Chapter 2: First Steps in a New World
Week One: The Shroud of Awareness
Romulus lay in the cradle, a prisoner of his new, weak body. Not a single muscle obeyed his will. Only his mind, like sharpened steel, gleamed in that fragile shell.
"Is this really the end? Am I really dead... and reborn as a baby?"
He tried to shout a protest, but only a helpless infantile cry escaped his throat.
"Damn it! Even the voice betrayed..."
Once again, the same ominous window - a translucent ghost with icy writing - appeared before my inner gaze:
[ SYSTEM ACTIVATED ]
■ Name: Romulus von Argelion.
■ Age: 7 days
■ Level: 1
■ Status: Healthy.
"What is this madness? Is this a bad dream? Or have I gone mad in a death agony?"
But as the maid approached the cradle, a flare flashed above her head:
"Elfrida, maid (Level 3)"
"It's not a hallucination... It's... real."
Month Two: Language and First Glimpses
Romulus quickly realized that the System was responding to his mental requests.
"Show me my specs."
[ FEATURES ]
■ Strength (STR): 1 (Infant).
■ Dexterity (DEX): 2
■ Intelligence (INT): 15* (Abnormally High)
■ Mana (MP): 0/0/0 (Not Found)
"The intelligence survived... But where is the magic? That's already interesting."
He also discovered that the world around him spoke an outlandish mixture of Latin and Old German. Fortunately, the System did not leave him in the lurch:
[ Skill: "Language Adaptation" ]
■ Progress: 27%
■ Speed of learning: +200%
By the end of the second month, he was already picking up simple phrases like scraps of a familiar melody:
- "Romulus, eat," the nurse cooed, bringing the spoonful of hateful porridge closer.
"There's that abomination again... Where can I get a piece of juicy meat?"
Month Three: Touching the Miracle
One morning his mother, Lady Isabella, pressed him to her bosom and whispered as if revealing an ancient secret:
- "Look, my little..."
She waved her hand, and a flower of pure flame bloomed in her palm, alive and fluttering.
Romulus froze as if struck by thunder.
"Magic... Real, live magic!"
Impulsively, he tried to replicate her movement.
"System, how do I use magic?"
[ ERROR ]
■ No mana detected.
■ Required: Awakening Ritual (available from age 5)
"Damn it! Waiting again..."
But he imprinted his mother's every movement in his memory, as if engraved on the tablets of eternity.
"Someday...I will possess her."
Month six: In the shadow of secrets.
By half a year Romulus was already confidently sitting and holding objects in his hands, studying them with unchildlike attention.
Once, left alone in the room, he deliberately dropped the rattle and tried to pick it up with his mind, concentrating all his will in one point.
"Take off... Just take off!"
In vain. But he did not give up, repeatedly sending a mental impulse to nowhere. And finally, the System responded, like a long-awaited answer to a secret question:
[ Skill: "Telekinesis (Beginner)" ]
■ Progress: 1%
■ Effect: Can move light objects (up to 10 g)
The rattle shook as if startled by an unknown force.
"I did it! I did it!"
But the triumph was short-lived. The door opened noiselessly, and Nanny entered the room.
- "Wow. You're already playing by yourself?" - she marveled, picking up the toy.
Romulus, gathering the remnants of his composure, pretended to be a normal baby and burst into happy laughter.
"We have to be careful... It's too early to reveal our cards."
Year One: Shadow of Suspicion
By his first birthday, Romulus could boast:
80% comprehension of the language.
Knowing the names of all the servants and relatives as if he'd lived here forever.
Experiences of using the System to analyze surrounding objects, revealing their essence.
But one day his father took him in his arms and fixed him with a piercing gaze.
- "You are... unusual, my son," he whispered quietly, as if afraid to be heard.
Romulus tensed like a compressed spring.
"Has he really noticed something? Is my secret out?"
But the Count only smiled, and there was a flicker of pride in his eyes:
- "You will become a great magician. I feel it in my heart."
"If only he knew I wasn't from this world at all..."
Romulus' thoughts:
"I must thoroughly investigate this System before anyone finds out the truth."
"The magic here is real... But how does it work? What is its secret?"
"Will I ever be able to go home? Or is this my new reality?"
There were no answers yet. Just cold emptiness and uncertainty.
But he will find them. Whatever it takes.