Three months passed, and Alaric's reading skills improved. He still couldn't fully understand everything written, but with his mother's help, he returned to the bookshelf and began reading general knowledge books.
That was when he realized the truth.
He was in another world.
A fantasy world—just like the ones he used to watch in anime or read about in novels when he was bored.
And now… he was living in one.
How he had been reincarnated here, or what caused it, didn't matter to him. Those were useless questions. He had already accepted the fact that he had died once and been reborn.
Of course, he felt a bit sad. His previous family must have been worried about him. But there was nothing he could do now.
So he came to terms with his new life.
He accepted the fact that he now had a new family—one that was loving and caring.
His family consisted of his mother and his sister.
As for his father… where he was, or why he wasn't present, Alaric didn't concern himself with it.
Right now, his thoughts were focused on one thing.
He needed to learn magic.
Yes. That was essential.
From what he had read, those without power were nothing but prey in this world. His only goal now was to grow stronger as quickly as possible, so that he could protect his mother and his sister—the family he now cherished.
The world he found himself in could be described in a single word.
Enormous.
This world was at least twice the size of Earth. There were eight continents, each one said to be ten times larger than Australia.
There were many races as well. The dominant ones were demons, angels, humans, vampires, foxfolk, elves, werewolves, dragons, and witches.
Each race had its own continent, while other minor races lived in environments best suited to them. For example, skeletons, specters, ghouls, and fallen angels lived alongside demons in the demonic continent. Druids, dryads, and fairies lived together with elves in the elven lands.
But the most shocking thing about this world was something else entirely.
People could resurrect.
Yes… resurrect.
If you died, you could come back to life.
For Alaric—or anyone from Earth—this was completely insane.
From what he understood, there existed a Hell governed by demons and a Heaven ruled by angels. These realms were the homelands of their respective races. If someone from those realms died, they would simply resurrect there.
That made them nearly immortal.
Other races had similar systems, or they could create their own resurrection methods by crafting phylacteries and placing them in safe locations. The materials required weren't extremely rare, but they weren't cheap either.
The currency system was simple.
There were bronze, silver, gold, and amethyst coins.
One amethyst coin was equal to one hundred gold coins. One gold coin equaled one hundred silver coins, and one silver coin equaled one hundred bronze coins.
Simple enough.
But what truly left Alaric speechless was the technology of this world.
A technologically advanced fantasy world?
Who would have thought?
His mother had never shown him any technology before. Then again, he had been too busy being pampered by her… and she had been too busy loving him.
Yes… that made sense.
Still, this world was highly developed despite its magical nature and vast size.
By "technologically advanced," he meant there were devices similar to smartphones used for communication. There was something akin to the internet, allowing people to connect across the world.
There were television programs, movies, novels… even social networks.
This completely contradicted what he had read in other fantasy stories, where magic replaced such things.
Of course, these devices didn't function like those on Earth. They were powered by magic.
Still, the overall level of development was surprisingly similar.
Ah… maybe I can be a lazy slob here too, sitting on a couch and watching movies all day like a log—
Cough, cough.
I mean… I need to get stronger and protect my family.
What am I even thinking?
Of course, all of this knowledge came from books.
He had yet to experience any of it firsthand.
He didn't know anything about kingdoms or politics. It wasn't written in the books he had access to. He didn't even know what race he belonged to.
He would have to ask his mother eventually.
There was also one more important detail.
Out of the eight continents, seven were ruled by the major races.
The eighth continent, located at the center of the world, was known as the Neutral Continent.
It was jointly governed by all seven major races.
It was considered a safe zone—a place for trade, education, and leisure. Wars were forbidden there, though conflicts and discrimination still existed.
Just as he expected.
The law of the strong ruled everywhere.
If he didn't want to be bullied… he had to become strong.
Alaric closed the book and looked around.
His mother was staring at him intently.
He didn't know how long he had been reading… or how long she had been watching him like that. But from her warm gaze, he could tell she simply enjoyed seeing him read.
"Have you finished reading, my dear?" she asked softly.
He nodded.
She smiled and hugged him.
He didn't reply. Instead, he simply hugged her back and nestled into her chest.
Without thinking much of it, she carried him to the bed, laid him down, and lay beside him.
"All that hard work must have made you hungry, right?" she said with a loving smile.
Without hesitation, he reached for her and began to feed, instinctively moving like a child while his mind remained that of an adult.
"You're in such a hurry," she said gently, wiping his face with a cloth. "Don't worry. Mother isn't going anywhere."
After a while, he let go and tugged slightly, indicating he wanted the other side.
She understood immediately, adjusted her position, and held him closer.
As he fed again, he looked up at her.
She returned his gaze with the same warm, maternal smile.
For a moment, he felt strangely disoriented, captivated by her beauty and kindness. But he quickly gathered himself and spoke.
"Mother… go out… walk?"
He pointed toward the outside.
"Hm? You want to go outside, dear?" she asked, slightly confused.
He nodded.
"Don't you like staying here with Mother?" she asked again.
He shook his head.
She looked even more confused.
Sigh… she doesn't understand. Time doesn't pass the same way for me.
For her, it might feel like a short while… but for me, I've been stuck here for too long.
He tried to explain as simply as possible.
"Walk… Mother… Alaric bored."
He kept his words childish on purpose, hoping not to alarm her.
Her face suddenly lit up.
"Oh, my dear! You want to go outside and take a walk with Mother?" she said excitedly.
He nodded again.
She seemed even more excited than him. She picked him up and rushed outside without hesitation.
She didn't even close her robes.
But that was the least of his concerns.
Because what he saw next shocked him.
His mother held him in her arms, her clothes already adjusted before he could even process it.
But what stunned him wasn't her speed.
It was the world outside.
It was dark.
Very dark.
Above them stretched a night sky, illuminated by a silver moon.
The vegetation was dark as well, as if it had adapted to the eternal night.
For a moment, Alaric didn't know how to react.
What race am I?
That was his first thought.
Humans didn't live in places like this.
He looked up at his mother and asked,
"Mother… what am I?"
She looked at him, smiled gently, and said,
"What else could you be, my dear? You are my little kitsune."
She kissed his forehead.
A fox.
I'm a kitsune now.