The morning sun warmed the village. At the entrance of Kai's house, his father, Garrett, knelt in the dirt before him. His broad, calloused hands rested on Kai's shoulders.
Heavy hands.
'I was going to work on Shade today. He's finally able to accept small commands and can interact with physical objects...'
"You're three now," Garrett said, his voice steady but tired.
'Really? I know you idiots don't celebrate birthdays here, but we did have a better meal than usual.'
"I am! I turned three last month!" Kai said, happily.
'I'm over halfway towards my magical assessment!'
"Your sister is practicing her divine magic in the church, and you're old enough to see the world with your own eyes. Figure out what you want to do. Figure out what kind of man you want to become."
'Man? Dude, I'm three years old.'
Kai looked up at his father. Garrett always worked, always moved, as if stopping for too long would cause everything around him to fall apart. Even now, exhaustion clung to him like a shadow, yet his gaze was unwavering.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pendant, pressing it into Kai's small hand.
"This will keep you safe, no matter what," Garrett promised. "Whatever path you take, wear it."
Kai looked down at the pendant, then back at his father.
Kai clutched the small pendant in his tiny hands, rubbing his thumb over its smooth, worn surface. The metal was cool, the intricate design on its face a mystery to him.
He nodded, fastening the chain around his neck. Garrett ruffled his hair before standing with a grunt.
"Go on, then. The village is yours to explore."
With that, he turned and walked back toward their home, already lost in the work that awaited him. A broken clock here, a broom there.
Kai took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Kai stepped out of his home's front yard, the cool morning air brushing against his skin as he clutched the small pendant in his palm.
The weight of the pendant comforted him, though he wasn't entirely sure why. His father's words echoed in his mind.
A big request for a three-year-old, but Kai wasn't just any child.
The village stretched before him, a collection of sturdy wooden buildings with stone foundations rested between mountains on one side and a large river on the other.
The scent of freshly baked bread drifted from the Tom's bakery, mingling with the sharper tang of burning coal from the blacksmith's forges further down the street.
He walked at a steady pace, taking everything in.
Farmers hauled sacks of grain toward the market. A group of women stood outside the washhouse, their hands glowing faintly as they used magic to control water. Nearby, burly men stacked wooden beams, muscles flexing as they reinforced a new structure.
Everywhere he looked, there was movement. There was purpose.
Kai tightened his grip on the pendant.
'And what about me? Where do I fit in?'
Eventually, he reached the heart of the village, the square, where a towering stone statue dominated the space. He settled himself cross-legged before it, gazing up at the figure of Esmerelda.
Carved from weathered stone, the hero stood tall, her armoured form exuding an air of power and grace. A massive sword rested in her hands, its tip planted firmly against the ground. A long cape flowed behind her, frozen in mid-billow, as if caught in an eternal gust of wind. Her face was calm, resolute, eyes staring forward as if watching over the village she had once saved.
Esmerelda. The warrior who had defeated a great evil and saved the world.
Kai studied her, tilting his head. He had heard the stories, just as everyone had. Bedtime stories often had small tales of her brave adventures sprinkled in. She was a legend, a hero of unmatched strength. People still worshipped her, prayed at the statue's base for guidance and protection.
'What would you do, Esmerelda? Would you just sit around waiting for someone to tell you what you're meant to be?'
The pendant in his hand pulsed with warmth. Or maybe that was just his imagination. Either way, he exhaled slowly.
'Alright. If I don't know where to start… I'll just have to try everything.'
---
Kai's eyes flicking between the burly men standing before him at a construction site.
They were thickly built, with arms and legs like bodybuilders from magazines in his old world.
'These guys don't skip leg day.'
Their leader, a man with a bushy beard and an even bushier personality, cracked his knuckles and smirked down at him.
"So, kid. You say that ya got magic unlike yer folks? How's about ya try strengthening magic with us and the boys, then? We'll keep ya out of trouble, and ya'll get to see if our magic is more yer style."
Kai resisted the urge to grimace.
'This wasn't my intention, but learning more magic wouldn't hurt. I'd prefer to have a mentor who can speak normally, but the physical strengthening magic in this village is used by men like this...'
Instead, he grinned up at them.
"Sure! I want to try it! How do I use your magic?"
The bearded man laughed, clapping Kai on the back with enough force to nearly knock the air from his lungs. "That's the spirit! Now, close yer eyes and feel for the magic in ya bones."
Kai did as he was told. He reached inward, searching for a power that resonated with the men around him. The image of a hulking, muscular warrior flickered in his mind's eye, an overwhelming presence of pure, raw strength.
He grasped at that feeling, pulling it toward himself. His body trembled, a strange, buzzing warmth spreading through his limbs.
"There ya go! Keep at it, lad. Strength ain't just muscle, it's 'bout willpower, too."
Kai exhaled, nodding.
Kai gritted his teeth. As he tried to lift a boulder, or what was a boulder, to a three-year-old, sweat beaded above his brow and streaked down his face.
Around him, the burly men of the village watched with folded arms and approving nods. Their leader, the bearded giant named Garrik, barked out encouragement.
"That's it, lad! Feel the magic in yer core and push it through yer muscles! Strength ain't just lifting heavy things! it's 'bout mastering yer own power!"
Kai exhaled sharply, feeling the familiar buzzing warmth of magic coursing through his veins. He pulled on the source of mana harder, trying to channel it more efficiently. But something felt… off.
The warmth intensified, growing hotter, wilder, like a firestorm ready to burst.
His fingers trembled against the rock. His vision blurred.
"Uh, kid—" Garrik started, his voice shifting from excitement to alarm.
A surge of raw energy erupted from Kai's body, a purple aura flaring to life around him. With a sudden urge, Kai called out the name of his technique in his mind.
'Bull's Strength!'
The boulder lifted, but with the updraft created the raw power of Kai's strengthening magic, so did a dozen other objects in the vicinity.
Wood planks, buckets, even one of the smaller men, were momentarily swept into the air by the force of his uncontrolled magic.
The ground beneath his feet cracked, sending tremors through the construction site.
"Whoa, whoa! Stop that, NOW!" Garrik shouted, grabbing Kai's shoulder.
The instant their skin met, Kai's power dispersed like a popped bubble.
Kai gasped for air and his knees buckling beneath him.
The boulder, along with the other debris, dropped to the ground with a heavy thud, sending dust into the air.
The construction workers steadied themselves, some coughing from the dust and dirt that got caught in their lungs, while others gawked at the spectacle.
Kai panted, staring at his shaking hands.
'I lost control.'
Garrik let out a booming laugh, though his eyes held a flicker of unease.
"Well, kid, if that ain't the biggest burst of raw strength magic I've seen in years. But next time, let's not go turnin' the village square into a war zone, aye?"
Kai gulped and nodded. Lesson learned—his magic wasn't something to be toyed with. He needed control.
'I'll get the hang of this.'
He spent a couple of hours with the construction workers and started lifting heavier items as the day went on. Heavier objects at 3 years old than he even lifted as a thirty-five-year-old man in his past life.
Kai focused on himself until a familiar screen appeared.
[Name: Kai Tensen | Age: 3 Years | Languages Translated: Imerian | Skills: Mana Manipulation, Mana Tempering, Shadow Manipulation, Minor Strengthening Magic | Spellcasting: Novice | Spells: Rejuvenate, Thrall Control, Shadow Conjuring, Bull's Strength | Specialisation: ??? - To be revealed upon Magical Assessment]
Bull's Strength, huh? I guess, if I don't call the spells anything, they'll be given a suitable name, but if I call them something, that's permanent as well. I may need to be careful about naming my spells. I don't want weird things in there that I name impulsively...