“Alright, now that we’ve finished breakfast, do you remember where we left off yesterday?” I asked, finished with the dishes, wiping my hands with a towel.

He gave me a furious nod and flipped to the page before I could even sit down.

“Here!” he said eagerly, pointing at the title section: ‘Elmore from afar.’

“Why is it named like that?”

“It’s an artistic approach from the author,” I explained as I sat next to him. “He names it this way because, as the map suggests at the bottom half of the page, it shows the entire land of Elmore as it would look from far above—like a bird soaring in the sky. You see, it’s not focused on any one kingdom, but rather the whole expanse of the continent.”

His brow furrowed slightly. “What’s a continent, and Elmore seems to be the only one, why isn’t it just called Elmore?”

I chuckled, reaching out to brush the hair away from his beautiful eyes. “That’s a good question. Continent means ‘to hold together.’ It originates from the phrase ‘terra continens’ from old Elmorian, where it literally translates to ‘continuous land’ and as we evolved, so did the phrase.”

“So, to put it simply, the continent is a big piece of land, and Elmore is the name we’ve given this land.”

Flipping the page, another map was at the bottom of the page, this time with a few important names.

“It is believed that Elmore was once split in many parts, each being a smaller continent of its own, to what we now know today as the Asmit Kingdom, the Rhineheart Kingdom, the Ionian Kingdom and, lastly, the Valley of the Beast.”

“But that’s a theory yet to be proven. What studies prove, however, is that these lands were once completely different from what we know of them today. In the first records of history, Elmore was referred to as an empty, lifeless land, and, over millennia and natural disasters, it reshaped.”

“Earthquakes tore open the ground, heaving the land into jagged peaks and deep valleys. Tsunamis crashed upon the shores, swallowing coastlines and carving new ones with their relentless force. Volcanic eruptions spewed rivers of lava, transforming the landscape into fiery torrents. Through these cataclysmic events, Elmore became the continent we see today.”

“But you said it was empty. If no one was there, how do we know this happened, and how did we come here?” he asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

“I don’t know the answer for the latter, but I can at least answer you the former. By studying the land, even if it happened thousands of years earlier, specialists or geologist to use the correct term can identify specific events in history.”

“Here, for example,” I said, pointing to the map at the eastern edge of the Asmit Kingdom. “See how there are these small islands clustered together? Those are the Emberport Islands. Long, long ago, they were once part of the continent. Over time, a chunk of the land split off, and later, that piece broke into the smaller islands you see now. These surviving islands are what remain today.”

“What’s that big line in the middle, and that white part on the bottom, and, and this here, in the big forest?” After hearing about the Emberport Islands, he couldn’t contain his excitement, his finger darting around the map.

I smiled, gently smoothing down his hair. “Let’s take it one step at a time, okay?”

He nodded, a bit more composed now.

“That line in the middle—isn’t it huge? Great, even?” I asked, encouraging his curiosity.

“Mm!” He hummed with enthusiasm.

“Well, because it’s so great, it’s called the Great Mountain Range. It is said that it started as a mere hill, but over time, it grew and now stretches across the entire continent, dividing the North and East from the West and South. Of course, there are exceptions. Look here,” I traced the map with my finger, “there’s a small gap that allows passage from one side to the other. And down here at the bottom, notice how there are no trails of the Great Mountain Range. Can you guess why?”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I paused, giving him a moment to think. There was no point in me shoving information into him if he couldn’t understand it.

“Hmm… it is pretty white.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully.” Is it cold down there?”

“Very.” I answered simply.

“Is it too cold for the mountain, then?”

A light giggle escaped me.

‘So innocent... how adorable.’

“Yes, actually, that’s exactly the reason, although I wouldn’t call it simply cold. It’s one of the few places in Elmore where the land is completely barren. To explain it better, I’ll have to go back to the Great Mountain Range for short a moment.”

“Its colossal size has to do with the countless volcanic eruptions, each one adding upon layers of molten rock. That’s how, over the millennia, its stony limbs spread across the land. In the south, however, the cold is like a powerful spell, slowing and even freezing the advancing lava. This icy barrier keeps the mountains at bay, but one day, perhaps in a few thousand years, the volcanos may finally conquer the frozen frontier and complete their continental divide.”

