A month has passed since Jeremy's rebirth. Today he went with his mother and sisters for a walk in the garden of their estate. It was decorated with various plants and flowers, and a large fountain shaped in the image of a woman stood in the center. Marie sat on an exquisitely crafted wooden bench with her newborn children in her arms.
"Look, there is a little family of starlings," said Marie as she pointed at a small nest on a tree nearby. The children's curious eyes followed Marie's finger, and they saw a family of five birds resting in their nest. The three baby birds looked soft, and black feathers adorned their bodies. At the same time, their parent's plumage was colorful and noble, shining with a metallic luster.
"So cute!" exclaimed the girls.
"More starlings live here in Sky Garden than you could possibly count," said Marie. "They come in all kinds of colors and traits. Their feathers are soft yet sturdy and are a great conductor for mana, perfectly suited for crafting weapons and clothing. They also love to accompany you with their songs all year round. However, the best part is that they are the guardians of our family. That means they will make sure no beast or man, big or small, will harm even a little hair on your head, my little treasures."
"Mom, can I have a starling?" asked Elsa.
"Me too! Me too!" demanded Lia.
"Yes, once you are ten years old, you can choose a newborn starling as your familiar," said Marie as she giggled softly. "But you have to take good care of them, understood? Remember, these starlings are also part of our family."
"Yes~," the girls said in unison and went off to play after losing interest in the topic.
Marie shook her head gently as she watched her daughters play happily. After a while, she started to hum a lovely tune from her childhood. The little starlings in the park sprang alive and began to sing along in their own way. Some landed on her shoulders, while others flew over the two playful girls. If only this moment could last forever.
Time went on, and fifteen years have passed in the blink of an eye. The twins grew up healthy and strong. Aiden's soul was asleep most of the time during the years. However, every waking moment would influence his body and mind, making him more intelligent and stronger than most of his peers on the island. It took him five years to truly regain consciousness and for his memories to awaken. During the years, he grew to accept his new name and identity. He slowly got accustomed to his new parents and sisters and accepted them as his family. Of course, he was also quite excited about the unknown magical world. A world he would often dream of back on earth.
Jeremy was dead, and now it would be Aiden's golden era—or so he thought.
"It's been five years! FIVE YEARS!" screamed Aiden and punched a tree in rage and frustration. He didn't hold back in the slightest, and his skin ripped open. "I didn't grow stronger even a single bit! No matter how much I train or how much I try, nothing changes! What the hell is wrong with me?!"
He clenched his teeth and rammed the tree head-first again and again until his forehead started to bleed.
"Aiden, stop!" exclaimed a female voice from behind. A girl in her teens ran to him and forcefully dragged him away from the tree. She would have stood no chance against him five years ago, but she was stronger than him now, which only angered him even more.
"Let me go!" screamed Aiden and tried to wriggle free of her grip, but all effort was in vain.
"Calm down!" said the girl as she grabbed him with more force.
Both grew tired after a short tussle and sat down on the grass, breathing heavily. They looked at each other, and Aiden let out a deep sigh.
"Sorry," he said. He was frustrated to no end. Everything seemed great at first. He did his best to integrate himself into this unfamiliar world. He learned their language, their laws, and customs. He was never more motivated or hard-working in his two lives, yet it all came to naught. He failed to sense mana and had the watch as everyone around him became sorcerers, leaving him behind as a mere mortal. Going through puberty didn't help either. He would have never imagined he had to deal with this nonsense again. Another deep sigh escaped Aiden. "Also...thank you, Reah."
Reah didn't enjoy the situation any more than Aiden did, but she had no way of helping him here. "I know you want to be a sorcerer, but…the final test begins in a month. What are you going to do?"
"I don't know…."
"Maybe… it's time to think of choosing a different path?"
"No! There has to be a reason for my inability to sense mana. There has to! I cannot be the only mortal in my family!"
"But no one could find anything…" said Reah, her voice almost a whisper.
"It doesn't matter. I will find a way!" said Aiden irritated again. How could he possibly give up? Now that he had found magic, there was no way he would. "I will be a sorcerer no matter what!" he thought and clenched his hands.
Reah sighed and took a look at his injuries. "You're bleeding. Let's go patch you up."
"Just don't tell anyone about this."
Just as they arrived at the mansion, they ran into Marie. Marie smiled at them in greeting. However, when she saw blood on Aiden, her smile warped into concern as she rushed to him.
"What happened?!" she asked as she carefully inspected his head.
"It's nothing! Just a scratch," said Aiden and brushed off her hand. But Marie would have none of that and dragged him to the infirmary. Aiden wanted to struggle, but she was stronger than expected. Nothing like her petite physique would suggest.
After entering the infirmary, a strong scent of medicine and herbs hit Aiden's nostrils. The place was filled with labeled bottles, potted plants, dried herbs, and research material plastered on the walls. Nothing which Aiden was familiar with.
"Odele took Lia to see patients in the city, letting your sister get some experience. So, you will have to put up with me today," explained Marie. She gently cleaned his wound before bandaging his hand and sewing up the laceration on his forehead with astounding speed and precision.
Aiden knew Marie was proficient with a needle and thread since she taught the siblings to sew when they could hold a needle themselves. Nonetheless, he didn't expect her to have so much experience with human skin.
"You seem to have practice at this," said Aiden surprised.
"Who do you think took care of your father all these years?" chuckled Marie. Aiden wrinkled his brows with doubt, which didn't evade Marie's notice. "Not convinced? Although we might not look like it, we are sorcerers after all, and we have been around for over two hundred years."
"You are over two hundred years old?!" exclaimed Aiden.
"I am forever twenty-five!" countered Marie with a smile. "There! All patched up! So…who will tell me what happened?"
Seeing Aiden evade her gaze, she switched her attention to Reah. "Reah?"
Looking at Marie's gentle smile, Reah felled oddly pressured for some reason. It was like a cat staring at a mouse. A drop of cold sweat rolled down her face. "He was frustrated with his cultivation and bashed his head against a tree."
"Reah!" exclaimed Aiden and jumped up from his seat as he glared at her. Reah dodged his gaze and pretended to study the bottles on the shelf.
"Honey…" Marie wanted to say more, but they had had that conversation several times already. She knew it was pointless to bring it up again. So she kept quiet and just gave a deep sigh. "Please keep an eye on him, Reah."
Reah nodded thoughtfully while Aiden just snorted in response.
Deep into the night, Aiden was lying in bed, fast asleep. Suddenly, a pain he had never felt before overcame him. It drilled through his veins and inflamed his nerves. Aiden's eyes flew open, but he couldn't move. His body only shivered in response. The best he could do was clench his teeth and grab his bedsheets after a lot of effort. He felt like every part of his body was bitten by ants with razor-sharp teeth—inside and outside. Afterward, it was like being thrown naked into the freezing waters of the Arctic Ocean before being scorched by the searing flames of hell.
He couldn't scream or even faint. He just lay there, wishing for the sweet kiss of death to release him from this nightmare. However, his end didn't come. Thankfully, this condition didn't hold on for too long. Only a minute had passed in reality, yet to Aiden, it felt like an eternity. As the pain faded away, he passed out cold.