Delia swallowed hard, steadying herself as the golden light around her faded. The weight of what just happened pressed against her mind—the other Delia, the Progenitor within her, was real. And now, she was watching.
Scarlett didn't look convinced. "Fine? You just collapsed like someone ripped your soul out! You were mumbling something weird, too—"
Aui, ever the observant one, narrowed her dark-blue eyes. "You spoke in an unknown language, Delia."
Delia exhaled, pressing a hand to her forehead. The whispers were still there, faint but persistent.
"You are not ready… but you will be."
She couldn't afford to break down now. Not in front of them.
"I'm okay," she said again, forcing a small smile. "I just… I think the ruins reacted to me."
Eina stepped forward, studying Delia closely.
"Reacted to you?" She folded her arms, expression tense. "Delia, what exactly happened?"
Delia hesitated. Should she tell them?
Would they even understand?
Instead of answering, she looked down at her hands. The energy of the sanctuary still thrummed in her veins, ancient and undeniable. She clenched her fingers into fists.
"I think I just… unlocked something," she admitted carefully.
Eina's expression darkened. "Then we need to leave. Now."
Before anyone could argue, the ruins shuddered. The once-dormant energy pulsed violently, sending ripples of blue light through the walls. The glowing veins in the stone flared to life, and an eerie hum filled the air.
Mi cursed, drawing his weapon. "Why does this always happen when you're around, Delia?"
Golan grinned, cracking his knuckles.
"Exciting, isn't it?"
A tremor ran beneath their feet. Then, a deep, guttural growl echoed from the shadows.
Showler, the quietest among them, instinctively reached for his daggers.
"Something's coming."
Delia's instincts screamed. The sanctuary wasn't just waking up—it was testing her.
Delia's breath hitched.
The Progenitor's trial had only just begun.
As Delia steadied herself, something shifted in the ruins. The Codex in her hands pulsed, sending gentle ripples of energy through the air. The once-dormant chamber trembled as ancient runes lit up along the walls, casting a soft, ethereal glow.
Then—the water moved.
The deep pool in the center of the chamber stirred, though there was no wind, no disturbance. The water rose, spiraling into the form of a woman—tall, fluid, ever-changing. Her presence was ancient yet soothing, a part of the world itself.
Scarlett and Aui tensed, readying their weapons.
But Delia… she knew better.
"…You are not my enemy," she said quietly, stepping forward.
The water-formed entity tilted its head. Its eyes—if they could be called that—held an infinite depth, shimmering like the ocean under moonlight.
"You remember me, child of the Progenitors," a voice echoed, though the entity's lips never moved. "Or rather… you remember a part of what you once were."
Delia's breath caught. "Who are you?"
"A fragment." The voice carried the weight of history. "A remnant of the one who nurtured this world—Mother Earth Maia. I am but a whisper of her will, left to guide those who seek the truth."
Delia felt something stir inside her, an unexplainable familiarity. "You were waiting for me?"
"For any of you. For the children of those who shaped this land. You, Delia, stand on the threshold of what was forgotten. But only when you are ready will the past reveal itself."
Delia clenched her fists. "I don't understand."
The entity's form wavered like a ripple on a still lake. "And that is why you must walk forward. Seek the echoes of your kind. And when the time comes…" The water swirled around Delia, cold yet comforting. "You will remember."
Then—the entity dissolved, its essence flowing back into the pool, leaving behind only the glowing runes that now pulsed gently.
Silence filled the chamber.
Scarlett let out a breath. "Okay… that wasn't terrifying at all. Wait that water element is she connected to the creation of nexa-terra?"
Flashback, one month ago…
A full month had passed since Delia took Scarlett and Aui under her wing. Their training had been grueling but rewarding. Every day was filled with combat drills, magical exercises, and survival lessons. They had grown stronger—Scarlett's dual-sword technique was becoming sharper, and Aui's spellcasting had become more efficient and controlled.
In this moment Delia was drying Aui's and scarlett's hair. And in the same time she was telling them the history of nexa-terra.
Before and after.
—
This world, known as Nexaterra, was not the first. Before it, there was another—Earth. Or as the gods called it, Terra.
Terra was a world of order and innovation, where humans thrived under the watchful eyes of the gods. It was a place of discovery, knowledge, and ambition. But it was also a world where jealousy festered among the divine.
The gods, who once lived in harmony, became envious of one another. Some believed that humans were favoring one god over the others. Others thought they deserved more worship, more power.
Their envy soon turned to anger, and their anger turned to war.
