The banquet had ended, and the castle halls were quiet.
But my mind wasn't.
Even as I lay in my crib, my thoughts kept circling back to what had happened.
The shattered array. The whispers of genius. The system's interference.
This shouldn't have happened.
Averis Ravenshade was nothing but a minor character in the original novel. A noble child with no extraordinary talent, barely worth mentioning.
Yet now, I was being called a prodigy.
I pressed a small hand against my chest, feeling the unstable pulse of my mana core.
Was this all because of the system?
The frozen raven had refined my mana, but it never claimed to enhance my talent. If anything, it had only prevented my body from breaking down due to MOS.
That left only one answer.
The system is changing things.
The thought sent a chill down my spine.
Was it merely revealing what I had all along, or was it rewriting my very existence?
And if that were the case… how much of the original story could I even trust?
Just as my thoughts reached that unsettling conclusion—
[System Quest Unlocked]
A translucent screen flickered before my eyes.
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[Trial of Balance]
Description: Your mana is unstable. Without proper control, it will become a burden rather than a strength. Stabilize your mana flow for 10 minutes without letting it run wild.
Reward:
— 50 System Points
— Basic Rune of Mana Control (+2% stability for 5 minutes)
Failure:
— Temporary mana disruption (1 hour)
Would you like to begin? [Yes] / [No]
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A training quest?
Unlike the previous rewards, this wasn't something overpowered. It didn't instantly grant me control—it was pushing me to refine my abilities.
I hesitated for only a moment before selecting [Yes].
---
A Baby's "Meditation"
As soon as the trial began, I felt it.
The wild, chaotic surge of mana inside me.
I clenched my tiny fists.
Mana naturally flowed through a person's body like blood in their veins. But mine… it resisted me. It wanted to move on its own, untamed and unrestrained.
Calm down.
I inhaled deeply.
One breath. Two breaths.
My mana flickered, twisting under my command. Sweat beaded on my forehead.
I had never realized how much effort it took to simply exist with this much energy inside me.
Five minutes passed.
Seven.
The strain was unbearable.
But then—
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[Trial of Balance Complete]
Rewards Earned:
— 50 System Points
— Basic Rune of Mana Control added to inventory
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I let out a shaky breath.
I had done it.
But as I blinked the system message away, I noticed something.
Across the room, my parents were watching me.
Seraphina's crimson eyes sparkled with amusement, while Aldric had an odd look on his face.
"…Averis," my mother said, barely suppressing a smile.
I froze.
"Look at him," she whispered, turning to Aldric. "He looks so serious."
Aldric's lips twitched. "…Is he meditating?"
Seraphina giggled. "Oh, he's trying so hard. Our little star must think he's doing something amazing."
Aldric leaned forward, resting his chin on one hand. "Should we stop him?"
"No, no. Let him be," Seraphina said, eyes soft with affection. "It's adorable."
…
They thought I was playing?
The system had just put me through a grueling trial, but to them, I was just a baby making a funny face.
A strange feeling swelled in my chest.
Frustration? Embarrassment?
…Or maybe just warmth.
No matter how the world saw me—
To them, I was just their child.
And that was enough.
For now.