Smack!
Adrian chewed the bland soup with a visible grimace, his small face wrinkling in disgust.
The moment he spat out the chewed-up bit, a tiny but sharp fist landed on his head.
"Owww!" he squeaked, rubbing the sore spot, his voice slipping into a soft, baby-like whimper.
"Sorry…"
The apology came out in that unintelligible, infant lullaby tone, half-formed words tumbling from his lips as his big, teary eyes welled up.
His lower lip quivered, threatening to spill a flood of baby tears.
The little girl sighed deeply, her stern face softening just a bit at the sight of his watery eyes.
She gave him one last, tired look before snapping her fingers with a sharp click.
As she snapped her fingers, suddenly milk started to form out of thin air, hovering and creating a ball before the bottle lying nearby, which had been emptied of milk, suddenly flew and the milk went directly inside it.
Adrian's eyes lit up instantly, his heart racing in relief.
Gulping down the milk greedily, he felt it flow back into his system like a lifeline.
'You idiot,' he thought, his mind instantly blaming the little girl.
'It was you who vanished my milk!' He paused mid-gulp, though, considering the soup again which now appeared as if this girl was trying to make him eat something else other than milk.
Which seemed the real reason why the milk had vanished and steam had made him eat that bland.
Sure, milk didn't have much flavor, but it was miles better than that tasteless water soup.
As he finished drinking, he dropped to the ground with a heavy thud, his belly bloated from drinking too much.
He lay sprawled out on the cool grass, rubbing his round stomach with contentment.
'This girl… she made milk out of magic?'
The thought spun in his mind as his eyelids drooped, heavy with exhaustion.
He didn't know much about magic—hell, he barely understood this new world—but if a little girl could do something like that, what would adults be capable of?
His heart raced at the thought.
The idea of magic, of wielding such power, stirred something deep within him.
Could he become just as strong when he grew up?
What sort of cheat ability did he possess, being reincarnated into this body?
He couldn't help but imagine how, with a snap of his fingers, he could flatten the mountains, tear the sky, and maybe even travel through dimensions or time.
Surely there had to be something hidden inside him, something overpowered that would allow him to harness all kinds of elements and magic… he just didn't know it yet.
Yes, he could easily become this world's greatest magus.
But that was a thought for another time.
Right now, he needed a quick nap.
"Yawn~" His tiny body felt heavy, fatigue pulling him into the depths of unconsciousness.
His eyes fluttered closed, the world slipping away as he drifted into slumber.
---
Adrian woke intermittently, feeling himself jostled as the little girl moved swiftly through the forest, his body tied securely to her back.
The rhythmic sway of her movements lulled him back to sleep each time he stirred, but every now and then, his eyes would crack open, catching glimpses of the changing forest scenery around them.
The trees grew denser, the sounds of wildlife humming in the background, but the constant movement kept pulling him back into his dreams.
Suddenly, a jolt shook him awake.
Blinking groggily, he lifted his head to find himself staring at a small hut nestled in the middle of the forest.
But something felt… off.
The air was cooler, thinner.
As his eyes wandered, he realized the clouds were unnervingly close—too close.
His tiny heart skipped a beat as the realization dawned on him: they weren't just in a forest.
They were at the peak of a mountain.
His mouth hung open in surprise.
"W-whoa…" he whispered, his voice barely audible.
How had they gotten so high?
He had no memory of the journey upward, having slept through most of it.
Somehow, he felt as if he had slept for ages. Not technically, but still, it seemed he had slept for weeks at least.
And now, here they were, surrounded by clouds at the very top of the world.
The little girl didn't seem to care for his amazement.
She unwrapped the cloth binding him to her back and plopped him unceremoniously onto the ground.
Adrian landed with a small grunt, rubbing his butt in annoyance.
Before he could say anything, the girl spoke, her voice monotone and exhausted.
"Survive until I wake up. It's my turn to sleep."
Before Adrian could respond, her body slumped to the ground like a lifeless rag doll.
Thud!
'!?'
His eyes widened in panic.
"Bee...wo, boo!?"
'H-Hey! What happened to you?' he yelled inwardly.
But she didn't move.
Her breathing was steady, her face calm, but it was clear she had fallen into a deep sleep, completely unresponsive.
Adrian's heart pounded in his chest as he stared at her still form.
'She just… dropped. Like that?'
His mind whirled, panic creeping in as he looked around the empty mountaintop.
What was he supposed to do?
Survive?
How was he, an infant, supposed to survive by himself?
He shuffled closer to her, poking her arm with his tiny fingers.
No response.
His panic grew.
'I'm just a baby! What if something comes while she's asleep? What if I—'
His thoughts stopped as he looked back at the girl's sleeping face.
There was no worry, no tension in her expression, just calmness, as though she knew without a doubt that nothing would happen to them.
Adrian bit his lip, feeling foolish for panicking.
'She's strong,' he reminded himself.
'She killed that bear with a single hit. I'm probably safer with her asleep than anywhere else.'
He plopped down beside her, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Survive, huh?" he muttered, looking out at the landscape below and of course the sound that came out of his mouth was, "Susc...rbe...huh."
It was beautiful in a strange, otherworldly way.
The clouds below them shifted lazily, the sky above stretching into an endless expanse of stars.
Adrian pulled his knees to his chest, glancing once more at the little girl.
'Guess I'll wait.'
But even as he said that, curiosity began to gnaw at him again.
The magic she wielded… the sheer strength she had.
How had she done it?
How strong would he become?
The questions buzzed in his mind, but no answers came.
He sighed again and lay back, staring up at the sky.
'I guess… I'll figure it out. Eventually.'
And with that, he let his mind drift, the mountain's cool breeze lulling him back into a restless sleep.