Gara let out a long sigh. So it was true. He was pregnant.
Strangely, he wasn’t as panicked as when he first saw the system notification. Maybe because now, he had a Talent, Unlimited Water , something solid to hold on to.
His eyes drifted toward Langga, who was still standing at the center of the ceremony, leading the rest of the proceedings. There was no doubt about it now. The child inside him was Langga’s.
Gara knew about male pregnancy but he wasn’t familiar about it. Maybe he needed help. But could Langga really be the kind of person he could rely on?
"Gara? Are you tired?" Madha’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
If we’re talking about someone reliable, Gara thought, Madha would be the obvious answer. But he was also the last person who could know about the pregnancy right now.
"I’m fine. Just a little curious, now that I’m officially a Liner," Gara replied smoothly. "About those races you mentioned earlier. Is there a chance I’ll meet them someday?"
Madha nodded eagerly. "If you go to Raksa County, it’s highly likely. Big cities often have people from other races."
"So other races only appear in big cities?" Gara asked, feigning casual interest. "I mean, I’ve lived in a village all my life. I seriously don’t know anything about the outside world."
Madha, always trusting, believed him right away. After all, he knew Gara had never left the village before this. His mother was just a humble herb farmer, and she never spoke of anything beyond the local lands.
"The Kingdom of Bhumi is divided into several provinces," Madha began to explain. "Each province serves as the base for one of the major races. Our province, Swargaloka, is one of the human-dominated provinces. That’s why most of the smaller villages here are entirely human. It’s rare to see other races."
"Beside Bhumi Kingdom, are there many other kingdoms?" Gara asked, tilting his head slightly.
Madha paused, frowning. The question was odd.
Gara quickly added, "My mom never even told me which war my dad died in. I really don’t know anything about the world out there."
At that, Madha relaxed again. He resumed.
"The Kingdom of Bhumi is the only kingdom on this continent. Beyond our borders there’s only mist."
Gara blinked. "Just mist?"
"Not just mist," Madha said grimly. "Anyone, human or otherwise, who touches or is touched by the mist becomes a Mistwight . A mindless monster that turns against its own kind."
Gara felt a chill run down his spine.
"When a person is killed by a Mistwight," Madha continued, "they don’t just die. They rise again as a Mistfiend , a much smarter, far more dangerous entity. Mistfiends disappear into the fog, and inside it, they mutilate their own bodies, splitting into countless Mistwalkers ."
"What..."
"And when enough Mistwalkers have formed, the Mistfiend returns to lead both the Mistwalkers and Mistwights and launches an attack on the nearest human borders."
"Wait, wait, hold on!" Gara raised both hands, his mind spinning. "That’s... that’s way too much information all at once!"
He stared at Madha in disbelief.
"Wasn’t this supposed to be a chill light romance fantasy story?! When did it suddenly become horror survival mode?!"
"So let me get this straight—" Gara counted with his fingers. "Mistwights create Mistfiends. Mistfiends create Mistwalkers. Then they all attack humans. And anyone who dies becomes a Mistwight or Mistfiend or something?"
Madha nodded solemnly. "Exactly."
Gara stared at him in horror.
"Our village is far from the border," Madha added quickly after noticing Gara’s terrified expression. "So you don’t have to worry too much."
Gara let out a breath of relief. Thank the gods his Talent wasn’t combat-oriented. Fighting monsters born from cursed mist? Definitely not on his to-do list.
He glanced sideways at Madha.
"Too bad Madha’s Talent is perfect for the battlefield."
After Gara, two more people awakened their Bloodlines. But neither of them had the same potential as him or Madha.
With that, the ceremony officially came to an end.
A group of white-robed Liner approached and gestured for Madha and Gara to follow them. At the front of the group walked Langga, calm and authoritative as ever.
"Hello there. I’m Kala." A woman in her thirties walking beside them introduced herself with a warm smile.
The two teens nodded politely in response.
Kala had been sticking close to Gara and Madha since the end of the ceremony, clearly intrigued by their talents. She’d overheard some of their earlier conversation and decided it was worth filling in a few blanks.
As they walked toward the mayor’s office, Kala launched into a story. A brief history lesson.
Gara perked up. He’d been looking for more information about this world, and Kala seemed more than willing to explain.
"This continent is called Wanarum ," Kala began. "In the past, it was home to many kingdoms, each ruled by a different race. They waged wars, as kingdoms do."
"But then," she said, lowering her voice just a little, "the mist came."
It started in scattered places. No one knew what it was. No one realized the danger.
By the time they understood the threat, Mistwights had already spread across the land. One kingdom after another fell to chaos. There were no more borders to defend just pockets of survivors scattered across the dying continent.
That was when the races finally stopped fighting each other.
They united. Not out of trust or friendship, but necessity.
With so little land left untainted by the mist, a new kingdom was formed, The Kingdom of Bhumi, to serve as the final stronghold for all races. Provinces were divided according to the terrain best suited for each race’s survival.
"For decades, we fought back," Kala continued. "And eventually, we discovered something strange."
Whenever a Mistfiend-led army was completely destroyed, the fog around their place of origin disappeared. What remained was a miracle.
Lands cleared of mist always offered some kind of blessing. Waters rich with mana, soil so fertile it could grow anything, mountains hiding precious ores-- Each reclaimed area became more valuable than the last.
"Hope returned," Kala said with a faint smile. "People started believing that one day, the whole continent could be free again. And even can lead more prosperous time than before."
Gara nodded slowly, taking it all in. So there was hope. Even in the middle of all this darkness.
Their conversation ended as they reached the mayor’s office.
Langga turned around and walked directly up to Gara.
"Come with me," he said curtly.
Gara froze.
Kala gave him a gentle push on the back. Madha moved as if to follow, but...
"Only him," Langga said in his deep voice.
...