Inside a small, dimly lit room in the south-east corner of Raincraft Mansion—far from the main halls where the maids and workers retired to their chambers after a long day—lay a boy on the cold, unforgiving floor, clutching his chest in agony.
This child was none other than the heir… no, the former heir of the Raincraft family, Elias Raincraft.
Tears stained his pale cheeks, and each breath rattled out of him with unbearable difficulty. His once-bright eyes were hollow and lifeless, reflecting the despair that had consumed him. It was as if the will to live had been drained from his tiny body.
The cause of his suffering dated back to the incident three weeks prior, when it was discovered that his ability to wield ether was mediocre. From that moment, everything changed. The parents who had once raised him with warmth and affection turned cold and cruel, treating him as though he were less than human.
Day after day, their harsh words and venomous disdain eroded his heart. Coupled with their abuse, the lack of food, and his confusion over their cruelty, the fragile spirit of the six-year-old was pushed to its breaking point.
And now he lay on the floor—not merely from sorrow, but from the mounting pain in his chest.
"Mother… Father…" he whispered weakly, as though calling out to them one final time. With those faint words, his strength left him completely. His small body went still.
The boy named Elias Raincraft succumbed to eternal sleep.
Outside, the sky understood his grief. The clouds gathered, and soon the heavens wept, sending heavy rain crashing down upon the world.
Within the silent room, just as Elias's soul began to fade and disperse into the ether of the atmosphere, an ethereal fragment—a shard of a soul emitting a cosmic radiance—manifested above his lifeless body. It drifted downward gracefully and sank into his chest, merging seamlessly with his departing soul.
The moment the fusion began, an unfathomably pure energy surged through his spirit, filling his soul with pure soul energy making his soul more pure and elevating the level of his soul. A luminous window opened in his unconscious mind, despite his body lying motionless on the floor.
===========================================
PROCESS OF MERGING SOULSHARD INITIATED…
MERGE COMPLETE.
SEARCHING FOR TALENT…
UNAWAKENED TALENT DETECTED…
AWAKENING…SUCCESS.
RESTARTING HEART… SUCCESS.
===========================================
With the final message, a soft pulse of light washed through his body. His still heart twitched—then beat. Then again.
Life returned.
When dawn arrived and sunlight filtered through the dusty window, the boy on the floor stirred. His eyes opened slowly.
But the eyes that revealed themselves were no longer the naive, trembling emeralds of the young Elias Raincraft.
No, they were not the eyes of the timid, naive child who had cried himself to sleep endless nights. Instead, a pair of emerald-blue eyes shimmered with depth—ancient, vast, and filled with immeasurable knowledge.
They were the eyes of someone who reached a height that mortals can not understand.
*****
As I slowly opened my eyes, what greeted me was not my sanctuary, but a small, unfamiliar room. A little bed rested against the wall, and in the corner sat a simple study table. Nothing extravagant—just enough for a child.
As I wondered about the strangeness of my surroundings, a sudden wave of memories assaulted me. Not my memories, but those belonging to the body I currently inhabited. As I absorbed the final fragment of this child's life, understanding dawned on my features. I finally grasped what had gone wrong.
But before anything else, there was one entity I needed to call—the being that had accompanied me from the very beginning of my ascension, from mortal struggles to cosmic heights.
"System."
The moment those familiar yet foreign words left my lips, the entity responded as if it had been waiting for me.
[Welcome back, Master.]
"What happened? Did I get transmigrated?"
[Yes and no, Master.]
"What do you mean?"
[Master, you have indeed been transmigrated, but only a small fragment of your soul came here.]
"I can tell. But why did I even get transmigrated?"
[Master, do you remember your last battle?]
"I do."
[The attack meant to shatter your soul chipped away a small fragment. When your passive ability activated to reattach that fragment, the tug of destiny pulled it into this body instead.]
"And my main body allowed it?"
[Yes, Master. He sensed no harm from it and permitted it.]
"I see. So that's how I ended up here."
[Yes, Master.]
"Hmmm…? This world feels familiar. This situation… these people…"'Aren't they similar to that novel I once read back on Earth?'"System."
[No, Master. While the power structure and individuals may appear similar, the fundamental principles of this world are different.]
