Year 2085.
The Earth had begun to drift through space, no longer held in its original orbit. During that strange, chaotic period, something extraordinary happened, both to the planet and to its people.
As everyone knows, Earth collided with a wandering celestial body, a planet as black as ink. But the real mystery wasn't the collision. It was the aftermath. Humans began to change, to mutate.
No one knew how or why, but they developed the ability to use magic. Elemental magic: fire, water, earth, and air. Each person could control only one of these four elements, yet the phenomenon was considered miraculous. Until then, magic had only ever existed in fantasy books and stories.
However, not all humans followed this elemental path. Some discovered completely different abilities, that didn't fit into any of the classic elements.
People who could move at extreme speeds. Others who could grow extra limbs, or become stronger or taller in seconds. There were no rules.
These individuals were called Alterids, and each Alterid had a unique kind of magic, one-of-a-kind and unrepeatable. No two Alterids shared the same gift.
Darian now walked between Liro and Kael, with Snowy trotting nervously at his side. The hallway they followed was dim and unfamiliar, and Darian could feel the weight of tension in the air.
"Hey… I've got a question, if I'm allowed to ask…" he said hesitantly, unsure whether they would answer him at all.
"What is it?" Liro asked kindly.
"Well… back in the cell. Why did it feel like gravity had suddenly multiplied? My whole body felt like it was being crushed" asked Darian.
"That was my magic," Kael said simply. "It's called Gravitium" added him, Darian was both shocked because now Kael was speaking with a calmer tone and because of what he just said.
Darian blinked. 'Magic? Did he really just say magic?'
"What do you mean… magic?" he asked, baffled. "Since when can humans use magic?"
Kael and Liro exchanged a glance confused more than Darian.
"What are you talking about?" Liro asked, puzzled. "You were using magic too, weren't you?"
"Me? No—I mean… the magic isn't mine. It comes from Snowy," Darian explained. "I don't have any powers. So how do you have yours?"
Kael gave a small shrug. "If you're actually from the old world you don't know about this… but humans can use magic now. I'm an Alterid. So is Liro. And so are the others you're about to meet."
"Wait… others? And Alterid? What are you even saying?" asked Darian surprised as he was discovering something he had never excepted to.
"Don't worry," Liro said with a calming smile. "They won't hurt you. We just need to decide what to do with you."
'And that's not comforting at all…' thought Darian even more scared.
They entered a room, it is the one where Liro, Kael, and the woman from earlier had been discussing. But now, more people had gathered.
Darian gulped as he stepped inside, especially because everyone's eyes were focused on him.
On a sofa sat a woman with long blonde hair and a green-and-white robe. Beside her lounged a shirtless man with wild, untamed hair and a feral look in his eyes. Standing behind the sofa was another man, quiet and still, dressed in a plain brown rug-like robe.
And then there was a young woman at the back, sitting at a desk, she was Alerya, Darian recognized her, also if he didn't know her name. She was in the same position of a leader.
Kael and Liro took their seats, leaving Darian standing awkwardly alone in the center of the room.
"So," said Alerya, breaking the silence. "Why don't you introduce yourself? We don't even know your name", now Alerya spoke with a calmer tone.
"R-Right… I'm Darian. I'm thirty-three years old…" He gestured nervously as he spoke, words tumbling out too fast.
"We don't care about that." Grunted the shirtless man. "Tell us something useful."
'Ehi it's my first time speaking again with a human after all these years… I've only spoke with robots and a fox after I went away…' thought Darian slightly annoyed, but he decided that he wasn't in the position to go against them.
Darian nodded quickly. "Okay. Well, some of you might have already guessed it… but I'm from the old world. That probably sounds impossible, but it's true. Let me explain how."
He turned to a blackboard behind him and drew a rough circle with swirling lines around it.
"This is a black hole," he said. "And I'll try to keep it as simple as possible"
"Do any of you know how gravity works?"
Kael raised a hand. "It's... what the Earth uses to pull stuff toward it? Like I use my power to control it so I've studied it for a bit…"
"Close enough." Darian smiled and scribbled a number on the board: 9.81.
