It is said that if you enter a cave where crystal grows like grass and the walls glow as if moonlight was reflecting off them no matter the weather you will end up in another world where mountains move due to the giants that live inside of them and the sun is an 8 pointed. A world known as:

The world of Avertia.

Avery threw a black orb that was inscribed with runes and lines straight at a tree

“This stupid thing doesn’t work right!” Avery exclaimed in exasperation as he laid with his back on the grass. “Are you even sure you are meant to use these orbs for this.”

The orb bounced harmlessly onto the ground as if mocking him.

“At this point you’re failing so bad it’s starting to become funny” his mentor Inanis said smugly with her back against a platform she had created because of Avery mockingly questioning her ability to even use magic “Maybe you’re a very special type of person”

“Oh, do tell me more.” Avery said kind of curiously.

“Yeah, I think you actually are,” Inanis said while making a grand sweeping motion. “A bumbling moron.”

Avery picked up the orb and threw it at her.

“I can see that you’re getting agitated” Inanis said as she caught the orb with her powers and launched it back at Avery. “Let's end this session and go home, how’s that sound?”

“Alright but you need to get a new orb. Avery said as he dodged the orb. “That one is faulty,”

“Yep totally the orb, nothing else” Inanis replied sarcastically as she got up to walk away “But hey, if it weren’t faulty before it most certainly is now,”

As Avery got up and started walking home it suddenly started to rain. It started with just a small drizzle but quickly increased to a torrent of wind and rain bombarding Avery in a beautiful symphony as he started to run towards his dormitory.

When Avery finally got to his dorm he was more water than human and thoroughly exhausted so he put his clothes up to dry and since it was fairly late he decided to just go to bed.

Surprisingly enough for Avery who had always fallen asleep at a fairly fast rate he was completely unable to sleep but instead of worrying he figured that it was just his magic issues that were keeping him awake so he thought nothing of it.

But as he was trying to sleep, a childhood memory of his kept resurfacing of when he had found a book in his fathers study and he had decided to read it. He barely got into the book before his father ripped it out of his hands but he very distinctly remembered a single phrase from the book and now it felt like the book itself was urging him to say it.

He made a valiant attempt to resist the book's requests but after a bit of time he gave in and started reciting the phrase from his memory.

When he started reciting the phrase he could feel the book do the most smile-like thing it could.

“Testor”

Avery started to feel a pull around his navel but it was too weak to get him.

“Vitam”

The pull got stronger as his room started glowing a pale purple.

“Mean”

It felt as if there were things in the shadows and corners of his room.

“Ad”

He was almost pulled into the air now and he could almost distinguish what was in the shadows. He caught a glimpse of what looked like feathers?

“Senem”

He could feel his spirit getting sucked out of his body as he was sent high up. Higher and higher until he was high above the city he lived in.

But he was not alone. There was something else there as well. It looked like someone had been designing an eldritch horror but they didn’t have the material for it so they just stuffed the frame full with owls. As Avery was lost observing the thing it spoke:

Ah a mouse seeks an allyship with my kind.

“Where am I?" Avery asked, still calm due to the book's aftereffects.

This is what you mice might consider a layer. Of course it is infinitely more complex than those “layers” you build but no matter. Why have you called me?

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

“What are you talking about? I just spoke some words that I remembered.” Avery asked although he had a pretty good guess.

Curious, this one knows not why they are here. Although looking at them they seem to be lacking what makes humans so special.

Little one, we seek an ambassador that will help us cement a relationship with the mice.

You see your kind has been fighting us as of recently and we have decided that we should try to end this diplomatically before we must resort to More, serious means.

In return for your cooperation we will grant you what you so clearly lack.

“Wait, you mean you will give me the ability to use magic?” Avery asked, slightly curious.

Yes, that is what we were implying. I suppose we shouldn't have expected more from a mouse but no matter.

WIll you accept our proposal?

As the owl finished its sentence Avery suddenly felt an incredibly strong compulsion from somewhere in his soul urging him to accept the proposal.

“I accept,” Avery replied.

Hmm curious, well no matter. You will soon wake up again. Until next time, Avery Exodia.

“Hmm curious.” Avery thought to himself while looking out his window.

