Ashes of the past

"And so we ended up in a new world! This time I didn't vomit anymore, but I still felt nauseous."

-What kind of technology did you use to bring us into this world? I asked..

-Magic!

-Oh, it seems like magic surprises me once again.

"Every time I hear the word 'magic' I want to know more about it. I'm curious how many more times I'll be surprised."

"When I disembarked from the ship, I saw the most beautiful sight I could ever imagine. I don't know if it's due to the elven culture, but everything seemed very ancient and magnificent. The lively forest adorned with precious stones decorations, and their houses, neither too big nor too small. Nevertheless, they had ships nearby, adding to the beauty of the place."

-However, I forgot to ask you, as far as I know elves have pretty long ears, why don't you have them?

-Using magic, can I change my appearance entirely or just make a few modifications, like controlling the size of my ears? Even though they seem small, they are still large; it's just an illusion.

-So if someone hits you near the ear, being an illusion, can they still touch the large ears?

-Yes!

-Can...Can I see them?

"Elena removed the illusion around her ears. They looked just like in the pictures , extremely beautiful. I hadn't realized until then, but I have a weakness for elven women."

"She led me to the leader of the elves, who happened to be Elena's grandfather."

-Hello... I said, rather agitated.

"He took my head in his hands, and we touched foreheads."

-What? What's happening?

-This is our traditional greeting! Elena said.

"Elena explained our story of how we ended up here, and her grandfather was impressed by the fact that I saved her, so he decided that I could stay with one condition: I must be able to answer some riddles for him."

-Grandfather! Stop putting everyone through your useless riddles.

-You call them useless? So far, you haven't answered any of them, Elena.

-"..." Having nothing more to say, she chose to remain silent.

-Alright, now, young man...?

-My name is Akira, sir!

-Alright, Akira, the first riddle: "A barrel of water weighed 60 pounds. Someone put something in it and now it weighs 40 pounds. What did the person add?"

-A hole.

-Impressive, Akira... Now, the second one: "It can't be touched and can't be felt. It can't be seen, or heard, or smelt. It lies behind stars and under hills, and any empty holes it fills. It comes early and follows after, ends life, and kills laughter. What is it?"

-A easy one , darkness.

-This boy is interesting, but will you manage to answer the last one? "Who can finish a book without finishing a sentence?"

-That seems quite tough... Just kidding! A prisoner is the answer.

-Congratulations, you're the first one to answer these riddles!

"I don't know if the elves are stupid enough not to answer these questions or if the culture differs too much because these questions could have been answered by me at the age of 5."

-You seem to be a very intelligent boy, Akira!

-Well, when I was 13 years old, I had an IQ of 261. It probably increased since then, but I didn't have time to check it again.

-261? Are you sure about this high number? The old man said, very surprised.

-I'm as sure as can be.

"If it's roughly at this age, I have an IQ over 300, but I can't measure it exactly right now"

"After I answered the riddles, Elena led me to a guesthouse where I was given food, and I managed to find some peace in my thoughts."

"I still have thoughts about the faces of those people I've killed, but that's not exactly what's bothering me. Before being led to the house, the old man asked me what I want to do in the future, what my purpose is. However, what is it? I would like to be able to fix everything from the past, but I'm not sure if I'll succeed. For now, I have to survive as the last man in my universe."

"It was already evening, and I hadn't had a chance to sleep, so I decided to take a walk for a bit."

-It seems you can't sleep. It's normal for your first night here! A voice said from behind me.

"It seems it was the old man"

-That's right, I was thinking about the future.

-Young people these days... Always thinking about the future but not about what matters most, the present. Boy, one never knows when our end will come, so enjoy the moment. Come with me! I'll make you some tea, and maybe we can play some chess.

"It seems that chess exists even in a world full of magic."

"The match unfolded as follows:" e4 e5Qh5 Nc6Bc4 g6Qf3 Nf6Ne2 Bg7d3 d6h3 O-ONbc3 Be6Bg5 h6Be3 Kh7O-O-O a6g4 Nd7h4 Nd4Bxd4 exd4Nd5 Ne5Qg2 Bxg4f4 Nxc4Qxg4 Ne3Nxe3 dxe3h5 Qf6d4 c5e5 dxe5dxe5 Qf5hxg6+ fxg6Qxf5 Rxf5Rd7 b5Rh3 g5Rxe3 gxf4Rf3 Rxe5Nxf4 Rf8Rg3 Rg5Rxg5 hxg5Rxg7+ Kxg7Ne6+ Kg8Nxf8 Kxf8Kd2 Ke7Ke3 Ke6Ke4 a5c3 a4a3 Kd6Kf5 Kd5Kxg5 Kc4Kf4 Kb3Ke3 Kxb2Kd3 Kxa3Kc2 b4c4 Ka2Kc1 b3Kd2 b2Kc3 b1=QKd2 Kb3Ke3 a3Kf4 a2Ke5 a1=Q+Kd6 Qa6+Kxc5 Qg1+Kd5 Qg5+Kd4 Qxc4#.

-Once more! Said the old man.

-It's already 17-0, the score is in my favor. Let's leave the next match for another time.

"It's normal to win a chess game. At the age of 10, I memorized all the strategies used in official matches and all possible moves to checkmate. Chess is a game of memorization."

"Most people say that developing analytical skills, strategic thinking, anticipating opponent moves, and adapting to new situations are all essential elements of chess, but the only thing is memorization and paying attention to the opponent. The old man was too easy to predict, emitting too many emotions that led to my victory."

"The only chess game where there is no memorization is Chess 960. We usually play this when we wanted something more interesting."

"Setting chess aside, I asked the old man about magic, if it's hard to learn."

-If you want to learn magic, know that it's impossible if you don't have a heart; you can't learn it.

"The same answer I received from Elena, but with the help of the magic radiation of her core, I managed to create an artificial core for myself that works exactly the same. It seems that technology is helping me again."

-This is the first time I've seen something like this. Young man, it seems you'll have a bright future with this knowledge of yours.

"It seems it's time to go to bed because next day Elena will teach me magic, as she promised."

"My dreams were worsening as the days passed, haunted by nightmares from the past. Because of this, I started taking sleeping pills. I hope these dreams will pass..."

"The next day, just as Elena promised, she was waiting for me in front of the house, ready to teach me about magic."

-Are you ready?

-Yes!