The first concrete memory I have is of complete darkness...
'Humm? What happened? The lights are out again? Wait, again? Why I'm thinking about the lights going off again... I... I can't remember anything. My name is...is...Cha-something... Charcoal? Charmander? Charizard? Wait, no, that doesn't sound right. Charlie maybe? Yes, that does ring a bell.'
'Oh shit! I'm repeating this. Like a deja vu. I'm dead again?'
'Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!'
'How was I supposed to know that Warren, that m*****cker would try to kill me. Something was going on that I needed to know, but now is too late anyway.'
'So, now what? Dead for good? Another transmigration to another life? I hope that whoever is in charge of this whole reincarnation thing is paying attention and take pity.'
'Go easy on me, oh might lord of transmigration and novels, please give me a simple and good life where I'm not in immediate danger, Amen.'
[Ding]
[SYSTEM RESTORE AVAILABLE]
[Power - 1/10]
[Automatic Restore Initiation]
[Confirm Restore usage with {1} Power?]
'Huh? The system is active here in the void? And what is this power and restore thing?'
'No point in thinking too much'
"Confirm Restore!"
As soon as Charlie confirmed to the system, the void and blackness of his surroundings were warped in a single point, like a black hole eating everything that it touches.
The difference was that it was absorbing something from Charlie as well. A strand of light could be seen connecting the black hole right at his front, and his incorporeal black mass of a body, that now, if someone could look from afar, could be seen due to the glow of the strand connecting it to the black sphere.
After a few seconds, a translucent glowing globe formed in front of Charlie, showing his last moments, but backward, from the time he was hit with Warren's magic, going back to the point where he was just outside the forest, a few minutes before.
'This is replaying everything that happened just moments ago. Is this the Restore power of the system? A recap or time rewind?'
As to answer Charlie's question, the image froze and pulled him towards it without time to let him think or do anything else. His body and mind felt like crashed hard on each other at high speed. Dizzyness took over his mind so fast that as he came to himself, puke was being thrown out his throat while trying to at least stand without falling face-first on the ground.
*blergh*
"Goddammit! This is the worst hangover I've ever felt in my whole two lives. Or is it three now?"
*blergh*
A couple of minutes later, Charlie was able to get a hold of himself and see his surroundings. He was standing again at the entrance of the Emat Forest. A bag of MoonFlowers in hand and a pebble in the inventory.
'Seems like I traveled in time. Systems, check quest status!'
[Ding]
[QUEST REMINDER]
[Get Home Safe]
[Reward: Random Reward]
[Time Limit: 11min]
'Now that I can think clearly, why my mission is getting home safely, and not about delivering the MoonFlowers at the shop? Something is fishy. Seems that the System knows that I would not be able to deliver the herbs and is best to head home.'
'Let's try something. System, check Restore Power Status'
[Ding]
[SYSTEM RESTORE AVAILABLE]
[Power - 0/10]
[Restore Unavailable]
'I knew it. It is a time-reversal power! I just need to figure out how to charge it and I will have several lives. For what I could check, 1 unit of power was able to rewind a couple of minutes only, from the point of my death. Maybe I can use power even without dying or rewind more with more power. That would be a cheat.'
"Ok, first things first, I need a way to get home without bumping into Warren, or I will be dead for good this time. I can figure out his intentions later. I'm too weak right now and a sitting duck here."
Looking around, Charlie found a small road that goes behind the houses. It seems like a road made for cargo delivery for the shops, as there are prints of things getting dragged through it, like carts or heavy boxes and animal footprints.
The distance from where he is, and Warren, is not much, but Warren was currently busy chatting with his colleague to notice Charlie going past the intersection to the back road.
The back road was narrow, dirty, but went until the corner of Charlie's parent's house, taking not more than a few minutes to get him to his destination safely.
"That was a close one. System, check quest status!"
[Ding]
[QUEST REMINDER]
[Get Home Safe]
[Reward: Random Reward]
[Time Limit: 3min]
"I will make it just in time!"
Charlie didn't waste any more time, and jumped over the small rock wall of his house and stormed inside, bumping into his father that had just arrived a minute before him.
[Ding]
[QUEST COMPLETED]
[Get Home Safe]
[Reward: Random Reward -> Status Screen Unlocked]
[Ding]
[SYSTEM RESTORE AVAILABLE]
[Power - 1/10][+1]
"Hey Charlie, watch it! You just got up earlier today, don't run around like that, it can stress your body and get yourself injured," said Anah, extending his hand to help Charlie get up from the floor after running into Runar and dropping him as well on the floor.
Runar, watching the scene, couldn't help to tease with watery eyes:
"Hey, why he gets preferential treatment over your handsome husband here? I was the one hurt the most you know. Look, look, I've scratched my knee. Oh, it huuuurtsss"
"Get up from there you drama queen! And go check on Charlie while I finish the dinner. Oh, what is that behind you, dear?"
"hu? Moonflowers? Hey Charlie, did you forget to deliver those to the Herbalist? Why did you get home after me if you didn't go to the herbalist?"
