The changes that had swept across Ibiron had not yet come to an end.
They were only the beginning.
After the gates of the ancient palaces had opened, after the immortals who had slept behind the seals of time emerged from their slumber, after the black mountains had risen from the heart of the deserts, and after the Dragons, Giants, Dark Elves, and Vampires had awakened from slumber that had endured for ages beyond the comprehension of anyone from the current era...
The world continued to move in silence.
That movement was not always accompanied by noise.
Sometimes, it came in the form of a faint tremor.
At other times, it was merely an inexplicable change in the air.
And sometimes...
It seemed as though something unimaginably ancient had opened its eyes for a brief moment, only to sink back into silence.
Yet deep within Ibiron, a strange sensation was spreading little by little.
It was a sensation no one could accurately describe.
Even those who had lived for tens of thousands of years could find no words capable of expressing it.
It was like the feeling that came before a storm.
Except this time...
It was not the storm that was approaching.
It was the world itself that was awakening.
In a distant region of the Upper Continent, where a vast expanse of land contained nothing in the current era except a few scattered trees and dry, cracked earth, absolute silence reigned.
There was nothing to suggest that the region concealed anything.
No ancient city.
No black mountain.
No buried palace.
Not even a massive cave.
Only a motionless land...
beneath a pale sky.
But on that day, something happened that the land had not witnessed since an ancient age.
One of the seeds buried deep within the soil trembled.
It was not an obvious tremor.
Merely a slight movement.
Then it became still.
Moments later...
another seed moved.
Then a third.
Then hundreds of seeds buried deep beneath the earth began moving at the same time.
The soil around them cracked.
A faint green light emerged from within.
At first, the light was weak, seeming little more than a strange reflection.
But soon, it grew stronger.
Thin green lines spread beneath the surface, as though enormous roots were beginning to extend in every direction.
Then...
the first bud burst open.
A small green stem rose from the earth.
Then another.
Then dozens.
Then hundreds.
Within a short period of time, the region was no longer dry land.
Life was emerging from the soil without end.
Grass appeared first.
Then shrubs.
Then trees.
Massive trunks rose from the earth, their branches spreading with majestic speed, until ancient trees began taking shape before eyes that watched no one.
Their roots reached deep into the earth.
Their branches intertwined across the sky.
As though nature itself were reclaiming something it had lost long ago.
Then...
all the trees stopped growing.
Everything fell silent.
And in the center of the newly formed forest, the trunk of a colossal tree opened on its own.
There was no hollow within it.
Rather, it resembled a natural doorway that had formed within the wood.
A man stepped through.
He was an Elf.
Young in appearance, tall in stature, calm in countenance, surrounded by a profound aura of life.
After him came an Elven woman.
Then another man.
Then another woman.
And soon, figures began emerging from among the trees one after another.
Males and females.
They did not emerge from doors or coffins.
Rather, they seemed as though the forest itself had returned them to the world.
The first Elf stood in silence and extended his hand toward a nearby branch.
His fingers touched the wood.
The instant he did...
the leaves trembled.
It was not violent.
It was more like a living response.
The Elf gazed at the tree for a long while.
Then he spoke in a calm voice:
"Something has changed in the world."
One of the Elven women approached him and placed her hand against another tree.
She remained silent for several moments.
Then she said:
"Yes..."
She raised her eyes toward the sky.
"But the change is not limited to nature."
The Elf looked at her.
"What did you feel?"
She closed her eyes for a moment.
Her expression remained calm, but a trace of caution appeared in her eyes.
"I felt the world... moving."
Silence descended.
Another Elf spoke:
"Moving?"
She opened her eyes.
"As though something that had been still for an age beyond measure... has begun to open its eyes."
Everyone looked toward the forest.
No one spoke.
Then one of the male Elves said quietly:
"Then... what happened throughout the continent was not merely an accident."
The woman answered:
"No."
She paused for a moment.
Then added:
"It seems that an ancient era has begun to draw breath once more."
At that moment, a green wave spread throughout the forest.
The trees trembled.
Thousands of leaves unfurled simultaneously.
But the Elves did not appear joyful.
They continued staring silently into the depths of the forest.
Because they had all sensed the same thing.
That what had awakened around them...
was not the only thing that had begun to awaken.
There was another land entirely different from it.
Barren plains.
A darkened sky.
And black soil stretching all the way to the horizon.
There was no visible life.
No trees.
No water.
No sounds.
Even the wind seemed to avoid that place.
Then...
the air came to a complete stop.
The sand became still.
And the last sound in the region vanished.
Afterward, thin cracks appeared across the surface of the earth.
They were not ordinary cracks.
They spread slowly, as though the earth itself were opening before something approaching from its depths.
A black line appeared.
Then widened.
Then a section of the earth opened.
