Raiden's eyes fluttered open, and he found himself lying on the cool stone floor of the hidden chamber. He couldn't tell how long he had been asleep, but he felt the dull ache of exhaustion in his limbs, a reminder of the effort he had poured into creating his mana heart.
As his vision cleared, two translucent panels appeared before him, each one displaying a congratulatory message.
[Skill Draw System Notification: Congratulations! You have achieved a Mana Heart creation at age 3—an unachievable feat!]
[Reward: 2 E-Rank Skills]
The screen listed the two newly acquired skills:
[Silent Pulse]
[Description: Allows the user to emit bursts of soundless energy, ideal for distracting enemies or activating mechanisms from a distance.]
[Mana Surge]
[Description: A controlled release of mana that can temporarily boost physical and magical abilities.]
Raiden grinned, pleased with the rewards. He moved on to the next panel, which was from the Fusion System:
[Fusion System Notification: Achievement recognized! Mana Heart creation at age 3.]
[Rewards: 2x Free Fusion Points, 10 Skill Points]
Raiden chuckled, the thrill of his accomplishment fueling his excitement. He now had plenty of new resources, thanks to both systems. His gaze drifted to the skill shop, his mind racing with possibilities. But there was one particular skill he knew he needed if he hoped to return unnoticed.
'Let's see… Mana concealment,' he muttered, scrolling through the skill shop until he found what he was looking for: a C-Rank skill named [Mana's Cloak].
[Mana's Cloak: A C-Rank skill that conceals all traces of mana within and around the user, rendering them undetectable by mana sense.]
Raiden's grin widened. 'Thirty-five skill points… a steep cost, but worth every point.' He confirmed the purchase without a second thought, watching his remaining points drop, but he wasn't bothered.
The skill would allow him to mask his newly-formed mana heart, hiding it from even the most experienced mana users.
Without hesitation, Raiden activated [Mana's Cloak] and felt an odd sensation as his mana presence faded away, becoming completely undetectable. He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and rose from the ground, brushing the dust from his clothes.
Then, with a satisfied smile, he left the chamber, stepping out of the mana barrier and back into the evening light.
Raiden had only managed to walk past three buildings when the thunder of hooves reached his ears. A large group of horses rounded the corner, galloping directly toward him, their riders' faces set in grim determination.
Raiden froze, watching as the riders closed in, surrounding him. He recognized every one of them: his father, Lord Cedric, sat tall on one of the horses, his expression a mix of anger and relief; his mother, Lady Elise, was on another, her face pale with worry.
His older brother, Kent, was there too, sitting atop a dark horse, his eyes narrowing when he spotted Raiden. Kent shook his head slightly, a look of exasperation crossing his face as he mouthed, "Dad's going to kill you this time."
Raiden offered a small, sheepish wave in response.
On another horse rode the Chief Guard, flanked by three other guards, each scanning the area as though searching for unseen threats. And then, perched elegantly on a white mare, was his sister, Laura, who had just returned to the estate. She looked down at him with an amused smile, her gaze softening with affection.
Raiden decided to focus on her first. Flashing her a mischievous grin, he called out, "Welcome back, dear big sister! I hope you brought me an apology gift for missing my third birthday!"
Lord Cedric's frown deepened, but it was Lady Elise who spoke first, her voice sharp with frustration. "Raiden Goldheart, third child and second son of the Goldheart Family! Where in the world have you been for the past two days?"
Raiden blinked, surprised. 'Two days? I've been unconscious for two whole days?' He glanced around, taking in the worried expressions of his family members, and quickly considered his options.
"Uhm… I fainted?" he replied, his voice filled with as much innocence as he could muster.
A collective sigh escaped from his family, each of them shaking their heads in a mixture of disbelief and relief. Laura slid gracefully from her horse, walked over to him, and scooped him up into her arms. She gave him a long, searching look, but her smile was warm.
"Come on, troublemaker," she said softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead. "Let's get you back to the main house. We'll need to make sure you're all right after your little adventure."
With that, she lifted him onto her horse, settling him comfortably in front of her before climbing up behind him. Raiden relaxed, leaning back against his sister as they began the ride back to the main building.
As they moved, Raiden couldn't help but smile, feeling a mixture of pride and relief. 'They didn't sense it,' he thought with satisfaction.
His mana heart, the fruit of two days of exhausting effort, was safely concealed. Not even his father or the Chief Guard had detected it.
Laura glanced down at him, noticing his grin. "Something funny, little brother?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.
Raiden looked up at her, struggling to keep his face innocent. "Nope. Just… glad to be back," he replied with a tiny shrug.
Lady Elise rode up alongside them, her expression softening as she gazed at her youngest son. "Raiden, you scared us all half to death," she murmured. "Next time you want to 'faint' somewhere, could you at least warn us first?"
Raiden gave her an apologetic smile, feeling a hint of guilt despite his satisfaction. "Sorry, Mother," he said, doing his best to sound sincere.
Kent pulled his horse alongside, smirking as he looked over at Raiden. "I knew you were trouble, but disappearing for two days at three years old? That's impressive, even for you."
Raiden grinned back at him. "You haven't seen anything yet," he replied, his tone light but with a hint of promise.
Lord Cedric cleared his throat, his deep voice cutting through the moment. "We'll discuss your little adventure later, Raiden," he said, his eyes stern but not unkind. "But for now, let's get you checked up and make sure you're actually all right."
The procession continued toward the main house, Raiden's family members visibly relaxing now that he was back in their care. Raiden leaned back against Laura, feeling a wave of relief and triumph wash over him.
He'd managed to conceal his mana heart from his family, and he had successfully returned without raising suspicion about his new power.
As they approached the grand entrance of the estate, Raiden let out a soft sigh, a small smile playing on his lips. It wasn't a smile born from tricking his family, but from the thrill of knowing he'd taken his first step toward his true potential.