“MY LORD! THE SECURITY HAS BEEN BREACHED! WE HAVE NO CHANCE!”
The voice echoed through the enormous hall.
“Go, my loyal soldiers.”
The man standing at the end of the hall remained perfectly still.
“Today is our end. We do not run away.”
“Ark, my dear child…”
A woman's trembling voice.
“Nivra… please. Keep him safe.”
“I love you…”
GASPPPPP!
I shot upright in my bed.
My chest felt tight.
I sat there for a moment, clutching my shirt and trying to catch my breath.
What the hell was that?
I stared into the darkness.
I had been dreaming about something.
Something important.
I could feel it.
But the harder I tried to remember, the faster it slipped away.
A voice.
Someone crying.
A huge hall.
And…
Nivra?
I frowned.
Why was my sister in my dream?
I rubbed my face.
Maybe it wasn't even about her.
Ugh.
My left eye had been aching lately too. It was starting to get annoying.
I pressed my fingers against it and blinked a few times.
Whatever.
I'd deal with it later.
Then I looked down.
…
Oh no.
“Did I just wet myself?”
I slowly lifted the blanket.
Yep.
Fantastic.
Big sis was definitely going to scold me.
“ARKKKKK!”
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“ARE YOU AWAKE YET?”
Nivra's voice came from downstairs.
“The sun is two fingers above the horizon. The academy gates will close soon.”
“COMINGGGGG!”
Right.
School.
I threw the blanket aside and hurried out of bed.
Whatever that dream was, I could think about it later.
Hopefully.
After washing my face and changing, I ran downstairs.
The smell of toasted bread immediately hit me.
Nivra was standing by the table, already preparing breakfast.
She looked over.
“Finally.”
“Good morning, big sis.”
“For breakfast, I made egg toast.”
She placed a plate in front of me.
“Your favorite. The neighbors gave us some eggs yesterday.”
My eyes immediately went to the plate.
“Egg toast?”
“Mhm.”
“You're actually the best.”
“I know.”
I sat down and started eating.
The toast was warm and crispy.
Perfect.
Nivra sat across from me.
She watched me for a moment.
“Ark.”
“Mhm?”
“You look a little down today.”
I stopped chewing.
“Are you alright?”
For a second, the dream came back to me.
That voice.
That feeling.
The name Nivra.
“I…”
I swallowed.
“YEP. I'M GOOD.”
Nivra stared at me.
I smiled.
She didn't look convinced.
“Just a weird dream,” I added.
“What kind of dream?”
“I don't remember.”
That was the problem.
I could feel that it mattered.
I just couldn't remember why.
Nivra was already busy enough taking care of everything around the house. The last thing I wanted was to give her something else to worry about.
“So yeah,” I said, reaching for another piece of toast. “Probably just my brain being weird.”
She sighed softly.
“You're strange.”
“Runs in the family.”
Nivra smiled.
“Eat your breakfast.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
I finished eating, grabbed my school bag, and hurried outside.
The morning air was cool.
Eldenveil was already waking up.
Farmers were heading toward the fields.
Shopkeepers were opening their doors.
Children were making their way toward the academy.
Everything felt normal.
Like every other morning.
I walked down the road toward the academy.
Then I saw someone standing at the end of the street.
Ren.
He had clearly been waiting for me.
The moment he saw me, he raised both arms.
“ARK!”
I waved.
“REN!”
“You're late!”
“I am not late.”
“You literally are.”
“I am precisely on schedule.”
Ren stared at me.
“The academy gates close in twenty minutes.”
“Exactly.”
I spread my arms.
“See? Plenty of time.”
“That's not what being on time means.”
“It is in my system.”
“What system?”
“The Ark system.”
“That system sucks.”
“Rude.”
Ren shook his head and started walking beside me.
“I swear one day I'm going to stop waiting for you.”
“No you won't.”
“…Unfortunately, you're right.”
I grinned.
Ren had just come from the small Church of Life near the edge of the village.
“You went to the church?”
“Yeah.”
“This early?”
“It's not that early.”
“It is for me.”
“You're just lazy.”
“I'm efficient.”
“That's what you call it?”
“Exactly.”
Ren laughed.
We continued toward the academy.
Then he suddenly looked at me.
“Anyway, did you finish the homework?”
I froze.
My feet stopped moving.
Ren took two more steps before realizing I wasn't beside him anymore.
