Published at 22nd of July 2026 7:01 am

Chapter 1863: The First Races

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Sunlight streamed through the tall windows of the classroom, casting golden beams across rows of polished desks.

The lecture hall was vast and spacious. Its seats gradually rose toward the back, allowing every student a clear view of the front. Freshly admitted students filled the room, their voices laced with excitement and anticipation.

Standing before a wide chalkboard was Channing Oakley, who was in the middle of a history lecture.

"As I mentioned earlier," he began.

"Ice ruled Myrrandor for longer than memory itself. But even glaciers grow tired. When the frozen seas of the Pre-Epoch finally receded, they revealed a vast supercontinent that would one day bear the name Centerra. And upon its bare stone crawled the first stirrings of life."

Channing paused, his gaze sweeping across the classroom. His lips curled into a smile, and he said:

"These were known as the First Races."

He pointed at the board behind him and continued.

"There were the sythari, serpent-lords with empires built on ambition. Then there were the arathi, the avian lords and rulers of the sky. There were the nerathi, the amphiboid race. And finally, there were the terrathi..."

His words trailed off for a moment as his eyes flickered with pride.

"The ancestors of humanity."

He regained his composure quickly and continued, "The First Races are the legendary ancient people that are native to Myrrandor. Many of the common races of the modern world have descended from them.

"However, since recorded history stretches back as early as a hundred thousand years, there remains considerable debate over whether the arathi or the dragons should be counted among the First Races.

"Some historians include dragons and exclude the arathi. Others believe the sythari themselves descended from dragons. It should also be noted that there were allegedly many more intelligent races during that era. These four are simply regarded by later scholars as the greatest among them.

"Elves, dwarves, goblins, orcs, and a few more were obviously not counted among the First Races. They do not appear in the oldest cave paintings, ruins, or historical records of the period. It has been conclusively established that they arrived later from foreign worlds..."

As the old man continued his lecture, Genevieve continued doing her work. Off to one side, she sat behind her own desk. As Channing’s teaching assistant for the semester, she occasionally organized notes, answered questions, and kept an eye on the students during class

Her auaburn hair shimmered beneath the morning light, and her graceful bearing made her stand out even amidst the academy’s finest young minds.

"The First Epoch began when the great glaciers receded and revealed Centerra," Channing summarized.

"The sythari, arathi, and nerathi founded vast empires on Myrrandor during this era, beginning approximately a hundred thousand years ago. It is from this period that recorded history truly begins.

"Over the course of millennia, they dominated the supercontinent that would later become known as Centerra. They spawned, or perhaps created, a wide variety of lesser races and monsters. They studied magic, recorded their discoveries, and forged artifacts of immense power. Some of the legendary relics still survive to this day.

"Humans were certainly present during this period, but they did not rule. The earliest human cultures emerged at the dawn of the First Epoch, yet they did so under the dominance of the other First Races. At the time, humanity was largely divided, weak, and ignorant..."

Professor always gets emotional when discussing the ancestors of mankind, Genevieve thought.

Subtly, she surveyed the classroom and noticed that many of the non-human students were wearing slightly awkward expressions.

I need to remind him not to belittle the other races in the class, she mused.

I know he doesn’t mean it. But still...

"In the elven recorded history of our world, the First Epoch was an age when vast empires of cold-blooded reptilian, amphibian, and avian beings dominated the warmer lands of Myrrandor," Channing continued after taking a sip from a glass of water.

"They are said to have raised towering cities and crisscrossed the wilderness with magnificent roads. They tamed the ancient beasts that roamed the land and experimented with the raw magic that permeated the world."

He paused and shook his head, a sigh escaping his lips.

"But they also waged endless genocidal wars against one another. According to the elves, they toyed with the creation of new lifeforms and unleashed them upon the world. Many perished, but many more survived and eventually evolved.

"The lesser races wisely hid from the First Races, taking refuge deep within forests or high in the mountain caves. Ironically, humanity, despite being one of the First Races, behaved much the same way. Humans ran and hid, for they were weak."

Then his lips once again curled into a triumphant smile, and he said:

"Yet by the end of the First Epoch, the three great First Races had faded into memory, while humanity endured. Do you know why?"

He spread his arms wide and proclaimed:

"Adaptability!"

Channing grinned from ear to ear. "The single defining trait that makes us stand apart among the countless races of this universe — adaptability!"

Cough!

The old scholar snapped out of his euphoria. He turned to the source of the disturbance and noticed Genevieve subtly signalling for him to compose himself.

Channing lowered his hands awkwardly. He cleared his throat before continuing:

"The First Epoch, yes... also known as the Dawn Age. Anyway, by the end of this era, three of the First Races had faded into history, paving the way for an age where titans walked the world."

He gathered his notes and smiled at the class.

"Next lesson, we shall discuss the Second Epoch. Class dismissed!"

As the students rose from their seats and filed out of the lecture hall, Genevieve gathered her notes and approached Channing. The old professor was still smiling to himself when she stopped beside his desk.

"Professor," she said gently, "you need to learn to control yourself sometimes."

Channing blinked. "Hm?"

"I know you don’t mean any harm," Genevieve continued, "but your words often end up diminishing many of our non-human students. They may not say anything, but they do notice."

The old scholar’s smile faltered slightly as he glanced toward the departing students. He cleared his throat, then said, "Very well. I’ll keep it in mind."

Genevieve couldn’t help but sigh.

That’s what you said last semester, she thought.

And the one before that...

She knew better than most what a human supremacist Channing was.

Thankfully, the old scholarwas not malicious. He didn’t hate other races. In fact, he got along quite well with many of them. He simply possessed an unwavering belief that humanity was destined for greatness.

Unfortunately, that belief had a habit of finding its way into lectures.

No matter how many times Genevieve reminded him to be more tactful, Channing would inevitably become carried away whenever the topic of human history arose.

Some things, it seems, are impossible to cure, she thought.

"By the way..."

Channing called out to her.

"Yes, Professor?"

The old man glanced at her and solemnly asked:

"Have you made your decision?"

Genevieve smiled.

"Yes," she said firmly. "I will be joining the rescue mission."

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