I was in Seclusion for so long that everyone forgot about me

[Arc 1] Chapter 7 – A History Lesson

"Give it back!"

"Nooo, it’s mine now! You played with it long enough!"

"Maamii!"

I rubbed my temples. This ridiculous argument had been dragging on for what felt like forever—all over a weird toy. I would never understand how kids could find such fascination in something so mundane.

A wicked smile flashed across my face as a deliciously sinister idea took root in my mind.

a voice in my head interrupted sharply.

I protested indignantly.

Silence.

I added, trying to defend myself.

Aska accused, her voice dripping with disdain.

I said, feigning invisible crocodile tears.

she retorted.

I tapped my nose with my index finger.

she echoed, confused.

I replied, sighing inwardly.

------

Listening to those kids wasn’t all bad in the end. Their constant blabbering and yelling actually improved my understanding of their language—young ones tend to use simpler and more common words.

Over time, I started piecing it together. The elven children we were traveling with—clearly being taught by the caravan—spoke both human and elvish, and the way the others talked to a certain one made it even easier to absorb the two languages together. I soaked it all in before I eventually sighed.

The spiritual being looked at me with a deadpan expression.

I said, waving dismissively.

she countered.

I snickered.

she asked, her tone sharp.

I stared off into the middle distance.

I was about to close my eyes for a moment of peace when Aska said something that made my blood simmer.

With a flick of my hand, everyone in the armored carriage fell silent. Their eyes emptied, their movements ceased—they stood still as if frozen in time.

Aska screamed, outrage evident in her voice.

I opened my hand, and a few seconds later, white, luminescent energy gathered above my palm. Its texture resembled a weightless cloud, visible only to those with the gift of soul magic or sight.

Aska gasped.

I split the soul cloud into two condensed orbs and rotated them clockwise, like yin-yang balls spinning in my hand.

I said, monotone.

Aska retorted, her voice frantic.

I laughed, hollow and sharp.

Her spectral form froze as she stared at me, baffled. She pondered for a long moment before grudgingly replying,

I regarded her thoughtfully and said,

With a simple thought, I released the souls. They flowed back to their bodies like gentle wisps, and as if nothing had happened, the noisy chaos of the carriage returned.

Aska whispered.

I replied, waving her off.

Contrary to what I had expected, she gave me a faint, weary smile before phasing through the carriage wall, just as I had suggested, to explore the surroundings.

I took a deep breath and stared at the ring on my finger.

------

At some point, I tuned out most of the voices around me. I had already learned the basics of their language, and without books, I wouldn’t gain much more insight. Still, the adults telling stories to the kids proved somewhat useful. The tales weren’t particularly exciting, but they provided glimpses into the state of the empire and the folklore of this region.

Aska had returned a while ago, now lazily drifting around the empty woods outside. No monster would dare come close, not with my aura looming over the area.

I asked her.

She shrugged.

I clicked my tongue

Aska snickered.

Throwing my hands up, I startled the elf sitting next to me.

Aska’s voice carried a smirkHer tone turned downright gleeful and I could practically feel her shit-eating grin.

I chuckled mentally.

she reminded me matter-of-factly.

' I retorted, feigning indignation

Aska rolled her eyes—well, figuratively.

I sighed.

' Aska interrupted.

,' I replied.

Aska asked skeptically.

I explained.

Aska drifted through the carriage, observing the elves as they went about their tasks.' she mused.

I nodded in agreement.

I paused, a random thought distracting me.

Aska rolled her eyes, her expression deadpan, the look clearly stating,

I cleared my throat awkwardly.

Aska raised a spectral hand, as though in a classroom.

' I confirmed with a sigh

Aska shuddered, her translucent form visibly uneasy. I couldn’t blame her. Even I hated the deep sea and the creatures that lurked there. That part of the world was basically untouchable, even for me. Not to mention, this region was  domain, and I still had a debt to repay.

r?' I asked, breaking the silence.

She waved a dismissive hand.

She wasn’t wrong. War always had a lucrative side for someone, no matter the era. It was infuriating. Back then, it didn’t matter how much technology they had—they were never satisfied. Always hungry for what they couldn’t have. Always clinging to beliefs that suppressed instead of accepting others. And yet, they acted so shocked when we turned against them. Laughable.

I realized, with a pang of annoyance, that I was recalling things I wasn’t supposed to. I was about to retreat into my inner world to deal with it when the eldest child in the caravan caught my attention, speaking with one of the elven women. 

The girl looked to be around fourteen and was apparently sponsored by Marika’s company. That sponsorship allowed her to attend the Royal Academy, which would soon start its new semester. For the oppressed moon elves, this seemed to be one of the few paths to overcoming their circumstances.

"Auntie Kila, could you tell me the story about Eternal again? I have some specific questions about certain parts now that I’m about to enter the academy,"the girl asked eagerly.

snickered Aska in my head.

Kila smiled warmly. "Okay, okay. Do you want me to tell you the whole story again, or just the parts you have questions about?"

"Hmm, just the parts I need!" the girl replied, practically bouncing in her seat. "Like, it’s said that Eternal was an Origin, but where did she come from in the first place? The gods didn’t summon her, so who did?"

"That’s a tricky question, not gonna lie. Like many others in the Order of Amethyst, we’re still philosophizing to this day about where the Origin originally came from. Unlike reincarnators or heroes summoned from another world by the gods, Eternal is believed to be the first person to enter this world through a wild dimensional rift. These rifts are extremely rare. In the history of our Order, only two have ever been documented. But who knows how many actually occurred?" the elf explained thoughtfully.

' I asked myself.