“For the time being, it serves as one of the greatest strongholds of the dwarven domain, who stands as guardian over the frozen desert.”

His head jolted back.

“Didn’t you say the land there is empty? What are they doing there?”

“Yes, it’s empty, and no life touches upon it. No human life, that is. Dangerous beasts are still present, somehow, but they are not the primary concern. Sigh, we are getting off topic here. Today we’re learning about Elmore. When we learn about the Ranger association and their history, I’ll tell you everything about it, I promise.”

When he heard the word Rangers, for a moment, his pupils dilated and he quickly looked away. I didn’t say anything, but took note of it for the future.

“The last place you pointed at is one of the five Wonders of the world: the Golden Vein. The strangest and largest river of the continent, second only to the Serpent’s Spine, and it’s exclusive to the Ionian Kingdom of the Elves. Legend has it that when the Gods walked among us, they were so moved by the beauty of the Moonblossom Forest that a tear escaped them, and from that tear, the river was born, bearing all kinds of phenomena. Some say it has therapeutic properties, while others claim to have found flowers there that shouldn’t even exist. But if one thing is certain, it’s that the river holds secrets, perhaps even greater than those of the Valley of the Beast.”

“Secrets? What secrets? Is this why its so much bigger than the kingdoms? He asked, circling around its area on the map.

I pondered for a bit, trying to figure out the subtlest of way phrasing it, but in the end, I dropped the thought and instead answered with the easiest explanation.

“To put it simply, it’s the most dangerous and mysterious place in all of Elmore. If Asmit is the kingdom for humans, Rhineheart for dwarfs, and Ionia for elves, then the Valley of the Beast is, well for beasts. And it doesn’t end there. Even the land itself can be deadly, with each of its four regions requiring different sets of preparation and expertise to navigate—relatively speaking—safely. And even then, there are the death zones, which, as the name suggests, are as terrifying as you can imagine.

“Wait, wait.” Lyon waved his hands to stop me.” If it’s so dangerous, how and why do we even know so much about it?”

My lips curved up, already picturing his reaction to what I was about to say.

“Believe it or not, expeditions to the Valley of the Beast are a common phenomenon.”

“What!?” He jumped out of the chain, making me raise my hand to hide my laughter.

“Sit down, my dear, and listen. Although we won’t be touching on the matter further today, Rangers are constantly venturing into the Valley of the Beast, because lost treasures can be found.”

He gasped, jumping out of the chair the moment he sat back down again.

I continued. “Hidden items and mysterious artifacts have been found over the years, and adding the riches one gains by selling the remanence of beasts and their cores, many jump to the opportunity. Some even believe there was once an ancient civilization there, but no concrete evidence has been found yet.”

“What? How? The items and artifact aren’t enough?” Lyon asked, puzzled.

“I guess a small history lesson can’t be avoided. The Ranger association was built under the jurisdiction of the three Royal Families at the End of the Blood Wars. I’ll spare you the intricate details for now—we’ll delve into those when the time is right. But in essence, many believe the treasures unearthed in the Valley of the Beast were secretly forged by the Royal Families. Their purpose? To entice the masses and rally them for the Beast Wars that followed.”

“What do you think?” He asked, two skies a red and a blue one staring at me. For a moment, I lost my breath in them.

“To me, it is clear as day that at some time an ancient civilization was here way before any human, dwarf or elf, touched upon this land, and like every other High Elf, I know that none of the families lied about the treasures.”

Saying that, I took off my ring and showed it to him.

“See this little thing? It’s one of the view items that has been found there. It’s a typical ring with no special powers attached, but if you imbued quint…” As I spoke, I did so and intricate lines of text surrounded it.

“…these carvings appear. Now, note how complex and carefully crafted they are. We’ve identified that these belong to a language close to ancient Elmorian, but no one can cypher their meaning.”

I gave him the ring to study it closer. Then, with an intense frown on his face, he said:

“I can read it.”