A piece of the puzzle.

"What did she mean? We are already dead? Is she implying we will just die here, or does she really mean we are already dead?"

Iria- "First, let me explain something simple to you. It's not possible to summon living beings from another world. Their bodies will inevitably be destroyed in the process. The only thing you can summon from another world is the soul of a living being. But if you have a suitable vessel here, or if you have forbidden knowledge on how to re-create bodies using nothing but mana and earthly elements, then you can transfer those otherworldly souls into new bodies in this world. Your original bodies are gone. For you, the only way to return to your world would be for someone there to summon you and re-create your bodies over there. But, as far as I know, people in your world can barely use mana, so no one over there would be able to summon you. But you can still live here and die of old age when you're around 70, which is the average lifespan for humans in this world."

Leonel- "So, you're saying we're stuck here forever? There's no way to send us back to our world?"

Iria- "Even if someone knew how to send you back, you wouldn't have a body over there."

Our class representative interrupted her to ask about something completely unrelated to our predicament...

Maria- "What happens if we die in this world? Can we still go to heaven?"

She sounded worried, as if this were the biggest problem here.

Iria- "Heaven? Hmm, I haven't heard that word in a long time. I've read about it in ancient history books. That's part of an ancient forgotten religion. Are you telling me that this religion exists in your world? I'm talking about the one with the place above the clouds and the people with white feathery wings."

Maria- "Yes, that sounds like it. Did it exist here too?"

Iria- "It did. Not anymore."

Gabriela- "Why? What happened?"

Iria- "Lots of things must have happened. It was banned thousands of years ago. The only religions still around are the Church of Peace and the Church of Mother Nature. You must have seen the sculptures of doves next to the main entrance; those are a reference to the Church of Peace."

Agustin- "We can talk about religions some other day. There is something I need to ask. What do you know about the old man who summoned us?"

Iria- "I really don't know anything about him. And that's something that is bothering me. If there was someone in our world who could summon people from another world, everyone would know about him. Someone that powerful would never be able to keep a low profile."

Leonel- "What about the prophecy?"

Iria- "That's a prophecy that has been around for a long time. The 'impending danger' and the 'imminent invasion' of the forces of the Demon King is something people have been talking about for thousands of years, and yet, no invasion ever took place in our world. These days, no one seems particularly worried about it. Even the Nara, who are suspected to be related to the Demon King, have been appearing for centuries, and nothing serious ever happened."

Leonel- "What are the Nara? Could they be a part of the Demon King's army?"

Iria- "All we know about them is that sometimes, people vanish, and then, they come back, covered in a dark fog, and attack people for no reason. I've examined the bodies of quite a few of them in the past. Their bodies do not contain a single drop of blood, and they seem to have been corrupted by an unknown mineral that makes their bodies more resilient. Most of them were originally common people, but there have been cases of wild animals returning as Nara."

Leonel- "What about our magic? Why are these skills so dangerous? Is there anything we can do about it?"

Iria- "Your magic skills seem to be very strict magic spells branded on your bodies due to an external force, probably related to the crystal sphere you mentioned earlier. When you came to this world, your new bodies were created with a slightly higher ability to channel mana, thus allowing you to cast those very specific spells. I don't know why you were granted such dangerous spells, but since you now have a higher compatibility with nature's mana—at least higher than what you originally had in your world—you might be able to learn new ways to use magic. Regarding your fire magic, Leo, fire magic is used, for example, by Draconers, humanoid beings derived from ancient dragons. When they use fire magic, their bodies, naturally immune to fire, do not suffer any damage. But your body is human; getting burnt is inevitable, unless you find some kind of magic item to protect yourself from your own flames."

Leonel- "Then... what are we supposed to do? We cannot return home and we'll probably have a hard time surviving here. I don't like this..."

Agustin- "There is still something we need to do here. Miss Iria, have you seen another teenager like us? He was still with us when we appeared in the grasslands right when the Nara attacked us. We believe he left the group while we were still fighting that creature. He would have been a human with low mana affinity, just like us. He is not very talkative, and may or may not have a weird magic skill like the rest of us."

Iria- "Hmm, I recall seeing a teenager wearing strange clothes like the ones you are wearing. He jumped onto a wagon that was heading east."

Leonel- "Okay, now we finally have a clue. We need to let the others know so they can stop searching for him."

Agustin- "Maria, please go and tell the others to come here."

Maria- "Okay. Gaby, come with me."

Agustin- "Miss Iria. If there was a way for us to return to our world, who would have any information about it?"

Iria- "I still believe it's not possible. But, if there was a way, then maybe the Church of Mother Nature would know something. Or maybe the Magician's Academy."

Agustin- "Where can we find them?"

Iria- "The Magician's Academy can be found in the city twenty lakes to the north. And the nearest Church of Mother Nature can be found sixty lakes to the west."

Leonel- "Lakes? Is that how you measure distance? You don't use kilometers or miles?"

Iria- "I'm sorry, I've never heard of those words before. To give you an idea, a 'lake,' as a unit of measurement, is roughly equivalent to 10 towns this size."

Agustin- "Sounds like we need to split into two or three groups."

Leonel- "You're probably right. It will be easier if we split into different groups. But how do we decide who goes where?"

Agustin- "Well, Maria and Gabriela are inseparable, but they are also weak. So they should be in a group of three, with someone strong enough to protect them. I will take them to the Church of Mother Nature to the west. We should tell Alejandro and Mateo to go north. You and Xiomara can go east to find Marcus."

Leonel- "Hell no. I'm going alone. There's a chance I might need to punch that bastard to convince him to come with us. I don't need somebody else slowing me down. Besides, Xio's ability is useless, and she is not physically strong. You tell Xio to go with Alejandro and Mateo."

Agustin- "Are you sure about this? You cannot use your ability, and you have no weapons. If you go alone, you will be forced to avoid danger. And you are known for jumping into danger for no reason."

Leonel- "It's fine. I've learned my lesson. I'll be careful this time. Miss Iria, is there a wagon or a caravan I can join to go east?"

Iria- "None right now. But you might be able to borrow a land dragon from the owner of the Whymsical Wyvern Tavern. I know she keeps a few land dragons on her farm. I'll take you there."

Leonel- "Thanks, Miss Iria!"

Agustin- "Can we take some of those land dragons too? We would need six, though; it might be too much to ask for."

Iria- "For those going north and west, there are merchants that come and go all the time. I will make the arrangements so you can join them. Just wait here."

And just like that, Miss Iria solved our transportation problem. I went with Miss Iria to see the land dragon.

But this time, things would not be free. At least, not everything. I was asked to pay for the right to use the dragon. But the lady who owned those dragons did not want money as payment.

She wanted a daughter...