Kyle walked along the village road, boots crunching against cobblestone. The sun was warm on his face, the smell of wood smoke in the air. Everything seemed simple and natural—but the longer he walked, the more he noticed strange things.
A girl, about his age, was standing in the village square. She raised her hands casually.
A small sphere of flame appeared above her palms, hovering in the air like a glowing bird. She speak a few words; it just danced there, perfectly controlled.
Kyle froze. "Uh… how… are you doing that?" he asked.
The girl blinked. Her eyebrows shot up. "You… don't know?" she said, half shocked, half amused. "You're serious?"
Kyle shrugged. "I mean… I've never done anything like that before. What even… how…?"
The girl shook her head in disbelief. "I'm Lira," she said finally, her tone softening. "Come with me. You're going to need a lot of practice."
Kyle followed her, confused and wide-eyed. "So… wait. This is magic?"
Lira laughed, a little incredulous. "Of course it's magic. That's how life works here. Fire, water, light… it's all just part of life. Haven't you seen anyone do it before?"
Kyle hesitated. "No… not really. I've never… lived in a place like this."
Lira's eyes widened in mild shock. "Never? Huh… well. That explains a lot." She sighed. "Okay, you'll start small."
She raised her hands, and a tiny spark flickered between her fingers. "See? Just ask for it… let it happen naturally."
Kyle tried, awkwardly raising his own hands. "Uh… fire… spark?"
Nothing happened.
Lira blinked, stunned. "Wait… you actually… don't know how to even begin? Wow…" She shook her head, smiling faintly. "Alright, hold still."
She guided his hands, showing him the simplest motions. A tiny flicker appeared, weak and unstable, hovering before it vanished. Kyle stared in disbelief. "I… did that?"
"Barely," Lira said, smirking. "But yes. You did it. Now try again."
Kyle practiced clumsily, sparks fizzling out, flames misfiring, but slowly improving. Each tiny success made him grin, even as he struggled to grasp what seemed natural to everyone else.
"Magic here… it's like… it just exists?" Kyle asked finally, panting.
"Exactly," Lira replied. "It's like breathing. You don't think about it. You just do it. And honestly, I can't believe you've never seen anyone before. How did you survive in a village?" She laughed softly. "Alright, you're learning. That's what matters."
They walked through the village together. Kyle noticed everything: children carrying sparks of fire to light small braziers, blacksmiths heating metal without wood, farmers watering fields with gentle streams of light. To everyone here, this was completely ordinary.
Kyle tried to imitate, small sparks flickering awkwardly from his fingertips. Lira occasionally sighed or muttered in mild shock at his slow progress, but encouraged him patiently.
"You're… slower than most beginners," she said finally, smiling, "but at least you're trying. That counts for a lot."
By the afternoon, Kyle and Lira climbed a grassy hill overlooking the village. The sun cast long golden shadows across the cobblestone streets.
Lira looked at him, shaking her head. "Honestly… I didn't expect someone to start completely from scratch. You're going to have to work hard. But… maybe it'll be interesting, seeing you figure it out."
Kyle looked down at his hands. Tiny sparks of magic still flickered there, weak but alive. "I'll… try," he said quietly.
"That's all anyone can do," Lira replied. She tossed a tiny spark into the air. It hovered and twirled before fading. "Don't worry about keeping up with everyone. Just… learn at your pace."
Kyle felt a strange comfort, despite how out of place he was. For the first time in weeks, maybe months, he felt like he could belong here—if he worked hard enough.
Far beyond the mountains, forests, and rivers, tension was quietly building. The US team had moved. The AI world's headquarters, the heart of the project, was about to face a threat it had never anticipated.
Kyle did not notice the distant tremors of warning. He did not see the flicker in the sky that hinted at interference. He only felt the solid earth beneath his feet, the warmth of the sun, and the sparks of magic flickering clumsily in his hands.
And somewhere, unseen, shadows from the real world were preparing to strike.