Part 1
About 4 years had passed since I was reincarnated
My understanding of this new world was still a mystery, but the good news was that my thoughts were now functioning in sync with my body. I could move more steadily, with better control over my legs, and even my ability to think and process information had sharpened. Another unexpected bonus was my grasp of the local language. I could understand and was definitely sure I would be able to speak it effortlessly, much younger than most normal kids. It felt so natural, as if it had always been my first language.
My parents, Vulgabread and Ashley Fula, were in their late twenties, and I felt a bit jealous. In my previous life, they would have been only a couple of years older than me, but they already had two children before hitting thirty. It made me wonder if my previous life in a modern society was pushing us away from building families and more toward focusing on work and self.
My father was the oldest by just a few months. I'm sure you're wondering about my father's name. It did sound so, well... weird. Apparently, a bastard child of a baron, lord, duke, prince, or even a king would be branded with such outlandish names depending on what was around in the vicinity when the child was born, and well, you get the point. If your mother was a concubine, having a proper name was not a right you had. My mother was the last child of a side-branch family of the Ashborn. According to her, the Ashborn were mages who specialized in sealing magic.
There was a lot I hadn't yet uncovered about this world because my twin, Astraya, and I weren't allowed to go outside, have visitors, or interact as normal children would. I couldn't blame my parents; they were just protecting us. They had moved us to what they called a "family house," but it felt like the middle of nowhere. I mean, where were we? There were no neighbors in sight, just a thickening forest.
It wasn't a grand estate or a castle, but it was a big, two-story wooden house. Compared to the cramped city life I knew from my past, a house like this would have been owned by someone earning a six-figure salary. It had three rooms, which was enough for a family of four.
It was a wooden house with a village-like scenery, surrounded by a dense forest.
I wasn't sure about the geography of this new world or where we were on any map. I was particularly curious about two things: the kingdoms and their politics, both past and present. I also wanted to know if this was just the past and if any advanced technology, like what I knew from my previous life, existed here. The forests that surrounded the house and the overall feel of the place screamed: "new world, new rules."
Part 2
I haven't talked much about my twin sister, Astraya, but she's absolutely adorable. My father often told my mother, "She may have my features, but she certainly acts like you, Ashley."
In her own way, Astraya was very much like our mother. She was caring and always wanted to be around her, copying everything she saw our mom do. Once, she had even tried to feed me just like our mother would. It made me blush, as these are the kinds of things you typically don't remember by the time you're an adult in my world due to memories.
She'd always check on me and remind me and dad when meals were ready. She had a huge appetite and would often help me finish my food when I was too full. She especially loved playing with her princess dolls but was generally quiet and shy.She was also bigger than me.sigh
Despite being the older twin, she would always hold my hand during thunderstorms, saying she was protecting me, even when her own hands were trembling. I did most of the comforting, telling her everything would be okay before our mother even came to check on us.
It was nice; I always made sure to remind her that we would be all right. We were twins, but we were definitely not identical; she had mostly inherited our father's features.
Even thinking back to my previous life, I still missed modern civilization. I missed the technology phones, personal computers, and the internet and the whole setup of city life. However, this new place was refreshing in its own way.
The air here was better than anything I had experienced in a city, and I could finally appreciate nature without staring at screens for hours. Of course, that was possible in my previous life, but I just didn't have the self-control to make time for the outdoors.
Don't even get me started on the education level of this world. The knowledge I had from my previous life was a monstrous advantage. From what I'd heard from my parents, their knowledge wouldn't even be able to compete with the intense final exams of a high school student, let alone a university. This isn't to diminish my parents' intelligence; they were knowledgeable and smart individuals in things like farming, cooking, swordsmanship and the basic cultural needs of their world. Not until I got my hands on some of this world's text and literature books could I truly understand how knowledge had developed here.
Part 3
One day, I found a very nice viewpoint overlooking our yard, and there he was. I began watching my father practice with a sword, swinging it around. This was quite strange, making me doubt that technology like guns were even a thing here. He continued to practice for hours.
