Heavy rain poured down on Tokyo that night.
Neon lights from the towering skyscrapers reflected off the puddles covering the sidewalks, creating an illusion of an upside-down world.
Through the drenched crowds, a twenty-three-year-old young man ran frantically, clutching a plastic bag in his hand.
Shinjiro Shun, a name that meant nothing to anyone in this world.
Because it was a name known to no one except its owner and his family.
"Shit, shit, I'm going to be late again!" he cursed while continuing to run through the rain.
His faded white shirt was now soaked through, clinging to his thin frame.
He didn't even own an umbrella.
Money for such luxuries had long disappeared from his meager budget.
Working as a contract employee at a small company with a salary barely enough to cover a month's meals, his life was an endless cycle of gray days without hope.
No family waited for him at home, his parents had died while he was still in high school, leaving behind debts he had to pay alone.
No close friends he could rely on. Even his last girlfriend had left once she learned about his financial situation.
What's the point of living like this?
That question had been haunting his thoughts lately. But each time, he could only let out a long sigh and continue with his life.
Shinjiro stopped for a moment in front of a convenience store to catch his ragged breath.
Through the glass, he could see his reflection showing sunken eyes from lack of sleep, disheveled black hair, and a facial expression that had lost its light.
"Pathetic," he whispered to his own reflection.
He had just left the convenience store after buying dinner once again, just instant ramen and a bottle of mineral water.
"Ugh... At this rate, I'll die from eating a lot of this stuff..."
Suddenly, a cry for help shattered his complaints...
"Help! Someone...! Help!!!"
Shinichi turned toward the sound. Across the street, a small child stood frozen in the middle of a crosswalk, paralyzed with fear as a large truck sped toward him.
The driver seemed unaware of the child's presence due to the heavy rain.
Time seemed to slow.
Is that my problem?
The selfish thought emerged instantly. He could pretend he didn't see. He could walk away. After all, his life was difficult enough without adding new problems.
But then his eyes met the child's—eyes filled with pure, innocent fear.
Fuck it.
Without thinking any longer, Shinichi ran. His legs moved on their own, propelling him through the puddles, across the street divider.
The truck's horn blared deafeningly, its headlights blinding his eyes.
He wouldn't make it in time.
Better to die than keep living in this endless cycle of misery.
He knew that. But his body kept moving.
With all his strength, Shinichi pushed the child out of the truck's path.
He felt the small body thrown safely to the roadside.
A thin smile crossed his face.
At least I could do something meaningful at the end—
CRASH!
The impact was brutal. Devastating. His bones shattered instantly.
Excruciating pain tore through his consciousness, but only for a moment.
After that, there was only emptiness.
Cold.
That was the first thing he felt when his consciousness slowly returned.
Not cold like snow or ice, but cold like nothingness because there was nothing around him.
Am I... dead?
The question echoed in his mind. But he could still think. Still feel something faintly.
Then, gradually, light began to appear. Warm, gentle light that beckoned to him.
Shinichi felt his body or whatever remained of him drawn towards that light.
And then everything changed.
Unfamiliar voices filled his hearing. Not Japanese, but strangely he slowly could understand every word they spoke.
"There he is! Finally!"
"Congratulations, Lady Stelle! You've given birth to a very healthy son!"
"Bring him here, I want to see him."
Shinichi tried to open his eyes, but his vision was blurry.
All he could see were contrasting colors of golden light from candles, large shadows moving around him.
What is this?
He tried to move, but his body didn't respond as it should. His arms were short, small. The hand he raised to his face was only the size of... a baby's.
Impossible.
"Look at his eyes," a gentle woman's voice echoed in his ears.
"Beautiful golden eyes, just like his father's."
Slowly, Shinichi's vision sharpened.
He saw the face of a beautiful woman with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes gazing at him with pure love.
The woman smiled at him with a warmth he had never seen in his previous life.
Mother?
There's no way...
I was...
The realization hit him like lightning.
He had been reborn.
Reincarnated.
The thing he only read about in novels and manga had actually happened to him.
"Shinichi," the woman whispered.
"Your name is Shinichi Sunvolt."
"You are our child, the bearer of hope for the Sunvolt family."
Sunvolt.
A new name.
A new life.
But before he could process everything, an authoritative old man's voice echoed from the corner of the room.
"Bring him to the examination altar. We must know his magical affinity right now."
Baby Shinichi's body was lifted by a maid and carried out of the warm room.
The night air touched his soft skin, making him shiver slightly.
They entered a large room with a high ceiling. In the center, a massive crystal orb floated above a stone altar covered with strange carvings.
"Place his hand there," ordered the old man, an elderly gentleman with long white hair and a dark blue robe.
The maid nodded and carefully brought Shinichi's tiny hand close to the crystal's surface.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, dim light began to emerge from the crystal. But it wasn't the bright, brilliant light they had expected.
The light was pale, almost translucent, like a candle flame about to die out.
The old man's expression changed. Eyes that had been filled with hope were now clouded with disappointment.
"This can't be..."
"What's wrong with him?" Stelle approached the altar anxiously.
The old man named Moro let out a long sigh. "Stelle... your son... has the lowest magical affinity ever recorded in the Sunvolt family's history."
Silence enveloped the room.
"What do you mean?" Stelle asked, her voice trembling.
"Light affinity, Grade F... even lower than that."
"This is... the weakest that has ever existed."
"He doesn't even have affinity with other magic types, only light."
"Light magic at the weakest level..."
Whispers began to emerge from the maids standing around the room.
"The weakest?"
"The honorable Sunvolt family... with a child like this?"
"How shameful."
Shinichi heard it all. Though his body was that of a baby, his mind remained that of an adult.
And those words cut deeper than anything he had ever felt in his previous life.
The weakest? Again?
Stelle hugged Shinichi's small body tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "It's alright, Shinichi."
"You're still my child."
"No matter what others say."
But Shinichi knew. He knew from the tone of their voices, from the look in their eyes. His new life wouldn't be easy.
He had been reborn, given a second chance.
But this time, with the weakest magic in this world.
No...
In his infant mind, something stirred. Something that had never existed in his old life.
I won't live the same life again.
I will change.
I will become strong.
Those baby eyes—the eyes of Shinichi Sunvolt—gleamed with a determination unusual for a newborn.
This time, I will become the strongest.