Dense, dark mist emerged from within.
It did not spread quickly.
Instead, it rose slowly until it covered the surrounding area.
Then the first foot appeared.
It stepped onto the earth.
And afterward, an entire body emerged from the heart of the darkness.
A Demon.
He stood in silence.
His eyes surveyed the surroundings without a word.
Then another emerged.
Then another.
Figures began appearing from within the mist one after another.
There was no commotion.
No celebration.
Only heavy silence.
Until someone finally spoke.
"How long has it been?"
No one answered.
He repeated the question:
"How long has it been since we entered this slumber?"
A voice came from behind him:
"A long time."
He turned toward it.
"That much is obvious."
The other Demon approached slowly.
Then looked toward the sky.
"But the question is not how long it has been."
He fell silent for a moment.
"The question is... why has the world begun moving now?"
The first remained silent.
Then he said:
"Because something has changed."
"What?"
"If I knew..."
His words stopped.
He raised his eyes toward the horizon.
Then said:
"If I did, I would not be standing here trying to understand what I am feeling."
Silence descended once more.
The auras surrounding them were heavy, profound, and unlike anything belonging to the current era.
One of the Demons said:
"Do you think this concerns only us?"
Another answered:
"No."
"How do you know?"
He looked at him.
"Because I can feel other things awakening."
An even deeper silence descended.
Then one of them gave a faint smile.
"Then..."
He raised his head.
"The world has begun reclaiming its children."
No one commented.
But their expressions changed.
Because they all understood the meaning behind those words.
If Ibiron had begun returning those who had slept within its depths...
Then there was no way of knowing who would awaken next.
Elsewhere...
The sky was covered in clouds.
Yet in the midst of that darkened sky, a point of light appeared.
Extremely small.
So small that one might have mistaken it for a distant star.
But it was not a star.
The light began to grow.
Then white threads appeared between the clouds.
They spread across the sky in silence until they formed an enormous circle of radiance.
There was no storm.
No earthquake.
No sound.
Only...
light.
Pure and majestic light that made the surrounding darkness seem to retreat before it.
Then the center of the circle opened.
And the first being descended from it.
It was an angel.
A humanoid body surrounded by a majestic aura, with enormous white wings extending from its back.
It descended slowly.
Its feet did not touch the earth until several moments later.
Then another followed.
Then another.
Figures began emerging from the circle of light one after another.
Men and women.
Calm faces.
Deep gazes.
And an imposing presence that made the very air around them seem more still.
One of the female angels raised her head toward the sky.
Her gaze remained fixed there for a long while.
Then she said:
"The world has awakened."
An angel standing beside her looked at her.
"Are you certain?"
She answered calmly:
"If it had not... I would not have felt this change."
Another spoke:
"Do you think what is happening here is connected to what happened on the continent?"
The woman fell silent.
Then she said:
"I do not know."
She lowered her eyes slightly.
"But I know one thing."
Everyone waited.
She said:
"This is not a passing change."
They looked toward the sky.
The circle of light was still open.
One of them said quietly:
"Then something greater is happening."
Another answered:
"Something the world has been waiting for."
Silence followed.
At that moment, the circle of light in the sky began slowly closing.
But before it disappeared completely...
dozens of white wings appeared on the horizon.
The Divine Clan had returned to the world.
In another region of the Upper Continent, there was nothing to suggest the presence of ancient life.
It was a vast land surrounded by mountains.
The sky was clear.
The air was still.
Then...
a flash appeared.
A single bolt of lightning.
It struck the earth.
Then vanished.
Moments later...
a second bolt struck.
Then a third.
Then lightning began falling from different places.
It was not random.
It was gathering around a single point.
The winds grew faster.
Sand rose into the air.
And a massive vortex formed in the center of the plain.
Lightning coiled around it.
The winds spun violently.
Until even the sky itself seemed to be moving.
Suddenly...
a Qilin emerged from the heart of the vortex.
A majestic body surrounded by traces of lightning, with the air constantly swirling around it.
Its hooves touched the ground.
A vast wave of wind exploded outward.
It raised its head.
At that very moment, thunder boomed behind it.
Another Qilin emerged.
Then a third.
Then more beings began appearing amid the winds and lightning.
One of them raised its head toward the sky.
And spoke in a powerful voice:
"How peaceful this sky is."
Another approached him.
"It is not peaceful."
He looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Listen."
Everyone fell silent.
The winds swirled around them.
But behind their sound...
there was something else.
Something that could not be heard with the ears.
It could only be felt within the soul.
One of the Qilin said:
"The world itself is moving."
The first looked toward the earth.
Then raised his eyes.
Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face.
"Hah..."
A spark of lightning gathered above his horn.
"Then it has begun."
The other asked:
"What has begun?"
He answered:
"The awakening."
Then he launched himself forward.
