Prologue
An aging tree, buffeted by daily winds, will inevitably shed its leaves. Those leaves will fly in every direction, some landing in the yards of people's homes.
In a time long, long ago, far before the Common Era, stood a single, shabby house. Its wooden walls were rotten with age, and a damp air perpetually filled its rooms. In the midst of that silence, a man who looked to be around forty years old walked slowly across the earthen floor. His gaze was fixed straight ahead. He stopped before a door.
For a moment, he was still. His eyes began to close, his chest expanding as he drew a deep breath. Suddenly, the door swung wide open. Before him, a multicolored light, tinged with black, began to spread out. It was a portal. A strange smile suddenly played on his lips, shadowing his mouth before he stepped forward. In an instant, his body vanished, swallowed by the portal's light.
---
Chapter 1: Where Am I Being Taken?
Indonesia, The Year 2020
(Kai Nirwana, 16 years old)
"Ugh, I'm so bored! When is this pandemic ever going to end?"
The complaint escaped my lips for what felt like the thousandth time. Life felt stagnant. Every day was just the same routine: online school, anime and movie marathons, reading stacks of manga, novels, and comics, then the endless cycle of eating, bathroom breaks, and sleep.
I had no idea how long I'd been sitting in front of the TV, lying listlessly on my side on the sofa while watching news about the pandemic's victims. I felt sick after seeing the reports of so many lives lost.
In the end, I decided to just go to sleep. Yeah, sleep had become my newest hobby lately. My feet carried me from the comfortable sofa to my room. I opened my bedroom door, its hinges letting out a soft hiss.
I stared at the bed ahead of me. It was practically begging me to lie down. I stepped forward and collapsed onto my mattress.
It didn't take long for me to fall asleep. In my dream, my vision was fixed on the sky. I was lying on my back, surrounded by tall, wild grass. I was sprawled on a vast expanse of greenery under a beautiful twilight sky. When I turned my head to the side, my eyes widened at the sight of the person lying next to me. It was Angga, my childhood friend.
"Hey Kai, remember how we used to talk about sci-fi and stuff all the time? Feels like forever ago... hey, by the way, if you became a fictional character, what power would you want, bro?" Angga asked me in his signature voice, one I hadn't heard in so long.
I tilted my head with a small hum. "Hmm... what would I want?... Of course, something powerful!"
Angga listened to my answer and looked more interested. He gave a small grin as he lifted his head to look at me.
"Haha, okay, and then what? What kind of power??" he asked.
I thought again. Angga seemed genuinely into this. It made sense; his taste in shows was always action-packed fantasy.
"Well, I'd want to be a Time Creator, a time traveler, a dimension hopper, and be able to fly... oh, and I'd want a skill that lets me absorb anything. That way I could steal other people's skills, right? Hahaha."
"Hahahah... as always, you're so greedy, you idiot."
I chuckled. Angga beside me laughed along with my answer. He really was a good friend. My heart ached with missing him. Since he passed away three years ago, I'd rarely visited his grave.
"Bro, I miss you so much," I said.
"Are you hitting on me?!" Angga retorted.
"What?! No, you idiot!... Besides, you died way too easily!"
"Well, that was just my fate, bro. But I'm happy here, you know."
---
A few weeks later, my days continued with the same monotonous routine. Right now, I was sitting on my bed, with the window wide open beside me. A soft breeze rustled my hair.
This time, I was busy reading a novel. I turned each page, reading with a sense of profound boredom.
"Sigh... I'm bored." I let out a slow sigh, the same complaint for the thousandth time.
....
Kai was still focused on the book in his hands. He was completely unaware of the danger lying in wait for him. A strong wind began to blow, slamming his bedroom window shut with a loud BANG!
"CRASH!..."
....
I was utterly startled, my heart pounding wildly.
"Ahh?!!! Hahhh!"
"You scared me half to death!"
"Ugh, sigh... every single day is so boring it makes me sick!"
I let out another sigh and glanced at the window that had just slammed shut. I thought about getting up to check it, but in the end, I just let it be. I didn't want to bother. If it's broken, it's broken.
"Whatever..."
I went back to reading the novel in my hands. I was so focused, I didn't notice the shadow swelling behind my back at all. All the hairs on my neck stood on end. Before I could even think to run, a warm, strong hand gripped my wrist! It felt alien, unlike a human hand. And in that moment, I was violently dragged away.
My vision swam. The entire world around me suddenly spun and melted into a chaos of colors. The last sound I heard was the frantic beating of my own heart, and then... silence.
