Part 1 – Sword Lessons and Bruises
Kael believed in two things: scars and sarcasm.
Unfortunately, I was the canvas for both.
"Again," he barked, tossing me a wooden sword heavier than my scrawny arms could lift.
"I'm ten," I wheezed, staggering under the weight. "This thing weighs more than my entire self-esteem."
"Good," he said, smirking. "Maybe your self-esteem will toughen up too."
Smack.
The blade cracked against my ribs, sending me sprawling into the dirt. Leo winced from the sidelines, Mira flinched, and Elena… scribbled calmly in her ledger.
"Are you writing my obituary?" I groaned.
"Yes," she said flatly. "So far, it reads: Here lies the Duke's heir. Died tragically as he lived—useless."
I gasped theatrically. "Et tu, Elena?"
Kael planted the sword back into my hands. "If you can whine, you can fight. Again."
And so, bruises became my daily accessories.
Part 2 – Elena's Sharp Tongue
Elena refused to be forgotten. She weaponized it.
While my tutors mocked me, hers didn't even bother showing up. She slipped instead into dusty storerooms, devouring ledgers and stealing glances at forbidden scrolls.
"You're not holding the sword right," she remarked one evening, peering over her notes. "Your stance is sloppy."
"Thank you, Master of Combat," I muttered, wobbling like a drunk goose.
She raised an eyebrow. "You're welcome, Master of Drool."
Her tongue cut sharper than Kael's blade. Yet between the insults, she passed me notes—maps of trade routes, lists of debts owed by nobles, fragments of secrets too valuable to ignore.
She saw cracks in the Empire's walls long before I did. And though she mocked me, she trusted me with them.
Which was terrifying. Ten years old, and someone already thought I was trustworthy. Clearly, she hadn't been paying attention.
Part 3 – Mira's Loyalty
Mira shadowed me everywhere, her wolf ears twitching at every sound.
At first, it was unsettling. I'd wake up to find her standing by my bedside, arms folded, eyes sweeping the room as if assassins might leap from the wardrobe.
"Mira," I sighed, "the only killers here are dust bunnies."
She ignored me and tied my belt. More humiliating than helpful, considering she was only two years older. Imagine a twelve-year-old fussing over you like a nanny sworn to duty.
But her loyalty wasn't blind. One night, I found her crying quietly behind the stables.
"Why stay?" I asked softly. "You could run."
She shook her head. "I swore to serve you. You gave me bread when no one else would."
I stared. "Mira… that was half a stale biscuit."
Her lips curved faintly, ears twitching. "It was enough."
And just like that, her vow became heavier than any oath nobles had ever sworn.
Part 4 – Leo's Schemes
Leo thrived as my partner in crime.
Where I played the idiot heir, he perfected gossip. By age ten, he knew which maids stole wine, which guards sold secrets, and which cooks watered the stew to pocket coins.
"You realize," I whispered one night, "you've basically built a spy network."
He grinned. "What's the point of being a butler's son if I can't be the villain's sidekick?"
"Correction," I said. "You're the villain's future Prime Minister."
We shook on it, laughing in the candlelight, two children already drafting the blueprints of treason.
Part 5 – Masks and Mirrors
By day, I was the useless heir—drooling, stumbling, mocked at every turn.
By night, I was something else.
Kael beat combat into my bones.
Elena sharpened my mind with secrets.
Leo whispered schemes in my ear.
Mira watched my back with wolfish devotion.
I was still a child. Still powerless. Still despised.
But little by little, the mask of stupidity became more than armor. It became a mirror—reflecting what they wanted to see, hiding what they couldn't imagine.
And behind that mask, I was no longer alone.
Part 6 – Seeds of Tomorrow
One evening, after Kael dismissed me half-conscious, I slumped beneath the old oak with Leo, Elena, and Mira. The night air was cool, the moon silver instead of crimson.
Someday, I thought. Someday we won't be scraps. Someday, we'll be the blade.
Out loud, I asked, "When the time comes… will you follow me?"
Leo grinned. "Obviously."
Elena smirked. "Depends. Are you planning on dying stupidly?"
Mira bowed her head, ears lowering. "Always."
For the first time since reincarnation, I didn't feel cursed.
I felt dangerous....