Good Thing Magic Can't Kill Me (Directly) Here

"What exactly do you expect?" he asked, after digesting my request and slowing down a bit so we could walk side by side.

"We're dragging our feet because of me anyway, so I'd love to hear about the history of this place, as I'm quite lacking." I smiled innocently.

"What do you want to know?"

It was hard to gauge Renet's feelings at this moment. On the one hand, I had the impression that for some reason he was reluctant to share his knowledge with me. Not to mention that, assuming I was a resident of this country myself, I should have it, so he shouldn't be surprised that this request sounded a bit abstract to him. At the same time, a spark appeared in his eyes, like a child you've found time to listen to about something they're currently obsessed with.

"Everything, just tell me from the beginning; you have a pleasant voice; the journey will go by faster."

Renet nodded, embarrassed, but asked for a moment to organize a few facts in his head. While he pondered, I decided to take a break and drink some water. I was tiring faster because my backpack was filled with supplies my companion had paid for, which only increased my debt to him. I still couldn't understand his motivation; the help he had given me was far beyond what a good-natured man would have offered at the sight of my pathetic self.

What's more, I noticed that ever since we left the city walls, he seemed incredibly tense. He hunched over, looking around, and searching for an option to simply get off the main road, but I guessed that, considering my injury, he preferred to take the route that was more convenient for me. Only here could I be happy that we wouldn't be traveling for more than a few days, and he wouldn't be suffering for long.

"You know there used to be magic here?"

"Magic, but for real?" I had to stop when I heard that. "You're kidding me."

"No. This world and this land were once filled with magic. The Children of Heaven and Earth knew how to avail of it when they couldn't cope with something; they simply used it." Renet's expression grew serious, and he seemed to be lost in memories.

"Has it disappeared so completely?"

"No." He smiled faintly. "There are trace amounts of it, and only a few remain who can use it."

"What happened?"

"People started arriving here. On ships, some appeared to be falling from the sky."

In such a short exchange, I had already gained a lot of information that I needed to analyze at this stage. It was good to know that the Dragonids were here first, meaning humans weren't the original inhabitants of these lands. While I could understand them sailing here from somewhere, but falling from the sky? Maybe I wasn't the only one who had somehow been transported to this world. It was definitely a relief, because maybe someone here was in a similar situation to mine and could help me. But I asked Renet to start from the beginning. It did sound like a distant past and was told from a strange perspective, but maybe that was his style?

"Before them, it was wild here, and all creatures lived according to the eternal laws of nature. For a long time, people couldn't come to terms with each other or organize themselves. They were afraid of...", he cleared his throat. "Neighbors who didn't interfere because they knew it was only a matter of time before they themselves would be ruined. However, they found a way to overcome their divisions and began building their community from scratch."

I didn't want to interrupt him, even though I had many questions. I was fascinated by the melancholy in his voice, by the way he immersed himself in this story and somehow exposed himself to me.

"People became stronger and more confident over time, taking over more and more space for themselves, but they didn't pose a direct threat. The Children of Heaven and Earth watched them with curiosity; some were so fascinated by them that they began using magic to become like them."

"So that's where it all came from," I muttered to myself. Renet watched me for a moment but decided not to address my comment.

"You can probably imagine that the beginnings were difficult, but over time, everyone began to build good relationships. People taught the Neighbors many things, made them aware of the existence of others, and, thanks to them, the royal family is there now. They built their first homes and other buildings for the Children of Heaven and Earth and showed them how to master the art. They awakened creativity within them..." This particularly hurt him.

"Why did magic disappear if everything was supposedly on such a good track?"

"It was no longer needed. What they had used it for before, the people showed them how they could cope without it."

I wondered about the princess's behavior. According to Renet, humans weren't so bad these days, so where did this hatred come from? He didn't mention anything about the Wall either. I couldn't comment on the encounter with the Dragonids because I didn't know how it would be reported, and I felt in my bones that it wasn't exactly accepted.

"And, you know, did humans and Children of Heaven and Earth mix?" I asked instead, hoping that somehow we would get to the issues that were the most interesting for me at that moment.

"Of course, they became very close; there were plenty of mixed offspring. They were always born Children of Heaven and Earth, anticipating your first question, but they practically needed a minimal amount of magic to take human form and effortlessly maintained it for a long time. Although, in my opinion, they didn't need it at all." He smiled at me, and I smiled back, because that part of the story was really enjoyable. "But after several hundred years of such peace, there were many Children of Heaven and Earth who found such intense familiarity bothersome. They noticed they had lost the ability to use magic, except for the ability to take human form. They rejected everything they had previously received from humans. Additionally, they burned their homes and crops, forbade the use of fire for food and art, and, of course, contact with people. It took them a while to gain the necessary support, but once power was a factor, the rest quickly followed. A devastating war broke out and lasted for years, until finally a few wise enough on both sides were found to complete the Wall."

"When was that?"

"A few hundred years ago."

"And what is the situation like now?" I asked.

I was a little afraid of the answer, and the look on Renet's face only confirmed my suspicions. Full of pain and sadness, as if he wanted to do something about it but couldn't.

"Unfortunately, radicalism and ambition triumphed over everything else."