I've lived my life without believing in this strange phenomenon that has happened to me "REINCARNATION." I was reborn as a baby into another world, but first, how did I die?
The last thing I remember was fighting with a student in my class. But what led to the fight? Think, Kael.
Oh, I remember. I was defending a girl who was being bullied, and they caught me off guard. One of them swung a plank or a bat I'm not even sure. All I remember is the pain and the taste of metal as I hit the floor. I should've seen it coming. I should've moved. Should've done a lot of things, I guess. After that, my world turned dark.
Uuuh, how could I die when I'm still a virgin? This world is really unfair. I did not get to do a lot of things; I did not explore this world, and I was the heir to the house of Damian. Now my junior brother will have to take over for me.
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
After my world turned dark, I heard a woman screaming like she was in labor. I couldn't see the environment clearly; everything was blurry at first. Then a striking pain hit my head.
"Waaah... waaah... WAAAHHH! Waaah... waaah... WAAAHHH!"
I cried, but wait why does my voice sound like that? Am I a baby? Have I been reborn?
"Awwwn, honey, see... he's so cute." I really have been reborn, and this woman is my mother. I couldn't help but imagine how beautiful and charming she is. And this man must be my father. "Hey little Rynn... I'm your daddy. You can call me dada."
This couple looks like a happy couple, and they do not look rich or even average. It looks like they work hard to survive. This sucks. Every single person prays to be born into the hands of a wealthy family or even a celebrity, but not poor. The heck I guess life really does suck.
It's been three months since I was born, and I have learned a few things. This place is not Japan or, as a matter of fact, this place is not Earth entirely. So what kind of planet is this? For some reason, the whole thing looks familiar, like from those webnovels I normally read at home, but there's still something missing. I haven't experienced magic or seen anyone use it. Mmhm, I guess I'm being too hasty. I should relax. Oh, something smells bad. Where could it be coming from?
"Ohhh, Rynn, you've messed up your body. I should get you cleaned up." Oh, it seems this body is out of my control. I couldn't even hold in a poop.
"Sylvia, I will be stepping out for a walk. Make sure you look after Rynn before I return."
Sylvia replied, "You don't need to worry about a thing, Grayard. He's our son. I will never allow something to happen to him."
"Alright, I'm heading out now. Be a good boy, Rynn."
Moments later, after Sylvia had finished cleaning and the rest of her housework, she tied me on her back and ventured into the forest. She normally collects different types of leaves to make medicine. Greyard, my father, is an adventurer. I wish I could go with him and see how skilled he is in magic. I guess that will be five years from now, anyway.
Mom leaned to cut some bushes when suddenly we heard a sound: drip... drip... drip... At this moment, fear had already been planted in Sylvia as she turned to see. It moved with a speed that even the eyes were not able to follow. The creature moved to our blind spot. This creature charged in with full force and used its sharp claws to strike Sylvia down, but it was just a mere scratch. She was able to move before the creature charged in, but unfortunately, I was injured. It wasn't a serious wound, but the pain was so intense. How could a mere scratch be this painful? I guess this body is a prison after all.
"Waaah... waaah... WAAAHHH! Waaah... waaah... WAAAHHH!"
"Sniffle... Sniffle... Rynn, my son, don't worry. Everything will be ok. Mama will save you."
Before the creature charged in again, my mom stretched out her hand. I thought I was going to see magic for the first time. I did see magic, but not what I was expecting.
Then I saw glowing hexagon shapes surrounding us like a barrier. This was actually the first time I saw magic in person, and it was a beautiful sight. I noticed my injury was healing slowly. It looks like her magic is barrier magic, and anyone under the barrier who has sustained injury will be healed.
The creature hit the barrier but couldn't break it. He hit repeatedly but still couldn't break through. Then the creature spoke.
"Krah'thul naros'dra! Krash'ra, brakar."
Sylvia said, "What? I can't understand what this creature is saying." And I can't use fire magic or earth magic. There's no way I can beat this monster. The only magic I can use is defense magic. I can create barriers for defense and heal in the process. Looks like the place he marked Rynn has healed completely. I shouldn't worry about that, but I need to leave this place. I need to protect Rynn and take him home safe.
"Sorry for that. Looks like you are unable to process what I just said," the creature continued. "I said you should hand over that child you are trying to protect. Then you will live in peace."
"There is no way I'm handing over my child to you."
"If you choose to refuse, I would use force to collect that child from you."
