Darkness. Silence. A strange emptiness filled my mind, as though I were drifting in an endless void. Then, a sudden warmth enveloped me, followed by a blinding light. A cacophony of unfamiliar voices surrounded me, their tones filled with excitement, relief, and—was that reverence?
"Congratulations, my Lord! It's a boy!"
My vision was hazy, but I could make out vague figures. The realization hit me like a thunderbolt—I had been reborn. Memories of my past life came rushing back. I had been an ordinary university student, and my life had been tragically cut short. But now, I was no longer that person.
"What shall we name the young master?" a gentle voice inquired.
"Cael von Althaus," came the reply, spoken with pride.
My new name. I had been born into the noble house of Althaus, one of the most powerful families in the Kingdom of Eldoria. My father, Duke Reinhardt von Althaus, was a revered warrior, known for his unmatched swordsmanship and military prowess. My mother, Lady Evelyne, was of royal blood, making me a child of both noble and regal lineage.
As the days turned to months, I quickly realized that this world was vastly different from my old one. Magic existed—true, raw, and powerful magic. Nobles were expected to wield either the sword or the arcane, but my family had long abandoned the practice of magic, favoring brute strength and military might instead.
However, there was something special about me. As I grew, I felt an innate connection to mana, the very essence of magic. By the time I was three, I could instinctively sense its flow around me. By four, I could manipulate it in small ways.
One fateful evening, while playing in the garden, I stretched out my tiny hand, and without meaning to, a small orb of light flickered into existence. My mother gasped, and my father's eyes widened in disbelief.
"A mage… in the Althaus bloodline?" my father muttered. "This hasn't happened in centuries."
From that moment, my fate was sealed. I was no ordinary noble. I was something more—a reincarnated soul with knowledge beyond this world and a talent long thought to be extinct. And I would use this power to carve my own path, one that would shake the very foundations of Eldoria.
To be continued…