I could no longer feel my mattress. My feet felt like they were floating in a thick, silent darkness. I blinked, unable to believe it. I was absolutely terrified and squeezed my eyes shut tight. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from my chest.
With my heart still hammering, I dared to open my eyes. And what I saw was definitely not my familiar bedroom ceiling. I was sitting on a cold chair in a completely foreign place, adorned with tall windows covered in creeping vines. An unfamiliar place, with the scent of old books filling my nose. In front of me was a table covered in messy books. I glanced around. This wasn't my world!
When I turned my head to the right, I got the shock of my life seeing the figure next to me. She was so pale and beautiful. Her hair was white as snow, flowing down to her waist. Her skin was flawless, like porcelain. She wore clothes like a fairy's, with shimmering, colorful clover-shaped silhouettes of magic floating around her. Who was she?
"Kai Nirwana!.. welcome to the Aeveternum Expanse!!" the woman said. "It's for eternity!" She said it with overwhelming cheerfulness.
It was so weird. Just seconds ago she seemed calm, but now she was suddenly so blunt. Well, it's not good to judge someone just by their looks, I guess.
"Aeveternum Expanse? What does that mean?" I asked, bewildered. "Why am I suddenly here?!"
"Hmm, because you were chosen... plus, you like fantasy worlds, right? Right? That's what got you selected!" she replied, full of energy.
"Huh?" I was completely baffled. Could just being delusional be enough to get someone isekai'd? I thought.
"Hahaha... just kidding... you have a mission here," she said.
"A mission? What mission? Who are you? How do I get back home?" I asked bluntly. Yeah, I was pretty panicked.
"Hold on, one at a time, okay?... I am Yumna Aeveternum, you can call me Clover! Many people call me Clover Aeveternum. Your mission is to find someone named Grez Nirwana and Clover Aeveternum," she declared.
"Wait, wait, didn't you just say your name is Clover Aeveternum? Why do I need to find you when you're right in front of me?" I was seriously confused.
"As you can see, Kai, I'm translucent... I'm just a copy of the real Clover... ahh, by the way, here, this is for you." The woman suddenly held out a small, black dragon.
I was shocked, my eyes wide open. Was that a real dragon? More like a baby dragon. The woman started to hand the dragon over to me.
"Take care of it... now I have to go. Good luck," Clover said.
"Eh, how do I get back ho-" My words were cut off as she vanished right before my eyes.
I stared at the baby dragon. Holy crap, it was a real baby dragon, just like in a fantasy world. Just then, Clover suddenly reappeared in front of me, startling me for the second time.
"What is it? Why are you back?" I asked.
"I forgot something. From now on, your name isn't Kai Nirwana anymore, it's Kai Altaze... and you have to keep the name Nirwana a secret, okay!" she said. Of course, that just confused me more.
"Huh? Why? Nirwana is my family name! I can't just change my name like that!" I protested.
"Just do as I say," she answered casually.
"You can't just decide that!" I protested again.
"You talk too much!" She got annoyed and punched me in the face. Then, she immediately vanished.
"Oww!" I reflexively grabbed my stinging cheek. Damn, that hurt. Even though she said she was just a projection, her punch was seriously painful.
"You've been noisy all this time! No noise in the library!" The voice came from behind me. Before I could even turn around, a book floated above me and hit me squarely on the head. My head throbbed with pain.
"Ouch, that really hurts!... Who's there?!" I turned my head to look behind me.
I was completely shocked by the figure behind me. It was... a statue! Wait, what? A statue shaped like a vampire, clearly made of stone or concrete, entirely gray all over, including its clothes.
"Eh?! A talking statue! The statue is talking!" I reflexively raised my voice, both shocked and excited at the same time. And because of that, my head got smacked with a book again.
"I said be quiet!" it yelled.
"Ahh!!..." I groaned in pain. Getting hit three times in quick succession was really unpleasant.
"Why are you talking to yourself, kid? Is your head okay?" It seemed to be mocking me.
"Yeah, I'm fine, sir..."
I answered while rubbing my still-sore head. I scrutinized the creature carefully. Hmm, it looked like a vampire but seemed to be made of stone. A weird creature. What species is it? I wondered.
"Hey kid, stop looking at me like that. You're staring like I'm a freak," it said bluntly. Hearing that, I instinctively averted my gaze.
"I wasn't looking at you. Full of yourself," I protested.
"By the way, what species are you? I've never seen a species like you before."
The moment I asked that question, the vampire statue burst into roaring laughter. The library was filled with the rumble of its amusement.
"Hahahaha... you don't know what species I am? What a pity, kid... Well, I'll admit, species like mine are quite rare." He looked incredibly proud of himself.
