Achen woke to the smell of burning herbs.
Not smoke.
Not fire.
Something sharper.
Bitter.
Medicinal.
His eyes opened slowly.
The first thing he noticed was the ceiling.
Dark wooden beams crossed overhead, carved with faint glowing symbols that pulsed softly like breathing light.
Runes.
He did not know how he knew that word.
But the meaning appeared naturally in his mind.
Achen remained still.
His senses moved first.
The bed beneath him was firm, filled with something softer than straw but rougher than modern fabric. The blanket covering his chest felt thick and warm.
Heavy cloth.
Probably wool.
The room was quiet except for the faint crackling sound of a nearby fireplace.
Good.
His mind began organizing information.
New body.
New world.
Wizard system.
Achen slowly sat up.
A wave of unfamiliar memories stirred at the edge of his mind.
Not his own.
The previous owner of this body.
Fragments appeared like broken glass.
A large stone manor.
A training courtyard.
Spell practice.
Arcane lectures.
Then pain.
And darkness.
The memories stopped there.
Incomplete.
But enough to form a basic picture.
Achen lifted his hand and studied it.
The hand was younger than his original body.
Smoother skin.
Stronger fingers.
No scars.
He flexed the muscles slowly.
The control felt natural.
His eyes shifted toward a tall mirror standing against the far wall.
He stood and walked toward it.
The floorboards creaked softly beneath his steps.
When he reached the mirror, he stopped.
The reflection staring back at him was unfamiliar.
A young man around twenty years old.
Black hair.
Pale skin.
Sharp eyes.
The face carried a calm expression that matched his personality almost perfectly.
Achen studied the reflection for several seconds.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Status of the system."
Silence.
For a moment nothing happened.
Then a calm voice appeared inside his mind.
Wizard System initialized.
The voice had no emotion.
No personality.
Just information.
Good.
Achen leaned slightly closer to the mirror.
"System," he said quietly in his mind, "analyze this body."
The response came instantly.
Host body condition: stable.
Mana capacity detected.
Achen's eyes narrowed slightly.
Mana.
So magic truly existed in this world.
He spoke again.
"Explain mana."
There was a brief pause.
Then the system responded.
Mana: ambient energy present within this universe.
Used by wizards to manipulate natural forces.
Achen considered this.
Energy manipulation.
Predictable.
Logical.
It was exactly the type of system he preferred.
He raised his hand slowly.
"Measure mana activity in this body."
Another pause.
Host mana circulation detected.
Control level: moderate.
That matched the memory fragments he had seen.
This body already belonged to a trained wizard.
Interesting.
Achen lowered his hand and turned away from the mirror.
The room around him became clearer now that his mind had settled.
Bookshelves lined the stone walls.
Most of them filled with thick volumes bound in dark leather.
Glass bottles containing strange liquids stood on a nearby wooden table.
Green.
Blue.
Black.
Alchemy materials perhaps.
Near the fireplace stood a tall wooden staff carved with silver runes.
Achen walked toward it slowly.
The moment his fingers touched the staff—
Another fragment of memory surfaced.
Spell practice.
Wind magic.
The staff acting as a focus.
He nodded slightly.
Useful.
Very useful.
He placed the staff back where it stood.
Then he walked toward the window.
Thick curtains blocked most of the sunlight, but when he pulled them aside—
The outside world appeared.
Stone towers stretched across the distant hills.
Tall structures with narrow windows and glowing rune patterns carved into their surfaces.
Some towers floated slightly above the ground, held in the air by circular arrays of light.
Achen's eyes moved across the landscape.
Roads curved through green fields.
Several small villages rested near the base of the hills.
But what caught his attention most was the sky.
Several large birds circled high above the valley.
Except…
They were far too large to be normal birds.
Their wingspan was enormous.
And faint blue light shimmered around their bodies.
Magical creatures.
Achen watched them quietly.
This world followed different rules than Earth.
Good.
Different systems meant new knowledge.
New possibilities.
A faint knock interrupted his thoughts.
Three soft taps against the wooden door.
Achen turned his head slightly.
"Enter."
The door opened slowly.
A young servant stepped inside carrying a small tray of food.
Bread.
Fruit.
A steaming cup of something that smelled like herbal tea.
The servant bowed slightly.
"Young Master Achen," he said nervously.
"You should eat. You were unconscious for nearly a full day."
Achen studied him carefully.
The servant avoided direct eye contact.
Respect mixed with fear.
Typical behavior in hierarchical societies.
Achen nodded once.
"Leave it."
"Yes, Young Master."
The servant placed the tray on the table and quickly left the room.
The door closed again.
Achen walked toward the table and sat down slowly.
As he ate, his mind continued analyzing everything he had learned so far.
Wizard society.
Mana energy.
Rune technology.
Magical creatures.
A complex system.
But something else bothered him.
The memory fragments from this body contained small hints of tension.
Arguments.
Urgent meetings.
Messengers arriving late at night.
He reached for the cup and took a slow sip.
The herbal drink was slightly bitter.
His eyes moved toward the distant towers again.
Several of them were emitting brighter rune patterns than before.
Defensive formations perhaps.
His mind reached a quiet conclusion.
This world was not peaceful.
Not stable.
Something was coming.
War.
Achen leaned back slightly in his chair.
And began thinking about how to survive it.