What force? What's he gonna do now? I can't enhance my barrier more than this. What if he breaks it? I have no other option. *Panting... Panting... Panting...* I really wish Greyard was here. He would have taken care of this in the blink of an eye.
The creature raised his arm, and a red substance appeared with black dots. The sky turned dark all of a sudden, and when his magic was ready, he struck the barrier, and it cracked but didn't break through. He struck again, it cracked, and he struck again while screaming. The barrier magic broke, and he finally saw a chance. He was about to strike Sylvia when it suddenly became windy. It was wind magic. The wind had enough force to blow the creature away, and a man came running from a distance. He struck the creature.
It had an effect on the creature, but not a serious one. Then he stepped backward and stretched his hand toward the creature, and a striking fire came out of his hand. It was like a spear; it was good enough to strike through the creature. The creature began to fade, but before he faded away, he left a message saying, "I will surely come back for that child. Make sure you take care of him before that day comes."
*Panting... Panting... Panting...*
"Ma'am, are you alright? I have a camp nearby. You can relax there for some time before you head home. You look like you must have come from a faraway place."
"Oh, thanks for your generosity, but we must start getting going. And also, thanks for the help. If you had not shown up on time, we wouldn't have known what would have become of us."
"No need for that. It's my duty. But are you sure you are heading on a far journey like this? Your son looks pretty tired and hungry. Don't you think you should breastfeed him? Also, I have water and food you can eat and relax for a while."
Sylvia replied, "Mmhm, alright... If you insist."
We started heading toward his camp. He offered us food and water and a place to rest. He's really a kind and generous person.
"Here's some tea, ma'am. Please drink while you rest."
"Thank you very much for your hospitality."
"Please don't mention it."
"You haven't introduced yourself yet. How should I call you?"
"Sorry for my rudeness, ma'am. It looks like I did not introduce myself earlier. My name is Knoxville. You can call me Knox. I'm an adventurer. I live in the capital city of Noctera. I was doing some hunting and adventuring when I suddenly saw that the sky turned black. I traced the magical energy, and that is where I stumbled upon a strange event, so I decided to help."
"Ooh, once again, thank you for helping us back there. I'm grateful."
"No need for that! I told you it's my duty. Anyway, this must be your baby. What's his name?"
"His name is Rynn. Rynn Greyard. He's three months old."
Knoxville replied, "Three months old? He's still a kid."
Knoxville continued, "Why did you take him to the forest? You know that there are creatures lurking in this forest waiting for a helpless human."
Sylvia answered, "I'm fully aware of that, but there was no one that I could leave him with. His father is already out adventuring, so I took him with me to the forest." *Mmhm, this man is from the capital city of Noctera. I can see it based on the kind of armor he's wearing and the sword he's wielding. I've heard rumors that adventurers from there are equipped with expensive armor, swords, and shields, but it looks like he's a B-rank Adventurer.*
"Sir, when you saved us, I saw you used wind and fire magic. Are those the element magics you can use?"
"Yes, those are the only elements I can master. Most people can control all four elements. The ones that can control three elements are A-Rank, and the ones that can control all four elements are S-ranks. Apparently, these S-ranks hold authority after the king of Noctera. They are known as the Mythic Ten. They are the most powerful warriors in Noctera."
Sylvia replied, "I haven't heard about the Mythic Ten until now."
Knoxville stood up and walked toward the kettle to pour more tea into his cup, while Sylvia was taking a sip and breastfeeding Rynn at the same time.
"Yes, it recently happened three months ago. Ten adventurers received a reawakening, and they received the unique ability to manipulate all four elements."
"Wow, they must be really powerful. But how do you get to the city of Noctera from here?"
Knoxville sat, crossing his legs.
"I have a chariot just somewhere in the bushes. It takes me three hours to get to Noctera from here when I'm using the chariot."
"That's a pretty long journey. What about the creature we faced earlier? I haven't seen it before, and it was fast on its feet."
"That was a blood fiend monster. They are like vampire-like monsters who drink the blood of living creatures. They possess unnatural speed, strength, and regenerative powers."
"If you had not helped us back there, that monster must have killed us."
"He would not kill you. He would only knock you unconscious, drink your blood, then leave you lying there helplessly. If you are not strong enough, death might come to you."
We rested for about three hours in Knoxville's camp.
"Mr. Knoxville, we will be on our way now."
Sylvia took Rynn and tied him on her back.
"Alright... Please take care. Do you want me to escort you?"
