Chapter 1: Serie
The Age of Myth.
A world where gods and demons coexisted.
"What a weak and fleeting life."
Seated before a crackling fire, Rhodes looked up in innocence at the diminutive elf who had suddenly appeared before him.
After all this time stranded in this world, he had finally encountered a character he recognized.
Soft, golden hair cascaded down to her waist, framing her iconic pointed ears. Her gaze was sharp, a faint, knowing smile playing on her lips. She projected an air of lofty superiority, but it was so at odds with her youthful face that it created an unexpected charm.
"Care for one?" Rhodes offered, holding out a skewer of roasted mushrooms.
He would have much preferred a skewer of roasted meat, but every monster in this forsaken world was outrageously powerful, forcing him into a life of reluctant vegetarianism.
As for the elven girl before him, Rhodes recognized her in an instant.
She was none other than the legendary Grand Mage of the Continent, Serie.
Though, at this moment, she looked like a young girl of only a few hundred years, entirely lacking the effortless and overwhelming power she would wield in a later era.
Did I transmigrate too far back? he wondered.
Serie's eyes fell upon the roasted mushroom skewer. After a moment of contemplation, she accepted it. Seeing Rhodes take a bite from his own skewer, she then opened her mouth and took a small, tentative bite.
An explosion of juices, an indescribable flavor.
It was a taste wholly unfamiliar to her from her time in the great elven forests. Her people, the elves, believed in nature and harmony; they rarely even lit fires for cooking. She had never been exposed to the culinary marvels of modern grilling techniques.
Truthfully, any other elf would have likely refused Rhodes's offer. The elemental signature on the food was chaotic and foreign. But Serie was different. Unlike other elves who cherished peace and freedom, Serie craved conflict. She relished the glorious chaos of the current Age of Myth.
"My name is Rhodes. And you are?"
Even though he knew her name, Rhodes couldn't possibly say it. That would only arouse her suspicion.
"Serie," the diminutive mage replied, her tone flat as she took another bite of the mushroom skewer.
As it turned out, good food was the fastest way to break the ice. The aloof elven girl was now willingly giving him her name.
"Do you know where this is? I'm afraid I'm lost."
Since arriving in this world, Rhodes had been perpetually lost. Before meeting Serie, he hadn't encountered a single being he could communicate with, let alone another human. This was why he suspected he had arrived several thousand years too early, landing squarely in the Age of Myth from the Frieren stories.
"The outskirts of the Great Elven Forest. You should be grateful you didn't venture deeper."
The Great Elven Forest was home to more than just her elven kin; all manner of powerful magical beasts dwelled within. A weak human like the one before her would have become nothing more than a meal.
"Have you seen any other humans... ah, I mean, other beings like me?"
Unsure if humanity was even an established race in this era, Rhodes corrected himself. Noticing that Serie had finished her skewer, he quickly handed her another.
Serie eyed the fragrant offering before her, hesitated for a moment, and finally took it.
"I saw one, two hundred years ago," she said. "Though he wasn't as fortunate as you. He was devoured by a magical beast."
Serie herself knew little of the human race, gleaning what she could from the tales of her elders. They were said to have forms similar to the gods, but were exceptionally weak. They could neither wield the divine arts of the gods, nor did they possess the near-eternal lifespan of the elves, living for a mere few decades. If not for their rather impressive reproductive capabilities, their race would have likely vanished from the world long ago.
Even so, the weak race of humans lived a nomadic existence, forming small, wandering tribes to evade the constant wars between the other races.
That was why her first words to Rhodes had been to call his existence weak and fleeting.
"If you follow this direction, you will eventually leave the sphere of influence of the Great Elven Forest. The path is clear of any powerful magical beasts."
Having finished the second mushroom skewer, Serie patted herself down and prepared to depart. To her, this human was just an insignificant passerby in her long life. Perhaps a thousand years from now, she might faintly recall a day like this, and a human who grilled surprisingly delicious mushrooms.
And that would be all.
"Please wait," Rhodes called out, unwilling to let such a powerful guide simply walk away. "I have an audacious request."
Though he didn't know how this younger Serie compared to the legendary "Walking Grimoire" of the future, he knew one thing for certain: she could use magic.
Upon arriving in this world, Rhodes had awakened a talent called [Creation]. As the name suggested, he could create all kinds of magic.
But putting it into practice was difficult.
For instance, he had tried to create a fire spell by repeatedly trying to make fire by rubbing sticks together. After countless experiments, he ended up with a spell that acted like a finger-snap lighter. Whenever he needed a fire and had dry tinder, a simple snap of his fingers would produce a flame to light it. He had also developed other convenient utility spells, like one to generate water and another to clean himself.
But that was the extent of it.
He couldn't create any offensive or healing magic. Because he couldn't comprehend the underlying concepts, he was unable to create them. He could understand fire as a product of friction, and water as molecules from the air. But how to attack someone? That concept was a complete blind spot in his knowledge. He was a materialist from a world of science, and for the moment, he simply couldn't grasp the intuitive, will-based principles of this magical world.
Hearing Rhodes's words, Serie turned back. If this man was asking her to escort him from the forest, she would refuse. She had no intention of leaving the forest herself at present. It was true that Serie loved conflict and the chaotic state of the world, but she wasn't a fool. There were countless beings in this world who could snuff out her life with a single blow. Until she was strong enough, she had no plans to venture out.
"I want you to teach me magic."
The request caught Serie completely off guard.
"Teach you magic?" She narrowed her eyes, having never heard of a human capable of learning it. "Your human race cannot learn magic. I cannot teach you."
"It's not that we can't," Rhodes countered, "it's that no one has ever taught us."
He snapped his fingers. The roaring fire in front of them was extinguished in an instant. With another snap, a spell generated a small torrent of water, dousing the last of the embers and leaving no possibility of it reigniting.
"Interesting."
Gazing at the strange, unfamiliar magic, Serie felt a flicker of genuine interest for the first time in her life.