It's been about three months since my reincarnation. My bones and muscles aren't strong enough yet for me to walk or even crawl. My name now is Emilia—a rare coincidence, as it's quite similar to the name I had before.
In these few months, I've come to realize some things. I wasn't born into the same world as before; this is a completely different one. Or it might be the same world in a different era.
Either way, it doesn't matter much since the way of life will be different regardless. I know this because the people around me speak a language that didn't exist in that world, though it might just be a forgotten language.
I've managed to learn a few words, and thelanguage is incredibly easy. I can now understand what people are saying almost entirely, but I've decided to act like a normal child my age. My parents might hate me if they discover I've been reincarnated. I won't repeat the same mistakes; I'll
learn from them.
As for my family, it's made up of four members. There's Charlotte, my mother, who is always cheerful and in a good mood. Even when I do something wrong, she doesn't get angry—she just scolds me in a peaceful tone. But I still need to be cautious around her. There's always a chance she's just using me. Then there's Louis, my father. I rarely see him since he works as a farmer. He leaves early in the morning and comes back late at night, so I'm usually asleep when he's around. He's kind whenever we meet, but I don't know much about him yet. Then there's Edward, my older brother. He's three years older than me, clumsy and sweet, always breaking things. He's a bit jealous of the attention our mother gives me, but he's still very nice to me. We all live together in a small village in a modest house.
After about a year, I could finally walk and talk. I think that's a bit early for my age, but not too far off. I've also gained more freedom and discovered a few other things, though nothing too significant.
One day, as I was deep in thought while looking out the window, I heard my mother call me from the kitchen.
"Emilia, could you come to the kitchen?"
Of course, I went. When I got there, I was shocked. I saw something unbelievable. My mother was conjuring water from her hand to use in cooking, and she didn't seem the least bit surprised. It was as if this was something completely normal for her. Trying to hide my astonishment, I asked her what it was.
"Mom, what's that coming out of your hand?"
"It's water, obviously. Oh! You mean how I made it appear? Darling, it's magic."
I was utterly stunned. Now, I'm certain that this world is different from my previous one. I need to learn how to use magic—it's probably considered a superpower here.
"So, Mom, how can I use magic?" I asked her.
"Sorry, my beautiful daughter, but you're not strong enough yet. Your mana isn't developed enough. Most people can start using magic around the age of seven, but I'm sure my little genius will be able to do it in less than five years. I promise to teach you when the time comes. Your mom is a great sorceress, after all! But if you don't want to learn from me, you can wait until you're ten and go to school for it," she explained.
"Of course, I'll learn from you. But, Mom, aren't you overestimating me a bit?"
"There's no harm in being a little proud, my darling, beautiful, humble genius!" she replied.
Without realizing it, I blushed a little. And from what she said, it didn't seem like she was lying. It all made sense. I guess I'll wait until I'm a bit older to learn magic. I think I'll also start learning how to read and write.
"Are you blushing?" my mom teased, letting out a light laugh.
"No, I'm not," I replied, trying to sound serious.
"Anyway, what I wanted to ask you: would you like to learn how to cook?" she asked.
"Why would I refuse? I love learning new things, after all," I answered.
I don't exactly love or hate cooking, but learning anything could be useful in the future, so I had no problem with it.
"Great! I'll teach you one of my special recipes," she said.
And so, my mother started teaching me about the ingredients, how to mix them, and the basics of cooking.
Several years have passed. I'm now three and a half years old in this world. I haven't done anything extraordinary during these years. I've just been learning how to cook with my mother, trying to practice magic (though I always fail), and working on strengthening my physical body to build good stamina. This training will surely come in handy if I ever get into a magical fight. My relationship with my brother has also become friendlier. He's always trying to protect me even when I'm not in danger, but I don't trust him entirely yet. However, I can't imagine him doing anything malicious. He seems too clumsy for that, but I'll stay cautious.
One day, as I was walking through the garden with my brother, listening to him talk about what he did with his friends and the games they played, I noticed my parents sitting together. This was very unusual, especially during the time my father should be working. Both of them looked incredibly serious. I turned to look at them, curious about what they were discussing, and my brother noticed their seriousness too. He also began to pay attention. While we were watching, they realized we were observing them. My mother then called us over, her serious expression unchanged.
"Emilia, Edward, come here. There's something you both need to know, especially you, Emilia."
I was startled by the tone in my mother's voice. This cheerful, easygoing woman had turned serious. My mind filled with hundreds of possibilities, most of them bad. My brother immediately ran over, sensing the gravity of the situation, and I followed him.