Nathan Evenhart:
The garden had been completely renovated by my mother. During our time at the academy, she would occasionally return to the castle, spending a few weeks there while Chloe, Kinue, and I remained in Apsalon. Of course, she never traveled alone. She always brought the maids along, and the manor in the Royal Capital was heavily guarded, ensuring her safety the moment she arrived in the city. Additionally, she always used our private ship for travel.
I had a feeling she did this on purpose, giving the three of us a sort of "private weekend" at the Apsalon estate. But I preferred not to ask if that was truly her intention.
Here, my mother had created her own laboratory, which she had affectionately named the Carnivorous Greenhouse. The space was dedicated to her experiments with modified living plants—ones that didn't rely solely on her mana to survive. There was mana in the atmosphere, and summoner mages naturally had the ability to modify it using their own internal mana. Her goal was to develop plants that could absorb this environmental mana in the same way they already did with sunlight.
"I'm facing the same problem as before, Nathan," she said as she watered an experimental plant.
In the soil before her was a section of land she had asked me to generate. As a High Elf with Special Eyes in the summoner category, I could create more fertile soil by combining my plant element with the earth element. This significantly accelerated plant growth and efficiency. My mother couldn't simply speed up the process with magic since it was a delicate experiment, so she needed my help to optimize the soil conditions.
Even the water used in the experiment was created by me. Since our mana had a stronger harmony with nature—something Adrihna explained as being related to High Elves originally being ancient spirits or something like that—the entire process needed to be as pure as possible.
"Are the watermelons still exploding?" I asked, glancing at the scattered remains on the ground.
"Yes..." she sighed, visibly disappointed.
My mother was attempting to develop a type of fertilizer plant—one that would act as a mana reservoir for the soil. The idea was for this plant to absorb available mana and distribute it to the surrounding flora, eliminating the need for her to manually water or infuse mana into them daily. To achieve this, she had been modifying watermelon seeds, burying the fruit in the soil, and analyzing whether it could serve as a source of nourishment for the other plants.
"The experimental watermelons are all failing..." she muttered, crossing her arms as she pondered over the ruined patch of land.
She sighed before returning to watering the other plants.
"And the sunflowers?" I asked.
She pointed to a corner of the greenhouse.
"Useless… so far, only fruits have shown any results," she explained.
She continued watering with a focused expression.
"For now, these are just incubator plants," she added. "I modified the seeds so they still feed on water normally. Later, they'll die and produce seeds strong enough to withstand fusion with a carnivorous plant and a cuscuta parasite."
One of the carnivorous plants raised a tendril, pointing toward the destroyed watermelon on the ground.
"Go ahead and eat it… it's useless anyway," my mother said.
The plant stretched its neck and devoured the watermelon pieces without hesitation.
I watched the scene, slightly confused.
"Isn't that kind of like cannibalism?" I asked, laughing.
My mother chuckled back.
After watering the plants, my mother hurried over to her workstation, which was, in fact, inside a greenhouse. Since there was a nearby lake, the plants absorbed water directly through their roots.
"Can you keep feeding the lake with your water, using a high mana concentration?" she asked.
"Of course," I replied, walking to the shore and sitting down.
She remained nearby, focused on her notes. I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. The process required precision—I had to keep my mana under control. A faint warmth spread through my eyes. My Special Eyes had activated.
I knew this would shorten their longevity, but I rarely used them and always for short periods. Still, I insisted on helping, wanting to contribute alongside my mother. She rarely asked for my assistance, and as I grew older, I got the feeling that she hesitated to be too direct with me—at least in front of certain people.
By law, very few people could speak to me directly or "order" me to do anything. Of course, in Apsalon, I was just another student. But in the daily life of the duchy, I would always have to be Lord Nathan. And as political responsibilities fell upon me, I suspected my mother was wary because of her status as a commoner.
One of her greatest fears had always been losing me when I was little. Technically, my aunt had "custody" over me, being both a noble and the acting duchess. If she had wanted to, she could have ordered me to be taken from my mother, and there would have been nothing my mother could do. But, obviously, our family wasn't like that—though such cases were common among the nobility.
I dipped my hand into the water, activating a magical fertilizer spell. This spell was my mother's invention, combining water, earth, and plant elements. I used the last two in small amounts while the water element carried the altered minerals from my High Elf mana into the lake, filtering and enriching it.
"What about those grasshoppers?" I asked as she reviewed her notes.