My mother, with Astraya beside her, found me on the high window perch when she had been searching for me."There you are, Astraga! So this is where you're always running off to. What are you watching?" she asked, following my gaze to my father. "Ah, I see. You want to be like Daddy?" She smiled and brought me down, but I didn't want to leave. I wanted to watch more, but she refused, saying I wasn't ready for that yet.
In the back of my mind, I was thinking, "Shouldn't I be learning this to get strong enough to defeat that monster after me?" My mother must have sensed my thoughts because she said, "Your dad isn't that good of a swordsman, so don't worry yourself, Astraga."
I was shocked. She said he wasn't even an average swordsman, but I thought his swings looked impressive. What could an average swordsman do, then? I wondered. My mother explained that my father was close to joining the army, but not for his swordsmanship. My father excelled in a field of study called manomancy. I wasn't sure what that meant yet, but the way she said it made him sound like a scientist who studied mana and its manipulation. That's where he was able to stand out and make a name for himself. Before my sister and I were born, he was even heading a research group.
Everything was a bit confusing to me, but one thing was clear: my dad was a manomancer.
My mother, on the other hand, was always secretive about herself with me and Astraya, always diverting the conversation to my father instead.
Thanks to my mother always diverting attention away from herself and toward my father, I was at least able to understand a few concepts, the most important being mana. Her explanation of mana was the final clue that this was a parallel world where mana was the central focus.
One day, while my father was out hunting, I made the most adorable face I could and, with my sister's help, asked, "Mommy, what is mana?" She had been tactical about sharing information about this world, always knowing that this question would come up eventually, especially after she excitedly explained what a manomancer my father was. She had warned my dad many times not to expose us to concepts like mana so we could at least enjoy our childhood. But Astraya and I naturally gravitated toward it more she loved to listen to our mother's stories, and I tried to learn as much as I could. Even during bedtime stories, my mother was smart about not sharing too much information.
She finally gave in and said to Astraya and me, "Well, mana is the basic form of energy in every living and non-living creature." I stared at Astraya, who seemed as though she had grasp it immediately. This was my sister's superpower; she was a fast learner and already good at things a four-year-old shouldn't be doing or understanding. I, on the other hand, wasn't quite sure what that meant. My previous understanding of science and regular life made it difficult for me to conceptualize.
"Mother, could you explain more?" I asked. She was hesitant but finally sighed. The day she had been pushing off had finally arrived. "I guess you two want to grow up so fast. I'll explain as much as I can, but I'll tell your father to give you the books he was planning to give you on your sixth birthday. I guess no harm in him giving it to you today."
She then tried her best to explain, using language she thought we kids could understand. "Well, dear, mana exists in everyone and everything. All things have energy and need it to exist."
I got what she meant. The word "energy" was something my sister and I were familiar with, especially me. Astraya often asked me questions about things she didn't understand, and in doing so, she unconsciously learned from me.
Mother simplified it further, using her hands to create a visual image. "Imagine mana is like a magical, invisible energy that's all over the world, just like the air you breathe."
Astraya, with her hands to her chin, replied, "So it's something I can also inhale through my nose, Mommy?"
Mother nodded. "You can say it like that, but more advanced mana users can inhale it with their entire body, sweetie. With that energy, you could do a lot of things."
"Like what?" I asked.
She thought for a moment, trying not to make it sound too complicated. She then had an "aha" moment and said, "Think of it like this: the things you can do as a normal human by breathing air double once you also use mana. You could use a little bit of mana to make your body super fast, or heal your wounds. And mana can also be transformed into elements, allowing you to control them."
This was amazing to hear. Mana sounded so useful, and I wondered how far you could take it. As she was about to explain more, she remembered something was on fire and rushed to the kitchen, yelling, "Don't worry, your father will teach you all of this! I'll tell him to get the books, okay?"
Astraya immediately began trying to inhale the so-called mana. I tried, too. If it was like air, why couldn't I feel myself inhaling something different? Did I need to complete a task or something? I had so many questions, and I knew that book held all the answers.