"Aion, say: mama… ma-ma," Aion's mother said.
Aion wondered if it was normal for six-month-old kids to talk in that world or if his mother was that impatient. Anyway, it was good that she looked happy while trying to teach him to talk. Speaking of talking, Aion learned that his mother's name was Artemisia. The name of his father was Lexus
Later, he learned that out of those four other kids. Only the oldest was the son of his official wife. The others were kids he had with concubines… It seemed that he had one wife and was satisfied with three concubines, but for whatever reason, he decided to take Artemisia, even though it didn't look like he loved her.
"It seems that in this world, such things are normal… well, even on Earth, those who had money could do a lot without worrying about problems," Aion thought. "In a world like this, those who have power and money can ignore rules that apply to most people."
Regardless, aside from five sons, Aion's father had three daughters as well… he only saw them from a distance, but they were only a couple of years older than him. The eldest son was five and the eldest daughter was four, and his father was twenty-one… getting so many kids and wives when he was sixteen, no wonder he was so cold to Artemisia.
"I didn't see my grandparents until now… are they dead?" Aion asked. "If they are alive, education in this world is rather loose."
Despite that, Aion heard that his siblings had been studying many things since they were only three years old. Only the eldest son could become the next head of the house if one of the others didn't try something funny, but all of them had to work to improve the prestige of their last name. Speaking of previous name, Aion also received his father's name… he was Aion Kresnik.
"Dear me… my name is too strong and cool at the same time," Aion thought. "Still, the idea that my path was decided from birth is rather troubling… I will really need a lot of power if I want to break free from such a destiny."
"I heard that babies stare at nothing a lot, but I wonder how you can do that all day, Aion…" Artemisia said.
Aion was learning quite fast the language of that world. It was hard for him to hear sentences now and not understand something from them. As expected, learning a new language is all about input.
Putting that aside, Aion learned more about his system over the last few months. He actually could store things in his inventory, and while they were there, he could process the items and turn them into raw materials and use them to refine his weapons. Levels had a compatibility with certain materials, but it wasn't that complicated.
For example, Aion processed a tin cup, and he used the ore to enhance his sword and shield, granting him a bonus of one point in endurance. He was pretty sure he couldn't gain a point whenever he used that part of the system, though.
Aion also could make his system absorb some of the items in his inventory, and with that, he could obtain experience for his class. However, the items had to be similar to the equipment of the class. Defensive gear for his paladin class, knives for slayer class, and so on… still, Aion felt troubled when he used some materials, and his mother looked for them for hours…
"This system is quite fun… now then, why the heck do I have it?" Aion pondered about it. "Usually, a god or a goddess would grant those to the heroes who were summoned to save the world… I am pretty sure no one expects a toddler to do that, and since my new father spends a good time training his kids, it doesn't look like this world is in peril."
There is also the possibility that someone is planning to use Aion with the system. If that is true, they should have picked someone else… not the soul of a firefighter. Aion was mature enough to know that there were things more important in life than seeking power endlessly.
In any case, to learn more about that world, Aion tried to grab some books from his and his mother's room, and when Artemisia realized his interest, she decided to read them for him. Aion sat on her lap and then tried to read the words alongside his mother. At first, he didn't make much progress, but he eventually began to recognize them. At the same time, Aion heard some crazy stories about the people of that world.
One of them was the story of a famous warrior that could recover from all types of wounds. He was a brawler like no other, and he managed to fight for a full week nonstop against three armies of ten thousand men. He managed to wipe out twenty thousand men by himself, but in the end, he died of starvation since his body didn't have the nutrients to heal itself after so many times. He was called Irgon, the immortal.
"You can't be called like that after your death…" Aion frowned.
Apparently, beings like that were normal in that world, and they weren't monsters. It was true that some had inhuman traits like extra arms or eyes, some of those they inherited from their parents. However, apparently, anyone could transform or mutate like that if they reach the necessary requirements.
"This world is really strange…" Aion thought.
While his mother read many stories like that, Aion tried to find something similar in the individuals. However, the only thing that they had in common was that they were some battle-hungry maniacs. Most of their tales were about them challenging others that seemed stronger or participating in wars. Even to their allies, they were like ticking time bombs. Also, for one reason or the other, few people in that kingdom managed to mutate or evolve like that, and they never reached a level that made them become memorable. At least in terms of strength.
"Come to think of it… while mother doesn't look strong, she has this weird aura on her, calm and gentle yet strong. It reminds me of that sensation I had before I got the system…" Aion thought. "Is she a descendant of one of those guys… it seems that blond people are rare around these parts, but having a hair of a different color shouldn't mean anything… still, there is a chance that her bloodline might be the cause that I came to this world… this whole situation seems like pieces of an even bigger puzzle."