Still struggling to understand his current situation, Orion's gaze remained fixed on the concentrated flame. The blaze grew brighter, a radiance that managed to increase without blinding his eyes. Orion shook his head slowly and responded, "No. I'm sorry, but I don't have any knowledge of what or who you are. If we've intruded, please know that we'll quickly retreat the way we came."

Silence once again reigned, heavy and contemplative, before the flame's voice crackled back to life. "As if I would permit that," its words surged with increasing severity. The entity's tone shifted, growing more intense, "And why in my name would I allow that monster to escape my presence?"

There were many things that Orion had heard; however, his mind focused on one particular thing - him calling Saria a monster.

.....

Observing intently, I remained fixated on the flickering white flame as it seemed to contemplate its words before adding, "But, I could entertain the idea if you were to take me out of here as well."

I blinked, clearly caught off guard by its words.

As though noticing my expression, the white flame continued, "I believe you should carefully consider it. After all, having a god on your side should grant you an edge out there, shouldn't it?".

"God," My eyes widened in disbelief, the word escaping my lips almost involuntarily, "You're a god."

"Of course, I am," the Flame responded, its demeanour oddly serene as its flickering ceased. "How many years have slipped by since the invasion?" it asked. "Two thousand, three thousand, eight thousand, perhaps even sixty thousand?"

Shaking my head, I couldn't help but reply, "I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're referring to."

Silence!

"I see..." The Flame's tone shifted to a tinge of disappointment as if it had expected a different response. "I see," it repeated, now chuckling as if finding irony in my lack of knowledge.

"No wonder you're involved with and even shielding a monster. You truly have no clue," its voice adopted a solemn tone, and somehow I couldn't help but feel like it was scrutinizing my being, from my tulga to every inch of my body. It continued, "However, I suppose it's no surprise, given your lack of awareness about history. It seems that our efforts were in vain."

'Failed,' I thought. At this point, the more it spoke, the more the conversation grew increasingly confusing, to the extent that I honestly had no idea what it was talking about or the direction it was heading towards.

"Hah! You can't even grasp the meaning of my words," the flame said with a scoff, a short laugh escaping its lips. "Your naivety, boy... it infuriates me." The flame's form began to swell, expanding until it consumed the darkness around me with its blazing, whitish light.

"Boy, before we proceed," the flame's voice resonated, "would you like to uncover the truth? The truth about the past..."

Listening to its words, I couldn't help but internally gulp, at least if it was possible in my current state. Admittedly, my curiosity about this world had grown, especially after hearing Stronghold Leader Drakar's reasons for leaving the Village.

However, considering the identity of the being I was currently conversing with, caution was my natural response to any offer it made.

Still, I couldn't help but nod my head in agreement. "Yes," I responded.

After all, who knew when I'd stumble upon another opportunity like thisa chance to unravel the mysteries of the world around me? It was uncertain if such an opportunity would arise again.

Plus, it appeared that I was going to remain in this place for a while, so I might as well play along.

"Very well," the flame echoed, and its radiance spread across the encompassing darkness. Its brightness began to enshroud everything, blinding me temporarily as the light penetrated my eyes, rendering me sightless. Then, as if prompted by an unseen cue, the voice returned, "you can open your eyes now."

And so I did.

I opened my eyes, pondering what had changed. However, the moment I took in the current view in front of me, my mouth hung open.

"What you are witnessing, boy, is a time before the invasion... a time before it all started... and the reason for my anger behind your naivety?"

Stunned, I struggled to find the right words. The view stretched out before me showcased towering structures, ranging from six to eight stories high and even reaching as high as forty stories.

These were not the primitive homes I had known but advanced skyscrapers housing machines, fueled by complex combinations of mechanical and electrical mechanisms.

.....

Holding his breath, Orion absorbed the staggering sight before him, fully aware that he must conceal any hint of understanding.

He needed to maintain the facade of an ignorant boy, clueless about the events unfolding around him. Allowing his curiosity to surface, he asked, "Where are we?"

"..... a day just before the invasion," the white flame replied. In an instant, a portion of its luminous form flickered, and the landscape before Orion underwent a dramatic transformation.

"Though I can't determine the exact span of years or millennia that have passed, in the year 3000 of Juan, gatewaysstructures resembling bridges between space and timemanifested across the world," White Flame's voice resonated. As it spoke, the vision before Orion grew clearer, revealing scenes of shadowy, inky structures emerging in various locations.

The perspective shifted from one to another, even showing a gateway hovering above an ocean.

"At first, their nature, origins, and purpose puzzled everyone," White Flame went on. "But then, unexpectedly, beingscreatures and beastsappeared. Some were gigantic, reminiscent of ancient majestic creatures, and others were entirely new, beyond any previous description. Yet, they all shared somethingdestruction. They laid waste and killed, taking over the areas around the gateways as their own."

"They acted as conquerors, obliterating everything in their path as if reclaiming their rightful dominion. The governments and the people were slow to react due to the abruptness of the assault and the fact that these invaders didn't utilise the technologies native to the world they invaded. Instead, they wielded bows, swords, armours, and... magic."

"But that wasn't all," added White Flame. "Amidst the chaos of the invasion, an astonishing phenomenon emerged. Men and women, young and old alike, experienced a profound awakening, performing extraordinary feats of magic," it articulated, and Orion's jaw felt as if it were hanging by a thread, threatening to tumble from his mouth in response to the astonishing revelation.