Coeus opened his eyes for the second time in this new life.
At first, all he could see were vertical bars towering above him. His body felt heavy, awkward. His neck refused to cooperate, and everything was too bright, too loud, too soft, all at once. Slowly, memory came rushing back—the vacuum of space, the broken hull of his ship, and his final thoughts as the cold seeped into his bones.
'I died... and now I'm here.'
He blinked, adjusting to the strange stillness of the room around him. A warm light glowed on the stone walls, but it wasn't firelight. He couldn't see the source from his crib, but the illumination hummed softly with the signature pulse of aether—mana.
'So I passed out right after being born… I suppose retaining my entire lifetime of memories would overload any newborn brain. Honestly, it's a miracle I'm even conscious now.'
To his side, a tall figure lay asleep on an ornate bed—his mother. Even in slumber, her arm rested toward the crib, as though she had kept a protective hand nearby throughout the night.
'She must've been worried. I should let her know I'm alright… though I doubt I'll be giving a full report any time soon.'
"Uwaaa… Waaaa!"
The moment he cried out, her eyes snapped open. She rose without hesitation and rushed over, cradling him in her arms. Her embrace was warm, her scent floral and faintly herbal. The glow of relief in her eyes spoke volumes.
Now in her arms, Coeus finally had a full view of the room. It was massive, with high arched ceilings, stone-carved columns, and a mural painted across the domed top—a radiant tree whose roots spiraled into the stars.
'A royal room, no doubt. Far too luxurious for a common family. And I was right—this isn't Earth. Not even close.'
What struck him most was the room's strange blend of technologies. There were softly glowing crystals embedded in bronze fixtures that served as lighting, alongside decorative gas lamps and even a few electric bulbs in chandeliers that looked half-magical, half-industrial. Three forms of illumination in one space, none fully dominant.
A knock at the chamber door drew his mother's attention. A man in crisp robes entered—older, with a trimmed silver beard and a leather-bound satchel.
"The royal physician, Your Grace," the attendant announced.
The doctor bowed, then approached with practiced grace. "My Queen, I came as soon as I heard. Might I examine the young prince?"
His mother handed Coeus over reluctantly. The physician moved his fingers across Coeus's forehead and chest, then closed his eyes and whispered a chant. A soft pulse of mana rippled from his hand, brushing over the baby like a scan.
"Healthy," he declared after a moment. "Strong, in fact. His body is unusually resilient for a newborn."
"Then why did he lose consciousness?" she asked, worry still clinging to her voice.
The doctor hesitated before answering. "I believe the prince may have experienced an Arcane Compression Surge during labor. In rare cases, a baby born with naturally high mana affinity can experience a backlash when first exposed to ambient aether in the world outside the womb. It causes momentary shock, sometimes even a brief coma, until the body stabilizes."
Her eyes widened. "You mean… he has strong magical potential?"
"Extremely. It's rare, but not dangerous. In fact, it might be a blessing."
She clutched Coeus tightly, whispering thanks to unseen gods.
'Arcane Compression Surge, huh? Not a bad cover story. Though it might not be too far from the truth, considering how violently I was shoved into a body still forming.'
After a few more examinations, the physician excused himself. His mother kissed Coeus gently on the forehead, then returned him to the crib before gracefully leaving the room—no nurse in sight, no visible fatigue in her step.
'Strange. She gave birth just hours ago… yet she walks like a battle-hardened knight. Either childbirth is different in this world, or my mother is a monster of endurance.'
Left alone, Coeus stared at the mural on the ceiling until sleep took him again.
Days Later
The first week was a revelation.
Through overheard conversations and careful observation, Coeus confirmed what he had only guessed before—this was not Earth. Not the past. Not a simulation.
A completely new world.
Here, Mana—also called Aterm—was the fundamental force of reality. It saturated the air, the water, the soil. It could be channeled, shaped, even wielded. Magic was real, and it was everywhere.
Technology, however, lagged far behind. Steam-powered trains rumbled across distant rail lines. Primitive automobiles existed, but only for the wealthy. Communication involved magical sigils, not wires or waves.
Worse, science and magic seemed isolated from one another. Most people relied on rune arts—mana-infused symbols etched into objects—to achieve magical effects. But these were static, rigid systems, not dynamic engineering.
And the schools? Almost all focused on magic. Only a few obscure institutions taught technology, and even fewer pursued innovation.
Coeus smiled inwardly.
'They've split their advancement in two—technology and magic walking separate paths. But I… I walked both those paths in my last life. I can see how to fuse them.'
And now, he was in the perfect place to do it.
Born the 11th son of the king of a mighty northern realm—the Veilshroud Dominion. His father, Thalion Drevik Ravenmark, was a towering figure in this land. His mother, Velencia Valdrik Ravenmark, descended from a powerful bloodline of war mages.
And he, Coeus Valdrik Thalionson Ravenmark, was a child born of genius, magic, and mystery.
'This world doesn't know it yet… but change is coming. The age of steam and spell will become the age of stars and sorcery.'