He slowly turned around.
“Ark?”
I stared at him.
He stared at me.
His expression changed.
“No.”
I said nothing.
“Ark.”
Still nothing.
“Don't tell me…”
He pointed at me.
“You had the entire week.”
“I know.”
“THE ENTIRE WEEK.”
“I know!”
“And you didn't do it?”
I looked away.
“Technically…”
“Ark.”
“Okay, fine.”
I sighed.
“I forgot.”
Ren put both hands on his head.
“Mr. Kim is going to kill you.”
“I'll survive.”
“You say that every time.”
“And yet, here I am.”
“Barely.”
I shrugged.
There wasn't exactly much I could do now.
The homework wasn't going to magically appear in my bag just because I regretted not doing it.
I started walking again.
My feet suddenly felt much heavier.
Maybe I should have done it yesterday.
Or the day before.
Or literally any of the seven days I had been given.
But in my defense...
Having an entire week to finish something is exactly how you forget it exists.
It's basically a trap.
By the time we reached the academy, Mr. Kim was already standing by the entrance.
He looked at me.
Then at Ren.
Then back at me.
“Again, Ark.”
I smiled.
“Good morning, sir.”
“Right on the dot.”
“See?”
I spread my arms.
“Calculated.”
Mr. Kim sighed.
“You know, you're actually quite intelligent.”
“Thank you.”
“That wasn't a compliment.”
“Oh.”
He looked genuinely tired.
“If only you used that intelligence for your own benefit instead of treating your life like one long afternoon nap.”
Ren snorted.
I ignored him.
The bell rang.
“Inside.”
“Yes, sir.”
We hurried into the classroom.
Everyone took their seats.
I sat down and leaned back.
For a few glorious seconds, everything was fine.
Then Mr. Kim walked to the front of the room.
“Alright, everyone. Homework on the desk.”
My soul left my body.
Students began getting up and placing their assignments on the desk.
One by one.
Ren walked past me.
He gave me a sympathetic look.
I gave him the look of a man attending his own funeral.
Eventually, everyone sat down.
Mr. Kim looked at the pile.
Then he looked at me.
“Ark.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Where is yours?”
I smiled.
“Funny story.”
“No.”
“I haven't even told it yet.”
“I know.”
The class started laughing.
Mr. Kim sighed.
“You're the only student who didn't complete it.”
I lowered my head.
“I'm sorry.”
He stared at me for a moment.
Then sighed again.
“Since you clearly have so much free time…”
Oh no.
“…you can come up here and review the history course we've studied over the past several months.”
I slowly looked up.
“Wait.”
He pointed toward the blackboard.
“Go.”
I stood up.
“This geezer…”
Ren covered his mouth to hide his laugh.
I grabbed a piece of chalk and walked toward the blackboard.
“Okay, kids.”
I turned around.
“Your teacher is going to give you a lesson.”
A few students immediately started giggling.
Mr. Kim folded his arms.
“Try not to embarrass yourself, Ark.”
I placed a hand over my heart.
“Sir, have some faith in your favorite student.”
“You are not my favorite student.”
“Wow.”
The class laughed.
Even Mr. Kim couldn't completely hide his smile.
“Begin.”
I turned toward the blackboard.
“Alright.”
I wrote:
THE FIVE DIVINE GODS
“Today we're going over the history of Elyndra.”
I tapped the chalk against my palm.
“According to the oldest surviving records, Elyndra was created and shaped by five great gods.”
I turned toward the class.
“First, we have Biolume, God of Life.”
I drew a terrible stick figure with leaves around its head.
“Biolume is responsible for life itself. Plants, animals, humans, basically everything that decided breathing was a good idea.”
A student raised their hand.
“Does that mean Biolume created humans?”
“Yes.”
I paused.
“Probably.”
Mr. Kim raised an eyebrow.
“Probably?”
“I'm getting there, sir.”
I continued.
“Second, Thanatros, God of Death.”
I drew another stick figure.
“This guy handles death.”
A student raised their hand.
“So he kills people?”
“Technically.”
Mr. Kim immediately interrupted.
“Not technically.”
I turned around.
“Sir, that's literally his job.”
“The role of Death is to maintain the natural cycle of life, not simply kill people.”
I nodded thoughtfully.
“That's just a fancy way of saying he kills people.”
The classroom erupted in laughter.
Mr. Kim pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Continue.”
