The old man took Rayen to a small shrine, far away from the house, deep within the forest. Rayen had never seen this shrine in the game. It was clear now—there were significant changes in the worldbuilding, though he still couldn't confirm whether the civilizations themselves had changed.
The shrine was made of ancient stones, its walls covered in old textures and intricate designs. But the one thing that strongly resembled the game world… was the language inscribed on the walls—the ancient scriptures. It was the exact same, self-made language created by the game developers. And surprisingly, our unemployed 29-year-old was practically a professional at reading it. During the time left after gaming, he had studied the language in depth.
Just as Rayen was about to start reading, the old man noticed his curiosity.
"Are you interested in them?"
Rayen snapped out of his thoughts and gave a small nod.
The old man chuckled. "You're really curious about something no one's been able to understand?"
Rayen tilted his head. "What you mean?"
"These are what we call scriptures—the ancient words of gods and religions. This shrine is one of the oldest in human history, and these writings… they've never been deciphered. We don't know what language it is or where it came from. The other civilizations have their own scriptures too, but just like us, they've failed to crack them."
Yeah, of course you wouldn't know their origin. It's just a self-made language by some silly game designers, Rayen thought, keeping a straight face.
He acted curious and asked innocently, "What is civilization?"
"Oh, right… you're only three years old," the old man said with a small laugh. "How would you even know what that means?"
He took a deep breath, then explained, "Civilization means a group of people living together, sharing the same culture and language. In our world, there are six civilizations: Human, Dwarf, Elven, Demon, Vampire, and Demi-human. That's why the world is divided into six empires—each one ruled by its own civilization."
Rayen nodded slowly, pretending to process the explanation.
So the civilizations haven't changed. They're the same as in the game. The six empires… exactly as they were. That means the only changes are in building generation, monuments, and the people—
Or I should say, the NPCs. They're different from the ones I knew. Which means some warriors could be stronger… or weaker… than the ones I fought in the game.
Then another question rose in Rayen's mind. "Which civilization are we from?"
The old man's smile faded. For a moment, he stayed silent—searching for the right words.
I can't tell him the truth… he thought. He hasn't been accepted by any civilization. On his official acceptance ceremony at the age of two, he was half-dead. The priests saw him—alive, but empty... His strange presence frightened them. That's why they refused to accept him as part of the Human Civilization.
That's why he's called "Omiosen"… meaning "Bad Omen" in the Human tongue. That's why they named him Rayen Omiosen—the flower of bad omen. I can't tell a child this. He's too young to understand… too young to carry such a burden.
Rayen stared at the old man, watching him hesitate.
Why is he taking so much time to answer? Rayen wondered. From my appearance, I'm clearly human. My body, my features—they're all human. But… that woman I saw… she was an elf, I'm sure of it. And the man beside her… he was a human.
Am I… a mix?
Rayen's eyes widened.
Doesn't that make me a Cursed One?
A child born from two different civilizations… it's forbidden. It's supposed to be impossible. But… it's just a theory. I don't even know if they were my parents or just strangers. Still…
If that's true, then my very existence breaks the rules of this world.
---
The old man smiled, "We are from Human Civilization, of course."
But inside his mind—I'll tell him the truth… when the right time comes.
Rayen nodded. Me and my useless theories… I'm a human, of course. So it's obvious for me to be in the Human Civilization.
Then the old man didn't waste more time and walked inside the shrine, and Rayen didn't get the chance to read the scriptures.
But honestly, he was more excited about what was inside the shrine.
As they entered the shrine, the atmosphere changed. It was silent… too silent.
The interior was narrow and dimly lit, with only thin rays of sunlight slipping through the cracks between the stones. Moss covered the walls in patches, and old vines crawled from corner to corner. The air was cold and heavy, filled with a slight smell of damp earth and something ancient.
In the center of the shrine was a small statue of a man sitting in a meditative pose—legs folded, eyes closed, hands resting gently in his lap.
Rayen looked at the statue. This reminds me of Buddha.
There were worn markings on the floor, faded over time, maybe used for rituals once. Surrounding the statue were burned-out incense sticks and empty bowls—offerings, maybe from a time long gone. The shrine was quiet, but it had weight, like it was holding secrets.
The old man puts Rayen down, then sits on the floor after brushing away the dust. He clears a small spot beside him for Rayen to sit.
"Why are we here?" Rayen asked, playing innocent.
"You are going to learn the very beginning step of cultivation," the old man said, folding his legs.
"Cultivation?" Rayen looked confused, continuing his act.
"Cultivation means developing your physical and mental self through martial arts, meditation, or other spiritual means. It is the most effective—though long—way to achieve immortality. I'm going to teach you how to grow stronger, to survive in this world, because none of the civilizations are friends with each other. Any of them could go to war with us at any time, so we need to be prepared."
Rayen nodded in understanding.
The old man smiled on the outside, but inside, he was filled with confusion—how could Rayen understand what he meant by immortality? But that wasn't the only question haunting him. What truly puzzled him was how Rayen could even speak so clearly, when he had been half-dead since the day he was born.
On the other hand, Rayen had no idea about any of this—about how he had been unresponsive since the day the old man found him.