Dark opened his eyes.
For a few seconds, he couldn't remember where he was.
The ceiling above him was unfamiliar.
White stone.
Tall windows.
A faint golden light filled the room.
He tried to move.
Pain shot through his head.
"Ah..."
Dark placed a hand against his forehead.
"What happened...?"
A woman's voice answered from across the room.
"You finally woke up."
Dark froze.
He slowly turned his head.
A woman was sitting beside the window, watching him.
She looked young, but there was something strangely calm about her presence.
Dark stared at her.
"Who are you?"
"That's not the first question you should be asking."
She stood and walked toward him.
"You were unconscious for nearly two days."
"Two days?!"
Dark immediately sat up.
"Annuct!"
His eyes widened.
"Tera! Where's Tera?"
The woman stopped.
Her expression changed.
Dark noticed.
"Where is she?"
The woman remained silent.
Dark's heart sank.
"Where is Tera?"
"She didn't survive."
The words hit him harder than he expected.
Dark stared at her.
"No..."
He shook his head.
"No, she was strong."
His hands tightened around the blanket.
"She was a teacher. She was an Adventurer. She... she said she'd come back."
The woman looked away.
"She fought a Fallen Angel."
Dark didn't understand.
"A what?"
The woman sighed.
"You don't know much about the world, do you?"
Dark shook his head.
"Then perhaps it's time you learned."
She walked toward the window.
"Before you continue your journey, you need to understand the world you're living in."
Dark remained silent.
The woman looked outside.
"There are three realms."
She raised one finger.
"Heaven."
A second.
"Earth."
Then a third.
"And Hell."
Heaven
"Heaven is where humans who are considered pure-hearted may be chosen after death."
Dark listened carefully.
"Those chosen are transformed into Angels."
"Angels..."
"The army that protects Earth."
Dark remembered the stories the Priest had told him.
"So they're real?"
The woman nodded.
"There are four powerful Angels who currently protect Heaven and Earth."
She looked toward the sky.
"Gabrael."
"Raphael."
"Uriel."
"And Ariel."
"These four stand above the rest of Heaven's forces."
Dark frowned.
"What makes them so powerful?"
"Magic."
The woman raised her hand.
A soft golden light appeared above her palm.
"There are two forms of heavenly magic."
The light became brighter.
"Light Magic."
The glow transformed into a sharp beam.
"Light Magic is offensive. It is used against demons, and in the hands of an Angel, it can kill even powerful demons."
The light disappeared.
A softer glow replaced it.
"Then there is Pure Magic."
The warmth spread through the room.
"Pure Magic is used to heal. It can save someone who is dying."
Dark stared at the glowing hand.
"So... it can bring someone back?"
"No."
The woman's expression became serious.
"Death is permanent."
Dark lowered his eyes.
"Even Pure Magic cannot revive the dead."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Earth
"The realm you know as home is Earth."
The woman continued.
"Humans live here regardless of whether they are good or evil."
"Humans are divided into two broad groups."
She held up two fingers.
"Citizens and Adventurers."
"Citizens live ordinary lives. Farmers, merchants, craftsmen, teachers, builders... they keep civilization functioning."
"And Adventurers?"
"Adventurers are trained to fight."
Dark looked at his hands.
"They can use weapons and magic."
"Correct."
"But not everyone can use magic."
The woman walked toward the table beside Dark's bed.
"Most humans are born with an affinity for one elemental form of magic."
She counted them one by one.
"Water."
A droplet appeared above her finger.
"Rock."
The droplet hardened.
"Fire."
Flames replaced it.
"Wind."
The flame disappeared, replaced by a small swirl of air.
"Lightning."
Electricity crackled across her fingers.
"And Plasma."
Dark stared at the strange energy.
"Most people can wield only one."
"One?"
"One element."
She closed her hand.
"Those capable of controlling more than one are extremely rare."
"They are called Specialists."
Dark's eyes widened.
"So they're stronger?"
"Not necessarily."
The woman smiled faintly.
"Having access to multiple elements doesn't automatically make someone stronger. It simply gives them possibilities that others don't have."
Dark nodded.
"That makes sense."
"Adventurers are also assigned ranks."
She continued.
"Student."
"Trainee."
"Warrior."
"And finally..."
She paused.
"World Rank."
Dark raised an eyebrow.
"World Rank?"
"An Adventurer recognized as powerful enough to stand at the highest level of Earth."
She looked at him.
"And if a Specialist reaches World Rank..."
"They are called a God."
Dark's eyes widened.
"A God?"
"It's a title."
She quickly added.
