Chapter 2 – The Two-Thousand-Year-Old Girl

The tiny staff in her hand looked ordinary enough, yet there was something ancient about it, something that seemed to carry the weight of centuries. Zareen couldn’t explain why, but he felt as if the staff had witnessed countless ages of history.

“Alright,” Gifa said, tapping the table with the tip of her staff, her tone firm. “I’m going to explain why you’re here. So listen carefully.”

Zareen raised his hand slightly. “Hold on. Where is this place? The last thing I remember, I was sleeping in my school library—”

Gifa’s lips pressed into a pout. “Then you should listen before interrupting someone who’s talking.”

Zareen’s face turned red. “Right… sorry.”

Satisfied, the little witch began to speak. Her voice was light, but her words were heavy, as though they carried the weight of an entire era. What she told him was a story that stretched back thousands of years, to a time when the world was very different.

---

Two Thousand Years Ago

According to Gifa, humanity had once reached an age of incredible advancement. Towering buildings stretched toward the sky, technology flourished beyond imagination—but all of it failed to make the world a better place.

Instead, the worst of human nature had begun to flourish.

Wars erupted everywhere. Greed brought famine, oppression, theft, even murder. The strong trampled the weak, while the weak surrendered to despair.

“The world was drowning in hopelessness,” Gifa said quietly, her tone soft as if she had been there to witness it herself. “But even in that darkness, there were a few who still had pure hearts—souls of heroes who could not bear to watch the world fall apart.”

To those select few, a mysterious witch—Gifa herself—appeared with an offer.

“Do you wish for humanity to be freed from its evil?” she had asked them.

The twenty-four chosen ones did not hesitate. “Of course we do,” they said.

“But there is a price,” Gifa warned. “Are you willing to bear the consequences?”

They looked at each other. “What price?” one of them asked.

“You will absorb all the negative energy of mankind,” Gifa explained. “By doing so, humans will be freed from their malice. They will be almost like angels—pure, without hatred or greed.”

The chosen heroes were silent for a long moment. Finally, one of them spoke, “If we do this… what will happen to us?”

“Your souls will be sealed together with that darkness,” said Gifa solemnly. “Your bodies will become the vessels of that seal. In other words, this magic will strip humanity of its evil, and you will carry that burden for eternity.”

The weight of the decision pressed heavily on them. But for the sake of saving the world, they accepted.

“Very well,” they said. “We agree.”

Gifa opened her enchanted bag and pulled out a collection of weapons: shining swords, spears, shields, bows, and glowing staffs.

“Choose the weapon that resonates with your soul—not merely the one you desire. Each weapon will act as the medium for the seal.”

One by one, the heroes made their choices.

But among them, one refused to follow Gifa’s advice. He selected a summoning staff meant to call forth monsters, even though it did not match the nature of his spirit.

The fateful day arrived. It was New Year’s Eve, and a full moon hung in the sky. The twenty-four heroes stood at different points across the world, aligned by time zones. Together they began chanting the sealing incantation.

Their weapons shone with pale blue light, beams piercing the heavens. The air trembled.

Then the pain began.

It was agony beyond words. Dark whispers echoed in their ears, tempting them to give up.

Twenty-three endured.

But one—the man who had taken the summoning staff—succumbed.

Since childhood, he had known only humiliation and cruelty. The whispers spoke to his pain.

“Why save them?” the voice hissed. “They let you starve. They laughed when you cried. Let the world burn. Let them destroy each other while you watch.”

His heart gave in. The sealing failed for him.

The darkness that should have been locked away fused with his body, consuming him. His flesh twisted, his spirit warped. He became something else entirely—

The Black Ice Dragon.

A creature of pure malice and the greatest threat the world had ever known.

---

Zareen yawned loudly. “Haaah… You said this would be a short explanation, but that felt like a bedtime story marathon.”

He even let out a snore. “ZzzZzz…”

“Hey! Are you even listening?!” Gifa slammed the tip of her staff against the floor, her cheeks puffed in anger.

Zareen jerked upright. “Yes! Yes, I heard you!” he said quickly, smiling sheepishly. “It was just… really long, and my brain overheated a little.”

Gifa huffed, clearly annoyed. “Whatever. The point is this: you were summoned here to finish what they could not. Others from different worlds have been called before, but none of them succeeded. Now it’s your turn.”

Zareen’s smile faded. “But… why me?”

“Because you opened the book,” Gifa replied sharply. Her silver eyes narrowed. “Out of a thousand contract books I scattered across countless worlds and eras, yours was the only one to be opened properly. That makes you the chosen contractor.”

Zareen scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “So… I basically signed a contract without knowing it?”

“Yes! You left your blood on the final page. That counts as a signature!”

“Oh. Well… that’s new to me.”

Gifa slapped her forehead with a groan. “Next time, read the contract before you sign! Honestly…”

---

Despite her irritation, Gifa’s tone softened as she continued. “In order to survive in this world, you’ll need to learn magic. You’ll be attending an academy.”

“School… again?” Zareen groaned. “I literally just finished exams, and now I’m going back to school?”

“If you don’t study, you’ll die faster,” Gifa said flatly.

Zareen gulped. “Right. Studying suddenly sounds like a great idea.”

Nodding in approval, Gifa reached into her robes and produced a pitch-black card, handing it to him.

“This is your identification in this world. Keep it with you at all times.”

Zareen studied it. It was the size of a student ID, its surface cold to the touch. In the center was a symbol of a dragon with a cross through it.

“That’s it? Just a plain black card?” he asked.

“Tap it twice,” Gifa instructed.

He did, and a floating blue hologram appeared above the card, displaying his name and a single line: Otherworldly Traveler.

“Whoa, this is awesome!” Zareen grinned. “It’s like having a VIP card!”

“It’s more than VIP,” Gifa replied seriously. “This is a Black Card. It marks someone who has the power to change the world.”

The words struck Zareen deeply. He wasn’t sure he was ready for that kind of responsibility. He could barely handle math homework—changing the world felt impossibly far away.

But Gifa’s gaze held no doubt.

“Starting tomorrow, you will enroll in the Magic Academy. Think of it as school, except instead of math, you’ll be learning spells and alchemy.”

Zareen pressed a palm to his forehead. “Unbelievable. Even in another world, I still can’t escape school.”

---

That night, Zareen rested his head on the table, deep in thought. A new world, an impossible mission, and a tiny witch who was older than all of recorded history combined.

He turned the Black Card over in his hands. Somehow, it felt heavy—as though it carried secrets he was not yet ready to uncover.

And deep in his heart, a question echoed, one he could not yet answer:

Can I really accomplish this mission?