Back in my room that night, I found Anna preparing my clothes for tomorrow. The familiar sight of her graceful movements was oddly comforting after the overwhelming information dump at dinner.
"Anna," I said, settling into the plush chair by the window, "can you tell me about the world? I mean, beyond Aetheria?"
She paused in her folding, tilting her head curiously. "Has the fever affected your memory that much, Master Marcus? You used to love geography lessons."
"Humor me," I said with a smile. "I want to hear it from you."
Her face lit up—apparently she enjoyed playing teacher. She moved to the wall and touched a panel, causing a massive screen to emerge from what I'd thought was just decorative wallpaper. The thing had to be at least eighty inches, displaying a detailed map of the world in stunning clarity.
"Well, our world consists of two major continents," she began, using her finger to trace across the screen. "The great continent of Terravast houses six mighty empires, each one larger than what the ancient texts describe as entire continents in the old world."
Holy shit. I stared at the scale indicators on the map, trying to process the sheer size. Each empire was massive—easily five times the size of Asia back on Earth. I wasn't good in geography back on Earth but I could tell that much.
This world was absolutely enormous.
"To the north lies the Empire of Valeria," she continued, highlighting a vast white and blue region, "dominated by the Frost Elves though many races call it home— the Ice Kingdoms where they say the aurora dances every night and the people command winter itself."
She moved her finger south. "Here in the central region, we have our own Aetherian Empire, primarily human-dominated but home to diverse populations. We're known for our adaptability, our powerful duchess families and other noble families, and our ability to work with all races."
"To the east, you have the Island Nations of Nereia," she highlighted a vast archipelago region, "governed primarily by the Sea Nymphs though all aquatic races thrive there—hundreds of floating cities connected by bridges of hardened water, where the people breathe as easily underwater as they do in air."
"And the remaining empires?"
"The Mountain Realm of Draconia," she pointed to a region of towering peaks in the northeast, "is dominated by the Dracorians—humanoid descendants of ancient dragons, though mountain—dwelling races of all kinds live there, including a significant populations of Golden Djinn. They hold the highest peaks on Terravast, where actual dragons still nest and the people forge metals that sing with power."
"The Forest Empire of Sylvana," she highlighted vast green expanses in the west, "is primarily ruled by the High Elves but home to all manner of forest folk, where the trees themselves are cities and nature magic reigns supreme."
"And finally, the Desert Empire of Solara in the south," she indicated a golden region below Aetheria, "ruled primarily by the Golden Djinn but housing diverse populations, where the cities are carved from crystal and their magic draws power directly from the sun."
"Djinn?" I interrupted. "Like genies?"
"Oh no, Master Marcus. The Golden Djinn are far more sophisticated than the legends suggest. They're beings of pure magical energy given physical form, masters of transformation and elemental magic."
I stared at the map, trying to wrap my head around the scale. "Six empires, all massive, all with different dominant races. That's incredibly complex politically."
"Oh, but that's not the truly fascinating part," Anna said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She gestured to a second, separate continent on the screen. "It's Mythros that captures the imagination."
"The second continent," I breathed, looking at the vast landmass that dwarfed even the enormous Terravast.
"Mythros," she said the name like a prayer. "The Endless Continent. It lies far to the west, beyond the Twilight Seas, and it's said to be so vast that no explorer has ever found its end."
I leaned forward, studying the map. While Terravast was fully detailed with cities, borders, and geographical features, Mythros was mostly blank space with only the academy marked at its eastern edge.
"No one's ever explored it completely?"
"Master Marcus, expeditions have traveled for months into Mythros without finding anything but more wilderness. But here's the truly terrifying part—going beyond the academy's permitted boundaries without the direct protection of an immortal instructor is essentially suicide."
"What do you mean?"
Anna's voice dropped to a whisper. "The continent itself seems to reject mortal presence. Those who venture beyond the fifty-mile safe zone without an immortal's 'touch'—a special protective blessing—either return as mindless husks or don't return at all. The very air becomes poison, the ground turns hostile, and reality itself seems to... twist."
"Twist how?"
"Students report seeing impossible things. Forests that exist and don't exist simultaneously. Creatures that are definitely there until you look directly at them. Some say time moves differently—expeditions that should take days stretch into weeks, or conversely, people age years in what feels like hours."
She pointed to various marked areas on the edge of the safe zone. "Even within the permitted area, strange things happen. Magic behaves unpredictably. Some students report feeling watched by something vast and ancient, though nothing is ever seen."
"And beyond the safe zone?"
"Legend says that somewhere in its endless expanse stands the Divine Wall—a barrier built by the gods themselves to separate their domain from ours. That Mythros is where the mortal world ends and the realm of the gods begins."
The hair on my arms stood up. "The academy sits at the edge of all that?"
"Not just at the edge," Anna corrected, "but serving as humanity's only foothold on the continent. The Celestial Academy sits at the exact point where Mythros begins, perched on cliffs that overlook the Twilight Seas. Behind it stretches the endless unknown, kept at bay only by the power of the immortal instructors."
I stared at the map, trying to process this information. The academy wasn't just a school—it was humanity's outpost at the edge of a continent so dangerous that only immortal beings could safely explore it.
"The immortal instructors," I said slowly, "they can go deeper into Mythros?"
Anna nodded. "They're the only ones who can. Lady Seraphina has been seen venturing hundreds of miles inland and returning unharmed. Some believe that's where their immortality comes from—that they've somehow made contact with whatever divine forces protect that realm."
"Has anyone ever tried to reach this Divine Wall?"
"Many have tried. None have succeeded and returned to tell about it. The academy has standing orders that no student— regardless of their magical power or noble status—is permitted to explore beyond the safe zone without immortal escort."
I continued staring at the massive screen, at the two enormous continents that made Earth look tiny by comparison. The political complexity of six empire-sized nations, each with different dominant races. The mystery of an endless continent guarded by divine power.
"Master Marcus?" Anna's voice brought me back to the present. "Are you excited about attending? Most young men dream of seeing Mythros, even if only its edge."
I looked at the map again—at Terravast with its detailed empires and known quantities, then at the vast mystery of Mythros stretching endlessly into the unknown.
The smart choice was obvious. Stay in the known world, in this paradise of luxury and safety. Leave the mysteries to mystery seekers who were willing to risk madness and death for answers that might not even exist.
"Yeah," I said quietly, turning away from the screen. "But I think I prefer this paradise to dying trying to explore the unknown."
Anna smiled approvingly. "Very wise, Master Marcus. The academy will provide quite enough adventure without venturing into places that even gods find dangerous."
As she dimmed the screen and finished preparing my clothes, I settled into my impossibly comfortable bed, surrounded by luxury that most people in this enormous world could only dream of.
Let others chase mysteries and divine walls. I had a beautiful family, incredible wealth, and soon I'd have powerful wives competing for my attention.
Paradise was definitely more interesting than suicide.
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A/N: You can never be sure of what comes looking for you, can you?