"Not an actual divine being."
Dark relaxed.
"Oh."
"There is currently only one World Ranker known to exist."
"Who?"
"Midnight."
Dark waited.
The woman said nothing else.
"That's it?"
"No one knows much about him."
She looked back toward the window.
"He has mastery over Plasma Magic."
"Where does he live?"
"No one knows."
"What does he look like?"
"No one knows."
Dark blinked.
"So... how do people know he even exists?"
"That," she said, "is a question nobody has been able to answer."
Dark remained quiet for a moment.
"What about towns?"
The woman smiled.
"Earth is divided into communities."
"There are villages, towns, and countries."
"Villages are where most people live and raise families. They are also common places for schools and local communities."
"Towns are larger and are usually centers of trade."
"And countries?"
"Large nations ruled by kings."
Dark nodded.
"How do people buy things?"
"Coins."
She placed three coins on the table.
Copper.
Silver.
Gold.
"The lowest is Copper. Then Silver. Then Gold."
Dark picked up a gold coin.
"This is worth a lot?"
"Very."
Dark immediately put it down.
"Okay."
The woman laughed.
Hell
The woman's smile disappeared.
"There is one more realm."
Dark already knew which one.
"Hell."
She nodded.
"Hell is the realm of demons."
Dark remembered the village.
The flames.
The screams.
Lucifer.
His stomach tightened.
"Are all demons evil?"
The woman looked at him.
"That's complicated."
Dark's expression changed.
She continued.
"Some demons are born in Hell."
"But there are others."
"Humans?"
"No."
"Angels."
Dark's eyes widened.
"Angels can become demons?"
"Only under certain circumstances."
She turned toward the window.
"When an Angel turns their back on Heaven, they are cast into Hell."
"The demons are supposed to kill them."
"But sometimes..."
She paused.
"They survive."
Dark listened.
"And when they do, they become something else."
"Fallen Angels."
The words sent a chill through Dark.
"They retain the power they once possessed as Angels, but their hearts become corrupted."
"They are demons now."
Dark remembered Lucifer.
"The one who killed Tera..."
"A Fallen Angel."
Dark's hands tightened.
"Lucifer."
The woman nodded.
"There are four powerful Fallen Angels currently known in Hell."
She named them.
"Selaphiel."
"Michael."
"Jegudiel."
"And Lucifer."
Dark stared at the floor.
"Four."
"The Fallen Angels are capable of commanding demons beneath them."
"They can organize entire armies."
"And if they ever decide to march against Earth..."
She looked toward the distant horizon.
"They could cause devastation on a massive scale."
Dark swallowed.
"But Heaven would stop them."
"They would try."
The woman's answer was quieter than he expected.
"The balance between Heaven, Earth, and Hell has existed for a very long time."
"Earth survives because Heaven protects it."
"But peace is not the same as safety."
Dark looked toward the window.
Outside, people walked through the streets.
Children laughed.
Merchants opened their shops.
People lived their ordinary lives.
As though nothing had happened.
"Then why did the demons attack Annuct?"
The woman didn't answer immediately.
"That is what we are trying to understand."
Dark looked at her.
"You said they were searching for something."
"Yes."
"Or someone."
"Yes."
"Who?"
The woman shook her head.
"We don't know."
Dark lowered his gaze.
Then he remembered something.
The forest.
The fog.
The voices.
Come...
Join us...
His face went pale.
"There was something else."
The woman looked at him.
"What?"
"When I was in the forest..."
Dark hesitated.
"I heard voices."
"What did they say?"
"Something about joining them."
The woman's expression immediately changed.
"What else?"
"I don't know."
Dark rubbed his head.
"There was a woman."
"A woman?"
"I saw her just before I passed out."
The room fell silent.
The woman stared at him.
Dark noticed the sudden change in her expression.
"What?"
She didn't answer.
"What is it?"
The woman slowly walked toward the door.
"We need to leave."
"Why?"
"Because if what you saw is connected to the attack..."
She opened the door.
"Then you're in far more danger than we thought."
Dark stared at her.
"Wait."
He climbed out of the bed.
"Where are we going?"
The woman looked back.
"To find out why the demons came to Annuct."
Dark hesitated.
"And if they were looking for someone..."
His voice became quiet.
"...what if they were looking for me?"
The woman said nothing.
But the look in her eyes was enough.
For the first time since leaving Melorune Church, Dark wondered if the Priest had been wrong about one thing.
Maybe the demons weren't simply attacking Earth.
Maybe they had come for a reason.
And somehow...
Dark might be part of it.