"Hmm, alright then, kid. I am a species of Clay Stone Golem."
"Clay Stone Golem? I've never heard of that," I said, puzzled.
"I told you my species is rare, you brat!" He answered while swatting my shoulder with his book again, though more gently this time.
"Ah, by the way, I don't remember seeing you come in through the front door!" Yeah, he seemed suspicious of me.
I let out a small sigh, unsure how to answer. I didn't know why Clover had brought me here either, or what my goal was. How was I supposed to find Grez Nirwana and Clover Aeveternum? Maybe this library had information about them. Maybe I should ask this clay stone golem.
"Can I ask you something?" I said with my most serious face. I hoped he would listen.
"Of course, what is your question, kid?" He replied politely.
"Do you know Grez Nirwana and Clover Aeveternum?" I asked.
The clay stone golem actually looked shocked. He fell silent.
"Why do you ask that, kid?" he asked me in return.
"I'm just curious," I replied. I tried not to reveal the reason I was here. But the aura from the clay stone golem seemed to say "I need to know." I sighed softly, just hoping he would answer without asking for more.
"Kid, Clover Aeveternum is believed to be an angel, the guardian of this world. As for Grez Nirwana, he is a human King who is trying to usurp Clover's throne... Rumor has it that King Grez Nirwana is not a good man. Initially, he was a visitor from another world, but his power grew over time. He's power-hungry," he explained.
I swallowed nervously, realizing the weight of the burden I now carried. So these were the people I had to find? Damn it!
For a moment, the library was very quiet and still. The golem and I were both silent after that simple answer. Finally, a small purring sound from the baby dragon on my lap broke the silence, attracting the golem's attention, who immediately focused his gaze on the little dragon.
"A-a dragon?!... You... just who are you, kid? What's your name?" he asked.
I was startled by the sudden question. I could feel the golem's shock as he asked it. And the golem took a small step back. He looked wary.
"H-huh?... My name is Kai Nir-... eh, Kai Altaze," I answered softly.
The golem's surprise intensified, but this time he looked as if he didn't believe my answer.
"My god! You're one of the children from the Altaze clan?!... No wonder!" he exclaimed.
In the end, the two of us sat down and talked together. I was honest with the clay stone golem, telling him that I was a visitor from another world, more precisely, that I had been forcibly dragged here by Clover Aeveternum. I also told him that this little dragon was a gift from Clover herself before her sudden departure. And that my mission was to find the real Clover Aeveternum and a man named Grez Nirwana in this world. I also told him that the name Altaze was given to me by Clover, but I didn't reveal my real name, Kai Nirwana, to the golem, as Clover had advised.
The thought that kept running through my mind was, "How do I get back home?" Back then, Clover Aeveternum hadn't had time to answer my question; she seemed to be avoiding it. As I told my story, the golem listened intently, nodding his head repeatedly.
"Perhaps Queen Clover Aeveternum brought you to this library to find important information here," he said before finally standing up from his chair and heading towards the bookshelves.
He seemed to be searching for a specific book. He kept moving around the library for a long time, maybe two hours. Finally, he found the book he was looking for—or rather, two books. He walked over to me, who was still sitting in the chair, and held out one of the books. I took it and opened it.
"Here it is. This seems to be a history book about the Altaze family. Maybe you can get some information from this," he said.
From the title, it was clear that it was indeed a book about the history of the Altaze family. "The Majesty Of The Altaze Family" was the title. The other book, the golem would read himself.
....
The contents of the book titled "The Majesty Of The Altaze Family" were more or less just the story of a man who received help from the Altaze family. That man was adopted by the Altaze family and became a great fighter, even though Altaze blood did not flow in his veins.
The Altaze were known as a family of warriors. The Altaze clan was renowned for their prowess in combat, not just hand-to-hand, but in all skills they possessed, even though they were merely human. They were known to be agile, intelligent, and calculating. Not only that, mixing genes with other races allowed them to master more combat techniques, magic, swordsmanship, and more. There were even rumors that they could perform telepathy and stop time.
The Altaze always had a distinctive mark: a burn in the shape of an inverted 'A' on their right shoulder. This burn was given by the family head when an Altaze-born child turned one year old. But the male writer apparently did not have this mark, even though he was adopted by the Altaze.