My mother's desk was covered in scribbled papers, diagrams, and detailed instructions about her plant experiments. She was testing different specimens and planning to import seeds from the elven kingdom for future projects.
"That failed too," she sighed. "The carnivorous plant kills the grasshopper in seconds, so it was useless. I need to develop something more delicate for this kind of control. And not to mention, the grasshopper flies. I don't know how the plant would react to controlling something airborne… It's more complex than it seems."
My mother had always loved nature. She would never experiment on living animals. Her focus was solely on creatures classified as pests—ironically, the ones that disrupted the natural balance.
"My aunt mentioned there are many prisoners on death row…" I murmured.
She stopped what she was doing and looked at me.
"No," she said firmly. "No using humans. That was a necessity, and the family's future was at stake."
I decided not to push the matter. My mother could be terrifying when she wanted to be.
She returned to writing.
"The next mana 'storage plant' will be made from potatoes. I'm going to try modifying them," she commented, jotting down her ideas.
My eyes drifted toward the enormous seed at the center of the greenhouse. Most of the water mana was directed to it. My mother wanted to keep the seed healthy, even as it remained dormant in its cocoon of roots. Every now and then, I'd see her talking to the seed. But I was used to it. She had always talked to her plants since… well, since I was born.
"And what about my sister? When do you plan to plant her?" I asked, curious. "This definitely isn't the ideal space. That seed is going to need deep soil—at the very least, a nearby forest."
She seemed to ponder for a moment.
"I still don't know how big she'll get or what she'll want to eat," my mother admitted. "If she takes too much after the carnivorous plant side, I'll have to feed her a pig every week… or every fifteen days, depending on her size. If she inherits traits from a normal plant, a fertile soil might be enough. Or maybe she'll need both. But when I finally plant her, I'll need to be fully focused. I can't do it while you're at the academy since I might need your help to strengthen the soil with your magic. Plus, I need to think strategically about where to place her. Maybe, in the future, I'll plant her in the castle's outer garden. With her roots covering the walls, she could become the fortress's guardian."
I looked at the massive seed, about the size of a horse.
"Damn… who in their right mind would even think of invading a place guarded by that thing?" I chuckled. "We already have an army living in the fortress village… a dragon, a Moon Panther, and now a giant plant. I don't think anyone would be dumb enough to attack this place."
My mother laughed.
"And let's not forget, we also have two summoner women who can conjure their own Soul Golems, plus another who can access her beast form," she added.
I paused for a moment, thinking.
Wait… is it just me, or am I constantly surrounded by extremely dangerous women?
Victoria Vargulfson:
The cold was relentless. It was always like this at the border.
This was a land unlike any other—a vast stretch of ice spanning for miles, dividing the continents. The snow never ceased, no matter the season. Many claimed it was something supernatural, and I couldn't disagree. Even fire mages felt the chill cutting through to their bones. During storms, anyone left outside would certainly die within hours.
A colossal ice wall shielded our continent. Along its length, eight fortresses stood like bastions, spread far apart. These strongholds housed the soldiers guarding the frontier. The only way to travel between them was from the outside, as digging through the wall was impossible. No one truly knew who had built it—only that the being, or beings, responsible possessed incomprehensible power.
Three of the fortresses, located at the wall's center, had endured the brunt of the True Humans' attacks over the past centuries. The reason was simple: in that region, the cold was less extreme. The closer one moved toward the sea, the harsher the climate became, making the movement of armies nearly impossible.
Most soldiers stationed at the border were warriors without magic. Mages were rare on this continent—I knew this better than anyone, as the headmistress of its most prestigious magic academy. Besides, few were willing to volunteer to live at the edge of the world. Serving the nobility was a far more desirable fate.
Food was scarce at the frontier. Soldiers relied entirely on supplies sent from the kingdoms. Common horses couldn't survive here, making transport a major challenge. Provisions were carried by wagon to a large base still within the continental territory. From there, the journey continued on sleds pulled by reindeer, dogs, and wolves, the only animals capable of enduring the extreme cold. Distribution was done along the protected side of the wall, ensuring that the fortresses received their supplies without having to cross into hostile territory.
The only horses that could withstand the cold were the winged ones, but their wings became compromised in the low temperatures, preventing them from flying for long. Due to military necessity, a unit of these horses was stationed at the strongholds, used only for reconnaissance flights or aerial support to preserve their health and avoid unnecessary ground travel.
A guttural scream echoed through the forest.
"Argh!"
I ran forward, sword in hand, launching myself at two creatures and cutting them down in a single motion. They collapsed to the ground, shrieking in agony before dying.
