When the light engulfed me, my vision turned hazy, and I found myself caressed in the arms of a woman.
Caressed?
But how could a 26-year-old man be caressed in the arms of a woman?
Well, it's because… I was a baby.
Again…
All that nagging about clichés and here I am reincarnated, transmigrated, or whatever kind of words those novel authors use.
Anyway, back to the topic of the woman, she had jet-black hair and red gleaming eyes like a ruby.
She had the features that would make any idol back from my world put to shame.
She was indeed stunning, but to my surprise, I felt no attraction to her.
Is it because she was my mother?
Right now, she was crying, tears of joy, maybe.
After all, she had just given birth to her son.
And there to my left is a man with red auburn hair and green eyes.
He might be my father since he's the only man present in the room.
Honestly, he looked pretty average even to my standards.
How did he manage to woo this stunning woman that is my new mother?
And there, standing in the middle of the room, was another woman who had similar features to my mother.
Could be my grandmother, probably.
Okay, back to the system, I couldn't open the interface again since I can't really move my limbs properly.
After all, I was still a baby.
"That's strange… is it just me or is he not crying?" said the woman who could probably be my grandmother.
"UWAA!" I let out a horrible cry.
How the hell can a 26-year-old man act like a baby?
It was honestly pretty embarrassing.
Eh, bet they don't care, and I had to act the part.
…
"Happy Birthday, Ezra!"
Yes, that's right, my name is now Ezra, Ezra Ashford of the noble house of Ashford.
Pretty cool.
It was currently my 5th birthday, and my family hosted a grand party, gathering all the cousins, aunts, uncles, you know… that kind of party.
Oh, and I have a sister now too.
She's 3 years old, and her name is Luna, Luna Ashford.
She's pretty cute, and she follows me around.
I found out that this world was one of the novels I wrote.
Pretty cliché, right?
I forgot which one, though it was pretty similar to 'Leveling up in a Fantasy World.'
I say similar because it wasn't exactly the same.
I bet it was one of my earlier drafts of the book.
How did I find out?
It happened when I was strolling around our estate's library, trying to hide from my tutor.
I took any one of the books from the bookshelf so that if my tutor were to find me, she'd see that I was studying and not nag at me.
On the contrary, I did want to know about this world I had transmigrated into.
Yes, I chose the word transmigrated since reincarnation was too overrated.
When I took a quick scan of the book, I realized the history of this world was pretty similar to 'Leveling up in the Fantasy World.'
Only that… there were some things that were different.
Though I sound pretty chill now, when I first found out, I was honestly flabbergasted.
I mean, who knew this would happen?
If my suspicions were correct and that this world really was an older draft of my book.
Then who the hell is Ezra Ashford?
I don't remember writing a character like this.
Doesn't that mean I'm an extra?
That kind of trope where the author transmigrates and becomes an extra?!
Well… the main character is probably off somewhere about to face his tragic event or something.
After all, he needed the backstory.
Anyway, back to the present.
'System'
====
[STATUS]
Name: Ezra Ashford
Level: 1 (0/100)
Race: Human
HP: 100/100
MP: 100/100
Class: None
Strength: F
Intelligence: F
Dexterity: F
Charisma: F
[SKILLS]
None
====
I now had mana, which means I could use magic now, right?
Nah.
I haven't learned anything, what a waste of my 5 years of living.
Oh, and by the way, everyone else had a system interface.
I wasn't anyone special.
When I turn 16, I'll probably be enrolled in this world's academy.
I knew the plot to my book, after all, and those kinds of stories always had an academy.
Since I know the story, I know how to get a head start.
I'll take every skill and item that the main character would get that'd make him stronger.
I mean, screw him, it's every man for himself.
But wait, wouldn't there be a demon king or something?
Eh, I'll just deal with it when the time comes.
"..."
"You're growing up to be a handsome lad, Ezra!" said a woman who could be my aunt.
"Indeed, Beth, Ezra will become an amazing heir for the Ashford Family!" said a man who could be my uncle.
I smiled an awkward smile as I scratched my cheek and said, "Thank you, uncle and Aunt Beth, I hope I live up to your expectations."
"You've really raised him to be so polite, Camilla," said Aunt Beth as she turned to speak to my mother.
Yes, my mother, Camilla Ashford, of the noble house of Arden.
And that gentleman there not too far from us is my father, Dylan Ashford.
"I didn't do much, it was all him."
"Oh, don't be so modest, Camilla."
Look, I know they're supposed to be our branch families or something.
But come on, they're clearly just buttering up my mother.
I mean, I'm pretty sure I look average myself.
The only genes I got from my not-so-average mother were my hair color and eyes.
"Happy Birthday, Ezra."
A girl with red auburn hair and emerald-like green eyes approached me.
"Thank you, Ava," I said with a smile.
This lady right here is my cousin, Ava Ashford.
And she's 2 years older than me.
For some reason, she didn't share the same genes as my average father.
Yes, she was beautiful.
But her personality?
Annoying.
Nagging me and all that.
"Jeez, Ezra, you're already 5, you should learn to clean up your mess better," said Ava as she wiped the table.
See what I'm telling you?
I mean, come on!
Can't she see I'm still eating?
I'll clean it up later.
"Ah, sorry, Ava, you can stop, I'll clean it up myself later."
"That's a bad habit, Ezra.
As the heir of the Ashfords' main family, you should learn to be prim and proper."
See?
Annoying.
Oh, and did I forget to mention she was my aide?
Yes, it was a noble practice for the branch families to give their services to the main house.
But don't get me wrong, they still get their freedom.
It's more like a part-time job.
Yes, a part-time job.
There were also additional benefits.
They'll be treated like a main house family, free food and all that.
Their tuition fees will also be paid for once they enroll at the academy.
Pretty sick.
Anyway, we weren't allowed to progress with our system until we turned 10.
Safety precautions and all that, you know.
But as the author of this book, I knew how to get around that.