Kael's eyes fluttered open, though they didn't have to fight through any kind of fog. His mind was... sharp. Almost too sharp for the tiny, underdeveloped body he found himself in. He was vaguely aware of the warmth that surrounded him, the slight hum of motion beneath him, and the soft sounds of voices in the air.
The realization came slowly. He wasn't dead anymore.
"Not the worst reincarnation, I'll give it that," Kael mused inwardly. His red eyes flickered, the dull baby gaze betraying no trace of the mind within. He could feel his limbs, the soft fabric of a blanket wrapped around him, the gentle sway of the carriage beneath him. He was lying in a basket, no more than an infant in a strange world.
"What's the deal with this?" Kael thought, his tiny form surprisingly calm despite the situation. "I mean, I could have ended up as a rat in some alley, but no, I get to be the cute baby in a basket."
A muffled conversation reached his ears, but it wasn't quite clear at first, muddled by the quiet rumbles of the carriage's wheels over cobblestones.
"Are you sure we should even bring him along? What if he's dangerous?" a woman's voice asked, skeptical and cautious.
"Oh, stop it," another voice, rougher and more annoyed, chimed in. "The child's an orphan, and he's harmless. We'll just drop him off in Xyrus. Let the officials sort him out. Maybe they'll have a use for him."
"Perhaps," a third voice, low and thoughtful, added, "But we'll need to be careful. Something about him… doesn't sit right with me."
Kael found himself smiling faintly, though it was less about the conversation and more about his new circumstances. He was listening to the worries of strangers who clearly had no clue what they were dealing with. He, a mere infant, was already better off than them.
"Ah, the world's still full of surprises, it seems," Kael thought with a touch of sarcasm.
He could feel the mana swirling in his new body, delicate yet potent. His affinity with mana, enhanced by his previous wish, was far above that of any regular person, even at this stage. With each breath he took, a subtle current of mana coursed through his tiny form. It was like a whisper against his consciousness, a tantalizing promise of power. Power he could sense but not yet wield.
But that was about to change.
He closed his eyes, focusing inward. His mind, fully capable of processing the mana in his new body, went to work. The first step was clear: shard collection. From what he could recall about Arthur from The Beginning After the End, the formation of a mana core was a critical stage in one's development. In this world, it wasn't a matter of a simple "gather energy and condense it" process. No, the formation of the core required careful manipulation, discipline, and most importantly, control over the elements of nature itself.
Kael smirked. With his new affinity and control, this should be far easier than it was for Arthur. The process wouldn't take long at all.
But first, he needed to collect.
His tiny hands twitched, and his gaze locked inward, narrowing in on the mana particles that surrounded him. It felt almost instinctual—everything about his body had an innate understanding of mana now, a far better understanding than any newborn in this world should have.
With the flick of a thought, Kael called the first shard to him.
The air around him trembled as a fragment of mana, glowing with faint blue and gold light, slowly gathered in the center of his chest. He could feel it. The shard was like a single note in an intricate symphony, a singular piece of a greater whole that was his potential. He focused on it, letting the shard grow in power, feeling it solidify within him.
"Is that it?" he mused to himself, irritated by how effortless it was. "Arthur had to struggle, and I just... pull mana like I'm breathing. The perks of my wish, I guess."
As the first shard settled into place, Kael could sense the faint lines of his core beginning to form. It was a delicate web of energy, a frame that would eventually support his growing abilities. But there was no rush. He knew this process would take time—just not as much as others would need.
The voices in the carriage grew louder as the people spoke about him once more.
"Look, we're almost at the southern teleportation gate leading to xyrus," the rough voice said. "We'll drop him off in Xyrus. Someone will deal with him. Maybe some noble will take him in, or a church will try to do their good deed."
The woman's voice spoke again, more wary. "I just don't trust this whole thing. I know it sounds crazy, but he doesn't feel like a normal child. There's something off about him."
"Relax," the third voice—perhaps a man—said, chuckling. "He's just a baby. How much trouble can he cause?"
Kael couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. If only they knew.
He turned his attention back to the mana shard he was manipulating. His core was slowly taking shape, and with each passing second, his connection to the mana around him deepened. He called for more shards, slowly bringing in a dozen fragments, forming a basic structure within his chest. He could feel them vibrating in unison, each one a part of the greater whole.
"The basic structure is core structure is complete," Kael thought, the smile in his mind turning smug. "Easy."
Of course, that was just the beginning. Forming a full mana core, a stable core, was a complex task. But Kael had time, and now that he had a better understanding of how mana worked, he was confident that it wouldn't be long before he could completely stabilize it.
He felt the process settle into place, the shards becoming one with his body. His mana affinity was unmatched, even in this infant form. The structure was firm but fluid, ready to grow with him.
Finally, his attention turned to the status screen. It was time to assess what kind of progress he had made in this new life, to see what potential lay before him.
The glowing letters appeared in his mind:
---
[Name: Kael Lunaris(previous life)
Race: Lunarian
Title(S)-Reincarnated
Level:0
Age: 0 (Newborn)
Class(S):none
Mana Affinity: ???+ (Enhanced by Cosmic Entity)
Mana Control: sss+
Mana affinity:none
Traits:
1) Ancient Lunarian Physiology (SS+): Increased durability, flight, and fire manipulation(partly wekened due to age).
2)genius (EX):Allows one to have the highest profenancy in all aspects in fields such as combat,magic,runenalagy,crafting ecr.
Stats:
Strength:12
Agility:12
Intelligence: 37
Defense:50
Charisma:26
Luck: 55
Free status points:
Skills:
Mana Manipulation (AA+): Can manipulate mana at a basic level.
Soul authority(s+)(growth): grants authority over souls at a fundamental level for diffrent uses.
Shadow/death authority (???++)(weakened/sealed):Grants authority over death,shadows and darkness.
Other functions:
[Shop](mana core needed before activation)[invantory](mana core needed before activation).
]
Kael couldn't help but let out a smirk. The status screen wasn't just a system—it was a reminder of what was possible, of the potential that was now his to shape. There were a few gaps in his abilities and stats—nothing too concerning, not when he knew what he was capable of. But he could feel the challenge that would come with mastering these powers. His journey had only just begun.
"Well, well," Kael thought, his mind sharpening with a focus that belied his infant form. "Looks like things are about to get interesting."
As the carriage rattled forward, he felt the first stirrings of power within him, the faintest whispers of what he would one day become. The world of The Beginning After the End awaited, and Kael Lunaris was ready to leave his mark on it—one shard at a time.