One day, the village where the Altaze resided was raided by a troop of giants who came to destroy. Rumor had it that the leader of these giants was King Grez Nirwana. At that time, the writer was not in the village. When he arrived at the Altaze dwelling, his home, everything appeared burnt to ashes. All that remained were ruins and the smell of scorched flesh hanging in the air. There were also corpses of giants lying everywhere, an astonishing number of them. Not a single building was left standing. The writer decided to look around for any signs of life. Finally, he found one teenage boy from the Altaze clan.
The writer asked, "Where are the others?" He asked nervously and worriedly, his hands trembling. He hoped the teenager would feel the same way he did after seeing this chaos.
Softly, the teenager looked at the writer and said, "They were trampled, beaten, burned, cursed, drowned, torn apart... I saw it with my own eyes." He then looked down at the ground.
"They were the parents and the elders. The teenagers and children survived because they fled before the giants came... the family head had suspected danger would come today," he added.
"Then why are you still here?" the writer asked, perplexed.
"I thought I was strong. I thought I could fight the giants. But those giants... they were bigger, tougher, and there were more of them than us... and strangely, they used magic, especially fire element magic that burned this whole place down," he said.
That answer shocked the writer. As far as he knew, the giant clan generally couldn't use magic; they didn't even have enough mana to cast a spell. The writer protested.
"That's impossible! Giants are known to be anti-magic! How could they control fire element directly!?" The writer was actually worried, but that answer made the teenager angry, and he immediately yelled at him.
"YOU'D KNOW IF YOU SAW IT WITH YOUR OWN TWO EYES!!" he shouted, before tears finally started to fall, wetting his face. He must have been angry and disappointed, especially after seeing others die before his eyes. The writer walked over to the teenager and started to calm him down.
Because of this event, the population of the Altaze clan declined. They all scattered across the land and were difficult to find. This made the writer unsure exactly how many of the Altaze clan were still alive to this day. The writer himself decided to become a journalist after 30 years had passed.
This was a book from 62 years ago, written by Dyzard Aeveternum Altaze.
....
"Eh, the writer's name is Dyzard Aeveternum Altaze. What does this mean? Is he part of Clover Aeveternum's family too?" I asked the clay stone golem, who now seemed busy dusting the bookshelves. These books contained all sorts of information I couldn't even begin to list. I had just finished the book after sitting for five hours. Strangely, I didn't feel hungry at all. The little dragon also seemed to have been sleeping next to the book I was reading this whole time.
"Oh, you mean the Aeveternum surname? Well, humans often use that name. It means he has no family. So for anyone who was abandoned, or doesn't have a family or clan name, their surname is usually Aeveternum... meaning they ask for protection from God and Queen Clover Aeveternum. But many humans also intentionally use Aeveternum as their name," he replied. He was still focused on the shelves as he answered my question.
"So you're saying, if I were a child without a name, I could use Aeveternum as my name?" I asked.
"Yes, that's right. But it's not mandatory," the golem answered.
"Then why does this writer have two family names?" I added.
"I don't know. But humans are very free to choose their names. Many also use the Aeveternum surname even if they belong to a specific family clan. Everyone loves Clover Aeveternum so much," said the golem.
"What about you? What's your name?" I asked.
"Normally, we don't have names. But as our power increases, a name becomes etched into our core... Coincidentally, since I've leveled up to become a librarian, of course I have a name," the golem answered in a proud tone. He looked incredibly proud of himself once again.
"So? What is your name?" I asked.
"Sarasa the Clay Stone Golem," the golem answered.
"Huh?! You're a girl?" I was quite surprised to hear the name.
"Of course not! I'm clearly a man!" His hand rapped my head with the feather duster he was holding. I let out a small groan.
"Oww..." I moaned.
"By the way, kid, I've read the other book about Queen Clover Aeveternum, but I couldn't find any clear information on where her residence is... There are only stories of people she visited, like you... Ah, where will you stay now? A human like you should probably become an adventurer," he said.
"Huh, an adventurer? You mean like a guild and quests?!" I asked.
"Yes, exactly like that. If you want to join, the adventurer's guild is nearby," he replied.
I became more and more interested. An adventurer's guild? Even quests? This was getting more and more exciting. It was looking more and more like the anime I often watched. I was getting pumped.
"Where is it? Tell me!" I said excitedly.
"You just go straight from this library, kid. The guild is big, so you won't have any trouble finding it," he answered.
With excitement and a bright smile on my face, I picked up the little dragon Clover had given me and started walking towards the exit. But before I could reach the door, a purple magical silhouette passed through my body. The library door suddenly slammed shut with a very loud "THUD...!", followed by a gust of wind blowing towards me.
The hairs on my neck stood up. My body tensed instantly. From behind, I felt a chilling aura, as if someone was staring sharply at me.
What was that?!