Date: March 5th, year 1286 Location: Southern wilderness, Kingdom of Specta

  They had been flying on the back of the harpy eagle for two days now, only stopping to sleep or sustain themselves. Nyx was really enjoying her time, with her hair flying in the wind as she looked down at the forests and rivers hundreds of meters below them. The robed man, who Nyx had learned was named Thaddeus, boasted impressive cooking skills and kept them fed during that time with meals that Nyx found much tastier than Alice’s. Nyx often saw Agnes painstakingly trying to navigate using a colored map, constantly complaining about the lack of detail. This day was no different, only that Thaddeus started admonishing her in response to her complaints.

  - “I told you that you should’ve allocated your funds more optimally upon leaving the capital. We did not need that much food, salt, or other things like card games. A more detailed map would’ve saved us a tremendous amount of time.” He says.

  - “I know, you already gave me an earful on the way there…” Agnes replies, defeated. “I still can’t believe I let that happen!”

  - “It’s fine, you are new to the Arcane Guard after all. Mistakes are an effective way to learn long term.”

  - “What’s the Arcane Guard?” Nyx asks.

  - “We are the main law enforcement organization in the kingdom of Specta!” Agnes proudly replied. “Basically, we beat up bad guys and help people in need, like you!”

  - “Oh I see ! Every big human group has people like you, to make sure everyone doesn’t tear each other apart and ruin the fun!”

  - “That’s… one way to put it I guess?...”

  - “I have a question!” Nyx raises her hand.

  - “Ask away!”

  - “When did the landmass change shape again? I know that it’s supposed to take time, and last time I checked they weren’t here.” Nyx starts pointing at different spots on Agnes’ map.

  - “The landmass changing shape?...” Agnes repeats, confused. “I don’t think the continent is supposed to change shape, unless the gods suddenly decided to give it a relooking.”

  - “It does change though! Even before the other gods, the landmasses would move around without me wishing them to! Plus I think I told them not to mess with the geography too much, it really disturbs the humans when it happens too quickly. It makes for unique stories though!”

  - “...Yes Nyx! You’re very right!” Agnes replies with a smile. “Anything else?”

  - “Yes, what about all these places written down on the map?”

  - “Oh, the kingdoms and other places? I can explain what they are to you if you want, you did behave after all!”

  - “Yay!”

  Agnes starts patiently explaining to Nyx what she knows about every area marked down on the map ( for anyone interested, it’s in post chapter notes ). Meanwhile, Thaddeus was staring at them completely still, which was odd given that he was usually looking around to monitor their surroundings. At some point, when Nyx brings up the landmasses again and Agnes deflects it once more, he snaps.

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  - “No.” Thaddeus cuts, turning towards the both of them. “She is correct, I learned about this phenomenon in one of the books I read in the Cosmic Library. It detailed a theory on how there might be gigantic creatures under the major landmasses, moving at speeds so slow they are unnoticeable in even an elf’s lifetime. Getting access to it required the full reach of my credentials, which makes me wonder how a teenager in a lost southern village got her hands on this knowledge.”

  - “I saw it happen multiple times!” Nyx replies.

  - “Her information is too accurate to be accidental. Something is amiss here.”

  - “What do you mean?...” Agnes asks, looking back and forth between Nyx and Thaddeus.

  - “We know the universe was created by the four gods, and that there was only void before them. But she referred to a time period that came before even that, which at first doesn't make sense, but I remember reading about that in the Library too. The work of scholars that doubted the creation myth, due to the few inconsistencies present within the version we have.” Thaddeus gets up on his feet. “Again, how would a farm girl be aware of that? This is-”

  He is interrupted by a loud crackling sound coming from the clouds above. Then, as he looks up, a large bolt of blue lightning appears out of nowhere and strikes him directly. He then falls forward, his robes smoking due to the heat created by the lightning. The harpy eagle shrieks as the electricity propagates through it, and starts slowing down.

  - “Thaddeus!” Agnes yells as she jumps up.

  - “...I’m fine.” They hear Thaddeus say as he gets up from the back of the harpy eagle, not without difficulty. “This wasn’t natural lightning, or that would've probably stung a lot more than it did. It was a spell devised to incapacitate anyone hit.”

  - “You mean!...”

  - “We’re being attacked. Get ready.”

  Agnes kneels and places her hand on the back on the eagle, and her hand glows as threads of white light erupt from it. From them, a flock of black swallows forms, with feathers as sharp as daggers. Thaddeus raises his right hand in the air, and a ten meter long spear made of blue ice form above his head.

