By the time Alaric reached the age of four, the restless stirrings within him had grown stronger. He was no ordinary child, and while his magical outbursts were becoming less chaotic, something else was taking root inside him—something far more mysterious and powerful than even his magical lineage could explain.
It began on a quiet afternoon in the Black family library. Alaric sat cross-legged on the floor, his silver eyes locked on an old book about wizarding history, though his mind was elsewhere. His thoughts were tangled in strange, fragmented memories that didn't belong to this world. Math equations, the periodic table, programming languages—concepts that made no sense in the magical world but were oddly familiar to him. It was as if his past life was scratching at the surface, trying to make itself known.
Then, it happened.
A sudden wave of dizziness washed over him. His vision blurred, and the library faded away, replaced by an otherworldly space—a vast, boundless void not unlike the one he had drifted in before his reincarnation. But this time, the void wasn't empty. In the center of the nothingness stood a tree, impossibly tall and ancient, its roots sprawling into the infinity beneath it. The leaves shimmered like stars, glowing with a soft, golden light.
Alaric knew instinctively that this was no ordinary tree. This was his tree—the same one from the void, the one that had given him life in this new world. But now, it wasn't just a symbol of his rebirth. It was something more. Something powerful.
The tree pulsed with an energy that hummed deep within his soul, and as he stood before it, he felt the weight of its ancient knowledge pressing down on him. This tree contained everything—secrets of the universe, ancient magic, the boundless wisdom of countless lifetimes. It was all there, waiting for him. But as he reached out, desperate to tap into the vast ocean of knowledge, he found himself blocked.
The tree remained just out of reach.
Despite the immense presence of the tree, Alaric couldn't access its knowledge. It was like staring at a library filled with infinite books, but every single one of them was locked away. The realization left him frustrated, but he quickly calmed himself. Even at this young age, Alaric was wise enough to know that power like this couldn't be handed to him all at once. He would have to earn it, little by little.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind, soft and ancient, but comforting.
"You are not yet ready."
The words reverberated through his soul. He wasn't strong enough, not yet wise enough to handle the full power of the tree. But as the voice faded, Alaric felt a small trickle of knowledge seep into his consciousness. It wasn't much, but it was enough to change everything.
When he blinked, he was back in the library, the world of books and magical history snapping into place around him. But Alaric was no longer the same boy who had been reading moments before. He now carried with him the first spark of knowledge from the ancient tree—small, but invaluable.
The Birth of the System
Over the next few weeks, the knowledge he had absorbed from the tree began to take shape in his mind. At first, it was subtle—basic concepts of math and science that had no place in the magical world. He recalled numbers, equations, and even coding languages from his past life as Aaron Larkins. The logic and structure of coding fascinated him, and though it had little practical use in a world of wands and spells, it provided a framework for organizing his thoughts.
Alaric quickly realized that he could build something from this knowledge. Using the fragments of programming he remembered, he began to create a mental system—a window into his soul, so to speak. It was like a status screen from one of the video games he had played in his previous life.
One quiet night, as he lay in bed, he closed his eyes and focused, willing the system into existence. Slowly, a translucent window appeared in his mind, filled with information about himself.
[Alaric Black - Status Window]
Name: Alaric BlackAge: 4
Bloodline: Black Family (Pure-blood)
Magic Affinity: High (latent)
Physical Condition: Healthy
Mental Condition: ActiveKnowledge:Math: BasicScience: BasicProgramming: Basic (Languages: Python, C++)
Magical Knowledge: Incomplete
The system window was simple, but it was a start. It displayed basic information about him—his bloodline, magical affinity, and the knowledge he had access to. The idea of having a personal system to track his progress was exhilarating. It made him feel as though he had some measure of control over the vast ocean of potential that lay before him.
But Alaric knew this was just the beginning. He wasn't overpowered—not yet. His knowledge was still limited, and the tree had made it clear that he wasn't ready for the full depth of its wisdom. He would have to grow, develop both his magical abilities and the knowledge from his previous life, if he ever wanted to tap into the true potential of the tree.
The Slow Progress of Knowledge
In the years that followed, from ages four to six, Alaric worked quietly and diligently. He practiced the basic arithmetic and coding skills he remembered, refining them in his mind. He integrated the logic of programming with the magic he was learning, searching for connections between the two worlds. It was slow going, and he often felt the limitations of being so young in both body and magic.
But he was patient. He knew that true knowledge took time.
On the magical front, Alaric began his formal training. His father, Regulus Black II, tutored him in the basics of wandless magic, teaching him how to control his outbursts and focus his power. Alaric's natural affinity for magic was clear, but his progress was steady rather than explosive. He wasn't the prodigy his parents had hoped for, but neither was he a disappointment. He was simply growing—slowly, methodically.
Meanwhile, his older sister Lyra became his closest confidante. She sensed there was something different about him, though she never pried too much. Whenever his magic faltered or his studies frustrated him, Lyra was there to comfort him, her warmth a constant in his life. She saw the potential in him, even if he didn't yet fully understand it himself.
By the time Alaric reached six, he had mastered the basics of both his magical training and the knowledge he had brought from his past life. His system had evolved slightly, offering more detailed insights into his progress, but he knew that the real journey was still ahead. The tree in his soul space remained distant, a towering presence he could not yet fully comprehend.
But Alaric was in no rush. He understood now that power, true power, took time to cultivate. And he had all the time in the world.