The silver limousine of the Raubenheimer household drove toward a large institution. Iode and the twins sat inside with aloof expressions, though Nivea was visibly excited.
"Out of all the vehicles the Raubenheimer house owns, it's only the limousine we use. It's unamusing," Reggie grumbled.
Soon, they arrived at the institution, and the three stepped out.
"Have a splendid time here!" the chauffeur bid them goodbye.
"Springscent Island University… must everything be named after this island?" Iode remarked.
"Let's go. We were told the freshmen orientation would take place at the Oliver Auditorium," Nivea said, holding a map in her hand.
"So where is it? Must we even go?" Reggie questioned.
"That's the problem. There are so many pathways—I'm so confused right now," Nivea replied.
"Give it here. Let me see." Reggie attempted to snatch the map from Nivea's hands, but she held on tightly, and the two began tugging at it.
Iode paid them no attention. He walked ahead, but as he ascended a staircase, he miscalculated the final step and stumbled.
He fell—but not to the ground. He landed on someone.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Iode apologized quickly, getting off the person. He stood and extended a hand to help them up.
"Thanks, no problem. You just stumbled—no biggie," the person said with a subtle smile.
He was a brown-skinned individual with dark hair, shaven at the sides and high on top. His attire was casual, and he was unnaturally handsome. Iode stared at him, mesmerized.
"Ha! Are you three perhaps freshmen? You must be heading to the Oliver Auditorium. It's just the first turn on the right," the man said.
"Oh… thanks," Iode replied.
The man walked away, but after covering some distance, he turned around to glance back at them. His expression had turned serious.
'That man… he isn't human. His core is red like the demon twins', but it's much lighter. Is he also a demon?' Iode thought, walking slowly.
"Wow, he's handsome. As expected of a vampire," Nivea said.
"Vampire? Is that a type of demon? What's a vampire?" Iode asked.
"Remember I told you Earth has a lot to offer? You see, Methuselah, humans aren't the only race that calls Earth their home. They just happen to be the most dominant and populated among them.
"Among other races, you'll find vampires, lycanthropes—which include all kinds of wereforms like werewolves, weretigers, wererats, werefoxes, werelions, and many more. Also elves, dwarves, goblins, hobgoblins, kobolds, fairies, all kinds of spirits—you name it," Reggie explained.
"Wait… you just mentioned some tribes from the Magical Nation. They exist on Earth too?" Iode asked, puzzled.
On Heaters, there were four nations: the Kaiju Nation, the Nation of Magical Creatures (also called the Magical Nation), Stickmanlandia, and Turflandia.
Iode came from the Magical Nation, which is home to ten tribes: the Dwarves, Elves, Fairies, Goblins, Kobolds, Nekomata, Orcs, Trolls, Valkyries, and Wizards. Iode belonged to the Wizard tribe.
He had once been told that all the nations—except the Kaiju—descended from the human race. But that raised questions: How did humans reach Heaters from Earth? Were humans originally from Earth?
He had learned from Igor that it was humans who populated Heaters before diversifying into different entities. It was said that the Stickmen (Stickmanlandia) were once part of the Turfs (Turflandia) before they split. However, according to legend, they offended a celestial and were cursed.
As a result, the nation diversified into three tribes, each evolving into forms far removed from humans: the Fluff Tribe, the Slipper Tribe, and the Stickman Tribe. The Stickman Tribe was eventually banished and founded their own nation, Stickmanlandia.
The Magical Nation, on the other hand, had once been the human kingdom of Theron. In an effort to prevent communication with demons, a project was initiated—but it was sabotaged by an organization known as the Dark Magicians. This led to a catastrophic event: great dust spewed into the sky, a phenomenon now known as the Magic Plague.
Because of this, the people of Theron diversified into ten tribes and renamed their nation the Magical Nation.
"Yes, but I'm not really well-versed in that topic. What I do know is that the human soul is very versatile—it can transform into nearly anything," Reggie replied.
"So you're saying humans were the ones who turned into all these different races?" Iode asked.
"Most of them, yes," Nivea answered.
Iode said nothing more. He continued walking toward the Oliver Auditorium, an inquisitive expression on his face...