"This number represents Earth's gravitational acceleration. Basically, how fast objects fall when dropped. Near Earth, gravity pulls things with this force."
He turned to the others. Most of them looked confused already. Kael was trying hard to follow, but his brain was clearly straining. Liro's eyes were wide with curiosity. The blonde woman wore a puzzled expression, while the man in the back was staring at Snowy. The shirtless one? He'd already tuned out.
Alerya was watching him with the usual expression.
'Okay,' Darian thought. 'Just make it visual.'
"Now, imagine putting a heavy bowling ball on a trampoline," he said, drawing a curved dip. "It sinks the surface, right? Now if you roll a marble near it, the marble spirals toward the heavy ball. That's how gravity works in curved space."
The group nodded slowly, even if the shirtless one did that after the others as he wasn't following, Liro unlike the others did it faster.
"Now picture time like water flowing down a flat river. Everything moves steadily. But when the river hits a steep cliff-like the curve caused by the black hole, the water slows down. The flow is affected by gravity."
"So," Darian continued, "the stronger the gravity, the slower time moves near it. Near a black hole, gravity is so strong that even time gets 'stretched.' That's why I'm still alive… I spent years near the black hole on a planet, it was called XERBAB-7, but less time passed for me than it did here."
Liro's eyes lit up. "Oh! I've read about this... time dilation! It's real science."
He turned to Kael and the others, grinning. "It's not nonsense, trust me" said the shirtless man.
Kael groaned. "Liro, my head hurts. What the hell is this guy talking about…"
Liro chuckled. "Don't worry. Let's just say… we can definitely trust him, I've read about this."
'You were right Rusty… someone would actually understand him' Darian let out a sigh of relief that was soon broke by Alerya's words as she pointed at Snowy.
"Now… show us what that creature can do."
The man behind the sofa leaned forward. "Yeah, I've been watching it too… it's not normal"
"I think it looks adorable," the blonde woman said cheerfully.
"This is Snowy," Darian said, reaching out his arm. "I found it on the XERBAB-7, the planet near the black hole. It just… started following me."
He held out his right arm. Snowy stepped forward and the transformation happened once again, after that the whole room turned colder.
"Whoa, now that's something cool! Why didn't you skipped that boring stuff and showed us this directly?" said the shirtless man, getting up excitedly. "I wonder how strong you are. And how does your soul hold up?"
The others were all surprised as they had never seen a magic like that, Snowy came out of Darian's body and Darian grabbed he with his hands before looking at the shirtless man confused.
"Soul?" he repeated. "What do you mean by that?"
The man scoffed. "Wait... you don't use your soul to cast magic?"
"Sit down, Vane," Alerya said firmly from the back.
'Ah… so his name is Vane' thought Darian as he finally learnt a new name.
She turned to Darian. "Every magic user pays a price. Your soul is gradually drained. It's a universal rule. Over time, it has... consequences if you don't rest"
Darian looked baffled. "But I don't feel anything like that… like what should even happen?" asked him confused.
Liro frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe… it's because the magic isn't coming from you? It's the creature's power, not yours."
"Maybe… though it does get tired after casting too many spells" answered Darian, on everyone's face an envy look appeared.
Alerya rose from her chair. "Alright. Now that we've seen what you can do... it's time to decide."
Everyone turned to face Darian.
'Oh right... I forgot about that part' thought Darian as his body shake in fear.
"I like him," said Vane. "And I like his magic" added him.
"Same," added the blonde woman. "He could be a valuable ally, especially because I don't want to say goodbye to this animal…" she then looked at Snowy with a cute face, Snowy looking at her in the eyes didn't changed expression.
"Anyone object?" Alerya asked, as no one spoke, she spoke again, "Good. Then, Darian, you're with us now."
"Wait, us? You're a group?" asked him confused, after realizing that he was alive, Darian's posture changed and it became of someone more relaxed.
"Yes," Alerya said with a small smile. "We are the Veilguard."