I found myself standing in a world of pure white, with nothingness stretching out as far as my eyes could see. The ceiling, floor, and vast expanse before me were all blanketed in white. It was white darkness.

In an instant, I became aware of a wetness near my feet. Looking down, I discovered a pool of deep crimson blood surrounding my legs. Without thinking, I instinctively took a step back to distance myself from the blood.

“General!” A scream came from the front

As I turned my gaze toward the origin of the scream, the empty whiteness of the room dissolved before my eyes, replaced by a tumultuous scene of warfare, devastation, and bloodshed. Soldiers clashed in fierce combat, unleashing powerful spells of elemental magic upon one another, while anguished cries of agony and suffering filled the air. Amidst this chaos, a heavy weight suddenly settled upon my heart.

“Sir, Brigadier ##### needs your help, a high-rank mage has appeared” A soldier said looking at me. He wore a gray metallic armor set splattered with blood which covered his entire body along with his head.

With a perplexed expression on my face, I observed the bewildering scene unfolding before me, still trying to understand what on earth was happening. However, my attempts to understand were abruptly interrupted by a searing pain that felt like a hundred needles piercing my head.

I shut my eyes tightly and grasped my head with both hands, overcome by excruciating agony that surpassed any suffering I had ever endured. 

After a moment or two, I opened my eyes, and the scene in front of me had metamorphosed yet again. All the soldiers, and the elements of war had dissolved into nothingness, leaving behind that white blank space. In their place, a ghastly sight of a person remained.

In the center of a pool of blood, lay a girl who had sustained a grave injury from a blade. The slash had carved a deep wound that ran from the upper right of her chest down to the left side of her abdomen, causing the blood to spill out and create a gruesome scene.

The girl's body was covered in numerous scratches and scars, and she was clad in a dark enchanted armor that resembled ordinary textile clothing, rather than the metallic armor worn by the soldier I had previously encountered.

Discounting her current state, it was clear that she would have been a stunning woman, had it not been for her scars. She possessed long, black hair with blue highlights, fair skin, and piercing blue eyes that exuded strength and determination. The girl also had long ears, which asserted the fact that she was an elf.

Looking at her, the weight in my heart intensified, and a plethora of emotions began to overwhelm my mind. I felt a mix of rage, despair, and above all, the sensation of being powerless to protect those closest to me, the feeling of being incompetent consumed me

The girl looked at me, her eyes filled with not anger, hatred, or sadness, but with love and hope, even in such pain, she had a slight smile on her face.

Suddenly, a humanoid entity shrouded in swirling black clouds materialized beside her. The figure held a razor-sharp sword and seemed poised to impale the girl's heart with it.

Without knowing why, I sprinted towards the figure, who was mere meters away. My resolve to rescue the girl in front of me was unshakeable.

“Lu-” I screamed the girl’s name, which I thought I had on the tip of my tongue, but the name vanished from my mind, just as the scene in front of me did. 

I remained still, staring blankly at the white void before me.

All of a sudden, a sense of unease washed over me, as if there was something ominous and threatening lurking behind me, waiting to pounce. I instinctively turned around just to find the infinite expanse of white to have turned into a void of darkness, and an avalanche of black smoke rushing towards me

I glanced behind me, perplexed, and saw that the space was still blank and white. Within seconds, the billowing black smoke had arrived and blended with the white mist behind me. The obscurity combined with the white, giving rise to a shade of gray so dark that it appeared almost black.

Within this darkness, I spotted two glowing purple dots which were positioned in perfect horizontal alignment, they looked like the eyes of the threat that I had felt earlier. Despite the ominous presence, I didn’t feel threatened, instead, I felt I needed to approach that figure, I needed to find out who or what it was. 

I paused for a moment, feeling a dryness in my throat that compelled me to swallow hard before taking hesitant steps towards the figure.

***

Kriyo Kavern’s POV

Abruptly, I opened my eyes and sat straight up bringing an end to whatever dream had ensnared me. My body was drenched in sweat, and my breath came in ragged gasps.

Although I couldn't recall the specifics of the dream, I did have a vague memory of black and white fog being present in the dream world.

As I gazed out of my bedroom window, the dark sky gradually gave way to a warm orange glow. The sun was slowly ascending into the sky, casting its radiant light upon the world below. In the distance, I could see flocks of birds taking flight, their sweet melodies filling the air with a cheerful chorus.

I rubbed my eyes, got out of bed, and went straight to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

I splashed my face with water, while looking at the mirror in front of me. 