The wind around his body transformed into a massive current, while lightning accompanied him as he shot across the sky.
The others watched him for a moment.
Then followed.
Within moments, the sky was filled with the sounds of wind and thunder.
As though the heavens themselves were announcing the return of one of Ibiron's most ancient races.
The Great Ocean
But the greatest changes...
were not all taking place upon the land.
In the depths of the Great Ocean, where sunlight could not reach certain regions, the world was entirely different.
Eternal darkness.
Vast waters.
And ancient sea creatures moving through the depths.
But suddenly...
the water began moving strangely.
There was no hurricane.
No wave.
No powerful current.
And yet the waters began swirling around a vast region.
Then columns of bubbles rose from the depths.
Blue strands appeared within the water.
They spread slowly.
Then the first person appeared.
A woman.
Her long blue hair drifted through the water, her upper body human, while her lower body ended in a large fin.
She opened her eyes.
And looked around.
Then she gently moved her tail.
A calm wave of water spread from her.
Another appeared behind her.
Then another.
The Merfolk began emerging from the depths of the ocean.
Most of those who appeared were women.
But there were men among them as well.
They spread throughout the waters, gazing toward the depths of the ocean and the distant surface.
One of the women said:
"The ocean is different."
Another answered:
"Not only the ocean."
She looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
She placed a hand over her chest.
"There is something I can feel."
"What?"
She remained silent for a moment.
Then said:
"As though the world that had been sleeping beneath these waters... has begun breathing again."
One of the Merfolk looked upward.
The surface of the ocean was extremely far away.
He said:
"Do you think what is happening here is connected to what is happening above the continent?"
One of the women answered:
"It is impossible for all of this to be a coincidence."
Then she approached her companion.
"Did you feel it too?"
"Yes."
"Then..."
They looked into the depths.
"We are not the only ones who have returned."
A calm wave spread through the region.
And from even deeper within...
new shadows appeared.
The Merfolk spread throughout the Great Ocean.
And the ocean, which had remained silent for so long, had begun revealing its ancient secrets.
In another distant place...
there was a barren mountainous region.
Black rocks.
Dead earth.
And nothing but heavy silence.
Then a spark appeared.
Small.
Alone.
It fell upon the ground.
And ignited.
It was not a massive flame.
But it did not go out.
Instead, it began spreading.
The fire extended across the rocks.
Then rose.
Transforming into a pillar of flame.
It grew higher.
Its heat intensified.
Until the very air seemed to distort around it.
Then...
the flames exploded.
A colossal bird emerged from within.
Its wings were spread wide.
Its body surrounded by fire.
It rose into the sky.
Then circled the mountain once.
The sound of its wings resounded.
Flames spread across the horizon.
The Phoenix descended upon the mountain's summit.
It remained standing there.
Then raised its head.
It gazed toward the sky for a long while.
Moments later...
another flame appeared.
Then another.
Then the distant mountain peaks began igniting one after another.
Another Phoenix appeared.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
Until the sky began filling with wings engulfed in flame.
One of them asked:
"How long has it been?"
A voice came from afar:
"No one knows."
"And the world?"
Silence.
Then someone answered:
"It has changed."
Another replied:
"No. It has begun to awaken."
The first Phoenix stopped.
Then said:
"Then..."
It looked toward the horizon.
"It is time to see what remains of the world we once knew."
No one said anything.
But their wings began to move.
The Phoenix rose into the sky.
And the others followed.
Deep within a distant mountainous region...
the silence was different.
There, the earth was not merely earth.
It contained immense layers of rock and minerals deep within its depths.
The mountains were towering, yet in the current era they appeared completely abandoned.
Then...
a metallic sound rang out.
Clang.
Silence.
Then another sound followed.
Clang... clang.
The sound was coming from deep within the mountain.
The rocks began to tremble.
It was not an earthquake.
It was as though something inside were knocking upon the walls of the world.
One of the rocks cracked.
Then a large fragment fell away.
A dark passage appeared behind it.
From its depths came a faint light.
Then a Dwarf emerged.
He was short compared to the other races, but powerfully built, standing firmly upon the earth with a heavy presence.
He looked at the mountain.
Then at the sky.
And said:
"The sky is still where it belongs."
A voice came from behind him:
"I expected you to say something more exciting."
He turned.
Another Dwarf appeared.
Then a third.
Then more began emerging from the depths of the mountain.
The first said:
"And what do you want me to say?"
The other answered:
"I do not know."
He paused.
Then looked toward the earth.
"But I can feel that something great is happening."
The Dwarf stamped his foot upon the ground.
He remained silent for a moment.
Then said:
"Not only within the earth."
He raised his head.
"Throughout the entire world."
An elderly Dwarf appeared among them.
He gazed toward the sky for a long while.