"Wow! I didn’t know about those rifts. That sounds amazing! Couldn’t we just, like, go through them and explore the other si—"

Kila cut her off firmly. "If it were as simple as that, the humans—or any other power-hungry nation—would have done so already. But they haven’t. The Order speculates these rifts are one-way only. There’s a chance they might also work in reverse, but so far, we’ve found no evidence to support that."

Kila paused for a moment, then leaned in closer to her niece, her tone growing somber. "The next thing I’ll tell you is something you mustn’t blabber to the wrong people. The human church might brand you a heretic and burn you at the stake. But I’ll share it with you because I believe in keeping this knowledge alive—and because I think you’re a smart, responsible girl."

Aska asked curiously.

' I replied.

Aska shook her head.

I nodded, which earned me a puzzled look from the elf beside me.

Aska silently agreed but added

What Aska said made a surprising amount of sense. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much time to dwell on it. Instead, we both turned our attention back to the conversation between the two elves.

Kila leaned in close to the elven girl and spoke in hushed tones. "We believe the Origins were never chosen by this world. They were just people who stumbled into it and gained powerful abilities. Some of us even think the other Origins—paraded as heroes to this day—never truly defeated Eternal as the stories claim."

The girl’s mouth parted, a stunned gasp escaping her lips. "B-but that would go against the t-teachings of all major gods! Against the System, against everything we know!"

I mused silently.

Kila’s face grew grim. "There are reasons why we believe this. The Old Ones—the most ancient beings known to us—tell a different story. Among them is one they call 'The Forgotten One.' We believe it to be the first deity of this world, even before what our Order calls the 'New Gods.' Something monumental must have happened. Otherwise, why would its worship be forbidden across this continent? Why is it the only one without a name? What happened to erase all known records of it?"

"A-auntie, y-you’re scaring me," the young elf stammered, her gaze avoiding Kila’s.

Kila sighed. "It’s fine if you don’t believe me yet. I won’t judge you for that. Just always keep an open mind for the impossible, okay?"

The girl nodded hesitantly, and Kila patted her head. "Now, do you have more questions?"

"A-actually, yes. D-do you have any idea why our continent has the most variety of mana beasts? No other continent comes close, and I’m sure this will come up at the academy."

"Sadly, no," Kila admitted. "There are theories, but none that make sense or have been proven. I ca—"

I interrupted with a smirk, swiftly moving to stand directly before them despite the cramped interior. "Perhaps I can help answer that particular question."

"Wh-what? Did our honored guest overhear our conversation?" Kila asked meekly.

"Indeed, I heard everything. But don’t worry—I won’t spill your secrets. In fact, you’ve piqued my interest. To satisfy my curiosity, I’ll share some of my knowledge in return. How does that sound?"

Kila stepped in front of the child protectively, her posture radiating maternal care. The gesture amused me. Pretentious, I thought. She thinks she can protect her when, in reality, they’ve already lost their souls to me once.

Still, something about the scene unsettled me. Caring for one another like that—what a waste of time. Ignoring her defiance, I refocused on the conversation.

"You know, little one," I began, "I was there when the first mana beast was created. The fools tried to use it to overwhelm Eternal. And from what you’ve said, you might be under a misconception about how old mana beasts truly are. They existed long before Eternal, the heroes, and even the Old Ones you revere. But back then, they weren’t threats to fear—they were like herbs in a garden, waiting to be harvested."

The two elves froze in shock. Even Aska’s presence radiated unease.

It was Kila who broke the silence, her voice trembling. "H-herbs? F-for what purpose would anyone do that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don’t be naive. Herbs can be used for many things, can’t they?"

The younger elf answered hesitantly, "Food, potions, ale, salves… and other things?"

"Exactly," I replied with a smile. "And what does every race do with herbs, as well as the animals they keep?"

"Cultivate," Kila whispered, her disbelief palpable. "Mana beasts… were cultivated. Everyone knows about the legendary things created from their body parts. But for what purpose—"

I interrupted again. "And that is the key to your question. This continent has the most mana beasts because it’s where it all began. This was the garden, but the herbalists’ ultimate goal was never achieved. When they abandoned their work, the beasts were left to their own devices. Eternal simply found a different kind of potential in them."

The girl looked at me, her voice shaky. "But isn’t that cruel? Leaving such a plague in the world? Some mana beasts evolved minds of their own, but many live on pure hunger and lust. Why let that exist?"

I shrugged. "It stopped caring. Maybe it never cared to begin with. Its goal—whatever it was—failed."

The girl swallowed nervously. "B-but how do you know all this, honored guest? This must have been—"

"—eons ago?" I finished for her. "Yes, it was. I witnessed the tragic end. I saw their work, their hopes, their beliefs crumble into failure after failure until only void remained. I wasn’t the only one to see it. That Forgotten One you mentioned was probably one of them, along with that lying witch… and her."

Aska burst out in my mind.

' I replied dryly.

"Are you talking about Calypso?" Kila asked cautiously.

I nodded. Her mouth fell open in disbelief.You knew the Mother of Witches?"

"Knew?" I echoed, confused. "Did she die?"

Kila hesitated. "Oh… you didn’t know? Her daughters turned against her. Nobody knows exactly what happened—only what the oracles claimed the gods announced."

’ I mused to Aska

"Why are you smiling?" the young elf asked, her voice trembling.

I smirked. "She and I were never on good terms. It’s just… amusing to think someone managed to succeed where I failed. The world keeps getting more exciting by the second."

The horror etched on the elves’ faces was delicious. Though my cryptic answers had only unsettled them further, I wasn’t finished yet. My curiosity about this world was far from sated.

A wicked grin spread across my face. "So, would you two be so kind as to tell me about the major events of the last few centuries? The gods, the changes, the power structures… all of it."

Yes, yes. Tell me everything. I will relish learning how this world has shifted, what it has built, and how I will tear it apart again.

Just wait, Anansi. This time, I will find a way…