Eleonor opened her eyes once more—this time, in the fragile body of a newborn.
Warm arms held her gently. A beautiful woman with chestnut hair and teary eyes smiled down at her. "She's perfect…" the woman whispered. Her name was Elena Romanov, and the man beside her was her husband, Duke Edward Romanov.
Eleonor didn't understand at first. But slowly, as the days passed, she began to realize: she had been reborn two thousand years into the future.
Even as a baby, her magic stirred. Flames danced in her tiny hands when she cried. Her parents were stunned—not because she had magic, but because it was fire magic, a power said to have gone extinct centuries ago.
— "We must protect our daughter, Edward! We can't let the Church discover her and use her power!"
— "I know!" he replied. "That's just an old legend from our ancestors, made to give people hope!"
— "And what if it's not? I'll train our daughter to be strong and independent!"
— "Then you do it yourself! We can't risk hiring teachers. If she's discovered, we'll lose her!"
Even in times when magic was no longer forbidden, Eleonor found herself needing to hide her power—this time, because it was rare. She used her quiet years to study. She learned to read and write, to speak foreign languages, to understand history, economics, and science. Her talent wasn't only for fire—she had a brilliant mind.
By the age of thirteen, Eleonor was possibly the strongest mage in the entire kingdom. Her father had taught her a few tricks to increase her power, but most of what she knew, she had learned alone.
In the kingdom of Sanditon, magic was common. The strongest mages were found among the nobles and soldiers of the army. Eleonor dreamed of joining them.
But her family forbade it—not out of fear for her safety, but fear of what her power could bring.