January 6th, 20XX – Hours EarlierHUMAN WORLD – Forest of Serene Isle
"Slinck?" asked the elven girl, raising an eyebrow slightly. The traveler nodded.
"Yes, that little gelatinous creature that emerged from the depths of a lake long ago…"
"You mean Ameber?" she guessed.
"No," the traveler corrected. "Ameber rose from the Shadow Lake millennia before anyone had even heard of the Green Slime. That one appeared in Green Lake, but unlike Ameber, it never seemed threatening."
"Oh! You must mean Serennus," chimed in a sharp-nosed gnome.
"I heard he transformed into a handsome young man—almost elven in appearance," said an ancient tree, its voice deep and wise. "He's been walking the path of the Arcane Paladins, performing astonishing feats, just as one might expect from someone trained by the greatest Sages."
"That sounds like him," the traveler agreed. "I think that's the hero I'm looking for. Do any of you know where I might find him?"
"There are whispers," the ancient tree murmured, "that he travels across time and space, in pursuit of greater Knowledge and Power. If that's true, young friend, finding him won't be easy."
The traveler smiled, half-resigned. "I see. Guess I'd better get used to chasing time-travelers. By the way, do you know who his first mentor was?"
"I believe it was the Guru of Order," replied the tree.
"The Guru of Order, huh? Interesting... And where can I find him?"
"In this world, no one knows for sure," said the tree thoughtfully. "Except, perhaps... Bella."
"Bella? Who's Bella?" the traveler asked, intrigued.
"Bella vanished millennia ago. But legend says she left behind a special clone—crafted using the Arcane Items of the Fragmentalists."
"You're planning to find an artificial being?" asked an elf, curiosity lighting her eyes.
"Of course," the traveler said without hesitation. "Whether she's the original Bella or not doesn't matter. If she holds the knowledge I need, that's enough."
"In that case…" The elf reached into her satchel and pulled out a drawing of a striking figure with blazing red hair. "This is what she looks like."
The traveler studied the sketch for a long moment, then said, "You're talented, my friend. It's so lifelike… She looks like an angel with fire in her hair. But how do I find someone like that? The world is in chaos—plagued by nightmares. It's hard to believe anyone so angelic could survive it."
"Thank you. Yes, she seems delicate," the elf said. "It's believed she's suffered greatly through the ages, yet endured it all. If she's still alive, you might find her in one of the Western Sanctuaries."
"Really? She must be incredibly resilient," the traveler said, hope flickering in his voice.
The Forest of Serene Isle had always been a haven—a peaceful sanctuary for travelers with pure hearts. But as night began to fall, the traveler sensed it was time to move on. Taking one last sip of his walnut nectar, Steve made his way back to his mini-submarine and resumed the journey.
Meanwhile, miles away from the Forest of Serene Isle…
Far from there, Kyle, the spiritualist, finally awoke from a deep sleep. He tried to move but quickly realized he was pinned beneath rubble, his body too weak to free itself. He couldn't see a thing—perhaps because of the thick darkness surrounding him. But there was something else—a heavy tension in the air. The world felt like it was on the edge of collapse.
Taking a deep breath, Kyle closed his eyes and began to relax, turning his focus inward. He let his mind slip into the state of the Eyes of Awareness—a heightened form of perception.
As the transition took hold, the scene shifted. Dark skies opened over a world in chaos and ruin. Kyle's consciousness drifted above a vast landscape where towering spires and endless steel walls stretched to the horizon. The Dark Era... Kyle thought. That had to be it. Nothing else could explain what he was seeing.
His awareness hovered over jagged terrain, pockmarked with deep craters. There, at the center of the devastation, Kyle saw two figures locked in a brutal battle beneath a stormy sky. Sometimes they clashed in midair, sometimes on the ground, their movements so fast they broke the sound barrier.
The clash of Darkness and Light echoed through the air with each blow, every strike unleashing explosive power. The ground quaked, and the waters nearby roared in response to their fury. Both fighters were massive—well over two meters tall—muscular bodies radiating pure energy. Kyle could feel the weight of their strength, and he knew: if the battle dragged on much longer, the Earth itself might not survive.
The fight was relentless. Neither showed signs of fatigue. Rain began to fall, and a raging storm brewed above, ready to unleash its wrath. Kyle watched, entranced, as this titanic struggle reached its peak.
What would be left—he wondered—when all of this was over?