Breakfast ended with the same tension it always carried — stiff silence from Father, quiet brooding from Damien, and chaotic laughter from Kael that somehow never got him thrown out despite many attempts.
As I stood from the table and bowed, I subtly stretched my fingers. Mana stirred inside me again, faint but unmistakable, as if my very blood pulsed to an unfamiliar rhythm.
In the original novel, Aiden Draven had no mana core, no talent, no future.
But I had something growing inside me — something ancient and rare.
"Come," Damien said curtly.
I blinked. "Where?"
"Training grounds."
Of course. Morning sword practice. A daily torment for the original Aiden — mocked, berated, and inevitably defeated.
But this time… I wasn't planning on being a punching bag.
Kael bounced to his feet. "Great! I'll join too!"
Damien shot him a cold glare. "No."
Kael placed a hand dramatically over his heart. "Damien, my dear friend —"
"We are not friends."
"—my cold-hearted companion—"
"Stormborn."
"—my emotionally constipated brother—"
Damien's eye twitched. "Get out."
Kael grinned. "Perfect. That means yes!"
And just like that, the future Hero trotted after us like an overly enthusiastic puppy made of lightning.
I couldn't help but smile.
If fate had given me allies like this… maybe I had a chance.
The Training Grounds
The Draven estate's training field was enormous — an expanse of hardened stone, wooden dummies, mana-resistant targets, and racks of weapons under a high domed sky.
The air shimmered faintly with ambient mana. Even the wind felt sharper, more alive.
Master Roderick Valeheart, the academy's visiting sword instructor and Damien's personal mentor, stood at the far end, examining a blade under the morning light.
Grey hair. Scar over the eye. Muscles like tempered steel.
His gaze lifted when we approached — and immediately locked onto me.
"Aiden Draven," he said, voice like gravel. "You fainted yesterday."
I bowed. "I'm well now, Master."
"Good." He did not sound convinced. "Step forward."
I obeyed.
He tossed me a training sword. I caught it — barely. The blade felt heavier in my hands than it probably should've. My body was still unfamiliar, still adjusting.
"Stance," Roderick ordered.
I froze.
I remembered the stance from Aiden's memories, but the original Aiden's posture had been full of insecurity, trembling knees, stiff movements…
I wasn't that Aiden anymore.
So I took a breath, shifted my weight, and positioned my feet firmly. Not perfect — but confident.
Roderick's eyebrow rose a fraction. "New stance?"
"Trying something different," I replied lightly.
Damien, standing nearby with his arms folded, tilted his head slightly. Kael grinned wide, sparks dancing around him.
"Well then," Roderick said, "let's see if you faint again or manage three swings this time."
Brutal.
But fair, given the original Aiden's track record.
I tightened my grip and focused.
Mana pulsed once.
Like the quiet echo of a sword humming somewhere inside me.
I exhaled—
And swung.
The Unexpected Blade
The wooden sword sliced the air with a sharp whistle.
Roderick's narrowed eyes widened.
Damien straightened, eyes flashing crimson.
Kael let out a low whistle. "Whoa."
I blinked.
That… felt good.
Balance. Weight. Flow.
Almost natural.
I swung again. The sword cut a clean arc. A faint shimmer followed the blade — a trail of blue light that flickered, then vanished.
Not enough to be obvious.
But enough for someone sensitive to notice.
Roderick stepped forward instantly. "You. Again."
I swallowed and nodded.
Mana, guide me.
Body, don't fail me.
I raised the sword, inhaled carefully—
And the blue shimmer flared briefly once more.
Roderick froze.
Damien's expression sharpened.
Kael straightened like a curious bird.
"Aiden," Roderick said slowly, "what was that?"
My heart pounded.
"I… don't know," I lied.
He approached, gripping my wrist. His calloused fingers were cold as steel. Mana flared from him — probing, assessing.
His eyes widened.
"Impossible…"
Damien stepped forward. "What is it?"
Roderick turned to him, his voice low. "He has a core."
Damien's eyes shot to mine, crimson gleaming with disbelief. "He awakened mana?"
Kael pumped his fist. "Yes! Finally! The guy's got spark!"
I tried not to panic.
The original Aiden never awakened. This alone was a timeline-shattering anomaly.
Roderick released my wrist and stepped back.
"Aiden Draven," he said, voice quieter but significantly heavier, "when did this happen?"
I forced a casual smile. "I… don't really know."
A partial truth. Mana had awakened the moment my soul replaced the original Aiden.
