Prologue — Letheas
They said magic was gone.
Lost, buried beneath centuries of logic and noise —
a myth traded for machines,
a whisper forgotten by the waking world.
But that night, as the moon carved silver lines across my ceiling,
I dreamed.
It was not a dream like others — not fragments of fear or longing —
but a memory.
A memory that did not belong to me.
I saw our world, yet not as it is —
the sky breathed,
the rivers sang names I could almost understand,
and the stars moved like living thoughts.
I stood there — and trembling —
watching cities shimmer with unseen light,
watching humans walk with the grace of forgotten gods.
And a voice whispered through the wind,
not in words, but in knowing:
"You remember it, don't you? The name of the forgotten world — Letheas."
I didn't answer.
I just felt it —
the pulse, the warmth, the impossible truth.
Magic wasn't dead.
It was asleep.
And somehow… I was the first to awaken.
When I opened my eyes,
the world looked the same —
streets, screens, faces, ordinary mornings —
but something inside me refused to go back to sleep.
And maybe it was foolish,
maybe just the last spark of a dream that never belonged to this age…
but deep down I knew....
Chapter 1: The World That Forgot
The alarm buzzed like a dying insect.
Eddy groaned, rolled over, and blindly smacked at his phone until the noise stopped. Just as silence returned—
"Eddy! It's already eight-thirty! You think college will wait for you?"
His mother's voice came sharp and clear from the kitchen.
He buried his head under the pillow. "Five more minutes!"
"Five minutes? You said that fifteen minutes ago!"
Footsteps approached. The door creaked open.
"Don't make me pull that blanket, boy!"
Eddy popped up like toast. "I'm awake! I'm awake!"
His hair looked like it had fought a typhoon and lost. He stumbled to the mirror, blinking. Then he froze.
He reached for his glasses on the table—paused—and slowly lowered them. The world didn't blur. He could read the tiny words on the calendar across the room.
"…What the—" He blinked again. "I can see… perfectly?"
He rubbed his eyes once more. No change. Everything looked clearer than ever, colors sharper, edges cleaner.
Then a flash of last night's dream rushed back: lights swirling, something whispering his name, a sense of warmth in his chest.
He frowned. Nah, it's just a dream…
His mother's voice cut through the thought: "If you don't come down now, I'll feed the cat your breakfast!"
"Coming!"
He hurried downstairs. The smell of fried egg, bread, and red tea filled the small kitchen. His mom gave him the look—the classic one that said 'you're hopeless but I still love you.'
"Drink your tea first," she said, sliding a cup toward him.
"Yes, ma'am." He gulped half in one go, sighing in satisfaction. Tea after waking—sacred ritual achieved.
Breakfast followed quickly, and soon he was out the door, helmet on, backpack slung over one shoulder. His bike sputtered to life, and he rode down the winding road of Zemabawk, the morning mist breaking apart as he sped toward Hrangbana College.
The streets were alive—vendors calling, engines humming, dogs arguing with scooters. From every turn, the city of Aizawl spread like a river of houses flowing over hills.
Classes dragged on. Math, physics, boredom. Eddy stared out the window, half-listening to the lecture. His mind was somewhere else.
Weird, he thought. Even though I love anime and magic stuff, that dream felt too real.
He doodled quietly in his notebook—a glowing circle, symbols, and the word mana scribbled below it.
Whatever. I'll test it tonight.
Evening came with a drizzle of golden light across the hills. After dinner, as his mother washed the dishes, Eddy grabbed his jacket.
"I'm going out! I might be la—"
Before she could even answer, the door had already slammed behind him.
She sighed. "That boy…"
The ride to Beraw Tlang was peaceful. The air grew cooler as he climbed higher; the city lights below shimmered like stars scattered on earth.
He parked near the edge of the hill, where a narrow trail led to the top and viewing tower—the tall two-floor structure that tourists used to get a better view of Aizawl.
No one was around. Perfect.
He climbed to the top, boots echoing softly on the steps. The wind met him halfway, carrying the faint scent of pine and smoke. When he reached the platform, he just stood there, speechless.
Aizawl at night was pure magic—the hills breathing with light, the sky painted in silver moonlight.
Eddy sat down, legs crossed, facing the glowing city.
"It's beautiful," he whispered. "Almost unreal."
He closed his eyes, remembering the warmth from his dream. This time, he focused—not on his breath, but on something beneath it.
At first, there was only silence. Then… a faint tingling inside his chest. Not in his muscles, not physical—something else. Like tiny droplets floating within him.
He opened his eyes slowly, holding out his hand.
Blue sparks shimmered across his fingertips.
"…No way."
He focused harder. A flicker of fire bloomed at one fingertip, small but bright. He rotated his hand, and beside it, a bead of water formed, glimmering like liquid glass.
"Wait—both?"
He smiled nervously and tried again. This time earth, wind, and even a shard of ice hovered lightly around his palm, dancing like obedient fireflies.
His heartbeat quickened. "I can control… all basic elements?"
The excitement pushed him further. "Then what about lightning?"
He raised his hand, channeling energy the way he'd seen in anime—big mistake.
A sudden spark cracked—zzap!—and a small electric arc cut across his fingertip.
"Ouch!" He shook his hand. "Okay… small cut, but still counts."
He stared at the faint scorch mark and laughed softly.
"What about space, time, or other stuff? Nah… let's not hurry."
The night breeze wrapped around him as he leaned back against the railing, still smiling.
"Am I OP? Or… if everyone got awakened again, would they be like me?"
He looked at his glowing hand one last time. "Well, who knows. But right now—"
He gazed at the sleeping city below, a million lights mirroring the mana drifting inside him.
"—I think I'm the only awakened human in the world."
The wind carried his quiet laughter away into the stars.