'Four years have passed since I first came to this world. I've already started picking up on their language and learnt my new name, Levi. Pretty edgy, but it'll do. It took me a while to realize that "Fraya" doesn't mean "grandma", but it's actually her name. I thought I knew how to walk. Turns out I only have the memory of walking, not the knowledge of how to do it.'
Through the window, Levi could see Fraya tending one of his father's horses.
'MAGIC! I tried to do that too, I tried to follow Fraya on her spells. For weeks I kept hitting myself, giving myself injuries, only to have Fraya heal me. I tried to follow her moves. I want a taste of the powers she uses.'
Climbing out of the bed, Levi went down the stairs and out in the yard. She went straight to Fraya, to see her in action.
The meadows outside the yard were dotted with fruit trees that casted shadows over the grass and the flowers in the garden. The two suns gave everything a warm, yellow outline.
Far in the distance, at the end of the meadows, the first tall trees of a forest could be seen.
None of the suns managed to illuminate the ground under the trees. The small, dead branches together with the last year's foliage were covering the earth in a brownish blanket. Movement could be seen through the trees, but the forest was too far away to notice anything.
At the end of their property, close to their house, the wooden walls of the stable protected the horses inside. The wood was blackened by the passing of time and moss started growing where the sipped into it.
Lord Clifton had 4 horses inside these stable, out of which 2 were as black as one can imagine and the other 2 were brown in the same way the coffee is brown after pouring milk in it. All of them were muscular and could ride for hours without any rest.
"Levi, what are you doing out here?" asked Fraya, seeing the little man running in her direction.
"I want to help you make the horse feel better." answered Levi, showing a childish grin.
"Oh dear, you sit here and watch me. Maybe one day I'll teach you." said Fraya, trying to use her soft voice.
Levi sat down and Fraya began moving her hands through the air. Levi was mimicking each of her movements.
Fraya casted the spell successfully. When she was done, the horse got up to his feet. Her spell worked. Levi couldn't understand why he wasn't able to use the magic in the same way as Fraya.
"I don't get it!" cried Levi. "I did the exact same things as you did, but mine didn't work." He sat down on the grass, throwing a tantrum. "Why, Fraya?!"
Fraya sat down next to him and began talking to Levi.
"It's not about the way I move my hands, specifically, although it does matter. They help me channel my khai."
"What is that? Khai?"
"Khai is essence of magic. It's the energy we use when we use our powers."
"We? So, mom and dad can do it too?"
"Oh no dear. They are not kirins. They didn't ignite their khai when they had the chance. That is before they turned thirteen."
"Kirins? Ignite their khai? Only before they turned thirteen?"
"Keep up, dear. Khai flows through everyone. It manifests within your mind. You can strengthen the flow and the image of it becomes clearer with meditation. A person becomes a kirin when they become aware of this flow and use their first spell. This is also the moment when they can see the source of the flow, their origin."
"Will you teach me these stuffs?"
"I'll do it when you grow older. That's enough for now. I have to get back to your dad."
Fraya left, leaving young Levi alone near the stables.
'So, meditation may help me unlock this khai thing. Maybe the breathing technique I've learnt in the first year of military training will finally be useful for once.'
Levi stood up and went to the nearest tree. He sat down under it, shielded by its foliage. He regulates his breathing, taking air in for three beats, holding for one and exhaling for four.
In his mind, he saw the energy pathways meandering through his body. But the origin that Fraya talked about was nowhere to be seen.
They reached every part of his body. Although no origin of these paths could be seen, their ends and their course resembled a tangled order. They extended all the way up to his fingers and toes. An unfamiliar eye could argue that they were in fact the equivalent manifestation of the nervous system. The truth is that a true kirin would always know better. For them, there was no point in restraining the power of khai to a physical space, because they too had a hard time understanding this energy. In other words, they understood that the energy didn't always bare a physical form.
"Levi, time for lunch!" shouted lady Clifton from the porch.
The kid was awakened from his trance-like state of mediation.
'Nice. I have the magic, too. Now I need a way to find the origin that Fraya was talking about. I have to continue with this mediation thing.'
"On my way!" shouted Levi back to the unseen voice.
Levi went back in the house and sat at the table.
Lord Clifton was sitting on the long end of the table, joined by lady Clifton on his left and Levi on his right. The plates on the table were lavishly filled with food. The cutlery was made of silver and shined in the light. They rested on silk napkins that were nicely folded in a diamond shape.
"Levi?"
"Yes dad?"
"I think it's time for you to start studying."
"What do I study?" asked Levi, puzzled by the words of his father.
"Reading, writing, an adequate etiquette, history, the topography of these lands, and that's enough for a start."
"I think it's time for this, too." said Levi, grinning.
"Fraya will be your teacher. Listen to her and behave. You start tomorrow. Do you understand?"
"Of course. Will she teach me magic, too?"
"No, you have plenty of time for that. Let's wait until the time is right."
"Fine. That'll have to do."
They finished eating lunch and everybody got back to what they were doing before. Lord Clifton locked himself in his office, lady Clifton went back to the porch to continue her reading and little Levi went to his room.
He threw himself on the bed and stared at the ceiling. A sea of thoughts flooded his mind.
'Finally, I might just start to live in this world for real. My body is too young to begin physical training. Hopefully, my mind is better prepared for the challenges I'm going to throw at myself in the next years. I feel like I must learn everything about this world, if I want to top everyone around here. It's just a matter of time. So far, my mind didn't let me down. After all, if I'm truly reincarnated this means that more people are. But, if my I'm the only one aware of it, my mind must be already stronger than every other mind in this world.'