Time flowed strangely in the early years. To Thomas and Martha, it was the gradual unfolding of a child's development, marked by milestones of growth and learning. To Kurt, it was a frustrating, slow-motion journey, a period of enforced silence where his adult mind was trapped within an infant's body.
He learned to navigate this world through the whispers of others. Thomas and Martha, assuming he understood little, spoke freely in his presence. He absorbed their conversations, piecing together fragments of information about Eldoria. He learned of the sprawling kingdom, its rolling hills and ancient forests, its scattered villages and bustling towns. He discovered that Eldorian society was sharply divided: a world of nobles and commoners.
The nobles, he understood, were the elite, the landowners, the wielders of power and privilege. They lived in grand estates, held lavish feasts, and often indulged in leisurely pursuits, such as hunting. The commoners, the peasants, formed the backbone of the kingdom, working the land, crafting goods, and serving the needs of the nobility.
Martha, with her gentle patience, often read aloud from old storybooks and tattered histories. Kurt, his infant eyes fixed on the colorful illustrations, devoured the words, his adult mind racing to connect the pieces of this new reality. He learned of Eldoria's past, its kings and queens, its wars and alliances, its myths and legends.
As he grew into a young child, his curiosity led him to explore the world beyond the cabin, within the safe boundaries set by Thomas and Martha. One crisp autumn afternoon, while "playing" near the edge of the woods, he saw something that stirred a deep fascination within him.
A figure moved through the trees, a man dressed in fine clothes, his bearing suggesting a certain arrogance and confidence. Even with his limited understanding of fashion, Kurt could tell this man was a noble. He moved with an easy grace, his boots polished, his cloak fastened with a silver clasp.
The noble carried no visible weapons, which struck Kurt as odd. He remembered learning from Martha's books that hunting was a common pastime for the nobility, a way to display their skill and wealth. But this man seemed to be simply… wandering.
Intrigued, Kurt followed him at a safe distance, his small legs carrying him as quietly as possible through the undergrowth. He watched as the noble stopped near a clearing, his gaze fixed on something in the distance.
A deer emerged from the trees, its movements fluid and graceful. The noble raised his hand, his fingers moving in a strange, intricate pattern. He was enchanting something.
Suddenly, a spear of pure, shimmering energy materialized in the air beside him. It was no ordinary weapon; it pulsed with a divine light, radiating power. The noble, with a casual flick of his wrist, sent the spear hurtling towards the deer.
The spear struck true, piercing the deer with deadly accuracy. The animal fell instantly, its life extinguished by the sudden, overwhelming force.
Kurt watched, his heart pounding in his chest. He was astonished, utterly captivated by the display of power. He had never seen anything like it.
I've never learned anything like this from books, he thought, his mind reeling. This was not the magic of fairy tales or the simple enchantments described in Martha's stories. This was something else, something... divine.
The noble approached the fallen deer, his expression one of bored satisfaction. He dismissed the energy spear, and it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. He then casually hoisted the deer onto his shoulder and turned to head back into the woods, unaware of the small child who had witnessed his display of power.
Kurt remained hidden, his mind buzzing with questions. What was that weapon? How had the noble summoned it? What was this divine power? And more importantly... could he learn to do it too? A spark of something, a mixture of awe and ambition, ignited within him. He had found a new mystery, a new path to explore in this strange, new world.