[You said you have to use an artifact based on Norse Myth before you could start your first shift? I mean, travel to a parallel dimension?]

"That's right," Christian nodded.

[It seems the Program is still using the old method from my time. All my efforts were wasted. Sigh]

"What are you talking about?"

[I guess it's my turn to speak. I'm about to tell you a lot of information, which may sound implausible, but it's the truth. However, if you find yourself unable to accept it, then you can consider it a story. Understand?]

"I'm pretty open-minded, but alright."

[Good. Our story began with a world called Gaia. The Gaia World gave birth to one of the greatest magical civilizations in the universe. At the peak of their civilization, they had spread to countless worlds to invade, conquer, or exchange knowledge and resources.

[However, when they were at the pinnacle of their power, the peak of their hubris, they encountered another top civilization: the Demon World. Are you following?]

Christian's lips twitched after hearing this truth. He was speechless. The thing so far felt like he was in a third-rate plot from one of Jim's memories. "I'm following," he answered.

[In the history of Gaia, they had fought two major wars before their golden age. Each of these wars was referred to as the First and Second Great Wars, and the meeting with the demon world marked the beginning of the Third Great War. Unfortunately, this war was unlike anything the Gaians had faced before, and there were signs that they would lose.

[The Demon Race was a civilization based on the extreme pursuit of strength through magic. All demons have the innate ability to swallow souls to increase their physical and magical powers. They were a civilization bred for war and conflict, leaving the Gaians desperate. Many attempts to win this war were tested, and while some proved helpful, no approach could give them a decisive advantage.

[Then came the Sages, two wizards who have reached the pinnacle of magic. They devised a brilliant plan that harnessed the very essence of fate itself to give birth to children with extraordinary magical abilities. At around 10-11, these children would experience a test that allowed them to awaken that talent.]

Christian furrowed his brow. These words reminded him of the time he had to fight Jim's soul; this was the first time he experienced a life-and-death situation.

[Once these children were awakened, they would be trained before being sent on missions in different worlds to mold them into powerful casters at record speed. That's how the first Planeswalker Seed Program started. But I don't believe it was called that then.]

"So, they were child soldiers," Christian said with gritted teeth.

[Yes], the book wrote. [Despite having survived the program, I am also not a big fan. But some things are out of our control.]

"You were also a Planeswalker Seed?" Christian asked.

[ Let me finish first, and we'll get to my story later on. The program made a significant contribution to the Gaians' victory in the war. With access to powerful wizards that could grow in a short dozen years, they won a war of attrition with the Demon Race.

[And even after the war, the program did not stop. The Gaians used it as a way to recuperate from the devastation. However, the Planeswalker Program did not officially come into existence until after the Fourth Great War.]

"There was another?"

[Yes, and it was even more devastating than the previous one. I don't have much memory about the Fourth Great War. What I do know is that once it ended, the Gaia World was devastated. Arcane energy, which you probably know as ancient magic, was rapidly depleting from the world, and more importantly, the world was losing its mystery at an unprecedented speed.]

"Mystery — I've heard that term before. What does it mean?"

[You can think of it as the substance that allowed magic to exist. Without mystery, the laws of physics will govern a world, removing all magic or supernatural abilities. At its peak, the Gaia World had one of the highest concentrations of mystery in the cosmos, but after the war, they realized it was a matter of time before the world turned into a Dead Magic World.

[No one wanted to leave their home, or worse, lose their powers. So, everybody worked together for a solution. The Three Sages had a two-step solution.]

"Three?" Christian asked.

[A new one was crowned during the Fourth War]

"I see. Continue."

[During its peak, the Gaia World had many subsidiary worlds, which were usually chosen because of their uniqueness. Unlike other worlds under their control, subsidiary worlds were essentially a part of the Gaia World. The citizens of subsidiary worlds could travel to the Gaia World to study and even live there.]

"In other words, colonies with rare resources that were treated a little better than the rest," Christian sneered.

[That's one way to put it], the book wrote, its tone indicating slight embarrassment. But it continued with its story.

[The Sages labeled the remnants of Gaia as Reality 1 and selected six other unique worlds from their subsidiary to become primary worlds, labeled 2-7. The idea was to use the Planeswalker Program to train wizards and gather mystery. Once each reality had 49 wizards who completed all seven shifts, they would then fuse all seven worlds and return Gaia to its peak.]

"I'm guessing my world was chosen?" Christian asked.

[In a sense. Our world has long been connected to the Gaia World, even participating in the Fourth War, but we only officially became a subsidiary after the war.]

"Connected how?"

[I believe it was the property of an Archmage who used it to conduct experiments on Divinity.]

"What?"

[I shouldn't have said that. Well, anyway, the Sage's plan was almost successful —]

"You can't just skip that part."

[The other realities met the requirements, but when they checked on our reality, they realized something had gone horribly wrong.]

Christian's lips twitched. Unfortunately, this book, or Merlin, refused to elaborate any further about what he had previously said.

[A shadow organization known as the Veilbreakers had successfully annexed Reality 7. They erased history and all information about the Gaia World. They somehow forcefully depleted the world's mystery, and even worse, assassinated all the Planeswalker Seeds, preventing the return of the Gaia World.]

Christian frowned.

[The other realities reacted and tried to correct the situation. A great conflict ensued to regain control over reality 7. Sadly, the Veilbreakers were too deeply entrenched in the world. They threatened mutual assured destruction of the world. Although all the realities were not fused, they were connected, meaning they would also suffer terrible consequences if one reality was destroyed.]

'Now, we're getting into world destruction? Well, I guess we were technically already there,' Christian thought, still a little speechless about everything.

[The others had to compromise with the Veilbreakers, signing a covenant with strict rules that prevented both sides from direct intervention. The covenant also protected all Planeswalker Seeds until their 14th birthday.]

"14? You couldn't do better?" Christian asked.

[I understand how you feel, but there was a reason this number was compromised.]

"I'd love to hear this."

[After setting up the Gaia Revival Plan, all the Sages and Archmages disappeared from the world. No one knows where they went or what they were doing, and no one had heard of them for thousands of years. Then, out of nowhere, the Arcane Council — which is a parliament composed of the most powerful wizards from all seven realities — received an order for a new plan regarding reality 7.

[Someone would be chosen to reincarnate into reality 7 to create an organization: the Mystic Weavers. Their purpose would be to train and protect the Planeswalker Seeds.]

"Mystic Weavers? Never heard of them," Christian said honestly.

[I figured as much. It was with their protection that I survived all seven shifts and completed my training. Then, I set out to use their powers to create a magic kingdom of wizards and Muggles to slowly weed out the influence of the Veilbreakers.

[Then, these people used a vile magic to grant unfathomable power to Morgan Le Fey. I tried everything to stop her, and in our final battle, although I was victorious, I was also severely injured. I needed to travel to another reality to receive treatments.

[I tried to leave ways to keep the Mystic Weavers relevant and deal with the Veilbreakers, but from what you said, I'm afraid they are now a shell of their former selves.]

Christian exhaled deeply. "That was a lot." He did not know whether to believe this grand tale, nor did he trust entirely that this book was actually from Merlin.

[I know you may not believe me, but that's alright. Anyway, I'm sure you have a lot of questions, so go ahead and ask them.]

"I won't ask about your story about the Gaians and so on. Even if it's all true, this is above my capabilities right now," Christian uttered. "So, let's start with the shifts. You mentioned it several times. What are they?"