The darkness ruled the sky, the campfire clashing against the void with its orange glow. With a sudden crackle, Benjamin emerged from the shadows of the night, his arm raised high.
"So, you're finally awake, you lazy disciple!"
"What? 'Lazy'...? I just took down a giant, you piece of work!" Jay barked back.
"'Piece of work'? Is that how I raised you? The disrespect!"
Jay gnashed his teeth. The master, wearing a calm, infuriating smile, sat down across from his student.
"Alright, enough games... I need to fill you in on a few things."
"Fill me in on what?"
"The powers of this world, you dunce! Pay attention," Benjamin said, crossing his arms.
"Oh."
Benjamin let out a long sigh.
"Look, it goes something like this: there are five main species. First, the Elves—the proudest bunch you'll ever meet, just because they have the knack for any type of magic. Then, Humans—no comment there, mostly just elemental stuff and support magic."
"Dwarves," Benjamin continued, "are surprisingly arrogant too. They've got a real gift for earth magic. Incredible species, truly! But they're violent as hell. Giants? You've seen them—basically animals. And then, the Dragons. You should know all this from your books, but..."
"But...?" Jay tilted his head.
Extending his arm and raising two fingers, Benjamin went on: "There are two more species!"
Jay's eyes widened in surprise. 'The books... no, of course. Books might be a great way to learn about the world, but they don't tell the whole story.'
"The first are the Demons—also called Malignant Gods. They possess superhuman strength—obviously—and a natural affinity for dark magic or cursed objects. Yes, demons exist, even if most humans can't even touch magic."
"Whoa... I didn't see that coming. Interesting."
"Yeah, yeah. Very interesting."
Silence settled over them for a moment until Benjamin broke it again.
"Then... there are the Goddesses. Or the 'Clan of Gods,' as the fantasy books put it. They created almost every species—except, of course, the demons."
"The Gods use Divine Magic. Only a Saint can wield that kind of power, regardless of their species. Take the current Saint, Clarice, for example. Only she can use that magic, but that's the only kind she can use!"
Jay tried to process the rules of this world—how the Clan of Gods could break the laws that governed other species. How a human, normally restricted to healing or dark magic, could bypass those limits if they became a Saint.
"And there's more. They have Constellations that serve them directly—think of them as captains or generals, carrying out orders to hunt down targets or wage war against the Malignant Gods."
Jay felt his head start to throb. He rested his chin on his hand, metaphorically steaming from the information overload. Meanwhile, Benjamin went back to preparing the food.
A while later, Jay was savoring a bowl of soup. It was the best "mystery stew" his master had ever made.
"Let's finish up so we can get some sleep."
Jay nodded, mouth full of food. Later that night, he lay staring up at the starlit sky.
'I can't sleep... this pain... it won't let up.'
Was it just the pain keeping him awake? Or was there something else? Faint laughter—feminine and distant—echoed in his mind, calling out his old name.
"Hahaha, stop it, Ga—Gabriel! That tickles!" A voice from his past. A comforting voice, a sanctuary, a voice he once loved.
In the silence of the night, amidst the darkness, the wind whispered by. Sleep wouldn't come.
By morning, Jay was sitting on the ground, yawning, with dark circles under his eyes. When his master finally stirred, Jay stood up, stretching his aching limbs. After a quick breakfast, they hit the trail again.
Along the way, the pair took down a few more giants. With every fight, Jay's injury flared up, and his insomnia grew worse. His pointed ears were becoming more prominent.
'Is the insomnia from my old life... coming back to haunt me?'
"Even if you've accepted your past, you haven't embraced it fully." A cold, ruthless voice echoed in his mind.
There was only one being that could be.
'Roh! It's been a while.'
Jay knew he couldn't give this entity an opening to attack like he had before.
"Look, Jay, I'll get straight to the point!"
Jay tilted his head.
"This is going to sound insane, but..." Roh took a deep breath. "... Do not trust your master!"
'What?!'
What Roh said was absurd. How could he not trust the man who saved his life? The man who raised him like a son—why would he betray or abandon him? Jay shook his head in denial.
"Believe me, Jay, because... your peace is about to—" At the last second, the spirit's icy voice vanished.
The boy kept walking, following his master, until... his eyes began to feel heavy. Glancing to the side, Jay saw a park bench, and his daughter...
"..."
Benjamin, who was leading the way, stopped. He arched an eyebrow when the sound of footsteps ceased. He turned around, sensing something was wrong.
"What is it, Jay? Something wrong?"
"No... it's nothing."
"Right." Benjamin turned back to the trail. "Oh, by the way... we're almost there! We should reach our destination by tomorrow."
Jay's heart lifted. When night fell again, they shared a meal and turned in, but Jay's insomnia struck with a vengeance. Unable to rest, he decided to take a walk. As he wandered, his thoughts drifted back to Roh's warning.
'What did he mean by that? My master... No, there's something off. Even if Roh is a bastard, he knows when trouble is coming.'
He decided he needed to be more cautious from now on. Lost in thought, Jay walked straight into something as hard as concrete.
'Wait!' He pressed his hand against the surface. 'This is... the wall. I have to tell him!'
Jay ran back to the camp, shaking Benjamin urgently.
"Master, wake up! Come on!"
"Eli... stop... just five more minutes..."
Jay frowned, pulling his hands away with a strange look in his eyes.
"What? I'm not Eli!"
Benjamin snapped awake, bolting upright. "What is it, kid?"
"We're here! We've reached it!" Jay said, his eyes gleaming.
"Ah... is that all? Fine. Here's what you do: scale that wall and get to the top before sunrise. Good luck, and..." He flopped back down. "... Goodnight."
Jay stood there, jaw dropped, but he obeyed without a word. He knew better than to argue—the memories of what happened when he disobeyed were ones he'd rather forget.
At dawn, Benjamin let out a thunderous yawn. He walked toward the wall, smiling at the sound of the birds.
'What a beautiful morning. Truly a lovely day.'
As he approached the wall, black wings erupted from his back. With a few powerful strokes, he reached the top. The view was breathtaking—ancient trees taller than the wall itself, a lush, humid green stretching as far as the eye could see.
Looking down, he spotted his disciple, sprawled out and fast asleep. Landing beside him, Benjamin gave him a rough shake.
"Wake up, Jay!"
Jay opened his eyes to find his master wearing a deadly serious expression.
"Huh? Master, why do you look like that?"
Benjamin sighed. "It's because something bad is about to happen." He closed his eyes as he spoke.
"You see..." The master grabbed Jay by the collar. "I am a demon, Jay. A demon who fell in love with a goddess."
Jay's eyes went wide. Flashes of the woman Benjamin had loved flickered through his mind. Then, his brow furrowed.
"M-Master! What... what are you doing?!" Jay asked, terror flooding his eyes.
Benjamin began walking toward the edge, toward the giant trees.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm doing exactly what you're thinking, kid."
As they reached the precipice...
"Goodbye, Jay. I'll see you in five years!"
In that moment, everything slowed down. Jay began to fall, reaching out desperately toward his "master."
'No... not again... I've been... abandoned again.'
Tears streamed down his face as he fell, while the cold, dark, and merciless gaze of Benjamin watched him vanish into the depths.