Richard hit the ground hard enough to drive the breath from his lungs. Pain surged through every muscle as he rolled across damp earth and tangled roots before finally coming to a stop against the trunk of an enormous tree. For several seconds, he remained motionless, struggling to separate reality from the blinding white void that had swallowed him only moments before. His ears rang. His heart pounded violently against his ribs. Slowly, he forced himself into a sitting position.The world around him was unlike anything he had ever imagined. Towering trees stretched hundreds of feet into the sky, their trunks wider than houses and their silver leaves shimmering as though every branch had captured fragments of starlight. Strange flowers bloomed across the forest floor, releasing tiny motes of blue light that drifted lazily through the air like living fireflies. Richard looked upward. His breathing stopped.Three moons hung above the forest. One glowed pale white. The second shimmered w

The laughter had not faded by morning. Instead, it followed Richard wherever he walked through the village like an invisible shadow. Children pointed at him from doorways while whispering to one another. A pair of elderly women paused in the middle of drawing water from the communal well just long enough to shake their heads in pity before resuming their conversation. Farmers carrying worn wooden tools cast doubtful glances in his direction, and several openly chuckled as though the previous day's promise had become the village's favourite joke."That's the outsider."The one who claims he understands farming."I heard he doesn't even have mana."What can a scholar teach people who have lived on this land their entire lives?"Richard heard every word. Years ago, those whispers would have dug beneath his skin and lingered there for days. The academy had taught him how cruel ridicule could become when repeated often enough. Back then, every insult had felt like proof that perhaps everyone e

The thunder of galloping horses shattered the uneasy calm surrounding the village temple. Every conversation stopped at once as dozens of villagers turned toward the eastern road. Dust billowed into the morning air, rising above the rolling hills like a gathering storm. The sound grew louder with every passing second until armoured riders emerged from the haze, their polished silver breastplates flashing beneath the sunlight. Each rider bore the royal crest of the Kingdom of Asteria, a soaring phoenix surrounded by seven stars.The Royal Knights had arrived. A tense silence settled over the village square. Farmers instinctively removed their hats, children hurried behind their parents, and even the temple priests straightened their robes. Everyone understood what the arrival of the Royal Knights meant. The matter had reached the capital.At the head of the formation rode a young woman upon a magnificent white warhorse. Her silver armour was engraved with elegant blue runes that shimme

The first scream came from beneath the city. Richard had barely finished examining the newest plague victim when the stone floor beneath the infirmary trembled. Shelves rattled, glass bottles toppled from wooden tables, and frightened patients looked toward the ceiling as dust drifted from the ancient beams overhead. The trembling lasted only a few heartbeats. Then it stopped. No one spoke.The uneasy silence that followed felt heavier than the tremor itself. Captain Seraphine's hand instinctively settled on the hilt of her sword. "What was that?" Before anyone could answer, an elderly city archivist pushed through the crowded doorway. His grey robes were covered in dust, and his breathing came in uneven gasps. "Captain... there's been a collapse beneath the eastern district." He looked directly at Richard. "It happened below the oldest quarter of Grayhaven." Richard frowned."The oldest quarter?" The archivist nodded urgently. "There are tunnels beneath the city. "I've spent forty ye