The sun rose over the forest.
Soft orange light touched the trees.
Birds sang. Wind moved the leaves.
Jin Haru opened his eyes.
He was lying just outside the cave. He had passed out again after walking a little.
Now, he felt better. Not strong, but better.
His clothes were dirty. His hair was wet from the night before. His shoes were muddy.
But his heart was calm.
The ten magic circles inside his chest were quiet now. Resting.
He sat up and looked at his hand.
"I… really came back," he whispered.
The memories were still in his mind.
His past life.
His power.
His battles.
He still didn't understand why he was reborn. Or how. But one thing was clear:
He was no longer the same.
---
Haru stood up and walked slowly through the forest.
His steps were careful. The ground was wet.
But his senses felt sharper.
He could hear birds far away.
He could feel mana in the air. Soft and light, like wind.
His body was still tired, but not weak. Just… changing.
It took a long time, but finally, the trees opened.
He saw the city in the distance.
Tall buildings.
Moving cars.
Shining glass windows.
Normal life.
---
Haru walked along the road, closer to town.
People looked at him.
Some pointed. Some whispered.
A boy with dirty clothes, walking from the forest alone.
But he didn't care.
His mind was full.
He saw things in a new way.
He could feel mana coming from people. Weak mana. Strong mana.
He could feel mana flowing through the buildings, the ground, the sky.
Everything had magic.
This world was different from his old one, but not weaker.
It was wild. Untouched. Growing.
And full of danger.
---
Haru reached the city gate.
A security man stopped him.
"You okay, kid? What were you doing in the forest?"
Haru paused.
He smiled a little.
"I got lost."
The man looked worried.
"You're lucky you didn't get eaten. These days, monsters are showing up more and more."
"I know," Haru said softly.
But inside, he thought: Monsters… I've faced worse.
---
He walked into the city.
People rushed past him.
Cars honked.
A giant screen showed news of a new dungeon found in the east.
The world was moving fast.
Dungeons, awakened people, guilds, danger, and money.
It was a world ready for power.
And Haru… was ready too.
But first, he needed to rest.
He needed to plan.
Haru walked down a quiet alley.
It was narrow, between two old buildings.
No people. No cameras. Just silence.
He looked around.
Then he took a deep breath.
His heart beat faster.
He raised his hand.
"Let's try…"
He closed his eyes.
Inside his chest, he felt the ten circles.
They were still there.
Still spinning.
Still strong.
---
He thought about fire.
A small flame.
Not too big.
Just like before.
He opened his eyes slowly.
Then he whispered,
"Fireball."
A small red light appeared above his palm.
It flickered like a candle.
Haru's eyes widened.
He smiled.
"It works…"
---
He moved his hand gently.
The flame followed.
Left. Right. Up. Down.
Then—he closed his fingers.
The flame disappeared.
No sound. No smoke.
Just gone.
He looked at his hand.
"I can control it. Even here."
---
Next, he tried water.
"Waterball."
A small drop formed in the air.
It floated like a bubble.
He touched it. It was cool.
Then—he thought about wind.
"Ventus."
A soft breeze blew around him.
It moved his hair.
He laughed a little.
"It's real. It's really real."
---
Then, he tried illusion magic.
He looked at the wall.
He pointed a finger and whispered,
"Visus falsa."
A copy of himself appeared.
It stood still like a mirror.
Same face. Same clothes.
But it wasn't real.
Haru waved his hand again.
The illusion faded.
No trace.
---
He sat down on a box.
His body still felt tired.
But his heart was full.
"I don't need an awakening," he said softly.
"I already have my power."
---
Then his smile faded a little.
"I must grow it again. Train it. Hide it."
He stood up.
"No one can know yet. Not until I'm ready."
He looked up at the sky.
A cloud moved slowly.
"But this time… I will protect the people I love."
The next day, Haru stood in front of the Awakening Center.
The building was tall and white.
Glass doors opened with a soft sound.
People walked in and out.
Some wore armor.
Some wore robes.
Some held strange weapons.
All of them had awakened powers.
Haru looked down at his hands.
"I don't need this," he whispered.
But still, he walked in.
He needed to know.
Would the system recognize him?
Would it say he was still "normal"?
Or would it see the truth?
---
Inside, the room was bright.
A woman sat at a desk.
"Name?" she asked kindly.
"Jin Haru," he said.
"ID?" He gave her his card.
She typed on the computer.
"Okay, Jin Haru. No awakened ability found before. Do you want to try again?"
He nodded.
"Alright. Go to room three. Place your hand on the stone."
---
Room three was quiet.
A glowing stone sat on a stand.
It looked like a crystal egg.
Blue light moved inside.
Haru looked at it.
He felt mana coming from it.
Not strong. Just a little.
"Place your hand," a voice said through the speaker.
He did.
---
The stone glowed brighter.
A screen lit up.
[Scanning...]
Haru stood still.
He felt the system touch his mana.
He felt it try to read the magic circles.
Then—
BZZZZT!
The lights flickered.
The stone turned red.
The screen shook.
[ERROR]
[SYSTEM OVERLOAD]
[TOO MUCH DATA]
---
Haru stepped back.
Alarms beeped.
A guard opened the door.
"What happened?!"
The woman at the desk rushed in.
"We don't know! The stone glitched!"
They looked at Haru.
He acted confused.
"I just touched it… then it broke."
The woman looked shocked.
"No one has ever… No one has made it overload before…"
Haru stepped away slowly.
"I guess… I'm just unlucky."
He smiled a little.
"Can I go now?"
They nodded slowly.
"Yes… go."
---
Outside, Haru took a deep breath.
He walked fast, then turned a corner.
He leaned on the wall and laughed softly.
"It couldn't read me…"
He looked at his hand.
"I'm above the system."
Jin Haru walked slowly through the city streets.
The sky was blue.
Children laughed in a park.
People drank coffee, watched phones, lived their lives.
But inside Haru's heart, everything felt different.
He was not the same boy anymore.
---
He stopped near a quiet alley.
He looked at his hand again.
He remembered the fire spell… the water… the wind… the illusion.
And the system error at the Awakening Center.
"I'm not awakened," Haru whispered.
"I'm something else."
---
He sat on a bench.
His eyes watched the people.
"I can't tell anyone yet," he said to himself.
"If they know, they will follow me."
"They will fear me."
"Or try to use me."
---
Haru thought about his little sister in the hospital.
She was still sleeping.
Still sick.
Still waiting.
He touched his chest.
He could feel the ten magic circles spinning.
Slow, soft, deep.
Like a sleeping dragon.
"If I show my power now… I might be taken away."
"I need money first."
"Then I need to heal my sister."
"After that… maybe the world can know."
---
He stood up.
A group of awakened students passed by.
They laughed.
One of them said, "Look! It's the normal boy again!"
Another one added, "Still weak? Still powerless?"
They walked away.
Haru just smiled.
They don't know the truth.
He walked in the other direction.
He didn't look back.
---
In his pocket was a small notebook.
He opened it.
Inside were hand-drawn magic circles.
Old spells.
Notes from his past life.
He added a new one: Silent Flame – A fire that doesn't burn, only glows.
"Training starts tonight," he said.
He closed the notebook.
Put it back in his pocket.
And kept walking.
---
The mage had returned.
But the world wouldn't know. Not yet.
For now… Haru would walk as a shadow.