Year 2800 | Month 5 | Day 17
Stoneheaven Village
When you are a child, time moves in a strange way. Four years had passed very quickly, like mist disappearing in the morning sun.
Tomorrow, Zephyr would be five years old. It had been exactly five years since he died in his old world and was born into this one.
He had spent this time growing up and watching everything around him. He lived in a place called Stoneheaven Village. It was a small town far away from the big cities of the Sol Kingdom.
"Sol Kingdom," Zephyr thought to himself as he looked out the window.
"What a boring name. It is like naming a fish 'Water.'"
Even though he made fun of the name, he liked his new life. The village was quiet. It was surrounded by big, deep forests where his father worked.
But Zephyr was smart He remembered his old life on Earth. He had a feeling that his family the Silvaris family was anything but ordinary.
And then he hears his mother voice.
"Zephyr! Come down and eat now!" Ruby called from the kitchen. Her voice was kind but firm.
"Okay, Mom! I'm coming!" Zephyr shouted back.
He put on his shirt quickly and ran down the wooden stairs. The house smelled like cooked meat and vegetable soup.
The kitchen was filled with the soft, orange light of candles and the quiet fire. The food smelled amazing. It was a thick soup made with meat from the mountains, vegetables, and special herbs that smelled a little bit like pepper.
Zephyr sat down at the big wooden table. His father, Seres, sat at the end. His sister, Lina, sat across from him.
Zephyr looked closely at his parents. Even though they were older, they looked very young and strong. His mother, Ruby, looked like she would never grow old.
"My father says he is just a woodcutter," Zephyr thought as he took his soup. "But I have seen him cut a huge tree with just one easy swing. That is not normal. He moves like a master with a sword."
He watched his mother, Ruby, as she put the soup into bowls. She moved very smoothly. She did not just walk, it looked like she was sliding across the floor.
When she gave him his bowl, she looked into his eyes. In that moment, she looked very strong and powerful.
Zephyr felt like he was standing in front of a giant, sleeping mountain that could wake up at any time.
"Do you want some soup, Zephyr?" Ruby asked. Her golden eyes were bright.
"Thanks, Mom," Zephyr said. He looked down into his bowl. He saw his own face in the soup. He had black hair like his father and bright gold eyes like his mother.
The dinner was quiet until Seres placed his spoon down. The sound was soft, but it commanded immediate attention.
"Zephyr," Seres said, his voice deep and calm. "You turn five tomorrow."
"Yes, Father," Zephyr replied, his heart doing a small flip.
"We will begin your training from tomorrow onwards."
Zephyr's face lit up, a genuine grin spreading across his cheeks. "Really? Thanks, Dad!"
Finally, Zephyr thought, clenching his small fist under the table. I've been waiting for this. I've watched them in the yard for years.
Zephyr looked at his sister. At nine years old, she was already vibrating with mana she didn't know how to fully hide. It leaked off her in tiny, invisible ripples that made the candle flames dance when she got excited.
She was a mid Intermediate prodigy, a rank most soldiers didn't hit until their twenties.
She was a prodigy.
For a nine-year-old, that shouldn't be possible. Most adults in the village were barely at the novice Rank.
"I don't think my family is a normal family," Zephyr muttered to himself, taking a bite of bread.
"They are clearly hiding something. Dad won't talk about his relatives. Mom just smiles when I ask about her past. 'When the time comes, they say."
Zephyr!" Lina beamed, kicked his leg playfully under the table.
"Let's train together tomorrow! I'll go easy on you.
"Okay, Big Sis," Zephyr smiled. Please don't kill me, he said mentally.
As he stood up to clear his plate, his hand brushed against his father's arm. In that brief contact, Zephyr felt a jolt—a hum of pure, refined energy that felt like touching a live wire.
Yeah, Zephyr thought, a smirk hidden behind his bowl. Definitely not a woodcutter.
After dinner concluded, the family dispersed. The anticipation for the next day was buzzing under Zephyr's skin like electricity.
"Good night, everyone!" Zephyr called out, rushing up the stairs.
He dove into his bed, pulling the wool blanket up to his chin. He wasn't just excited about the sword training. He was excited about The Event.
In this world, it was common knowledge—or perhaps a deep instinct he carried from his reincarnation that at the age of five, a person's potential manifested. For a reincarnator like him, he was certain this meant one thing.
The System.
It has to be, Zephyr thought, staring at the wooden ceiling beams. I've waited five years. Tomorrow, I finally unlock my cheat.
He forced his eyes closed, willing himself to sleep early so the morning would come faster.
________________
Next day
It was very dark. The sun was not up yet. The only sound was the wind blowing outside. The house was very quiet.
Zephyr's eyes opened quickly. He was not tired at all. He felt wide awake and ready. He sat up and grabbed his blankets.
"Today is the day," he thought. "I am five years old."
He looked at his hands and moved his fingers. He felt different. He felt light, like a heavy weight had been taken off his body. He felt free.
He took a deep breath, waiting for the blue box. Waiting for the standard "Welcome Player" message he had read about in so many novels in his past life.
"Status," he whispered into the darkness.
Nothing happened.
He frowned. "System?"
Still nothing.
"Open?"
Then suddenly he saw a Floating air before him was the friendly red interface he expected.