Five years old.
To others, I'm just a bright, well-behaved child in a peaceful village.
But beneath that—beneath the smiles and the quiet demeanor—I'm something else entirely.
It's been three years since the day my body burned with mana… the day my system activated.
That night changed everything.
I remember the moment vividly—how the world had stilled around me, how mana itself whispered my name, bending toward me like leaves to sunlight. My body had trembled, but not with fear—with awakening.
> "System Activation Complete. Host: Aeron Nightveil. Status: Awakened."
Those were the first words that appeared before me—etched in golden light only I could see.
And in that moment, the dormant strength buried deep within me… began to stir.
---
The First Year (Age 2 to 3)
I spent the first year testing boundaries.
Not strength—no. I was still a child in form, after all—but understanding.
I began meditating daily, instinctively aligning my breath with the natural ebb and flow of the ambient mana. I discovered that different emotions produced different reactions in the surrounding energy.
Curiosity attracted mana like moths to a flame.
Anger repelled it.
Calmness allowed me to guide it.
Using these observations, I began experimenting—on pebbles, on the wind, even on insects. I started slow: lighting sparks in the air, enhancing my vision briefly, strengthening a blade of grass until it could cut skin.
But none of this was seen by others.
To my family, I was simply a child who liked to sit under the old tree for hours. They thought I was watching birds.
> I was watching the flow of the world.
The System itself was simple—clean and intuitive. It offered no quests, no instructions. Only four menus:
Status
Inventory
Skills
Bloodline
At the start, most of it was grayed out, sealed by my current tier: Novice Initiate. But I studied every line, every passive description.
> "Unique Trait Detected: Sovereign Resonance (Dormant)"
"Bloodline Classification: Mythic-Class – [Fragmented: ???]"
"Skill Slots Unlocked: 1/20"
I couldn't yet access what those truly meant. But even at a glance, I knew—I was meant for more.
---
The Second Year (Age 3 to 4)
By this time, my body had grown stronger, more flexible.
I began light physical training under the guise of childlike play—balancing on fences, lifting small stones, running laps around the house. But with mana subtly reinforcing my muscles, my development far outpaced other children.
I even began crafting my first mana circuits internally—tiny loops of energy that circulated through my limbs. It was exhausting at first. I'd sleep for hours after building just one circuit.
But by the end of that year, I had four active circuits: one in each limb. My reflexes sharpened. I could catch falling cups, climb trees in seconds, even predict movement subtly before it happened.
> "Skill Unlocked: Adaptive Flow – Rank F+"
"Effect: Enhances physical adaptability and energy redirection during motion."
Even the system responded to my evolution. Skills didn't drop from thin air—they were earned.
And as for the bloodline, it remained cryptic.
Each night, I reached within, trying to awaken it.
Once, during a dream, I saw flickers of another life—a battlefield soaked in crimson, a blade made of starlight, a voice screaming Aeronus!
I don't know who that was.
But I knew it was once me.
---
The Third Year (Age 4 to 5)
This was the year everything began to shift.
One morning, I touched a dying flower—and instead of withering, it bloomed again.
Another day, while sparring with a village boy using wooden sticks, my perception slowed time for an instant—enough to dodge a blow and counter without thinking.
And then there were the whispers.
Mana… began whispering.
Not in words. Not yet.
But sometimes, when I stood still enough, the world felt like it was listening to me.
> "The child walks with echoes."
"The old power stirs beneath his name."
Were those hallucinations? Traces of my past self?
Or is mana itself aware?
No one knows. I keep it all hidden.
But in secret, I've trained harder. Longer. Sharpening my senses, building my mental defenses, studying the structure of spells by observing local mages from afar.
I even unlocked a second skill:
> "Skill Unlocked: Mana Sense – Rank E"
"Effect: Allows perception of ambient and active mana signatures."
My body is still small. My power is still sealed.
But I'm ready.
---
Present Day – Aeron Nightveil, Age 5
And now… I am five.
I sit on the rooftop at dawn, watching the fog roll through the valley below.
My family stirs inside—Mother cooking, Father preparing for market, Lyra singing some ridiculous new song she made up.
I smile.
> "It's time," I whisper.
Not for war. Not for revenge.
But to become who I was always meant to be.
---
[System Status – Display]
Name: Aeron Nightveil
Age: 5
Tier: Novice Initiate (Rank E–)
Mana Capacity: 78/100
Mana Control: 56%
Skills:
– Adaptive Flow (F+)
– Mana Sense (E)
Bloodline: Mythic-Class [Sealed: 2% Integration]
System Sync: 8%
Next Threshold: System Expansion @ 10% Sync
---
The road ahead is long.
But I've built the foundation.
And now… I begin walking forward.
---
Chapter 11 End