"Look, darling, he has blue eyes like yours," an man declares with a smile.
The baby responds only with unintelligible sounds and a curious gaze, but his movements are enough to delight the hearts of those watching him.
A fortunate situation, as they fail to notice the unusual nature of the infant in the mother's arms.
The fact that he is their first child also plays a significant role in this oversight.
The man with brown hair and long ears takes the baby from the arms of the woman, who shares his inhuman features, and holds him with care.
"A son as the eldest, huh?" the woman says, gazing tenderly at the child in her husband's arms.
"Especially since he seems very lively, as the future leader of the Blight clan should be," she murmurs in a soft but slightly calculated tone.
Though some might misunderstand this woman, she remains, above all, a successful businesswoman.
Thus, she already sees her eldest son as a future heir.
"Gaius… yes, he shall be called Gaius Blight," she says with an affectionate voice.
The baby seems to react to the name, turning his attention toward his mother.
An act that the blue-eyed woman interprets as a silent acceptance of this identity.
"I like that name too, my dear," the man says before placing a kiss on his wife's forehead and bringing the child closer to his mother for a group hug.
At first, the baby reacts negatively to the sudden embrace, uncomfortable with being pressed against his mother's chest.
However, he soon calms down and falls asleep, lulled by this sensation still unfamiliar to him at that moment.
Later, he would easily recognize this warmth as familial affection.
…
In an office lit by a magical lamp, a young boy with green hair stands before a massive book.
If an outsider were to observe him, they might think the boy isn't studying but merely flipping through the pages in front of him.
"Gaius! Why do I always find you here, huh?" A cute voice echoes in the small library after the door swings open.
The young boy panics slightly at first but lets out a soft sigh of relief upon recognizing the intruder.
"Sorry, Emira," he replies, glancing at the book in front of him and the other tomes on the desk.
Each book covers the fundamentals of magic and the logic behind the different types of spell circles used in the various covens of the Boiling Isles.
Unconsciously, Gaius Briella's eyes gleam with nostalgia as he looks at all the books he's devoured at a record pace.
'Ten years… It took me that long to fully recover my memories and receive my cheat,' he thinks, clenching his small fists.
During that time, Gaius acted in accordance with his physical age.
The only slight difference someone might notice when observing him compared to his peers is his unusual maturity.
But everything changed with the birth of his younger sister.
The moment he held her, he received a message from Athena informing him of the start of this timeline's scenario.
Yes, the timeline was triggered because Luz Noceda was born at the same time as his sister.
Thus, he must begin to play his role in this reality.
"Ever since Amity was born, you've been acting weird," the little girl says as she approaches their father's desk and sits next to Gaius.
"If you're not in the workshop with Father asking him questions about his work, you're here reading books about magic… even though Mom forbade you from reading about multiple types of magic," she says, pointing at the other types of magic, different from those practiced by their mother.
Gaius gives a sheepish smile before gently patting his little sister's hair.
She clearly shows her displeasure but does nothing to pull away from her big brother. He can even feel her head leaning slightly closer to his hand.
"You're right, it's wrong to learn multiple types of magic," he replies in an understanding tone.
Yet, Gaius's eyes hide a clear disdain for the laws tied to the coven system.
The covens.
They are groups of witches in the world of The Owl House, each specializing in a single type of magic on the Boiling Isles.
There are nine in total: Abomination, Bard, Beast Keeping, Construction, Healing, Illusion, Oracle, Plant, and Potions.
Gaius knows of the Emperor's Coven, but it is versatile, not specialized in any known type of magic on the Boiling Isles.
"So… why do you keep disobeying?" she asks sincerely.
Unlike the future Emira from Rin's memories, young Gaius doesn't see a confident teenager but a mischievous little girl who loves being spoiled by her brother.
"Because a Blight keeps their word, and I intend to protect my younger sisters and brother!" Gaius raises his voice on the last part, having noticed his little brother behind the door.
Young Edric Blight scurries down the hallway after realizing his presence has been discovered.
"Haha, you say complicated stuff like Dad," Emira says mockingly before leaving.
"Have I become too much of a brocon? Nah… I just need strength for the catastrophic future this universe will face," he mutters, looking back at his book.
The Blight Household.
It is an ancient magical lineage of the Boiling Isles, according to a book Gaius read.
Yet, this near-noble family will stand no chance against the future dangers this world might face.
For example: Bill Cipher, the Emperor of the Boiling Isles, or the core ruling the amphibian race.
"System, have you finished scanning and memorizing this book?" he asks mentally.
[Affirmative, but I still lack sufficient data to provide a potion recipe matching your current karmas.]
A cold, robotic voice responds to Gaius after he poses his question.
The young boy lets out a frustrated sigh but remains calm and issues a new command.
"Can you transfer the knowledge about the fundamentals of magic and spell circles? You've fully assimilated the data, haven't you?" he asks, a glimmer of hope shining in his eyes.
When he had requested his cheat, Rin hadn't really counted on sequence potions.
He had based his entire progression on the AI itself.
Why?
Because he didn't know to what extent the System would be altered by the world's laws, nor whether his scenario would have enough value to mitigate the loss of potency in his potions.
Thus, he had added an AI option to assist him in his studies and learning.
[Affirmative!]
[Initiating transfer: Basic Theory of Spell Circles]
[Loading primary disciplines: Abomination Coven and Oracle Coven]
A flood of knowledge instantly pours into Gaius's mind, illuminating his thoughts with newfound clarity.
He already had a vague understanding of Oracle magic from his mother, Odalia, but never with this level of precision.
The young boy raises his hand and traces a magical circle in the air.
"I-incredible… the quality of the magic is far superior to before," he mutters, observing the refined flow of energy circulating through the spell.
Oracle magic.
An ancient and subtle branch, specializing in the mind, spirits, and pure energy.
Gaius had long hesitated between his father's and mother's magic but ultimately chose Odalia's, out of respect for the hopes she placed in him.
'Sometimes, my mother's eyes weigh on me a little… but I don't want to disappoint her,'he thinks, a faint smile on his lips, preserving that sentiment even after recovering all his memories.
Odalia Blight.
Perhaps a greedy, overly ambitious woman at the start of the canon, but deep down… at this time, she remains a mother concerned for her child's future.
"Now, I've read all the basics related to Oracle and Abomination magic."
His eyes naturally turn to the many shelves of the library.
A spark of determination flashes through them.