It had been four years since Alger died at the hands of that dark presence... and four years since he was reborn into this strange world.
At first, he thought he had been sent back in time. But that assumption didn't hold up. He soon realized he had been sent to an entirely different world altogether.
During these four years, Alger had learned a lot about the orphanage and about this world itself.
It felt like a strange mix of medieval and 16th-century Europe... but not quite. Magic played a major role in shaping this world's identity. It had its own rules... its own logic.
There were twelve months in a year, just like on Earth, with either 30 or 31 days in each month, except the second, which always had 28. There were no leap years. Since this world didn't have clocks, the concept of time was a little weird. People just used the position of the sun to know what time it was... like the good old days. The people here used the decimal system for counting, just like Earth.
But the language was completely different. Unique. Alger nearly two years just to understand it and another year to speak and read it fluently.
He had looked up at the sky, hoping to find a clue. To his surprise, all the constellations from Earth were still there. The stars were the same. Even the sun, called Solus here, was nearly identical.
But the moon was missing.
In its place were nine green stars... each one glowing as brightly as the full moon.
When he first saw them, Alger's heart had raced in panic. But the people near him didn't vanish like that night on Earth...
He later learned that the green stars weren't actually stars. They followed a specific cycle: appearing and disappearing in a pattern that repeated every ten days. When all nine were visible, the cycle reset. When none were in the sky, the cycle ended.
They weren't stars... they were celestial bodies orbiting this planet, much like Earth's moon. But what they really were... no one seemed to know.
That was all Alger could piece together for now.
***
The orphanage was larger than Alger had expected—capable of housing nearly 200 children. One of the first shocks he encountered here was the fact that children weren't given names until they turned four.
It had a number of facilities, including something Alger became immediately obsessed with: a library.
But the good books were kept on shelves far beyond his reach. Alger had tried sneaking in more times than he could count—especially during the ten-minute window when the librarian left to refuel the lamps.
He had been caught, often. But it didn't matter... because the first time he snuck in, he'd stolen the keys to the library doors right from the librarian's desk. There was a fuss about it, but eventually, everyone forgot.
From then on, he made a routine out of sneaking in at midnight. He'd quietly dragged a stool to the library, unlocked the door, and sat reading whatever he could get his hands on—mostly dictionaries and basic literature, which at least helped him master the language quickly.
He wanted more. He wanted knowledge. Especially about history... and magic.
He tried asking Sister Twilight, but she only gave him fairy tales.
Sister Twilight was in charge of children below the age of four. She was the one who brought Alger into the orphanage in the first place. There were nine other sisters who cared for children up to age twelve. After that, the children were supervised directly by the headmaster—the same silver-haired man Alger had seen on his first day here.
At fifteen, everyone left the orphanage to find their own path... usually by entering a school.
Today was the day Alger would finally receive a name.
And with it, official access to the library.
Alger stood in the bathroom, balanced on a wooden stool, staring into the mirror.
He saw a pale, slender boy with snow-white hair and emerald green eyes staring back.
His new body.
Thanks to everything he had experienced before coming to this world, Alger had developed the habit of narrating his life to himself... as if he were the protagonist of a webtoon.
"Today, I'll learn about magic and—"
He was cut off by a sudden shout.
"You! What are you doing here? The headmaster has already named your brothers and sisters!"
Alger's eyes widened.
Shit! How could I forget!?
"Sorry Sister! I'm going now!"
He ran out of the bathroom and down the stairs to the headmaster's office. Before entering, he knocked.
"Come in."
The headmaster was smiling.
"Ah... if it isn't the white-haired rascal who keeps sneaking into the library. I should have known it would be you. Honestly, I have high hopes for you becoming a mage one day—sneaking in, stealing keys... clever little things like that."
He paused.
"I have just the perfect name for you—"
"Alger!" the boy interrupted. "Headmaster, may I please be named Alger?"
The headmaster blinked.
"Alger? I've never heard that word before. Why do you want it?"
"I read it in one of the textbooks a few months ago," Alger replied, having prepared the lie in advance.
The headmaster narrowed his eyes, thinking.
"Alright then... Alger. But in return, you'll have to do something for me."
What could he possibly want from a four-year-old?
"What do you want, Headmaster?"
The man gave a small smile.
"Become a mage."
Alger smiled back.
"Deal."
***
Now that Alger had a name, he was officially allowed into the library.
He immediately asked Sister Twilight to take him.
"Sister Twilight, can you please take me to the library?"
Since the headmaster encouraged reading, she couldn't refuse.
Once they arrived, Alger pointed at the section he wanted.
"The history section, please."
She blinked.
"History? Wouldn't you rather read a book about magic... with pictures?"
"No."
She didn't argue further. To her, there was no way a four-year-old who had only just started reading could understand a book like the one he picked.
She didn't know Alger had been reading dictionaries at midnight since he was three.
He reached for the book that had been calling to him for months, an old volume with a cracked leather cover.
The title read: Terra
He opened it carefully.
The first line read:
"This book's purpose is to note all historical events that haven't been lost into Unknown. "
Unknown?
He kept reading.
"Our planet, Terra, was divided by the celestials into six lands. Each land held countless human cities and kingdoms. Humanity was strong—strong enough to keep the calamities at bay.
Around a thousand years ago, something changed. The cause, lost to Unknown.
Five of the six continents were consumed by Calamities. Humanity was nearly wiped out. The survivors retreated to the last remaining continent and formed a single unified country: Mytherra."
Alger turned the page.
There was a map—one that showed the continent of Mytherra split into four territories: Northern, Western, Eastern, and Central.
Three sides of the continent met the sea. The fourth faded into a brown. On each edge of the map—north, south, east, and west—was a single word.
Unknown.
He stared at the map. Something about it felt... familiar.
He slowly turned the book 180 degrees.
And froze.
"Mytherra is... Europe..."