  - “Attacked?” Nyx asks. “By what?”

  - “Get behind me, Nyx.” Agnes says as she grabs her shoulder while Thaddeus looks around. He stops after seemingly noticing something, which causes him to frown.

  - “Mage traffickers.” He says. “Agnes, please remain calm.”

  - “...I’m asking for authorization to use lethal force.” Agnes whispers in between her teeth, as the number of black swallows starts to slowly increase. Her hands were shining so brightly that they reminded Nyx of twin stars.

  - “Granted, but only kill if necessary.”

  - “Yeah, sure.”

  - “Mage traffickers ?” Nyx asks as she glances in the direction that Thaddeus was looking in.

  What she sees is a giant reptilian beast with bat-like wings, that she quickly recognizes as a dragon, flying towards them. It had white scales, was slightly larger than the harpy eagle, and had crystalline spikes protruding from its back that were crackling with electricity.

  On its back, in between said spikes, were four figures obscured by leather traveling capes complete with black hoods. The dragon roars, and another lightning bolt forms above their mount. This time, Thaddeus raises his hand and a solid sphere of ice forms around the entire harpy eagle, deflecting the attack. By the time it crumbles, the dragon is right next to them, and the figures jump from its back and start attacking Thaddeus and Agnes. Spells of various elements start flying all over the place, and the black swallows furiously fly around the battlefield, preventing the four figures from gaining any ground while Thaddeus pushes them back with a continuous onslaught of smaller ice spears created from the larger one. While she was peacefully watching, Nyx is suddenly lifted from the ground by an invisible force. She felt like she was being held by someone, but she couldn’t see them. When she focuses, she manages to see threads of multicolored light intricately woven around a humano?d figure, rendering them invisible to anyone incapable of perceiving them.

  - “Well I didn’t expect that!” Nyx exclaims with a wide grin.

  - “What?” Agnes shouts back while briefly turning towards Nyx. Her eyes widen as she realizes that she’s seemingly floating above the ground. “Thaddeus, the others are a distraction! They-”

  She doesn’t have the time to finish her sentence before the invisible figure jumps off the harpy eagle, and Nyx can’t hear her anymore over the wind howling around her. She then senses something that feels like a tissue with a very powerful smell being applied on her nose, and she quickly loses consciousness. Her last vision is that of Agnes yelling something in her direction, before the large dragon seizes the harpy eagle with its claws and begins discharging electricity into it. This forces Agnes and Thaddeus to attack it with some of their more powerful spells, shifting their attention away from Nyx. She then hears the person carrying him, who sounded like a woman:

  - “Mission complete! Man, this catch’s going to be worth a lot!”

  - The Kingdom of Specta is overseered by the god of Magic, Solomon. This is the only kingdom where even the average farmer has the potential to be a mage, even if it’s to a fairly low degree. It is home to the most eminent scholars in all of Lux, who have been working tirelessly for thousands of years to develop and advance magic. This is also the only kingdom where humans and elves live in relative harmony, united by a shared desire to surpass each other in the field of magic ( according to Agnes, elves are annoying pricks with long ears that think that they're better than humans simply because they're naturally gifted at magic ). The capital, Crystal Rose, is an island floating on the sea that can travel hundreds of kilometers in a single day through a mysterious spell that is kept secret by the higher spheres.

  - The Kingdom of Galanos is the territory of the goddess of Water, Calypso. It is full of gorgeous beaches and tropical landscapes, and the people living there are most likely the happiest of any kingdom on average. They are very welcoming to strangers, but their goddess is another story. She has no problem with foreigners, but she despises every single one of the three other main gods. Reasoning with her is practically impossible, and no one dares to attack her nation due to fear of the backlash. Everyone is aware that she could simply take all the drinkable water away from the attacker’s nation, and given how absurdly powerful she is, the god of that nation would be incapable of fully stopping her. And that is if it’s a major kingdom, micro nations wouldn't even dream of going against Galanos.

  - The Kingdom of Polemys is the territory of the god of War, Serafim. The entire nation is constantly at war with itself, since it is riddled with micro nations struggling for dominance. This caused this kingdom to create some of the most talented warriors in history, and some of the mightiest kings. Serafim is unequivocally considered the strongest god of the four, capable of taking on anything and anyone in combat. He is often considered the patron god of child soldiers, and of people willing to fight to protect something. Their half-dragon warriors are famous worldwide for being some of the fiercest fighters on the continent. Polemys is also one of the only regions in the world where dragons are relatively common, and they are often seen bonding with the people living there. Finally, the entire nation frequently unites to fend off invading monsters from the Dark Continent, which also keeps the continent of Lux safe.

