The sun in Virelia rose like a slow-burning ember, casting soft pinks and golds over the floating cliffs and misty woodlands. Birds with transparent wings fluttered through the sky, leaving trails of sparkling dust behind.
Liam didn't notice any of this.
He was too busy chasing his shoes.
"Give them back, Mog! Those are my only pair!" Liam yelled as the giant frog floated in circles above him, one shoe in its mouth, the other dangling from a slippery tongue.
Mog croaked in protest, puffed up like a smug balloon.
Nyra giggled from the firepit where she brewed a new batch of her infamous mushroom tea. "He likes you! That means he considers your belongings fair game."
Liam gave her a look. "That's not friendship. That's theft."
Aeris, already armored and ready, stood by the outpost's main path, arms crossed. "Enough games. We need to visit the sages before noon."
Mog finally dropped the shoes with a wet plop as Liam muttered curses under his breath and wiped off the slime.
The trio — Aeris, Liam, and Nyra (and Mog, who floated lazily above them like a decorative balloon) — made their way toward the cliffs, where a long, spiraling staircase descended into a hidden chamber carved into the rock itself.
"This is where the three sages of Virelia reside," Aeris explained. "They've protected the knowledge of the spellbook fragments for centuries."
"Wait, you said sages?" Liam asked. "Like wise, old, beardy types?"
Nyra giggled. "Oh, you're in for a treat."
They entered the chamber — warm light pulsed from crystals embedded in the walls, and in the center sat three figures around a floating orb: an elderly woman with silver hair woven into braids; a man with a long, vine-wrapped staff and leaves for eyebrows; and a child — no older than eight — eating a suspiciously green apple.
"You brought him," the old woman said without turning. Her voice echoed slightly, as if layered in time.
"Yes," Aeris replied, bowing. "He's the one the Mirror chose."
The child hopped off his stone seat and walked straight up to Liam. "Hi. I'm Sage Tilo. I like fish. Do you know any fish?"
Liam blinked. "Uhm… I had a goldfish once. It died."
Tilo nodded solemnly. "A warrior's death, probably."
Nyra gave Liam a thumbs-up.
The bearded man, Sage Viron, tapped his staff against the ground. "Enough games. If the Mirror awakened, it means the fragments are stirring. The evil beyond the cracks grows bolder."
Liam stepped forward, unsure. "Okay, everyone keeps talking about these fragments. Are they like… puzzle pieces of doom?"
"Essentially," the woman sage said. "The spellbook of Velmoria was divided after the War of Sundering. Half its power lies here in Virelia. The other half was entrusted to protectors who crossed to your world."
Liam's eyes widened. "So… part of the book is in the human world?"
Aeris nodded. "The protectors brought a piece through the Mirror — long ago. It's what connects our realms."
The sages shared a look.
"There is more," Viron said, voice grim. "You were born during the collapse of the portal. A child meant to bridge the two worlds. We believe… your arrival was foreseen."
Liam stared. "Hold on. You mean… I'm half-realm?"
Tilo nodded while munching another green apple. "Yup. And possibly cursed."
Liam groaned. "Fantastic."
Suddenly, the crystals dimmed.
The woman sage's eyes glowed. "They're searching for it. The fragments. Even now… shadow beasts sniff the winds for traces of its power."
Nyra stepped forward, uncharacteristically serious. "We have to move fast, right? Before they gather strength?"
"Yes," said the woman sage. "But you're not strong enough."
Liam looked at Aeris, then Nyra. "Well, we're kind of learning on the job here."
"You must retrieve the First Fragment," Viron said. "It lies in the Shattered Basin, guarded by a creature warped by ancient magic."
Aeris nodded. "That's weeks away on foot."
"Then you'd best start running," Tilo grinned.
As they left the chamber, Nyra walked beside Liam. "You okay?"
Liam nodded slowly. "I just found out I'm a magic baby from another world, possibly cursed, and being hunted by nightmare creatures. So yeah. Totally fine."
Mog burped a firefly.
Nyra laughed. "You're handling it better than most."
They reached the edge of the outpost and looked out across the floating landscape.
"Guess this is where the real adventure starts, huh?" Liam said.
Aeris checked her weapon, then looked to the horizon.
"Next stop: the Shattered Basin. Let's go find that fragment."