That night, the skies of the Astrea Empire wept incessantly. Thunder rumbled like the drums of war, and lightning flashed, occasionally illuminating the tragedy unfolding on Elmsworth Street.
The procession of horse-drawn carriages, which should have been a symbol of grandeur, now lay in ruins.
The attackers moved like ghosts in a storm. They did not aim to destroy. Their attacks were measured, precise, and deadly, focused on one goal: the main carriage where *** and the newborn *** were.
The Elite Knights fought bravely, but the enemy was too prepared, as if they knew every detail of this journey.
Inside the train tilting on the edge of the bridge, *** shouted angrily, his sword parrying repeated attacks from a lightly armored assassin.
Across from him, *** clutched a bundle of cloth tightly to his chest. Her face was wet with rain and tears.
"They're after ***!" *** shouted amid the clanging of swords.
*** stared at her son's face. The tiny baby was ***. ***'s wet hair stuck to his forehead, and when he opened his eyes, a pair of beautiful *** irises stared at his mother—an eye color that was quite common among northerners, but still enchanting.
A magical explosion hit the back of the carriage, sending it sliding further. The carriage now hung from the edge of the destroyed bridge, above the wild currents of the Serpentail River.
"Give us the baby, ***! Or you will all die with him!" shouted one of the attackers from outside.
*** knew they were outnumbered and outpositioned. Her remaining guards would not last long.
Seeing the desperation in her husband's eyes, *** bit her lip until it bled. She would not give up her son. With a quick, unexpected movement, she pushed the woven basket containing her son out of the broken window.
The basket did not fall to the ground, but landed hard on the churning surface of the river. The strong current immediately swept it away, carrying it into the darkness of the night.
" ***! "
The screams of *** and *** mingled with the sound of the storm. The attackers were momentarily stunned, not expecting such a reckless act. They quickly realized their main target was gone. With a quick signal, they retreated back into the forest, their mission a complete failure.
Imperial reinforcements arrived shortly afterward, finding *** and *** wounded but alive, along with the fallen knights. But *** had been swept away by the river that night.
* * *
My death was anything but cool. I, Alexis, the most handsome guy on campus (according to a poll I conducted myself), died trying to create viral content: doing a backflip off the edge of a mall fountain.
I slipped on a puddle of water, and my head landed squarely on a bronze duck statue. What a tragic end for a masterpiece like me.
I thought I would go to heaven, where angels would fight over who gets to fan me. Instead, I woke up in very unglamorous circumstances.
Cold, wet, and wrapped in cloth like a spring roll. I tried to protest about this poor service, but all that came out was a shrill baby cry. Oh, no.
I became a baby? Of all possibilities, I became a helpless creature whose only job was to eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom? What a career downgrade!
As I lamented my unfortunate fate, my still blurry eyes caught a strange light. A beam of light danced in front of my eyes, and somehow, I knew I could 'use' it.
With full concentration—which is difficult to do when your brain is still the size of a walnut—I focused that 'vision' on myself.
Suddenly, a cool transparent panel appeared before me.
Name : ???
Age. : 0 Years
Class. : -
Title. : The Miraculously Alive Drifting Baby
Affinity : Star, Lightning
Skill:
[Insight Eyes (Unique, Lv. 1)]: Allows the user to see fundamental information about the target.
I almost whistled in admiration. A unique power! Of course! Someone as special as me couldn't possibly be reborn as an ordinary person. Star and Lightning Affinity? Cool. That sounds like a superhero combination. I like this!
Just as I was feeling a little better, my basket was washed ashore. Suddenly, a shadow approached me. An old man—okay, not that old, maybe late 40s—with long silver hair and a face as stern as marble. The scar on his eyebrow added to his fierce appearance, which was... well, pretty cool, I admit.
I immediately used my pride and joy skill on him.
Name : Silas
Age : 48
Class. : Sword Master (Inactive)
Title. : The Hermit of Crestfall Peak,
Astrea Shadow Sword (Hidden)
Affinity. : Wind, Steel
Skills :
[Mountain Flow Sword (Master)]
[Advanced Mana Control], [Aura Concealment (Master)], [???]
My eyes (as a baby) widened. Jackpot! Not only did I survive, but I was found by a boss-level character! 'Astrea Shadow Sword'? That title sounded very important.
The man named Silas looked at me, his sharp eyes fixed on my purple eyes. I decided to bring out my best charm: a toothless baby smile. It had to work.
He lifted me up gently. "To survive the Serpentail's current... you have a strong will to live," he muttered.
"Very well. You will be mine now. You seem to have been born on a starry night. Your name... Orion."
Orion. A simple, short, and cool name. I like it. He wrapped me in his warm cloak, and I fell asleep with a satisfied smile.
My new adventure was going to be very interesting, especially with this super powerful hidden teacher.