"You don't need to worry, Mr. Knoxville."
"It's Knoxville, not Mr. I don't even have a family yet."
"Hahahah, anyway, we will be on our way now."
"Please wait."
Knoxville stood up from where he was lighting the fire and quickly rushed inside. When coming out, he brought out a core a monster core.
Sylvia asked, "What's this?"
"This is a monster core. As you are going, if monsters see you holding this, they will not attack."
Sylvia replied, "Isn't something like this supposed to be crazy expensive? Are you sure you are willing to give us this core?"
Knoxville answered, "Yes, you don't need to worry. I can collect it back anytime I see you. And take this."
He handed Sylvia a piece of paper.
"Here's my address. You can come visit me anytime you find yourself in the city of Noctera."
Sylvia replied, "Ok, we will make sure of that."
Knoxville added, "And if your kid awakens, you can leave him to me. I'm pretty skilled in terms of swords and magic."
"Ok, I will make sure of that."
Finally, we arrived home, and it felt like a weight had been lifted from Sylvia. Now she could rest.
"Rynn, I'm glad you are safe. We would have been dead if it wasn't for Mr. Knoxville."
Moments later, my dad came with a beast hanging up on his neck.
"Honey... You caught a big one today. There will be a lot of meat to choose from."
Oh, that meat looks tasty. I guess I can't eat it. My mouth doesn't have the willpower to take on this kind of food. I can only take breast milk.
Four years have passed since then, and I've learned that there are different types of species in this continent. It's divided into four countries: one, the Kingdom of Noctera, the human kingdom; two, the Kingdom of Vamps, the elves' kingdom; three, the Dawns, the demi-humans' territory; four, the Langs, the kingdom of dwarfs. Once every year, all leaders from all countries gather and have a reunion event. These kingdoms have lived in peace for years.
People who use barrier magic are rare, so mom doesn't use her power. That is why she makes healing medicine.
And now I have awakened to a fine mage. I was able to receive two elements: fire and earth. Those were my elements. I was hoping to manipulate all four elements maybe that is me being selfish but in any case, I was skilled with them. My dad trained me with fire magic. My dad uses only earth magic, but in terms of ranks in earth magic, I would say he's an S-Rank. His earth magic is really strong and could destroy a mountain with only a step he takes.
My dad trained me for two years, and I even became a tough opponent for him. He then realized that he wasn't strong enough to teach me anymore.
"Rynn, you've grown to be a fine young man and handsome too. Maybe you will get all the girls' attention."
Sylvia interjected, "Hon, stop telling him that kind of stuff. You know he's still young in age. He needs to know the meaning of life before he thinks of romance."
Rynn replied, "Mom, I would prefer you didn't call me young. I have grown to be a man, not a young man. Even six-year-old kids know the difference between good and bad, so I would prefer you didn't call me young. I know I'm still young for romance, but I need to improve in terms of magic first."
Sylvia responded, "Oh, Rynn, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings like that. Don't worry, Mummy will be cautious from now on, ok?"
Greyard suggested, "Sylvia, how about we get Rynn a teacher?"
"A teacher? I thought you were teaching him magic already."
Greyard explained, "You know his elements are fire and earth, and I've taught him earth to the greatest extent. We should get him a tutor who can manipulate fire magic."
Sylvia asked, "But where are we going to find a tutor who can teach him fire magic?"
"We can hire a tutor from the capital city to teach him."
"The capital city! Now that you mentioned it, I have an address of a man who I think is skilled in fire magic. I think he would be able to teach Rynn fire magic."
Greyard inquired, "Oh, the man you told me about?"
"Yes, he said he lives in the capital city, so he gave me his address. He said if Rynn needs training, I should call on him."
Greyard decided, "I think that might be a great idea. I will ready the carriage tomorrow morning to the capital city."
Oh, it looks like my family just planned to take me to the capital city to train my fire magic. That sounds like a good idea. I will get exposure to the outside world, see what it feels like.
Greyard asked, "What do you think about the idea, Rynn?"
"I think it's great."
Or so it seemed. That night, a blood fiend monster was knocking on the door repeatedly. My mom went ahead to open the door when she was hit by wind magic of the highest level that snapped her to the wall. She couldn't move for some time. My father used his earth magic to attack the monster, but his attacks had no effect. I tried to use the fire magic I had learned, but it still had no effect.
"I told you I would return to take you with me. Now here I am to take you with me."