In the mirror, stood a six feet tall man, with blue hair so dark, that they seemed to be black, he had an expression of laze. While not exceptionally handsome, one could say that in a room full of a hundred men, he would be among the first to catch the attention of girls once all the conventionally attractive guys were taken. 

I had a medium size build, which was not very muscular, nor very lanky, it was somewhere in the middle. The gaze that my brown eyes produced, along with my fair skin made me look pleasant.

I changed into a formal white shirt, and a pair of formal navy blue trousers. I topped off my outfit with a matching blue tie.

After combing my hair and grabbing my bag, I rushed out of my room and was greeted by my grandmother, who was sipping tea at the dining table.

Despite being in her eighties and having grayish hair with a mildly wrinkled face, she exuded energy and never acted like a lethargic senior citizen. Her mesmerizing glow and warm smile always shone through, although I knew that beneath her facade lay an old, sly, and ruthless fox. Nevertheless, it didn't matter to me because she was my one and only blood relative, my only lifeline

“Good morning, Kri” She greeted me with her usual motherly warmness

“Morning, grannie” I replied as I took an apple from the fruit basket present on the dining table

“How are things going at work?” She asked

With a sigh, I washed the apple and replied, "Oh come on, you know the answer to that better than me." Taking a bite of the apple, I continued, "I'm heading out now. Bye.", I walked out of the house, knowing I didn't have time for a proper breakfast. I was rushing as despite waking up earlier than usual due to that dream, I somehow still managed to get late to reach work

“See ya” As I walked through the main gate, I heard her words faintly in the distance.

***

After walking for about ten minutes, I had finally reached my destination, my workplace, Graymint Magic Academy, the only school of magic in the 4 neighboring townships, Graymint, Yorking, Welsmay, and Kardo. This school taught a variety of courses to its students, ranging from sorcery to swordsmanship, from the art of diplomacy to concepts of logically understanding the world, the art of Vigyaan. 

I, Kriyo Kavern was a teacher here, and I was a very popular one at that, as a matter of fact, my class had the most students. What did I teach them? The art of languages. The English language, the language of Humans was mandatory to be learned by all students, that’s why my class had the most students. This rule was created so that the students could develop a sense of belonging to their race, and their identity as humans

Besides being well-versed in English, I could also converse in Elvin, the language of elves, and Kritans, the language spoken by the residents of the Sinha Island. I could speak makeshift versions of most languages spoken on the continent of Kayuliv, it was as if I had traveled all around the continent, which was really not the case

I had lived in this town since I was born and learned all these languages when a group of adventurers decided to set up camp in this town. Well, this is what my grandma told me when I woke up from a coma that caused me to lose all my memories of my first 20 years of living. 

It’s been more than a year since then, and I think that I have settled in quite well. I made new friends, rekindled my friendships with my old companions, and got a job at this academy. 

The building of the school itself was like a huge, tall gray castle built in a triangular pattern. Students were making their way to their classes while they chatted with their friends, I also spotted a few teachers going inside, one of them was a female colleague of mine named Hannah Fischer, it seemed that she had spotted me as well. She waved at me as I made my way towards her

Hannah, was a tall beautiful woman, with brown hair, which barely reached her waist, she also had a pair of captivating emerald green eyes, which along with her symmetrical facial features made her look alluring. More than her face, it was her body that hypnotized me. She had a perfect figure, a slim waist, and a good proportion between her bottom and her breasts. 

“Hi” I greeted her once I was close enough

“Hey, Kavern,” She said, “Did you check the written assessments?” 

“Yea, of course, I did” I said while trying to look her straight in the eyes, and not to take a peek at her chest

She donned a maroon dress that reached just above her knees. The dress was snug enough to reveal the shape of her chest but did not cling to her skin. Black stockings reached just below the hemline of her dress. Completing the look, a scabbard hung on her back, with a blue sword protruding from it.

“Too bad, I didn’t find time to assess my students in theory,” she said, setting her hair behind her ear.

We walked to the staff room together

“So, how’s the stuff with your marma going? Will it ever recover?” She asked 

“Mister Reystag told me that a marma can heal over time with some external help if there are a few cracks on it, but, if it has been shattered completely, it’s hard,” I said

She nodded after listening to me and kept quiet

"I can still wield magic, albeit limited to lighter spells, as my marma cannot store Magical Energy. Therefore, I have to use whatever small amount the marma has absorbed at the moment" I explained further.

After I was done speaking, an awkward silence ensued between us, it ended only when I entered the staff room

As soon as I opened the door to the staff room, a familiar voice greeted me with the words, "You're late."

In front of me stood the principal of the school. An old lady, with a confident, energetic smile. Her name was Vanessa Cavern. My grandmother.