Kaius had been in the bathtub for almost two minutes, trying to figure out how to activate the magical ring he’d been given. That’s when he realized something—and scolded himself for not asking earlier. His ring wasn’t normal. Besides the stone, which was likely some kind of universal magic, it resembled things he’d seen in comics and manga.

But when he moved it on his finger, he noticed something else: it was a double ring. It didn’t separate, but it shifted slightly when turned to the left. That’s when the purple screen reappeared, and a projected keyboard appeared in front of him. It was incredible. Not even in his time had something like this existed.

He adjusted himself and began to type:

{ Hello, sorry, I’m looking for Torn or someone who can help explain things to me }

—What a stupid idea… maybe it won’t work the way I expect.

He closed the ring by turning it back to the center and sank deeper into the tub. A few minutes passed… until he heard a loud beep—so loud it made him jump out of the water. The ring activated again. Only the screen appeared.

[✪ ω ✪ !!HELLOOOOOOO I WANTED YOU TO CONTACT ME YOURSELF I DIDN’T WANT TO START THE CONVERSATION I WANTED YOU TO ADAPT TO MY WORLD UNFORTUNATELY TORN HAS NO JURISDICTION HERE WE’RE FRIENDS BUT WE RESPECT OUR LIMITS IN OUR WORLDS YOU, MY LITTLE ONE, ARE AN EXCEPTION MY NAME IS YARIX I AM THE MAIN GOD OF THIS WORLD YOU DON’T NEED TO TYPE I CAN HEAR YOU (❁´◡`❁)]

Kaius was startled. The god’s way of speaking—or writing—was oddly sweet. He chuckled a little before responding.

—Thank you, god Yarix. Honestly, I have a lot of questions. Torn told me this world is similar to the vampire novel I know, but not the same. Could you explain that part? No offense, but I have a love-hate relationship with that story, and I don’t want to follow its cliché plot.

Kaius told him about the vampire clichés he knew. The god was horrified by the concept and said that if his world ended up like that, he’d have to destroy it and start over. That reminded Kaius of what Torn had said—the hatred toward sorcerers and even vampires in this world.

—Torn told me that sometimes things can’t be changed… or are written in stone. Do you think you could help me with that? Maybe not give me the full future, but something to guide me—what choices I can or can’t change. Because I’ll be honest: if it’s the same story, I’m not willing to follow it. And I have… issues with certain people.

[MMMH let me see if I can do something. I’d have to check with one of my children who controls that area. I’ll ask. Also, I want us to look at your magical abilities first. I have a gift for you—Torn asked me to give it to you. The magic is mine, but the skills he requested I pass on to you: potion-making and becoming part of the blessed creatures of my world. Here, I’ll give you a couple of books about the history of this world and consult my son Michail—he’s in charge of this world’s future. I’ll ask him what can be done. In the meantime, analyze the ring however you like. There are too many secrets. But I need you to do something: turn the ring to the right.]

Kaius did as instructed. A second screen opened, projected from the ring’s second layer. It was a different ring—bright blue, with a stone that looked like aquamarine. This time the screen was light blue, like a loading screen. It began to glow, and out of nowhere, an app appeared that looked like an online store. The title read: “Unmatched Trinkets and Products.”

The screen was touch-sensitive and very familiar. He created a Magictale account—it was like Gmail, but magical—and then created an account in the store. He loaded it with the money from the ring and the linked bank account.

[Well, now that you know the essentials, I’ll leave you for now. See you soon.]

The first screen shut off. Kaius explored the app a bit more. They sold everything—minerals, potions, even spiritual contracts, medicinal and magical plants, jewelry, and clothing. They also sold cauldrons and even tickets to liminal spaces. Prices varied widely, and the names he saw most often were Clint, Dazel, and Fritz.

He spent so long browsing that he’d been in the tub for nearly two hours. He closed the ring and got out. Took a shower. Ordered room service—mostly meat. He’d already fed on blood before arriving at the hotel. He put on the new pajamas he’d bought and sat in the small living room’s recliner, flipping through the books Yarix had given him.

He finished the first one: The History of the World.

The book said the world was created by the god Yoix and his five generals—his children. Each created a creature: Samiel created humans, Michail created fairies, Ganiel created mermaids, Hidroniel created fantastic beasts, and Leoniliel created the spiritual and sensory world.

God himself created the natural mages and entrusted the 45 most important families to share their abilities with humans and other species. Harmony reigned for millennia, with respect for limits and capacities.

But one human, out of jealousy and envy of the mages’ natural power, made a pact with a malevolent being—doing something unforgivable (the act is described but crossed out). This led to the near extinction of natural mages and the birth of the sacrilegious generational sorcerers: humans who draw magic from the creatures they kill and from their own dead families.

Thus began the Ark of the Damned, a world outside the sacred lines, where souls are imprisoned and drained until extinction. Because of this, the god of this world and his children issued a direct order: those human sorcerers may never set foot in the mystical world unless they atone for their sins.

Among the things they created were the vampirism spell and vampires themselves. To counter this, Samiel and Hidroniel created werewolves—whose blood is a powerful catalyst and purifier. Vampires killed by werewolves can reach the afterlife that god created. It’s his way of giving peace to those poor souls condemned by vampirism.

Because of this, neither sorcerers nor vampires can access the multiple worlds of the created creatures. They cannot make potions or use magical minerals.

Kaius finally understood why the gift he’d received was so rare. Vampires were taboo in this world—just like sorcerers. He remembered what Torn had said before leaving: that the god of this world hated sorcerers. But he still had doubts. How terrible must their crime have been… for even after millennia, god still couldn’t forgive them—and was even willing to let me hurt them?