After awakening, Brandon became a bit too excited. This excitement caused him to lose some of his usual caution. Now, lying in bed, unable to move, he finally began to calm down and reflect on the changes that his newfound power had brought.

  Brandon thought deeply. His abilities seemed much stronger than the records had suggested, which confused him. As far as he could tell, there was nothing extraordinary about his body or mind compared to anyone else’s. He came from the same womb as his siblings, and he believed that there was no reason why he should be any different. If there was any difference, it would likely be in his perception of the world. His experiences, the knowledge he had gained, and his way of understanding the world were what set him apart from everyone else.

  Perhaps it was this difference in understanding that caused his abilities to exceed what the books had predicted. Brandon began to entertain the idea that the key to improving his power might lie in gaining a deeper understanding of the world itself. Power, after all, was only a tool, and mastery over it was a result of experience. But a greater understanding of the world would be like upgrading the tool itself.

  As Brandon y there, lost in thought, memories from his past life seemed distant and faded. He could barely recall the specifics of his previous existence—just vague fragments. But now, with his abilities awakened, he felt the distinct difference between this world and the one he had once known. Though this world seemed much the same—the wind still blew, the snow still fell—only after his powers had awakened did he truly understand that he was now in a completely different pce.

  After lying in bed for several days, Brandon finally forced himself to rise. Despite still feeling weak, he had spent this time reflecting, experimenting, and analyzing. His abilities were a new, uncharted territory, and though his past life’s knowledge had amplified them, he realized he could not let himself be constrained by old beliefs. Now, he began to spread his magic evenly around himself, with no particur shape or purpose—just letting it flow naturally, surrounding him on all sides.

  “How does it feel?” Dani asked, her expression filled with concern.

  “It’s amazing,” Brandon replied.

  As the magic flowed outward, it reached Dani and was immediately repelled, as if it were water flowing around a rock. It created an empty space in the air around her body, a strange, human-shaped void. This was something Brandon had discovered recently: living beings had an instinctive resistance to the magic he emanated, even if it was just a tiny amount. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t penetrate that resistance. The only exception so far was Flower, his bck cat. When he focused his magic on Flower, it flowed effortlessly through the cat's body, as if there were no resistance at all.

  “Dani, let’s go to the warehouse,” Brandon suddenly suggested.

  “Again? You should rest for a few more days,” Dani replied, her voice ced with concern.

  “I’m fine now, Dani,” Brandon insisted.

  “But the dy asked me to keep an eye on you. You’ve been behaving well for the past few days; let’s not spoil it.”

  “You’re my trusted servant; we’re in this together. I promise, I’m just going to take a look,” Brandon said with a pyful grin. “Besides, I won’t do anything with you watching.”

  Dani gave him a skeptical look. “I have a bad feeling about this. You’re up to something.”

  “I swear, no funny business. I just want to look around.” Brandon gave her his most convincing, earnest look.

  Dani wasn’t entirely convinced, but after a moment, she reluctantly agreed.

  …

  Brandon stood in front of the weapon rack, staring at the broken sword in front of him. His magic gently enveloped the sword's bde. Now, he could sense the different yers of the weapon—its edge, the body of the bde, its surface and internal structure. He marveled at the craftsmanship. However, this level of awareness was still insufficient for him. He focused more intensely, trying to decipher the bde’s deeper structure. Sweat began to bead on his forehead as his concentration deepened.

  But just as Brandon felt he was on the verge of understanding something, Dani realized something was wrong. She grabbed him by the colr and dragged him out of the warehouse, growling, “You lied to me!”

  Brandon’s magic had a limited range—only about three meters—so he could only watch helplessly as the sword moved out of his sensory range. “I really didn’t do anything!” he protested, waving his hands as if to emphasize his sincerity.

  “Go to hell!” Dani snapped, not buying his expnation.

  Brandon sighed, knowing full well that Dani wasn’t going to let him off the hook so easily. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was getting closer to unlocking something important.