swarmed the village’s perimeter, clawing at the walls and leaping from the water with unnatural agility.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The guards fought valiantly, their weapons enhanced by mana, but the Merlocks were relentless. My father stood at the forefront, his flaming bow a beacon of light and destruction. Each arrow he fired turned a Merlock into a charred husk, but more kept coming.

“Dad’s incredible,” I thought, awe mixing with fear.

“His proficiency in elemental manipulation is impressive,” Hexa agreed. “However, the mana density in this area is insufficient for prolonged combat. He will tire quickly.”

That realization sent a chill down my spine. The paranoia spurs me back inside remembering that my mother will panic if I'm gone long. I could hear Mother pacing nearby, muttering prayers under her breath. Despite her fear, she didn’t cry, and her composure gave me some comfort.

“Why does this happen?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Mother turned, surprised by the question. “The raids? It’s the way of the world, Wolfhart. Monsters attack, and we defend. It’s been this way for as long as anyone can remember.”

“But why?” I pressed. “Why do they attack us?”

She hesitated, as if the question itself was strange. “Because we’re here, I suppose. It’s just how things are.”

Her answer didn’t satisfy me, but I let it go. There was no point in pushing her for something she didn’t have.

Instead, I turned my focus back to the battle, listening through Hexa’s enhanced feed as the tide began to turn. The guards were gaining the upper hand, their coordination and training overpowering the Merlocks’ savage ferocity.

When the last creature fell, a cheer went up from the guards, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

“It’s over,” I thought.

“For now,” Hexa replied. “But this is a recurring event. The pattern suggests raids occur on a weekly basis, likely tied to the mana density and population size of the village.”

“Weekly?” I echoed, the weight of the information sinking in. “That’s insane.”

“By Earth’s standards, yes. By the standards of this world, it is normal.”

Father returned home not long after, his armor scorched and his face grim. Mother rushed to him, relief flooding her features, but he waved her off gently.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Just tired.”

He knelt before me, his eyes searching mine. “Did you stay inside like I told you?”

“Yes, Father,” I said, a lie.

He nodded, satisfied. “Good. You’ll see for yourself soon enough, but not yet.”

That last part caught my attention. “See what?”

Father hesitated, then ruffled my hair. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

The rest of the day passed quietly, the village settling back into its usual rhythm. But I couldn’t shake the images of the raid from my mind. The Merlocks, the battle, the mana-fueled weapons—it was all so different from anything I’d experienced in my previous life.

“What’s the purpose of these raids?” I asked Hexa that night as I lay in bed.

“Unknown,” Hexa admitted. “However, it is likely tied to the mana ecosystem of this world. The raids may serve as a natural culling mechanism, ensuring balance within the Nexus.”

“Balance,” I repeated, the word heavy with implications.

“Wolfhart,” Hexa said after a moment, “you are in a unique position to observe and influence this world. The knowledge you possess from Earth, combined with your capabilities here, could allow you to uncover truths that others cannot.”

“And what would I do with those truths?” I asked, more to myself than to Hexa.

The AI didn’t answer, and I drifted off to sleep with the question lingering in my mind.