Roderick stared long and hard at me, as though trying to peel apart my skin and read the secrets beneath.
Finally, he exhaled. "Very well. Again. This time, with mana. Let me see its nature."
Nature.
As in elemental attribute.
Magic Swordsmen had no fixed element — their "nature" was a blend. Resonance.
But if I showed that too early…
I'd be in trouble.
Keep it small, I told myself. Controlled. Just enough to pass as basic mana.
I lifted the sword once more.
I felt the faint hum in my chest respond.
Mana swirled up my arm, tingling.
This time, I visualized a simple flow — not a spell, not a sword technique, just a gentle pulse.
And swung.
The shimmer appeared again — brighter this time, like a whisper of pale blue light.
Roderick stiffened.
"That… that looks like—"
I froze.
Magic Swordsman aura.
He couldn't know.
It was extinct. Impossible. Unrealistic.
"—a resonance flash," Roderick finished cautiously.
Damien's gaze sharpened. "Resonance?"
Kael gasped dramatically. "Dude! That's amazing! I can barely control my resonance and I shoot lightning out of my ears!"
Damien: "That is not how resonance works, Stormborn."
Kael: "Have you seen my ears during a fight?"
Damien: "…Regrettably, yes."
I tried not to laugh.
These idiots might be my only lifeline in this world.
Roderick paced slowly, hand on his beard. "Resonance flashes occur only in high-potential hybrids… rare ones."
Damien's eyes narrowed. "Aiden is not a hybrid."
Roderick shook his head. "Not traditionally. But something awakened in him."
My chest tightened.
If Roderick pushed further, he'd eventually discover—
Aiden Draven was becoming the first Magic Swordsman in 700 years.
Which would absolutely draw the attention of every faction, royal court, assassin syndicate, and demon lurking in the shadows.
Roderick gave me a hard stare. "Aiden… we may need to run tests."
I felt cold sweat forming.
Tests?
Absolutely not.
They'd expose everything.
But before I could respond—
A loud trumpet-like blast echoed across the grounds.
A guard sprinted toward us.
"Master Roderick! Lord Draven requests the young masters immediately!"
Damien stiffened. "For what purpose?"
The guard bowed deeply. "A royal visitor has arrived."
Roderick's eyes widened. "The royal family?"
"No, sir," the guard said gravely. "Someone… more unexpected."
He leaned forward, whispering the name with a tremor.
"A representative from the Arcane Blade Academy."
My heart stopped.
Already?
The Academy shouldn't appear until next month according to the novel's timeline.
Unless my awakening caused a ripple.
Unless fate was reacting.
I swallowed hard.
Roderick straightened. "Aiden. Damien. Stormborn. Come."
Damien's hand brushed mine briefly — a silent gesture of warning or protection, I wasn't sure.
Kael grinned. "Oho! This is exciting!"
I wanted to hit him.
Not because he was wrong.
But because he was right.
Whatever was coming… it was because of me.
And as we walked toward the estate's main hall, the mana in my core pulsed faster, louder, like an ancient echo trying to break free.
I pressed a hand to my chest.
"Not now," I muttered. "Please… not now."
But the whisper inside me responded, soft and insistent:
Magic Swordsman… awaken.
I took a deep breath.
If I didn't control it—
Someone else would notice.
And in a world ruled by prophecy, fate, and political greed… that could be fatal.
Damien glanced at me as we walked.
"You seem… unsettled," he muttered.
I shook my head. "Just thinking."
"Stop thinking too much," Kael said brightly, slinging an arm around me. "Whatever it is, we'll deal with it. Together!"
I blinked.
Together.
Something warm flickered in my chest.
Was this what Aiden never had?
Friends?
Allies?
A brother who wasn't drowning alone?
I exhaled slowly.
"Yeah," I said softly. "Together."
As we reached the entrance hall, the massive doors opened—
And I saw them.
A figure in deep blue robes.
A silver emblem of a sword crossed with a spell circle.
Eyes like polished steel scanning the room with sharp precision.
The representative of Arcane Blade Academy.
Their gaze landed on me immediately.
"Aiden Draven," the figure said, voice echoing through the hall, "I have come for you."
Damien stepped in front of me automatically, dark mana crackling like shadowed lightning.
Kael tightened his stance, lightning fizzing around him.
Roderick's hand fell to his sword.
I stared forward, heart pounding.
The world was already shifting.
And I wasn't sure if I was ready.
But I knew one thing:
My fate as a Magic Swordsman had just been sealed.