'Damn, I need to think something here. I can't let them discover that I'm a transmigrated person. Yeah, yeah, I know that is cliché to hide it and stuff, but I need to figure things out by myself first.'
"Oh, sorry guys. On my way there, I got dizzy and confused. I didn't know where the herbalist was, or even which direction to go. So when I came to myself I was already around the corner to here."
"Oh my boy, come here. It doesn't matter, we can deliver tomorrow. The important thing is that you are safe and ok. Go take a bath to relax and then come have dinner with us."
"Thanks, mom, I will be right back."
While Charlie went to the other room, Runar and Anah had strange looks, which can be described as worry and concern.
"Anah, I'm sure you realized too, but Charlie... After he woke up, it seems like he is a completely different person. I really can't put my finger on it, but he is different."
"You are right, when he woke up, he didn't ask for his friends, money to go play or anything of the sort. He just went to see you and help you without batting an eye. He has never done that. Should we worry?"
"Let's keep an eye on him. I will take him with me tomorrow to hunt and to deliver some goods. This way I can check on him, and maybe figure out what is going on."
"That's good! Thank you, dear. I don't know what I would do without you two in my life."
Anah could hold her tears and embraced Runar with all her strength. They had a simple life. Living of the game, hunting, cooking and helping the village. Even though they are the only ones without magic power in the village, life wasn't so bad.
While his parents were busy, Charlie used this time to take some books he found at his bedroom and put the within his inventory.
'Let's check some common knowledge about this place.'
Charlie used his time bathing to also read and understand how society worked. He took a book named 'Magic Society and Political Standing' and took a glance at some of the important topics.
He discovered that he lived in a country called the Kingdom of Thornton, although is not ruled by a King, is still called that since ancient times. Thorton was a Heroic Figure that saved the country hundreds of years ago. But not much information was given about him.
Within the Thornton Kingdom, there is the Gilden City Capital, which is the biggest city within the country, surrounded in a circular shape, by several minors towns like the one Charlie is right now, which is Emat Town.
The Towns and villages are not so close to the capital, usually around 500km, up to 1000km of distance between them. Because of this distance, it is impractical to have all people with magical aptitude, go to the capital to study, so they developed branches of the school, as a selection and filter, to garner only the best of the best, and then send those to the Capital.
Every school has the same name, Gilden Magic School. The difference is that they add the town name, so this one was the Emat Gilden Magic School.
Magic was like money in our world dictating social standing. The more powerful people you had within your household, the higher you were seen within society. Power or magical research could change completely the life of a family. A single magic discovery could turn a commoner into a royal academic in a heartbeat.
Unfortunately, Charlie's family wasn't one of them.
In this world, it is said that the magic spirits come visit whenever a baby is born and is absorbed by the baby when there is a match, with his soul and the particles of magic around him.
The result is a change in the baby's appearance after he is born. From his hair color to his eyes and even some of his features. The old ones say that this is a result of the Ancient magic residing in the world. Making those that have fused with magic elemental particles, adopt features that resemble the God of that element.
That's why there are people with different hair and eyes color. Each one represents the element and household the belong to. Even with different clothes, you can see the resemblance of the people with the same element affinity.
Here, at Charlie town, as in any one of the border towns, there is one house for each element, general shops, a Magic Center, which is where you can test your aptitude with your element, and the school.
Usually, the aptitude for the elements is hereditary, but in some cases, people can be born with different element aptitude than their parents. When this happens, the Magic Center relocates the baby, and it gets adopted by its new household, so it can develop his element with people from the same.
So the colors and elements relations is the following:
Element - Fire
Color: Red
Family: Fleming
Element - Water
Color: Blue
Family: Azura
Element - Earth
Color: Brown
Family: Estrada
Element - Air
Color: Light Blue
Family: Plumus
Element - Light
Color: White
Family: Luzide
Element - Darkness
Color: Purple
Family: Number
Element - Thunder
Color: Green
Family: Biimo
The family name is the same all over the country. The difference is a sort of caste system base on where you currently live.
A border town Fleming (fire) family member, is on a lower position than a City residing one, which is lower than a capital residing one, which in turn is on a lower standing that a Royal family member.
The School and the Magic Center are the ones who decide if the Wizard is good enough to go to a different place, be it higher or lower.
'So, if I'm not mistaken, me and my parents, we have Black hair, which means "No Magic Aptitude". We are also called "Nulled Ones". People with black hair and black eyes. They are not seen as good for nothing, but just regular people that can contribute to society, just not with magic power. At least I will not be discriminated, much, for that.'
'But I bet that I can change that, with the help of the System, and my Restore power, is just a matter of time before I get my hands on magic. Then my goal will be to find a way to get back home, to my real world, and if I can, I will get my folks with me.'
"Is set! I will achieve that no matter what, and I will not let anyone get in my way!"
[Ding]
[NEW MAIN QUEST RECEIVED]
[Find a way back home]
[Reward: None]
[Time Limit: 5 years, 14 days and 3 hours]