In the grand Silvernoon Empire, nestled deep within the opulent expanse of the Duchess's Castle, an extraordinary room awaited discovery.
This chamber was a testament to lavishness, with crystal ornaments adorning its corners, casting a soft, mesmerizing glow throughout the space.
The room's generous proportions easily accommodated a party of at least ten in sheer comfort.
Amidst this magnificent chamber, a young boy of no more than four years of age lay. His silver hair and rosy cheeks foretold a future of remarkable handsomeness.
But, despite the apparent serenity, a disconcerting disturbance prevailed.
Although the boy seemed to slumber, his countenance was marred by signs of distress.
He groaned and writhed in his sleep as if ensnared by a nightmarish torment.
Suddenly, with an abrupt motion, he jolted upright, his hands clamped to his throbbing head.
His bewildered voice shattered the room's silence,
"What's happening? Why is my head hurting so much?"
"Ah!, this pain…!," he grimaced, wincing as he clutched his head once more.
Continuing to writhe in agony, he eventually found relief, granting him a brief moment to collect his thoughts.
"Is.. is this the Afterlife…?" he pondered aloud.
"They say that, in death, one is judged for their sins and endures punishment.
Maybe that unbearable pain was my atonement."
With trepidation, he cautiously opened his eyes, half-expecting to be confronted by nightmarish demons poised to inflict eternal torment.
To his astonishment, he was met with a sight of unparalleled opulence.
The room remained, its luminous crystals casting their enchanting glow.
Crimson-red curtains adorned two vast windows, one beside the bed and another opposite it.
This was no infernal realm; it was a chamber of extraordinary beauty within the Duchess' Castle.
Stunned by the splendor before him, he quickly dismissed the idea of being in hell and mused aloud.
"So where in the 7 hells am I?"
As he prepared to rise and examine his surroundings, a sudden wave of exhaustion and pain washed over him.
It felt as though moving even a finger was as arduous as shifting boulders.
Unable to move, he focused on regulating his erratic breathing due to excruciating pain and exhaustion.
Unbeknownst to him, a blue holographic screen appeared.
{ Scanning ... 20%...45%...67%...89%...99%... }
{ Scanning complete. }
{ Host found. }
{ Initializing the system... }
{ Progress 23%...45%..75%...89%..97%...}
{ Initialization complete. }
{ Scanning host's body... }
{ Progress 12%...23%...34%...45%...67%...78%...88%...90%...99%...}
{ Scanning complete }
{ Alert!!! Harmful substances are found in the Host's body. }
{ Emergency sequence activated. }
{ Removal of harmful substances beginning.}
{ Done! }
{ Attempting to heal damaged parts of the body… }
{ Attempt failed... }
{ Trying to identify cause of failure. }
{ Progress 11%...23%...64%...78%...80%...90%... }
{ Done! Seals of unknown origin found. }
{ Attempting to unseal. }
{ 34%... 67%... Error. Attempt failed. }
{ Attempting again… }
{ Failed. }
{ Attempting again… }
{ Failed. }
{ Attempting again… }
{ Failed. }
{ Attempting again… }
{ Failed. }
{ Attempting again… }
{ Failed. }
{ Attempting again… }
{ Failed. }
{ Attempting again… }
{ Failed. }
{ Attempting again… }
{ Failed. }
{ Attempting again… }
{ Failed. }
{ Attempting again… }
{ Partial unsealing successful. }
{ Attempting to heal the Host's body. }
{ 12%...23%...54%...90%...100%... }
{ Complete. }
Slowly, the excruciating pain and exhaustion vanished, giving me some room to breathe.
I opened my eyes, looking towards the beautifully carved designs on the sealing.
"Thought I would be in hell… but, since when is hell this stupidly luxurious?! "
Maybe this is an illusion made by demons to lure lost souls and make them suffer.
{ Have u ever seen a hell this stupidly luxurious? }
" I... I'm not in hell? "
{ Yes host, you are not in hell. }
"Ahh! Okay, What a relief! "
System expected a lot to calm the child of a host, but was betrayed by the lackluster response of the host.
Sensing something amiss with the sudden appearance of the holographic screen and feminine voice ringing in my ears I asked,
" Good lady, Mind telling me who you are?" Though phrased like a request, it was spoken with such a tone that made the system follow without a second in delay.
{ Greetings, host. }
{ I am the Interceder system. }
{ I will be assisting the host with the journey forward with everything at my disposal. }
"I see."
"Then can you answer some questions for me?"
{ Of course host. }
{ Please ask whatever you wish to ask. }
{ This system will do its best to answer. }
After a minute of thinking and consideration, I asked,
" Tell me, system, where am I? Or first tell me, who am I?"
{ As per the system's understanding, the host is within the Silvermoon Empire. }
{ The host is named Axis Archborn. }
{ Host is the youngest son of the Steel Blood duchess. }
{ The host is currently at the Duchess' mansion. }
The system's answers were short but decisive, answering exactly what was needed. In these answers, what piqued my interest was the title of duchess.
Supposedly my mother is called the Steel Blood duchess.
Interesting.
{ Would the host like to see the status window? }
My chain of thought gets interrupted by the sudden prompt from the system. Curious as to what I would see, I replied right away.
" Show me the status window. "
{ Ding! }
} STATUS {
Name: Axis Archborn.
Race: Human.
Age: 04 years 11 months.
Rank: Unawakened.
Combat power: G-.
Strength: G-
Agility: G+
Stamina: C -
Perception: C+
Magic power: C+ [ Sealed ]
Charm: B+
Luck: A+
Stat point: 2
EXP: 0
Profession: None.
=====================
So, I am about 5 years old or soon to be 5 at least.
Combat power should be my overall CP. Strength should be physical strength. Agility should be speed. Magic power should be Mana.
" System, what is rank and how is it classified? "
{ Host this is the world where strength matters over everything. }
{ Even if superficial, there exists a scale to measure it. }
{ And ranks are that scale. }
{ They are categorized from G- to EX. }
{ There are other ranks above it but the host needs to reach the level of S rank to know about those. }
" Since I am unawakened, where does it put me? "
{ Host is not currently awakened so you are not classified in them. }
{ In simpler terms, you are too weak to be placed there. }
" When does one normally awaken? "
{ There is a ceremony called mana awakening. }
{ Normally, kids of age 4 to 7 go through it to awaken on their birthday. }
" When will I be awakened then? "
{ Host will be able to awaken after a month. }
{ Until then, the host is recommended to rest and recover since the host's body is currently in weak condition. }
Hmm, that makes sense.
I'm also feeling tired... I will go to sleep...