The sun peeked through the wooden shutters of their cottage, casting a golden glow on the boy’s slumbering face. Ten winters had passed since his birth, and yet his eyes still carried the depth of lifetimes. Not just because of the memories he hid from his past life, but because each day he watched the world differently—like he was measuring it for something greater.
"Wake up, Aerin. It’s your tenth name day," his mother’s gentle voice floated through the room, soft and warm as ever.
Aerin stirred, eyes opening slowly, a smile spreading as he looked at her. His mother, Elira, had aged only in wisdom, her beauty untouched by the years. Her presence had always been calming—yet he knew now, she was much more than just the loving caretaker of his childhood.
“Mother,” he said, sitting up, “will you teach me magic now? For real?”
She chuckled, brushing a lock of his hair behind his ear. “You haven’t stopped asking me for the past two years. I suppose ten is a good age to begin… though you're already quite ahead.”
Aerin’s heart thumped. His reincarnated soul had known powerful magics, devastating spells that could ftten battlefields. But here, in this new life, he wanted to start fresh—not cheat his growth, but understand it.
---
Magic Lessons Begin
That evening, Elira took him into the woods behind their home. There, beside a quiet stream, she stood barefoot on the mossy earth and gestured for him to sit.
“Magic,” she began, her voice taking on a melodic cadence, “is not about control. It is about harmony.”
Aerin listened intently.
“There are Five Pilrs of Mana,” she continued. “To master magic, one must understand these pilrs as part of themselves.”
She traced glowing symbols in the air with her fingertip. As each word was spoken, faint strands of light shimmered around them.
1. Source – “Mana flows from the world. Earth, wind, fire, water, spirit—these are the primal fonts.”
2. Conduit – “Your body becomes the channel. If it resists, the magic breaks.”
3. Will – “Magic responds to desire. Not impulse, but purpose.”
4. Form – “Mana must be shaped. Words, runes, hand signs—these are tools to give form to your will.”
5. Release – “The final moment—where thought becomes reality.”
She raised her hand, and the stream stilled. A moment ter, the water curved upward like a ribbon, glowing with soft blue energy.
“This is Phase Two manipution,” she said softly. “Shaping mana into external force.”
Aerin’s eyes gleamed. He mimicked her motion. His first attempts were shaky, mana leaking like water through open fingers. But Elira patiently guided him—helping him feel, not force.
---
Within Weeks…
His progress was unlike anything she had seen.
By the end of the first month, he could gather mana and form small orbs of light and fme. He meditated with the stream, learning to “listen” to water’s flow. With each exercise, his conduit grew stronger.
One night, Elira watched as Aerin floated a cluster of pebbles in the air—stable, precise, no shaking.
“You’ve entered Phase Two already?” she whispered, more to herself than him.
He smiled, not proudly, but humbly. “I can feel mana now, not just outside—but inside me. Like it’s… singing.”
She was stunned. Phase Two usually took years for young magicians. But Aerin absorbed knowledge like a sponge—his willpower, his discipline… it wasn’t normal.
But she didn’t ask questions. Some part of her had always known—her son was not ordinary.
---
The Bond of Magic and Blood
That night, as they sat beside the hearth, Elira held a pendant to her chest. “Aerin,” she said softly, “the path of magic is filled with beauty… but also danger. Never use it to prove your power. Only to protect, or to heal.”
“I know,” he nodded. “And I promise. I’ll never hurt the innocent. I… I wasn’t always like this, but I’ve learned.”
Elira smiled, stroking his cheek. “Then you’re already a true mage, my son.”
Outside, the stars blinked awake in the sky—witnesses to the rise of a boy destined to change everything.
And deep within Aerin’s soul, the Guardian Bde slumbered still… waiting for its bearer to be ready.
