Where are we going, Lillia?" Tom asked, breathless, trying to keep up. "And what is this place? The air is absolutely overflowing with essence!"
Lillia turned her head, a bright, knowing smile on her face. "Ah, this place? It's an Artificial Domain."
"An Artificial Domain?" Tom echoed, incredulous.
"Yes! It's a space created by a Master Smith to replicate the effects of a natural domain. You can only craft one after achieving Transcendence," Lillia explained with a hint of pride. "And the reason it's surging with Essence is probably because of the decades Kage has spent modifying it."
"How does one obtain one of these? Is crafting the only way?" Tom inquired, his researcher's curiosity kicking in despite his exhaustion.
Lillia shook her head firmly. "No. You can occasionally find them in ancient Tomes, deep within high-level Dungeons, or sometimes in Rift Towers. But they are incredibly rare, Tom. The fact that Kage managed to not only unearth one, but also infuse it with this much power, is frankly astonishing. But he did it somehow."
Raising an eyebrow, Tom looked around the lush, vibrant forest. "Wait, what are you saying? He made everything in here by hand?"
"Yes, indeed! That's exactly what I'm saying," Lillia affirmed. "Artifacts like these typically don't come with anything but the raw, unshaped terrain. Everything else—the trees, the structures, the Essence flow—is his creation."
"I see," Tom murmured, eyes scanning the environment with a researcher's intensity. "This... this would be an incredible area to train one's Essence Control and proficiency. With this much ambient Essence, our natural reserves would replenish almost instantly."
"Precisely!" Lillia chirped, pulling him along again up the gentle slope. "That's why you and the others are here. Speaking of which, I need to introduce you to the rest of the arrivals. Maybe you'll even find some of your old friends."
Arriving at the top of the hill, Tom gasped. The open area was filled with magnificent blossom trees and exotic flowers; their vibrant orange and pink hues beautifully mirrored the aspect of the setting sun. In front of them stood a long, pine-wood table carved with intricate floral patterns and accented with shining gold engravings. High-backed chairs, fit for royalty, were set around the table, which could seat twelve comfortably.
Four other individuals, the remaining arrivals from Earth 313, were already seated. Gesturing for Tom to take a chair, Lillia made her way to the head of the long table.
She clapped her hands together—a loud, attention-grabbing sound. "Alright! Now that everyone is here, let's begin.
Hello everyone! My name is Lillia, and I will be your guide and instructor from this day forward. I'll train you on using your abilities, controlling your Essence, and most importantly, I'll work to keep you alive for as long as I can!"
"First things first, let's get the most crucial piece of information out of the way: the history of this world. I'm sure your previous handlers already gave you the gist of the War of the Gods, so let's skip that. The nation that the Fortress of Avalon is part of is the Kingdom of Knoll, one of the eight nations on the Rune Continent. Whichis the god of earths territory"
Lillia leaned forward, her voice becoming earnest. "This world has three Realms, and each realm has seven continents. Each continent is ruled by a God. The First Realm isn't like Earth; everything here is built around the Seven Gods and the Seven Continents—one continent for each deity, and one primary race that embodies that divine power. It's all Essence, all the time!"
" The races that in habit this Realm are the magnificent Dragonkin of Ignius, the God of Fire, the Cleansing Flame—tall, powerful dragonoid humanoids with fearsome tails, armored hands, and formidable wings they usually keep concealed. Kage is Dragonkin, by the way. He should be back tomorrow."
"Then there are their cousins, the stoic Rockmen of Gaius, the God of Earth, the Unmoving Foundation. They are literally rock-bodied beings surrounding an Earth-Essence core."
"On the water side, you have the beautiful, all-female Nymphs of Mayra, the Goddess of Water, the Flowing Depth, instantly recognizable by their blue hair, subtle scales, and webbed hands.
Then there are the nomadic Windborn of Zepharn, the God of Wind, the Whispering Breath, who look like Earth's depiction of angels with their emerald eyes and intricate body engravings."
"For Ice, there are the elegant Rimeborn of Méi Hán, the Deity of Ice, the Still Fury—blue-skinned, pointed-eared folk—and their towering counterparts, the Glacial Wardens."
"Shifting to the extremes,
they keep to themselves quite a bit. Solara, the Goddess of Light, The Radiant Truth, governs the Auran, humanoids whose skin glows with a soft, internal light that literally prevents them from lying, with the Sentinels following and protecting them—large knights of gold. Finally, in opposition, are the dark, mysterious Skyborn of Noctis, the God of Shadow, The Void Weaver. They're like elves with black, obsidian skin and haunting purple eyes, and they are masters of concealment and shadow."
"Other races, like Humans, Sirens, the Milli, and the Ratkin, exist outside of those primary seven. The Milli are light-haired, pointed-eared humanoids who possess large, soft wings—they look like true angels but, sadly, those beautiful wings are ornamental; we cannot fly for long periodsoftime it takes too muchenergy! The Sirens are a stunning but hostile all-female race; they're incredibly tall, with flowing white hair and predatory red-and-black scaled mermaid bodies, and they possess four glowing eyes. The Ratkin, by the way, are adorable! They're small humanoids with large, round ears and subtle whiskers, often clad in simple, practical garments like cloaks or jackets—they are incredibly quick and clever, specializing in finding whatever is hidden. That's why we are typically mercenaries; we don't have a god of our own."
"You are all registered as mercenaries the moment you arrive in this world. You will each receive one thousand two hundred silver coins each month you survive from the Kingdom of Knoll. You don't have to worry about food, clothing, housing, or equipment, as you'll be staying here with Kage and I."
Lillia paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Is there anything else? Ah, yes! You can use equipment, artifacts, and weapons that are stored within your Soul and activated by pouring Essence into them. If you're in a battle and are running low on Essence, you can use a Soul Fragment, which is located within every person, creature, or animal that can use Essence. Crushing it will instantly restore your Essence; the amount restored is based on the core rank of the soul fragment."
"Well, I think that's everything!" Lillia asked, her voice brimming with eagerness. "Any questions?"
There was a moment of silence. No one spoke up.
"Excellent! Then it's time for introductions! State your names and Essence Abilities. Tom, you start first," said Lillia.
Standing up, Tom looked around the table. He spotted is old friend Jade, and seeing her face, she offered him a warm smile. A wave of relief washed over him, knowing she was safe.
"Good day, everyone. I am Tom Smith. I was a researcher at C.A.R.C. back on Earth. My branched ability is Hunter's Eye, and..." Before Tom could continue, his status window suddenly flickered, showing his newly readable Essence Ability. It displayed: Lightbringer. In small runes at the bottom, it read: (Sorry about that ;) Are we good?).
Ignoring the text, Tom continued, his voice steady. "My main ability is Lightbringer. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
Sitting back down, Tom began to muse internally: From what I've seen around the camp, the System should be a simple mechanism that allows this world's inhabitants to see and understand their Essence Ability, items, and equipment. But my system operates like it's… alive. This phenomenon is likely unique to me. I'll have to do more research on this later.