Chapter 2: The Sage

  Slowly, Riven began walking down the road.

  He remembered a river near the outskirts of the city where several farms once stood. If anything remained, it might be there.

  “It’s the best chance to stay away from that twisted amalgamation,” he muttered.

  As he walked, he noticed something strange.

  The landscape had changed.

  Familiar landmarks looked distorted. Some trees had grown impossibly tall, their trunks thicker than towers. Small animals that once roamed the farms now appeared warped and unfamiliar.

  This wasn’t evolution.

  Something far more sinister had reshaped the world. Riven suddenly stopped. Between the ruined barns and collapsed farmhouses, one house still stood tall.

  Untouched.

  It looked as though time had simply frozen around it.

  Carefully, he approached the door and pressed his ear against the wood.

  Silence.

  He took a breath and knocked.

  To his surprise, the door slowly opened.

  An elderly man stood there. He looked close to eighty years old. His hands were rigid and trembling, worn by years of hard labor, yet his eyes remained sharp and observant.

  He breathed slowly before speaking in a low voice.

  “Who is this wandering soul standing before my small cabin?”

  “I am—”

  The old man raised his hand gently.

  “No need for introductions.”

  His gaze narrowed slightly.

  “You’ve seen it… haven’t you?”

  A pause passed between them.

  “You are fortunate, young man,” he continued.

  “Most who encounter that thing are already claimed by death.”

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  He then gestured for Riven to enter.

  The living room was bizarre and strangely mystical.

  Trophies of wild beasts hung on the walls. Shelves were filled with glass vials containing liquids of different colors. Crystals and strange stones were scattered across the tables.

  Bewildered, Riven looked around before asking:

  “Where exactly are we?”

  The old man smiled faintly as he poured some warm tea.

  “We are in the old ruins,” he replied calmly. “This place is notorious for its dangerous forests and the creatures that roam them. The borders are heavily guarded. Anyone foolish enough to enter rarely finds their way out.”

  He placed the cup in front of Riven.

  “Yet… here you are.”

  Riven remained silent for a moment.

  I shouldn’t tell him my story, he thought. I just need to know where the nearest city is. Maybe I can find something related to the Earth’s wrath Dr. Alwyn warned about.

  Finally he spoke.

  “Sorry, old man… where is the closest city from here?”

  The old man did not answer immediately.

  Instead, he watched Riven carefully, as if studying something invisible.

  Finally, he sighed and leaned back in his chair.

  “Closest city?” he repeated slowly.

  He chuckled softly.

  “Young man… if you are asking that question, then you truly have no idea where you’ve wandered.”

  Riven frowned.

  “What do you mean?”

  The old man lifted a small crystal from the table beside him. It shimmered faintly in the candlelight.“The world you remember,” the elder said quietly, “is not the same world anymore.”

  He placed the crystal back down.

  “Something awakened… something ancient.”

  Riven stayed silent.

  The old man continued:

  “It flows through the air now, through the soil, through every living thing.”

  He tapped the table lightly.

  “Mana.”

  The word hung in the air. Riven narrowed his eyes. “Mana…? Like magic?” .The old man smiled faintly.

  “Call it what you want. But whatever name you give it… it has reshaped this world.”

  He looked directly at Riven.

  “And judging by the fact that you survived that creature outside…” The elder paused.

  “You may have already felt its touch, ancient legends spoke about a chaotic burned world, but beneath barren wasted land, a new life appeared beneath the blood stained sand.”

  “As for the closest city, head down with the river you will find the borders gates, if asked tell them I carried goods to the man in the forest, they will surely guide you to a carriage."

  Riven stayed silent.

  The elder stopped to prepare a blade and pouch

  of coins.

  “Take this it will surely help on your travel, if asked tell them you're headed to Foundry City.”

  As Riven picks up everything, he takes some steps outside, the old man.

  “May God protect you in your travels.”

  As he continued to take step outside, he sharply turned around

  “Hey old man i didnt get to know your name”

  As the elder laughs, he says:

  “I am the Sage”