[The High Royal Empyrean Palace - Throne Room]
The Empyrean King, Aelius Valerian Magnus De Caelo, sat upon his obsidian throne, the weight of ages resting heavily on his shoulders.
The meeting with the Elders had left a bitter taste in his mouth. Their cryptic warnings and veiled threats always did.
But this time, something else lingered in the air, something...different.
DOM...DOM...DOM...
A shiver ran down his spine, a cold prickle that had nothing to do with the chill of the cavernous throne room.
DOM!!!!
His heart, which hadn't quickened in centuries, pounded against his ribs like a war drum. What was this feeling?
"Your Majesty?"
DOM!!! DOM!!! DOM!!!
Aelius blinked, startled by the soft voice of his maid.
He had almost forgotten she was there.
"Yes?" he replied, forcing a calm tone into his voice. "What is it?"
"You seem...troubled," the maid said hesitantly, her eyes fixed on the King's veiled face.
"Is everything alright?"
Aelius let out a dry chuckle, a hollow sound in the vast chamber.
"Just a passing chill, my dear," he lied. "Nothing to worry about."
But the tremor within him refused to subside. He had lived too long, seen too much, to dismiss this feeling as mere coincidence.
It was as if the very balance of the world had been altered.
Something was happening, something significant. He'd erased that accursed clan chosen by the blessing, hadn't he?
They were supposed to be gone, all of their power and kind extinguished from this earth.
His thoughts raced. It had to be something else, some other disturbance in the natural order.
Perhaps the hero of prophecy had been born, the one destined to challenge the ancient pact he'd made.
But a newborn, even one marked for greatness, shouldn't cause such a profound reaction.
This... this felt different. Ancient. Powerful.
It wasn't the child of prophecy that made him feel this way.
It was something else, something far more unsettling.
A cold dread settled over him, a feeling he hadn't experienced since the fall of the Tree of Grace.
**
It was the return of something he thought was long gone, something he'd hoped would never resurface.
***
In the annals of history, there lies a tale of a world once devoid of magic. Over three millennia ago, the land of Gathlantica was a vast expanse of untamed wilderness, surrounded by endless oceans.
The inhabitants were simple folk, their lives shaped by the raw power of nature and the harsh realities of survival.
But even then, a spark of potential flickered within humanity. Some were born with extraordinary talents, honed through generations of struggle and adaptation.
These were the first wielders of what they called "techniques" – abilities that hinted at a hidden power slumbering within the world.
Over time, this power awakened, revealing itself as a vibrant energy that flowed through all living things.
They called it mana, the lifeblood of magic, a force that could be harnessed to shape reality itself. And with the discovery of mana, the Age of Magic dawned.
But the true turning point came with the emergence of the Magical Tree of Grace.
This towering marvel, a gift from the divine, showered the world with its blessings.
It granted immortality to those who lived within its reach, healing wounds and restoring life with its touch. It empowered mages to wield incredible spells and warriors to channel their inner strength with newfound vigor.
Under the tree's benevolent gaze, humanity flourished. Kingdoms rose, technology advanced, and magic became woven into the very fabric of society.
The Empyrean Royal Family, descendants of the tree's first beneficiaries, used their power to shape the land, establish order, and guide the world into a golden age.
But even in this utopia, darkness lurked.
Varuna, a being born from the primordial ooze, was twisted by the tree's power into the first Demon King.
He sought to claim the tree's magic for himself, plunging the world into a devastating war.
At the heart of this conflict stood King Aelius I, the first Empyrean King. In a battle that shook the very heavens, he defeated Varuna, but not before the Demon King shattered the Tree of Grace, ending the Age of Magic.
Yet, from the ashes of destruction, hope bloomed. Aelius, in a final act of defiance, erected the Barrier of Restriction, sealing away the demon realm and protecting the human world.
Though the Age of Magic had ended, the seeds of a new era were sown, an era where magic and technology would intertwine, and new heroes would rise to face the challenges ahead.
And so, the world turned. Kingdoms prospered, knowledge grew, and life found a way to adapt and thrive.
The tale of the First Demon King and the shattered Tree of Grace faded into legend, a bedtime story whispered to children to remind them of the fragility of peace and the importance of courage in the face of darkness.
***
[Julian's POV]
I've never heard Gathlantica's history told like that before.
Sure, I knew plenty about the world from the novel, but this version made those ancient mages sound a lot less...evil.
I mean, they did unleash a wave of chaos and destruction, but maybe there was more to the story.
The novel I'd been glued to on my deathbed ended with the hero about to confront the Demon King, but I never got to find out what happened next.
Did they win?
Did the world get saved?
Or was it a cliffhanger ending, leaving readers forever wondering?
That was the main reason I jumped at the chance to be reborn here.
I wanted to see how it all played out, to experience this world firsthand.
Even if I was just an extra, a nameless face in the crowd, I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself.
But now that I'm here, in the body of a three-year-old named Julian, things aren't so simple.
The name Ryker Uzziel Godford doesn't ring any bells, and the only time I've heard of Godfords was when the Empyrean King called them demons who started the whole mess.
Except...I'm not a demon.
I'm a human, a baby, albeit one with a strange birthmark and a head full of memories from another life.
And the blue screen that pops up in my vision, the one that calls itself my "System"... well, that's not exactly normal either.
But for now, I'm just Julian, a toddler living in a sleepy village on the outskirts of the Aureus Empire.
My mom, a maid for a noble family, leaves me with the kindly old ladies of the village while she's at work.
They fuss over me, cooing and pinching my cheeks, but they don't know the thoughts swirling in my little head.
Usually, when she's gone I spend my days reading everything I can get my hands on, trying to understand this new world and the magic that permeates it.
I've even started experimenting with my System, trying to figure out how to unlock those mysterious "Gifts" it keeps mentioning.
No luck so far, but I'm determined.
"Julian, sweetheart?"
"...!"
I quickly shove the worn leather-bound book under my blanket.
As I heard the door creak open, I could see my mother had just returned from work.
Standing up from my infant bed I stared at her and a gentle smile on her face reached despite the slight furrow in her brow.
"You've made a mess again, haven't you?" she chuckled, bending down to gather the scattered books.
"It seems these old tomes have a mind of their own."
Erica Uzziel Godford.
That's my mother's full name, though she goes by Erica Uzziel.
It's one of the many mysteries that surround my new life.
Why use her middle name?
Is she hiding her Godford lineage?
Does she even know about it?
I can't ask her directly, not yet.
All I can do is watch and listen, trying to piece together the puzzle of my new reality.
Yet, she dyed my white hair black and used magic to turn my eyes red.
It seems she knows more than she lets on.
Maybe she's protecting me, hiding me from something dangerous.
Or maybe... she's afraid of what I might become.
After all, the Godfords were said to be demons, the most evil beings in the world.
But I'm not a demon, am I?
I'm just a kid...
I watch as my mother picks up the last book, her fingers tracing the embossed lettering on the cover.
Her eyes linger on the family crest, a stylized tree with roots reaching deep into the earth.
A flicker of recognition flashes across her face, but it's gone as quickly as it came.
She shakes her head, as if to dispel a troubling thought, and places the book back on the shelf.
"There you go, little one," she says, turning back to me with a warm smile. "All tidy again."
"bah!"
I giggled and clapped my hands, playing the part of the innocent child.
I may not be a character in the novel, but I have a feeling I'm not just an extra either.
There's something more to me, something important.
And one day, when I'm old enough, I'll find out what it is.