"Oh? In what way?"
[I'm sorry, Master. Your main body restricted me from revealing any further information.]
"Um… hmm. So he wants me to enjoy this world and fulfill the desires he once had on Earth."
[Yes, Master. He wants you to live freely and pursue anything you wish.]
"Alright. First, show me this body's current status."
[Certainly, Master.
====================STATUS======================
Name: Elias Raincraft
Age: 6
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Attributes:
------------------------
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Endurance: 1
Vitality: 3
Intelligence: 9
Charm: 3
Rank: Novice -
Talent: ????
Bloodline: NONE
Abilities:
------------------------
Talents:
Shadow Monarch [Grade: Mythical]
Omnimens[Grade: Mythical](*NEW)
============================================]
"That is… unbelievably horrible. No wonder I feel like sh*t. Shadow Monarch aside, what's this new one?"
[That is your newly created talent, Master. Because only a soul fragment arrived here, you cannot use your complete set of abilities. Thus, I used the pure soul energy within the fragment to awaken the innate talent of this body. Omnimens is the first true 'Talent' of this world.]
"So there's no concept of talents here?"
[Correct, Master. While this world has things resembling talents, the actual concept of awakened talents does not exist.]
"That's actually great news. Show me the description."
[Certainly!]
Omnimens [Grade: Mythical]
Grants the wielder a near-mythical mental ability capable of perceiving, processing, and understanding all things at once. The user can partition their mind into multiple thought-streams and carry out different tasks simultaneously.
"That's… ridiculously overpowered. Almost equal to my real talents. I'm a bit sad I can't use my true abilities, but this is extremely helpful."
"Alright, System. Next I need to reclaim even half of my former strength. I hope the inventory has something useful."
[Yes, Master. Many artifacts that were insignificant to your main body are extremely valuable to you now. However, as you may have noticed, unlike your world—which uses mana and bloodline abilities—this world uses ether. Magic here is cast using the Origin Language. Humans lack mana cores, which prevents them from increasing their innate ether reserves.]
"Hm… yes, that's a problem. I assume you have a solution?"
[Yes, Master. Within the inventory is an elixir capable of recreating your bloodline. And a cultivation manual to which allows you to absorb and cultivate ether. And there is also a World Orb that contains a small independent world with its own time flow. It will greatly assist your restoration.]
"Good. But before that, I need to visit someone. And I assume my Shadow Monarch talent functions the same as before?"
[Yes, Master. Would you like to see its description?]
"Please do."
Shadow Monarch [Grade: Mythical]
A talent granting dominion over shadows—not merely darkness, but a primordial essence tied to fear, concealment, memory, death, and the unseen spiritual layer of the world. The wielder becomes the King of Shadows, able to command, shape, and embody darkness itself. This talent allows resurrection, traversal between worlds, and the summoning of shadow beings. Unlike other abilities, it does not require external energy; the user draws infinite shadow power from their own shadow, the shadows of others, and from darkness itself.
"Yes… just as I remember. But what about my summons? Will their power be restricted?"
[No, Master. The talent is tied to your main soul, so both versions of you may use it. Your summons retain their full power.]
"Perfect. Then let's get to work."
With a calm breath, the being now known as Atticus closed his eyes.
"Come forth… Ignis."
The shadows in the corners of the room pulsed with primordial energy. Darkness gathered before him and rose like a tide, forming the silhouette of a knight clad in pitch-black armor with a flowing crimson cape. The figure emerged fully and knelt.
"Master," Ignis intoned.
"Ignis, take this," Atticus said, handing him the orb from the system space. "Hide it somewhere humans can never reach. A place saturated with ether. Activate it and let it absorb as much as possible."
"As you command."
Ignis took the orb with a gauntleted hand, and without another word, he vanished into the shadows—gone to fulfill his master's command.
As Ignis disappeared into the shadows, I retrieved a healing potion from the system space and drank it. The effects kicked in instantly—restoring the muscle this frail body had lost due to neglect and soothing the hunger I had been suppressing for some time now.
"Now… I should probably take a bath."
With that thought, I stepped out of the small room and made my way toward the workers' washing area, all while contemplating my next course of action.