The Fallen Light

# LEGENDARY ADVENTURE

## PROLOGUE II — MEMORY OF THE WORLD

Year 4536.

Holar Jun was walking. The weight of Percy sleeping in his arms was almost nonexistent. The little child leaned his head against Holar’s chest, sleeping as peacefully as if he hadn’t just fallen from the sky moments ago.

Holar occasionally glanced down.

Five months old. Defenseless. All alone. And the heavens had commanded him to protect this child with his very life. A faint smile formed on Holar’s lips.

”Strange.”

Percy shifted slightly. Holar paused, pulling the cloth covering the child a little higher. Then he continued walking. The road beneath his feet was old. Extremely old. But not as old as Holar. Holar remembered what this world used to be like. Or rather, its ashes.

2035.

The year humanity sealed its own doom. When the first nuclear weapon of that war was unleashed, the world fell silent for a few seconds. Then came the others. China. North Korea. Russia. Mushroom clouds rising one after another swallowed the sky. Cities vanished. Millions died. In the years that followed, the seas rose and glaciers melted. The world changed. Yet humanity’s true calamity was not the war. The war had merely opened the door. Then came the virus. At first, people did not understand what it was. Then the first green creature was sighted. Then hundreds of them. Thousands. Millions.

The weapons humanity had aimed at one another were now turned toward something else. But it wasn’t enough. Armies collapsed. Cities fell. Nations vanished. Borders lost all meaning.

Humanity was losing.

Back then, Holar was not the strongest man in the world. He was not a founder. He was certainly not a mage. He was just a soldier. A captain. And then he lost his family. Holar’s steps slowed. More than two thousand years had passed, but certain memories never aged. He could still remember the day he stood before that creature. The weapon in his hand was useless. There was no one left around him to help. He could have run. He didn’t. He charged forward in rage. The moment his strike connected with the creature, the world changed.

Holar didn’t know what he had done that day. Humanity didn’t know either. Later, they gave it many names: a miracle, evolution, God’s grace, a new era. Yet years later, the name they used was far simpler.

Orin.

Holar Jun had awakened for the very first time. Holar did not remain alone for long. After a while, two more appeared. One from France, one from America. Three human beings. Three Awakened in the middle of a ruined world. Humanity viewed them as saviors. As for them, they had no time to think of themselves as saviors. Because the monsters never stopped. The war lasted for years. Then decades. The three of them fought, learned, and grew. They strove to understand Orin. Other people awakened. Then more followed.

For the first time, humanity began to fight back. But the old world did not return. It couldn’t. There were no countries. No former governments. The lines on maps no longer meant anything. The roughly two hundred and twenty million surviving humans gathered in a single place. Massive walls rose. Settlements merged. Lines of defense were established. Over the years, the city grew. Then it grew again. And in the end, it became much more than a mere city. Awakeners City. Humanity’s new home.

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However, survival alone was not enough. The new generations needed to learn how to fight. It was clear that Orin could not be left to chance. And so, the academies were born. Three great academies. Three distinct philosophies. Three different paths. Holar founded his own academy: the Mage Academy. It didn’t have ”Sovereign” in its name. Nor did it need to. Centuries passed. Children grew up there. They began their training at seven years old. At fourteen, they took the awakening exam. Their Orin affinities were measured. And those who were ready were introduced to the real world beyond the walls.

To monsters. To blood. To death. Holar watched thousands of students pass through those gates. Some became heroes. Some died. Some sold out their friends for power. Some sold out their families. Some sold out humanity. Humanity had escaped the end of the world. But being human hadn’t changed. Power arrived. Then ambition followed. Wealth arrived. Then social classes followed. Nobles were born. Great families rose. Alliances were formed and shattered. Treasons unfolded. Wars broke out.

Holar witnessed it all. He saw his friends die, saw his enemies become friends, and saw his friends turn into enemies. He saw the descendants of people who once fought side by side killing one another. He saw students of one academy looking at students of another with pure hatred. For thousands of years, he watched humanity change. And he learned that some things never change at all. Holar stopped. His thoughts dispersed. The small child in his arms had stirred. Percy opened his eyes, looking up at him with sleepy gaze. Holar looked back at Percy.

He had seen the end of the World. He had seen the rebirth of humanity. He had felt the first Orin. He had become the First Awakened. He had witnessed the founding of cities and established academies. He had won wars, suffered betrayals, and forgiven betrayals. He had buried his friends and buried his enemies. For over two thousand years, the world could offer him very few surprises. Percy raised his tiny hand and touched Holar’s nose. Holar blinked. Percy giggled.

”...”

Holar looked down at the child, then up at the sky. The words he had heard moments ago still echoed in his mind.

*No matter what happens, protect and raise the child at the cost of your life.*

*This is the veil opening to your growth.*

*You must become Percy’s master.*

Holar looked back down at Percy. Thousands of years of wars. Monsters. Academies. Betrayals. Friendships. Deaths.

And now, a baby.

Holar shook his head softly.

”So after all of that, it’s your turn next.”

In response, Percy grabbed Holar’s nose again.

”Let go of my nose.”

Percy didn’t let go.

”Percy.”

The little child laughed. Holar tried to maintain a serious expression for a few seconds. He failed. The corners of his lips curled up slightly.

”You’re going to be trouble.”

Percy was oblivious to this. He just kept laughing. Holar resumed walking. In the distance, the lights of Awakeners City gleamed. The new home humanity had built over thousands of years was waiting for them. That night, Holar thought he was bringing back a student. Perhaps a student who would one day surpass him. Perhaps someone who would reveal the meaning behind the command from the sky. But there was something he did not yet know. Percy Grant’s story was far greater than the story of this world.