The battle of the gods was unlike anything Terra had ever seen. Mountains crumbled, oceans raged, and the sky itself split apart.
Their divine wrath was so immense that it did not just shake the land—it shattered it.
Millions died. The heavens bled into the mortal realm, and in the end, Earth, Terra itself, could no longer sustain life.
The gods, in their selfish fury, had destroyed the very world they ruled.
Among the gods, there was one above all—the Mother of Creation, Maia. She was the one who had given birth to the gods, the one who had created the original Terra.
When she saw what her children had done, she was filled with an emotion she had never felt before.
Rage.
In her fury, Maia cursed her own existence.
She could not forgive her children. She could not forgive herself for allowing them to become this way. And so, she tried to destroy herself—again and again. Thousands of times, she sought to erase her divine presence from existence, believing that if she was no longer there, such destruction would never happen again.
Her children, realizing the horror of their actions, begged for forgiveness. They wept, repented, and pleaded with their mother, asking how they could atone for their sins.
Maia, weakened and weary, finally answered them.
She made them an offer.
"I will create another Earth. A stronger one. A world that can withstand the arrogance of gods."
But it would come at a price.
She would use half of her divine essence—50% of her power—to create this new world.
And because of this, she would fall into a deep hibernation, unable to awaken for thousands of years.
During this time, her children—the gods—would have no choice but to guide the world on their own.
To ensure humanity could survive in this new world, Maia demanded one last thing from her children:
"Give them your blessings. Grant them power, so that they may stand against divine interference."
The gods agreed. They imbued this new world with a system—a method for humans to grow stronger, to evolve, to fight back if necessary.
This was how the system was born.
And so, Maia created Nexaterra—The Next Earth. Stronger. Wilder. Filled with magic and mysteries that even the gods could not fully control.
And then, as promised, she fell into her long sleep.
Though Terra was gone, remnants of its past still existed. Artifacts from the old world—
relics of lost civilizations, technology that defied understanding, and weapons that once belonged to the warriors of the old Earth.
These objects, infused with divine and mortal history, became known as:
Ancient Ex-Terra Artifacts.
These relics were not ordinary items. Some were weapons that held power beyond human comprehension. Others were tools of knowledge, containing lost information about Terra's past. Many were hidden, buried deep beneath the surface of Nexaterra, waiting for the right hands to uncover them.
The gods feared these artifacts. They reminded them of their sins. But they could not erase them—for they were the last proof that Terra had ever existed.
And so, they remained scattered across Nexaterra, waiting for those who would seek the truth.
This is the history of the world. This is where it all began.
Flashback end!
Aui adjusted her glasses. "That was a fragment of Mother Earth Maia… What exactly did it mean by 'echoes'?"
Delia stared at the still water, her reflection slightly distorted.
"...I don't know," she admitted. "But I intend to find out."
The chamber settled into silence once more, but something had changed. The runes along the walls continued to pulse in slow, rhythmic waves, as if the ruins themselves were breathing.
Delia touched her chest, her heartbeat steady yet aware—the presence of the Water Elemental lingered like a whisper in her soul.
Scarlett shifted beside her, glancing at the pool of water. "So, uh… that wasn't an enemy, but it still felt insanely powerful. What was that?"
Aui crossed her arms, her sharp eyes narrowing. "A fragment of Mother Earth Maia… If that's true, then this place—this ruin—must have belonged to the ancient ones. Maybe even the Progenitors themselves."
The word struck Delia deep, and she clenched her fists. Progenitor. The same name the other Delia had called herself.
"Seek the echoes of your kind."
What did that mean? Were there others like her?
A notification flickered in the corner of her vision.
________________________________________
[Title Unlocked: Chosen of the Elements]
[You have received the Blessing of Water – Incomplete.]
________________________________________
Delia inhaled sharply. This wasn't just another ruin. This was a piece of her past.
Before she could process it all, the ground trembled—softly at first, then with a growing intensity.
Scarlett drew her blades, eyes darting around. "Oh, great. Did we wake something up again?"
Aui adjusted her stance, magic swirling at her fingertips. "No… Look!"
The pool of water shimmered, revealing a path submerged beneath the surface. Stone steps, faintly glowing, leading deeper underground.
Delia exhaled, the feeling of fate wrapping around her like chains.
This was not the end of their journey. It was just the beginning.
She turned to the others, determination burning in her gaze. "We go forward."
Scarlett smirked, flipping one of her swords. "I was hoping you'd say that."
And with that, they descended into the unknown