The Divine Skeleton of a Thousand Years: Xia

A thousand years after Kaier created the world, people have long forgotten: the gods never claimed to be gods.

The light of the continent of Terra comes from photons released by magic. Beneath the tides of light, its four great regions rule themselves: the Xia Dynasty regards hereditary rule as heaven's mandate, Edmond honors those who die in battle, the Sea of Mists lives by trade, and Kassel wields reason as a sword. No one knows that magic and intelligence suppress each other: the greater the power, the less room there is for a clear mind.

Ji Zhao is thirteen, a collateral member of the Xia royal family whose fortunes have fallen. He cuts golden ears of grain in the fields. When he touches an ear he should never have touched, he gains the ability to sense and coexist with magic. He is the first.

But his grandfather once touched something he should never have touched, too. A magic-suppressing stone, an ancient character, and a dying message: "Beneath Tiandu lies the root of the Xia Dynasty."

Beneath Tiandu lies a finger. Under Edmond's frozen plains rests a rib. In the sea fog of the Sea of Mists floats an eye. These three "divine artifacts" are nothing but the remains left behind by fugitives. They do not need to be gathered or joined together. Simply by existing, they slowly change the world's temperature, soil, oceans, and the human heart.

The four great powers have no dealings with one another, but war is already on its way. The Xia Dynasty's lords are about to rebel, Edmond's Wolf Party is invading from the south, the Sea of Mists' slaves are about to rise up, and Kassel's military faction is sharpening its blades. Above it all, a man who has waited a thousand years on Mount Kaier is waiting for someone to ask him a question.

"You've finally come."

The divine remains cannot speak, but they have always been watching.