There was something few people knew.
A Millennia-Old Secret
An anomaly that had emerged in the other continent was slowly spreading to ours. We feared that soon, it would cross the wall. And worse… I was beginning to suspect that the ice barrier had not been built to protect us from the True Humans, but from this very anomaly.
A sudden explosion of fire erupted before me. A wave of flames consumed the creatures emerging from the rift. As the heat and light faded, the anomaly had disappeared.
"They weren't that strong," commented the inquisitor beside me, a fire mage. His name was Wilfred Saul, and the raging flames had come from his hands.
"Hmm… seems like they were too weak for you," responded Lillian, an elf who had just descended from her enchanted broom—a magical relic that allowed her to fly.
"Too easy," Wilfred muttered.
"The problem isn't their strength," I replied. "The problem is their numbers. They're getting closer to the wall, and these incidents are happening more frequently. If this continues, people will soon learn the truth…"
We pressed forward on our mission. We were outside the wall, far beyond the fortifications, deep into lands no ordinary soldier would dare enter—even in times of war.
The Inquisitors were the only ones with the authority to cross certain borders in this region. Even if other soldiers were permitted to come here, I doubted they would risk freezing to death or being ambushed by the True Humans, who occasionally sent patrols into this territory. Only a powerful mage could survive a snowstorm—whether by traveling great distances swiftly or by tunneling beneath the earth for shelter.
Lillian had once been my student. In fact, two of my former students had become Inquisitors, and she was one of them. As an elven mage, Lillian was one of the most important forces of her kingdom.
The Inquisitors formed an elite group, composed only of mages who had reached the Star-Level Mana Core. Very few in the world had attained this level, and most were recruited into our ranks. Officially, we were known as Battle Generals. Each of us alone was worth an entire army.
We had no subordinates or troops—only our own abilities. Our primary mission was to serve as the elite force of the Three Kingdoms. If a rebellion arose, we would be summoned to crush it. If necessary, we could suppress the military power of an entire duchy. However, in the last few centuries, our main duty had been to protect the borders.
Currently, there were only seven Inquisitors. Six of them belonged to the Three Kingdoms. The seventh, Leonhard Olarion, one of my former students, had been promoted recently. No mage from the other half of the continent had ever reached this level before, making his ascension a historic milestone.
Although the Inquisitors' mission was to guard the frontiers, my responsibilities in Apsalon often kept me away for long periods. However, the true purpose behind our existence was tied to a secret known only to those chosen to join the order.
A secret that completely changed the way we saw the world.
"Will you be able to handle things in the coming months?" I asked. "I need to return to the academy. There will be meetings in Apsalon that will decide the future of the continent…"
"Send my regards to Prince Leon," Wilfred said. "Tell him I still want that duel."
Without waiting for a response, he ran toward the forest.
Lillian remained still, watching the trees. I noticed that a barrier of wind had formed around us, preventing any sound from escaping.
"Will you be seeing the new members of the royal family?" she asked, her gaze still fixed on the horizon.
"I will. That will also be one of the topics discussed."
"Hmm… I can't wait to meet them, especially the boy who inherited that sacred hair."
She crossed her arms, lost in thought.
"We were forbidden by the king from approaching them all these years, due to our military position. But it will be an honor to see them in person when the time comes."
"Unfortunately, the times we live in will not bring good news to the continent," I commented. "But at least your people have something to celebrate."
"And they will celebrate," Lillian replied with conviction. "These are the lost children of the Great Mother. They will return to their home in the elven kingdom."
"The last time I visited the council, that was the only topic under discussion," I added.
We continued walking. Our conversation was interrupted when more creatures emerged from the snow.
Another anomaly.
We attacked without hesitation. Our magic tore the monsters apart. Wilfred returned to assist, conjuring a sea of flames over them.
A different creature—larger, more resilient—tried to rise despite its charred body.
It failed.
But before dying, it whispered something.
"You… will fall… Your world will fall…"
Lillian narrowed her eyes.
"A creature that speaks…" she murmured.
The dying monster lifted its burnt face, its voice escaping as a ragged whisper.
"When… the Dark Kingdom comes, this world will fall… Just like the others…"
Wilfred didn't hesitate. He stomped hard on the creature's face, crushing its skull.
The moment he did, the anomaly vanished before our eyes.
For a moment, we stood in silence.
The anomaly… was a portal.
A portal that brought things from another world.
A world of malevolent beings.