  - The Kingdom of Utopia is overseered by the goddess of Love, Vivianne. It is easily the safest nation in the world, with crime rates nearing 0%. That is in part achieved with the disproportionately heavy prison sentences distributed for even the pettiest crimes, especially when they involve violence. Even dragons from the Draconic Glacier know not to attack Utopia, as Vivianne will not hesitate a single second to descend and fight any threats personally. People are also monitored by the guard, who has to keep a record of everybody’s level of happiness. Low levels of happiness will cause Vivianne to desperately attempt to fix what’s wrong, which almost always leads to her making the situation somewhat worse. Most residents of the capital, Hestia, are walking in the streets with large, fake smiles on their faces to avoid Vivianne thinking that they are unhappy. The overall living conditions in this kingdom are the best of any nation by far, with free housing and unlimited food provided by Vivianne at all times, which causes her to be constantly weakened compared to the other gods. This is one of the main reasons people stick around, even if they do have the means to leave.

  - The Great Frontier Desert is the natural barrier separating the kingdom of Polemys from the kingdom of Utopia. It is largely undocumented due to the harsh conditions there, and the ability of the sands to shift as if the entire desert was alive. It is more than an illusion, as Solomon the god of Magic has been heard stating that the god of war defeated and buried a spirit of incomprehensible power under the sands, as he was incapable of getting rid of it for good since it would try to reform constantly. The goddess of love, Vivianne, then shattered and scattered its consciousness into quite literally every single grain of sand in that desert, preventing the spirit from ever pulling itself back together again. Its defeat marked the end of the previous calendar and the start of the current one. This event gave the desert itself a will of its own, and no one really knows if it is ill intentioned or not.

  - The Ancient Elven Lands are the part of the continent where most elves are formed, and have been forming for tens of thousands of years. The air there is permeated with so much magical energy that it makes it hard for non spiritual creatures to cast spells, or even breathe there, needing special magic items to absorb the excess energy around them. The fauna there is some of the most dangerous in the entire world, due to the average magical energy reserves of any monster is very vast, especially compared to most humano?d races. This region is filled with ruins from ancient elven civilizations, which are closely guarded by the elves living there since they are essentially national treasures. It is also where the majority of all ancient magical artifacts ever discovered comes from, and there is evidence of humans having lived there thousands of years ago.

  - The Arctic Circle is a cold, unforgiving wasteland that is home to a plethora of ice monsters and spirits. Plants originating from that area usually are very valuable, as their medicinal properties are almost unmatched. However, they are often cultivated and guarded by spirits, which causes frequent clashes between them and the people attempting to get their hands on the plants.

  - The Draconic Glacier was formed thousands of years ago, after the god of war defeated a frost dragon that was threatening the entire world with an eternal winter, encasing all land in solid blocks of ice and killing most of the life on the continent. When it was killed, its body became the gargantuan iceberg known as the draconic glacier. All dragons and spirits living there formed from and feed on its magical energy, making them exceedingly dangerous. On top of that, the cold level of this area is so intense that water cannot even be consumed, freezing instantly. One adventurer that managed to return from this glacier a few decades ago managed to bring back an herb that could cure any and all illnesses, no matter its severity. It could cure chronic conditions, and even genetic defects, and was thus branded the Universal Panacea. People often embark on quests for it, only to never be heard from again.

  - The Dark Continent is one of the world’s greatest mysteries. It is every bit as hostile as the Draconic Glacier, on top of extending so far south that no one ever managed to completely cross it. The fauna and flora are bizarre at best, and horrifyingly deadly at worst. The few people that came back from it said that they were rescued by strange people who found them after they were left for dead by monsters whose descriptions are closer to walking disasters than actual living creatures. It is unclear if these people were native to the Dark Continent, or came from the lands beyond it. They also reported having found ruins that might even predate Elven national treasures and artifacts, the most notable one being a hammer found by a follower of Serafim that is rumored to be able to shatter dimensions and allow its wielder to easily cross through realms.

  Side note, for clarity: Spirits are basically living magic, so you have your classic fire spirts, water spirits etc... which are made of these elements. Elves ( which are mentioned a decent bunch ) can be formed when a spirit dies, and no one really knows why the magical energy the spirit left behind takes a human shape of all things ( the only difference being the length of the ears ).