Then said:
"If ancient things have begun to move..."
He fell silent.
One of them said:
"Then what we are seeing now will not be the end."
The old Dwarf did not answer.
But his expression became more serious.
And deep within the mountain...
other sounds began to stir.
Sounds of hammering.
Stone doors.
And the movement of bodies that had remained still since an age long past.
The Dwarves began emerging from the mountain.
As for the wilderness...
the awakening of the Beasts resembled nothing that had come before.
There were no ancient cities.
No circles of light.
No palaces.
No enormous gates.
There was only...
the wilderness.
Forests.
Plains.
Mountains.
Caves.
And deserts.
But across scattered regions of Ibiron, wild animals began stopping at the same time.
Beasts that had been running stopped.
Beasts that had been hunting raised their heads.
Creatures that had been sleeping opened their eyes.
They did not know why.
But their instincts told them one thing.
Something was coming.
Then the caves began to tremble.
Roars emerged from within.
Deep within the forests, the trees moved beneath the weight of enormous bodies.
And from the valleys, colossal shadows appeared.
Beasts of different sizes and forms began emerging from places no one had known were inhabited.
Some emerged from caves.
Some from deep within the mountains.
Some from the forests.
And some appeared among the rocks and plains.
Their emergence was not orderly.
Nor was it peaceful.
For the instinct that had dwelled within their bodies since ancient ages knew nothing of waiting.
The first roar rose.
Then another answered from afar.
Then a third.
And within a short time...
the sounds of Beasts began spreading throughout the wilderness.
Not as a single cry.
But as though the entire continent were reclaiming its ancient voices.
A colossal Beast stood atop one of the heights.
It raised its head toward the sky.
It remained motionless.
Then roared.
The surrounding region trembled.
From a distant place, another Beast answered.
Then another.
Until the wilderness itself seemed to be speaking in a language that the people of the current era had not heard for countless ages.
But amid that uproar...
there was something strange.
The Beasts were not the only ones awakening.
Some of the oldest Beasts sensed something deeper.
Something that caused them to stop roaring for moments.
As though their primordial instincts were telling them that there was a presence greater than the mere return of their race.
A presence...
whose time to be seen had not yet come.
Throughout Ibiron...
the changes continued.
In the forests, ancient roots began to move.
In the mountains, passages that had remained sealed for ages opened.
In the dark lands, shadows appeared where none had existed before.
In the skies, ancient wings passed overhead.
Across the earth, bodies whose existence the people of the current era had never known about began to move.
And within the Great Ocean...
the depths of the sea began revealing their secrets.
These events were not identical.
Nor were they connected in any way that anyone could understand.
Each race returned in its own manner.
The Elves emerged from the heart of life and vegetation.
The Demons appeared from dark lands and heavy silence.
The Divine Clan descended from the heart of light.
The Qilin emerged amid lightning and wind.
The Merfolk appeared from the depths of the Great Ocean.
The Phoenixes returned amid flames.
The Dwarves emerged from the depths of the mountains.
And the Beasts reclaimed the wilderness that had once been their home.
Yet despite the differences between all these scenes...
there was one thing they shared.
There was one sensation becoming increasingly clear throughout the world.
Something ancient...
was moving.
Something that had remained still for an age beyond measure...
had begun to reclaim its existence.
And some of those who had only just returned were more aware of this sensation than others.
They had not awakened in the world they once knew.
They had opened their eyes...
to a different world.
A world that had lost much of its former appearance.
A world whose energy had changed.
A world bearing the remnants of ages about which the people of the current era knew only vague fragments.
And therefore...
their joy at returning was not complete.
There were more questions than answers.
And there was an obscure sensation pressing against their hearts.
For they no longer asked merely:
How long has it been?
The more important question had become:
What happened to this world while we were gone?
And somewhere, deep within Ibiron, where no one could reach...
that sensation continued to grow.
It was not a voice.
Nor was it an image.
Nor was it a message.
Yet it was there.
As though the planet itself...
were remembering.
Remembering something ancient.
Something buried beneath countless layers of time.
And throughout the Upper Continent and the Great Ocean, the beings who had returned from their slumber began looking upon the world anew.
Some looked toward the sky.
Some toward the earth.
Some toward the sea.
And some toward places they no longer recognized.
But all of them felt the same sensation.
The awakening had begun.
And it was not the awakening of a single race.
Nor the return of a limited number of immortals.
It was something greater than that.
The ancient era itself...
was beginning to draw breath once more.
And with every existence that opened its eyes...
Ibiron drew closer to revealing secrets that had remained buried for millions of years.
But the question that remained suspended in the silence of the world was more frightening than everything that had come before:
If these ancient beings had begun to awaken...
how many other beings were still sleeping?
And deep within the world...
no one answered.
Only...
the awakening continued.