The first time I came across the word Gaia in my reading, I almost laughed. In my previous life, it was just another name for Earth, a poetic one. But here, it wasn't just poetry.
Gaia was the name of the world itself, as well as the name of the goddess of earth who, according to legends, gave life to this vast land. A land twice as large as the Earth I once knew.
I had only seen maps in books so far, but they were enough to leave me awestruck. Four massive continents sprawled across the globe, two polar regions of ice crowning the top and bottom, and countless islands in between. Some of those islands were said to be home to mythical beasts—dragons, phoenixes, and creatures whose names seemed pulled straight from the fantasy novels of my past life.
Humans weren't alone here. Elves with their long lifespans, dwarves who forged wonders of metal, demons whose strength rivaled armies, and countless beastkin tribes. It was a world where mana pulsed through every living thing, from the smallest rabbit to the most fearsome wyvern.
The history books claimed that when the first humans appeared, they were helpless. Magic beasts ruled the wilderness, and survival was nearly impossible. It was the gods who descended then, teaching mortals how to wield mana—how to turn the invisible energy of the world into fire, water, blades, and shields. Whether that story was truth or myth, I couldn't say. But it was clear enough that without mana, humanity would never have survived here.
The continent I lived on was called Apollo, named after the god of light worshiped most devoutly by the central church. Apollo was dominated by a single empire at its heart, surrounded by three powerful kingdoms. My parents rarely spoke of politics, but even I could tell the empire held sway, and its name carried weight even in the villages.
Reading all this as a child with an adult's mind was both exhilarating and overwhelming. I had wanted excitement in my previous life, hadn't I? Well, here it was, laid out across a world teeming with gods, magic, and danger.
And I was right in the middle of it.