“There is something in these people” He thought because when he was looking at people it was like he could see through their bodies. And right by their navel there was something that looked like a sun. Avery's best guess was that it was people's souls but he didn’t know if this was just a random occurrence or if it was something the owls did. On the topic of that. Hmm, why was he thinking of owls when he hadn’t even seen any owls in a week or so. His mind was a bit fuzzy so he guessed something had happened while he was dreaming but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

It was afternoon when Avery finally decided to leave the house, he would’ve stayed for longer but he suddenly remembered that he still had to go to magic practice with his mentor Inanis.

As he reached the hill they usually trained at he found Inanis already waiting for him.

“heh that’s unusual, what kept you busy?” Inanis asked.

“Nothing in particular, how about we go and finally unlock my magic.”Avery lied.

“Alright then” Inanis said as she handed him the orb he was supposed to use to train with.

Avery took the orb into his hands but before he could start doing anything the orb turned completely black as if feathers were covering the exterior. The wings started to diminish as a pale purple started shining in the middle of the orb. The Purple then started growing but before it could get too big Avery decided to drop the orb.

“Ardeat”

Avery barely managed to dodge a bolt of fire that came from behind him. He turned around to see who was attacking him and found a wide eyed terrified Inanins standing with her hand stretched out towards him.

"What's goin-”

“Duratus”

Avery almost dodged the resulting ice shard but it managed to hit his left arm.

As the bolt hit he could feel a coldness spread from his arm towards the rest of his body but luckily he had a dagger on him. So he cut off his arm before the ice could spread further. As soon as his arm fell off, it instantly turned into pure ice.

“Please what are you-”

“relinquere”

A gust of wind launched Avery backwards out into the forest.

Before he could even land he heard Inanis cast her ultimate spell.

“Sit frigus leti tibi”

A wave of ice quickly approached him as he was again beset by a sudden calmness.

“Frigus inutile est”

As Avery finished the phrase the ice just. Stopped. Inanis looked confused for a second before preparing a second spell but before she could finish Avery had already ran into the forest. He ran as far as he could before his body gave in and his consciousness faded.

When Avery woke up he had no idea how much time had passed or even where he was. The only thing around him were trees and grass. He slowly got up and looked around to see if he could find any semblance of humanity. Eventually he noticed a soul that seemed to be more advanced than the animals that he had seen. He figured that the soul was a human so he decided to approach it.

As he got closer to the thing he noticed that it in fact was human so he decided to initiate conversation.

“Hey you!” Avery shouted.

The human got startled and quickly turned around.

“Uhh hi.” the human that avery now saw was a man replied.

“Do you know where the closest civilization is?” Avery asked.

“Yeah I guess.” he said, pointing west.

“If you go that direction you’ll end up in flamekeep.”

“Alright, thanks.” Avery said before he started walking west.

After Avery had walked for a time he encountered a giant stone barricade.

“Ah that must be the Flamekeep that man mentioned” He thought to himself as he started looking for an entrance.

As Avery approached the entrance a guard came up to confront him.

“Identification” The guard said, reciting memorized lines.

“Yeah sure” Avery said, trying to take his hand into his pocket but quickly remembering that that arm didn’t really work anymore so he had to use his right hand instead.

He pulled a little badge that was meant to be connected to his soul.

“Alright let me check it out.” The guard said. Quickly inspecting it. Powerless, unusual for someone of your age but the badge is legit so you may enter.

"Great." By the way, do you know where I can find a healer?” Avery asked.

“Yeah, just go that way,” the guard said, pointing into the city.

“Alright thanks.” Avery said as he walked into the city.

Sadly as his arm had been hit by a spell that cut his soul's connection from his arm so the healer could do nothing but cut it off and send him to a nearby artificer that could make a replacement arm.

Luckily he met a duo of two competent artificers that could make him an arm for the small price of all his life savings. The arm wasn’t that good either, it was made of wood and bronze and would only be able to take a few hits before breaking but at least it worked for now so he wasn’t too disappointed.

Since Avery was too scared to go back to his homeland because of his former mentor he decided to just explore the city and try to figure out why he could see what he guessed was souls