Now back to present-day Lothoria.
My name is Touma Winter, and I'm 9 years old.
I live in the northwest area of Tancred Kingdom. I live with my family on a countryside just south of a town known as Aria.
Leyna and Glenn Winter are my parents and I've gotten comfortable enough to start calling them mother and father quite easily.
My mother and father are retired adventurers that used to work for the Capital, my mother was a healing mage with plenty of mana along with the 2 affinities of light and water magic.
My father was a swordsman alongside a mage gifted with a plentiful amount of mana with 3 affinities; water, air, and lightning.
In their prime, with their powers and achievements, my mother was an A rank and my father was a State Rank. Of course, this was back in their prime so nowadays father is at least a District Rank and mother is a B Rank.
When they were in their twenties in the capital they fell in love. After working for the capital for ten more years, they would decide to retire and start a family here at the age of 37.
My brother Isamu is 12 years old now, he has one affinity and that is for water magic. Unfortunately, he was born with a below-average amount of mana, so to make up for that shortcoming he has been training every day with a sword.
Sometimes we would even spar.
Swordplay was easy to get used to since it was one of the skills I learned back in my other life. However, I didn't take swordsmanship too seriously since of course, it wasn't a skill I needed back then.
Although, martial arts was something I did take seriously, thanks to that training I was on par with my brother and would sometimes spar with my father.
I was born with 2 affinities, the first being Dark, and I would later come to find out I could perform earth magic. These two weren't exactly affinities that could pair well together, but I made it work.
Being provided books regarding my magic by my father, I learned to control my mana and the amount I can put into a spell.
Now another accident like last time won't happen again.
Granted I kept my knowledge and innate abilities from my past life, so coming to understand how these things worked, came quickly. Resulting in me being able to learn how to cast various skills from both affinities.
Because they found out about my capabilities early on thanks to my accident, my mother would train me in magic casting and my father would take me out to hunt either animals for food or we would go deeper into the forest so he can show me what hunting beasts is like.
Near where we lived is a forest where animals and beasts lived. However, the beasts were of low rank. So it was no trouble killing them.
While they thought I was great I was even greater but I kept it hidden.
I would always go down a path nearly 2 miles through the forest and reach a lake. There, is where I would train myself to an extent in secret.
In the years that passed, I would also come to know that I have another brother, named Akio. He was the oldest of us three at the current age of 19. Like my father, he was born with 3 affinities; fire, air, and earth.
He was very exceptional with a lot of potential of becoming a top-ranked mage. Because of this fact, he left for the Tancred Capital to train at an elite magic academy 4 years after I was born, so just about 2 years before I arrived here.
Akio was always so busy in the capital that he could never visit but he would send letters when he was able to.
While Akio was in the capital we remained here.
Living peaceful days.
...
It's a cool afternoon in the countryside near Aria.
In a small field behind our house, The sound of wooden swords cutting through the air and clashing against each other filled the air as Isamu and I are currently sparring.
"Wow, you've gotten stronger Touma."
"Have I?"
"Don't be so modest, you always have me on my toes when we spar."
"Yeah? Well, the feeling's mutual."
It really isn't, I'm bored honestly. His moves are very readable and I could disarm him if I wanted to. However, I'd rather not get his spirits down.
We deliver blows back and forth until we back off to catch our breath.
"Well this is going to take a while, don't you think?" Isamu asks.
"Yeah, I suppose so... Why don't we lift the no magic rule?"
"Sound good to me. Water Barrage!"
A wide water attack, huh? and without hesitation either.
I drop down to my knees as it flies over my head.
Isamu follows up closely behind his attack, swinging low.
Not bad... But... My palm is already on the ground.
"Earth wall."
A short wall made of solid rock and dirt shoots up from the ground.
His sword hits the solid wall, causing him to stagger back with his hands stinging from the blunt force.
You're wide open.
And with that, the spar ended in my victory.
Isamu breathes heavily "...Well done, Touma. You've improved a lot."
"Thanks."
"You think you can remove the sword from my neck now?" he asks.
"Sorry."
...
After every spar session we have, we would always rest up on the fence and gaze at the view.
"Mannn, speaking incantations is so awkward." he says annoyingly.
"True, I'm with you on that."
Not only does it feel awkward, but while chanting your opponent has an opening to attack. Even if you get the skill out before they attack, speaking incantations will let the opponent know what your next move is.
That spar is a perfect example of that.
"I wish I could cast spells silently as father and mother could." Isamu continues.
"Yeah, me too."
I refused to call them spells since I just felt like a dork saying it. So now I just say 'skills' instead of 'spells'
"Hey, boys. I'm back!" Father suddenly calls out while riding one of our horses.
"Hello, father!" Isamu yells back
After putting the horse back in the stable he walks up to us.
"You boys sparring again?"
"Yessir, Touma got the best of me this time."
"Is that so?... Hey Touma?" He turns his attention to me.
"Yes?"
"You're not tired, are you?" He asks.
"No sir, I caught my breath."
Using his air skill, he swiftly snatches Isamu's sword that was sitting next to him.
"Step forward, Touma." He says as he readies his sword.
Every once in a while, I have a chance to spar with my father. And every one of those times has ended in my defeat.
He is a strong opponent.
"Good luck, Touma." Isamu says as he gets off the fence. "Maybe you'll last longer than you did last time you sparred with father." He continues as he goes to walk back inside.
With just the two of us here, I get off that fence and ready myself.
"Are you ready, father?"
"...Actually... Touma?" He pauses.
"What?"
A dark, serious feeling in the air quickly emerged.
What's this? His aura changed.
...
"Come at me with the intent to kill..."