Today, I bit my finger.
By accident, of course. That sausage-sized finger slipped in front of my mouth, and my reflexes—whether as a former warrior or a hungry baby, who knows—took over. Result: a tiny bite. No blood. Just a dull ache and an urge to cry… which I suppressed with all the royal dignity I could muster.
The last thing I need is to cry in front of Elaia.
She's already a thousand times better than me, and if she sees me weaken—even as an infant—it's over. My fragile ego wouldn't survive it.
Anyway, the morning is off to a good start.
For the past few days, I've developed a routine. And I must say I'm pretty proud of myself, despite my physical abilities resembling a turnip's.
I wake up before everyone else, usually because of a strange dream or back pain (these wooden cradles are no royal bed luxury). Then I observe. And by observe, I mean spy silently like a little demon.
My favorite target? Of course, my sister.
Elaia keeps training every morning, sometimes with our father, who corrects her movements or pushes her further.
— "Let the Ezrath flow through you, don't force it," he told her today, as she swirled water around her arm.
"Let it flow through you," huh?
And me? I can barely let air pass through my nostrils without sneezing.
But I listen. Again and again. Every word. Every breath.
I'm starting to understand that Ezrath is an energy omnipresent in this world, that everyone has at birth, but that you have to learn to channel, to feel. Some manage very young, like Elaia. Others never.
I don't know where I stand. Maybe… outside?
Later in the day, Elaia sits on the ground with a small round stone. She closes her eyes, places a hand above the stone, and after a few seconds… it levitates.
Not more than a finger's height, but it levitates.
She repeats it again and again until the stone naturally falls. Then she starts over.
I watch from my blankets, well wrapped up, eyes as wide as gold coins. I try to mimic her gestures with my chubby little arms. Ridiculous. But I insist.
Open palm, slow breath, clear mind.
"Want to try?" she says with a smile.
She comes closer with the stone, hands it to me, then bursts out laughing.
— "You can't even hold it, baby Kael!"
…Remember that laugh, big sister. It'll stick in your throat the day I make a mountain fly.
But for now, I babble, looking innocent.
Experiment of the day: mimicry.
I waited until she left, then took the stone back. Well, I dropped it twice on my head first. No judgment. I aimed for levitation… got a bump.
But after about ten tries, I started feeling something again. That vibration, that subtle shiver. No clear image, no light or aura. Just a soft tension, like the world was waiting for me to say a word.
But I don't know that word.
So I tried to speak. Not with my mouth. With my mind.
I wished with all my being for the stone to move.
And at that moment, I believed… I believed I saw it tremble.
Nothing more. But I'm certain. It moved.
My sister almost caught me right then. I had to snap back into passive baby mode in a blink. And that's when I understood: I must be patient.
In this world, there are rules I don't know. Laws different from my old kingdom. I can't just rush headlong.
I have to learn, adapt, grow stronger… in secret.
I was a king. I know what power is.
And here, power is invisible, diffuse, lurking beneath the skin of the world.
Evening.
The firelight dances on wooden walls. My mother holds me in her arms, humming a soft melody I don't know. She has long brown hair, a delicate, serene face, and a gaze full of tenderness that pierces me.
I feel that despite the strangeness of this world, here… I am loved.
And that's terrifying.
Because one day, I'll have to tell them.
Tell them I'm not their son. Not entirely.
Not yet.
I slowly fall asleep, my mind restless.
Strange dream.
A black desert. A purple moon. Chains in the sky. And that voice, deep and ancient, whispering in a forgotten language.
I wake up with a start, breath short.
I'm back in my blanket, the fire still crackling. Everything peaceful.
But that dream… that memory of the Nexus.
It's coming back.
And with it, a certainty.
I was born twice.
And each life gives me a different strength.
Here, I am Kael Varion.
But inside me, there is something else.
Something this world is not ready to understand.
Mental Report:
• Early Ezrath vibration confirmed.
• Hypothesis: The Nexus altered my connection to this energy.
• Objective: Keep imitating Elaia to learn the basics.
• Next step: Feel more than a vibration. Make a real move.
One day, this world will know who I am.
But for now, I'm just a baby… learning to make stones float.
And you know what?
That's already huge.