The moment mana bloomed in his core, something else bloomed with it.
A soft chime echoed inside Aeron's mind, as if the world had whispered to him through the veil of existence.
> [System Activation: Complete.]
[Host: Aeron Nightveil]
[Initializing Soul Resonance… 3%... 7%... 12%...]
Aeron's breath caught.
He was only two years old—but not truly.
His consciousness sharpened, every nerve alive with sensation. The threads of mana no longer drifted vaguely around him. Now, they glowed—visible, vibrant, alive.
And the System…
It wasn't intrusive. No floating screen before his eyes. No robotic voice. It existed like instinct, a presence woven into the deepest part of his soul.
> "So… it finally begins," he thought, lying on his straw bed beneath a warm blanket as rain pattered softly outside.
---
The days that followed were quiet, uneventful to others—but to Aeron, each day was revelation.
The System offered information, but not answers. It did not guide him like a mentor, nor hand him power on a silver platter.
Instead, it served as a reflection—a mirror of potential.
His status page revealed vague details:
[Name: Aeron Nightveil]
[Race: Human (??? Hybrid Detected)]
[Tier: Unawakened (Mana Core Formed)]
[Affinity: ??? (Analyzing…)]
[Bloodline: Fragmented Warlord Lineage [Sealed]]
[Companion Link: Dormant]
[Skills: Mana Perception (L1),
Mental Fortitude (L2),
Hidden Trait: Ancient Soul]
> "Even the System isn't fully awake," he murmured once, staring at the crackling hearth as Lyra braided flowers into his hair.
But that was fine.
He didn't need full access.
Not yet.
---
He tested his limits in silence.
When Lyra spun in the field chasing dandelions, Aeron stood in the shade, drawing sigils into the dirt with a twig. Circles, triangles, and lines—meaningless at first, but slowly layered with intent.
When their mother ground herbs by the window, he sat nearby, channeling mana into his fingers, just enough to cause the leaves to curl unnaturally.
No one noticed.
That was the goal.
He practiced breathing—long inhales, deeper exhales—pulling mana into his lungs, cycling it, trying to feel the "flow" everyone spoke of.
And on stormy nights, when the wind howled and thunder cracked above, Aeron whispered to the shadows beneath his cradle.
They whispered back.
---
He failed often.
His mana spiraled out of control more than once.
He sneezed once and shattered a mug.
Another time, a patch of flowers around him wilted when he lost focus.
But he learned.
From each mistake.
He wasn't just learning magic—he was rebuilding an empire from within, starting with himself.
---
His bond with Lyra only grew stronger.
She didn't understand what her little brother was becoming.
But she didn't need to.
To her, he was the bright-eyed, quiet child who never cried unless it was strategic, who somehow always knew when she was sad.
He listened. Always.
And in return, she stayed by his side like a second shadow.
When she read aloud, Aeron absorbed the language's structure and nuance.
When she taught him letters, he learned not just to read—but to analyze spell runes hidden in them.
"Little genius," their father often joked.
But Aeron only smiled.
---
One evening, Aeron sat outside, his tiny legs tucked under him, watching the stars shimmer like scattered mana crystals.
His hands rested on his lap, palms up.
> "System," he whispered within. "Can you hear me?"
There was no reply.
But something stirred in the back of his mind.
A faint hum.
Then—
> [Resonance Level: 14%]
[Hidden Function Unlocked: Skill Imprint – Passive Memory Retention (Locked at Lvl 1)]
His eyes widened.
> "It grows with me… slow, but steady."
He closed his eyes and opened himself to the night. The wind brushed past him, laced with mana. He could almost feel his own core breathing in rhythm with the world.
Something ancient pulsed deep within his chest.
A reminder:
He was not meant to stay small forever.
---
Weeks passed.
His control improved.
He began creating invisible threads—mana strands as thin as hair—guiding them through the air like tiny serpents. He used them to gently lift pebbles, stir water in bowls, even light small flames without touching kindling.
All of it, done in secret.
Lyra caught him once, watching him from the corner of her eye as a cup floated half an inch off the table.
She didn't say anything.
But she smiled.
A knowing smile.
He felt her trust in that moment.
And that was worth more than any power.
---
Then one day…
It stopped.
Not his training, not the mana—but the peaceful time.
A sharp pressure in his chest bloomed like fire, and the world shifted.
The system flared with messages:
> [Resonance Surge Detected.]
[User: Aeron Nightveil has achieved Core Stabilization.]
[Memory Protocol Enhanced. Growth Speed Increased.]
[WARNING: Bloodline Reaction Detected. Seals Holding…]
[Initiating Soul Adaptation Mode.]
Aeron collapsed to his knees, clutching his ribs as pain stabbed deep into his core. Not physical pain—but metaphysical. Like his soul was burning through ice.
He gasped.
Visions flickered in his mind.
A throne of ash.
A battlefield drenched in blue flames.
A dragon chained to a mountain.
His own voice shouting a name he no longer remembered.
Then—
Darkness.
Silence.
Sleep.
---