The glow of lanterns flickered against the walls of the mage’s tower as crickets made noise outside.

  It was late at night and Kaelen had just finished another brutal round of training. He walked in the hallway confidently. His muscle no longer ached and he felt refreshed.

  Entering the mage’s office, he smiled and asked, “What did you call me here for?”

  The old mage sat in his chair and tapped his staff. He chuckled under his breath and replied, “You’ve come far, boy. And since we begin our real journey tomorrow, it’s time you stopped dressing like a wandering beggar.”

  “Wha-?!”, Kaelen recoiled in shock and exclaimed, “Beggar?! Me?!”

  Without saying anything, the old mage tapped his staff on the ground and a bundle wrapped in black cloth materialized out of thin air. With a snap of his fingers, the cloth unravelled, revealing a gleaming set of armour.

  “I-Is that… for me?!”, Kaelen asked in excitement as he stepped forward.

  Seeing his excitement, the old mage smirked confidently and replied, “No, I thought I’d look good wearing it to impress the ladies.”

  “What?”, Kaelen stopped and sighed in disappointment.

  “Hahaha!”, The old mage laughed, seeing Kaelen’s face and said, “Of course, boy! It’s for you.”

  “Yesss!”, Kaelen ran and grabbed the armour in excitement.

  “This is ShadowWolf Armour which is forged from the hide of a shadow beast and enchanted with the power of concealment. It was a gift from an old friend.”, The old mage explained.

  Kaelen brushed his fingers against the armor and thought, ‘It’s so smooth! It feels like there’s a faint rippled beneath the surface, as if touching cool water. The silver runic enchantment on the dark grey looks so menacing!’

  “Go on”, The old mage said, “Try it.”

  He slipped into the armor and said, “The chest piece fits perfectly. It’s lighter than I had expected it to be.”

  “Also,” He looked at the back and said, “I love the cloak made of shadow-grey fur.”

  “Hehe!”, The old mage nodded in satisfaction and said, “This armour isn’t just for show, you know. The enchantments it has will allow you to blend into the shadows making you almost invisible if you stay still. This ability is very useful for sneaking and, more importantly, for surviving which you must do until we break that seal of yours.”

  He gestured at the silver runes and continued, “These runes absorb low-level magical attacks but it won’t stop a sword through your gut so, don’t get cocky. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, of course. I won’t get cocky.”, Kaelen nodded thrice, still admiring the softness of the cloak.

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  Watching him, the old mage said, “That fur muffles sound. So, walk lightly and you’ll be nothing but a ghost.”

  “Woah!”, Kaelen exclaimed grinning ear to ear and asked, “I look dangerous, don’t I?”

  “No,” The old mage said, shaking his head and turned around, “You look like a fool who hasn’t been stabbed yet.”

  “Anyway, listen”, The old mage said in a serious tone, “Our first destination is the Tainted Forest. It is a cursed place on the north-eastern edge of the Crellan Empire, near the border of the Kingdom of Restoveria.”

  “Wait!”, Kaelen cleared his throat and asked, “North-east of the Crellan Empire? Umm… isn’t that where the ocean is?”

  The old mage froze mid-step, then slowly turned to face Kaelen with a disappointed look on his face and asked, “What did you just say?”

  “The ocean?” Kaelen repeated innocently and thought, ‘What’s wrong with what I said? Am I not right?’

  A long, strained silence followed before the old mage sighed and rubbed his temples.

  “By the Elemental Gods!”, The old mage looked at Kaelen with a disgruntled look and asked, “How did you survive this long knowing so little? Do you even know where you are?”

  Kaelen shifted awkwardly and replied, “Well… there’s the tower, the forest, and… I figured the world was just kind of… around us.”

  The old mage let out an exasperated sigh and waved his staff. From its tip, a shimmering illusion bloomed into the air.

  Kaelen looked up at the illusion in awe and saw a massive sphere turning slowly.

  “This,” The old mage explained patiently, “is Mirona—the world you live in. Let’s start with the basics before your ignorance gives me another headache.”

  Kaelen’s eyes widened as the image spun, glowing with faint hues of green, blue, and gold.

  “There are six main continents,” The old mage began, pointing his staff. “First is Nova Terra. The largest and most diverse continent. Humans, elves, dwarves—every kind of race lives here. It is ruled by empires, kingdoms, theocracies—each with their ambitions.”

  “We are here.”, He tapped a point in the south-western region. “The Crellan Empire. It is the strongest human empire in the entire Mirona.”

  Kaelen squinted at the image and asked, “And the Tainted Forest?”

  “Right here,” the old mage pointed again, “in the north-eastern region, just below the Kingdom of Restoveria—a land ruled by elves. The Tainted Forest was once a thriving woodland until a battle between the dark elves and the high elves corrupted it. The magic still lingers, twisting the land and its creatures.”

  Kaelen raised his eyebrows and said, “Sounds… fun.”

  The old mage ignored the comment and continued. “Next up is Khraos, the Demon and Devil Continent. A blasted wasteland where people like you should avoid unless you enjoy being enslaved or devoured.”

  Kaelen grimaced and nodded, saying, “Noted.”

  “Drakonaria,” The old mage said, tapping a jagged, mountainous land and said, “The Dragon Continent—home to the ancient dragons and their chosen kin. Even I wouldn’t tread there lightly. Then we have Theria, the Beast Continent which is ruled by beastmen and wild tribes. It is dangerous if you’re weak, welcoming if you’re strong.”

  Kaelen had a look of wonder on his face as he asked, “And the last two?”

  “Parasidus,” The old mage’s tone softened slightly and he continued, “The Angel Continent. It is a place of divine beings and radiant cities. Some people call it paradise. I call it meddlesome. Lastly, we have Divinia, the Divine Continent. The seat of the gods themselves. Only fools and the desperate try to step foot there.”

  Kaelen stared at the image in awe and he thought, ‘The world feels… larger. Wilder. It isn’t what I thought.’

  “So much…” he muttered, still trying to process it all.

  “You’ve spent your life in a tiny cage,” The old mage said softly. “But there’s more out there. More than you ever imagined. And soon, you’ll see it for yourself.”

  Kaelen couldn’t control his excitement anymore and asked, “What about magic? How does it work? What else don’t I know?”

  Immediately,the old mage raised a hand, silencing him and said, “Enough questions for tonight. Magic is a lesson for another day. For now, sleep well. We will leave at dawn.”

  Disappointed but still buzzing with anticipation, Kaelen nodded and said,“Fine… but you’ll explain everything else later.”

  The old mage chuckled and replied, “I always do.”

  At dawn, Kaelen stood the tower with closed eyes. The cold wind brushed against his face as the ShadowWolf Armor clung comfortably to his body with a sharp dagger tied to his waist.

  The old mage joined him, leaning on his staff as he surveyed the training ground one last time and asked, “Are you ready?”

  Kaelen opened his eyes, grinning and replied, “Born ready.”

  Without another word, the old mage tapped his staff twice against the earth and chanted, “Warp Gate!”

  A pulse of energy rippled through the air as a shimmering, circular portal crackled open before them with dark violet light swirling within its edges.

  Kaelen swallowed and thought, ‘There’s no turning back now.’

  Together, they stepped through the gate and vanished with the portal instantly closing after them.