“Yes, sir.”
I wrote the next name.
“Third, Tempus, God of Time.”
I drew a circle around the name.
“Tempus governs the flow of time and the countless timelines created by every possible event.”
I pointed toward the class.
“So basically, if you mess up your homework, you can't just go back in time and fix it.”
Ren raised his hand.
I already knew what was coming.
“Yes?”
“That's specifically for you.”
“Shut up, Ren.”
Everyone laughed.
Even Mr. Kim.
I continued.
“Tempus works closely with his twin, Aethelion, God of Space.”
I wrote the name beside Tempus.
“Time and Space are considered inseparable. You can't have one without the other.”
I paused.
“Unless you're me during an exam.”
Mr. Kim stared at me.
“Ark.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Please continue before I reconsider my career.”
“Yes, sir.”
I smiled.
“Anyway.”
I wrote the fifth name.
“Finally, we have Abyss, God of Order.”
My hand stopped.
Just for a moment.
A strange pressure appeared behind my left eye.
I blinked.
The pain was gone almost immediately.
I stared at the name.
Abyss.
Something about it felt strange.
Not wrong.
Just…
Familiar.
“Ark?”
I looked back.
Mr. Kim was watching me.
“You alright?”
“Yeah.”
I rubbed my eye.
“Just got something in it.”
He studied me for another second.
Then nodded.
“Continue.”
I looked back at the board.
“Abyss, God of Order, maintains balance between the other divine powers.”
I pointed toward the drawing.
“Basically, whenever everyone else starts doing something stupid, he comes in and tells them to stop.”
Mr. Kim nodded.
“That's a surprisingly accurate simplification.”
“Thank you.”
“It wasn't a compliment.”
“Still taking it.”
The class laughed again.
I continued.
“These five gods created the foundations of civilization.”
I drew a rough timeline.
“Life created living beings.”
“Death established the natural end of life.”
“Time allowed history to progress.”
“Space allowed the world to exist within something greater than itself.”
“And Order established laws that prevented divine power from completely destroying everything.”
I stepped back.
“Together, they shaped Elyndra.”
Mr. Kim nodded.
“Good.”
I grinned.
“See? I'm smart.”
“You are.”
The room became quiet.
I blinked.
Mr. Kim looked at me seriously.
“You are very smart, Ark.”
He pointed toward the blackboard.
“You remember almost everything I've taught you.”
“Of course.”
“You understand concepts faster than most students here.”
I smiled.
“But?”
“There is always a but with you.”
He sighed.
“You don't study.”
My smile faded.
“You don't complete your assignments.”
I looked away.
“You don't revise.”
I scratched my cheek.
“And somehow, despite all of that, you still manage to score among the highest marks in this class.”
I smiled again.
“See? Natural talent.”
“That's exactly the problem.”
The class laughed.
Mr. Kim shook his head.
“One day, Ark, talent alone won't be enough.”
I shrugged.
“Then I'll become more talented.”
“You see?”
He looked at the rest of the class.
“This is what happens when intelligence and laziness are placed inside the same person.”
“It's called efficiency, sir.”
“It's called giving your teacher a headache.”
I laughed.
Mr. Kim walked toward the blackboard.
“Now, before you sit down, there's one more important part of the lesson.”
He took the chalk from my hand.
“The history of the gods is not simply the history of religion.”
He drew a line beneath the five names.
“It is the history of our world.”
He paused.
“Everything we know about civilization begins with them.”
I looked at the names on the board.
Biolume.
Thanatros.
Tempus.
Aethelion.
Abyss.
Five gods.
I don't know why, but the dream from this morning came back to me.
A woman's voice.
Nivra… please. Keep him safe.
My chest tightened.
I stared at the board.
Five gods.
That was all.
But something about it bothered me.
I couldn't explain it.
I just had the strangest feeling that the list should have been longer.
Then Mr. Kim tapped the blackboard.
“Ark.”
I looked up.
“Yes, sir?”
“You're staring at the board.”
“Oh.”
I smiled.
“Sorry.”
“Sit down.”
I walked back to my seat.
Ren leaned toward me.
“You nearly fell asleep standing up.”
“I was thinking.”
“That's dangerous.”
“Very.”
The bell rang.
Everyone began packing their things.
I glanced back at the blackboard one last time.
Five gods.
Something about those names bothered me.
I just couldn't remember why.