In the blink of an eye, five years had already passed since Ryn had been reincarnated into this new world, and it was five long years that felt like both an eternity and just a moment at the same time, but Ryn had fun during every single day of it, which was completely different from his shitty past life where he didn't even taste a single piece of happiness and only felt pure depression that consumed his soul every day. But now everything had changed completely and there was no need to worry about the painful past anymore, and Ryn had been living a completely different life filled with warmth and love up until this very moment, enjoying every second of his new existence. But the most important thing that made him feel proud and excited was that he now knew how to walk around on his own two feet without falling down, and he could fucking talk like a normal person at last, which were the most basic skills that he had taken for granted in his previous life.
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"Hell yeah..! It's been so long since I could do this! I... Have finally mastered the art of speech!"
Ryn punched the air out of pure excitement while running around in circles in his small room like a wild animal that had just been set free from its cage, his heart beating fast with joy and relief.
"Not only that, but I can now walk without falling on my face! The most fucking important skill that any living person needs in life!"
Ryn sighed out of relief and happiness while feeling dumbfounded and stupid at the same time for being so excited about such basic things that most people could do without thinking. He approached the soft bed that was placed at the far side of his cozy room and there he instantly laid down his tired body, reflecting on everything that had happened in his new life until now and thinking about how different things were.
—This world that I'm living in now is certainly different than the boring one from my past life, and magic that can bend reality, sharp swords that can cut through anything, and shit like that exists here, which back in my old world would just be considered as 'Fictional', 'Supernatural', and 'Fantasy' stuff that only existed in books and movies that people watched for fun.
—The reason I'm still alive and breathing up until now might still not be completely clear to me, and I wouldn't really consider myself truly alive since I've already died at least once in my pathetic life before this one, so I'm not sure if this counts as being alive or something else entirely.
Ryn thought deeply while looking straight up at the familiar wooden ceiling that he had memorized every single crack and line of during his time in this room.
"Ryn!"
"It's time for breakfast, sweetie!"
"I'm coming Mom!"
After hearing his loving mother call him for breakfast with that warm voice of hers, he wasted no time at all and instantly went out of his comfortable room to eat with his family, his stomach already making hungry noises. At the right side of the long hallway, he turned left toward the kitchen, and there were his caring parents and Maria already sitting down at the wooden table, just waiting patiently for him to join them so they could all eat together like they did every morning.
—This peaceful view of my family together is something I'll protect with my life, no matter what happens or what tries to destroy it, because this is the happiness I never had before.
Ryn grinned widely while closing his eyes shut in pure relief and happiness, feeling grateful for everything he had now.
"Come here, Ryn!"
Ophelia called out to him with a bright smile on her beautiful face while gesturing for him to sit down at his usual spot.
Ryn walked toward the empty seat that was positioned right between Jan and Ophelia, and just across from Maria who was already digging into her food with a happy expression on her face.
"Wow, the food today looks really good and smells amazing!"
"Heh, it's your mother's special recipe that she's been working on!"
Jan boasted proudly like he had made the delicious food himself, with a teasing smile spread across his face as he looked at his wife.
"Don't act like you made it when you can barely boil water without burning it."
Ophelia pouted while looking down at the floor, her soft lips trembling as if she was about to cry from his teasing.
"I'm sorry darling! Please don't be mad at me!"
Jan apologized quickly, his face filled with worry and genuine concern, not knowing that Ophelia was just playing with him like she always did during their meals.
"Got'cha!"
Ryn and Maria couldn't hold their laughter anymore at the sight of the two adults flirting and being silly, and the scene of the couple playing around was too funny for them, so they both burst into loud laughter that filled the entire room. Both of them really did share the same thoughts about how cute and ridiculous their parents could be when they acted like this.
"Haah..."
Jan sighed deeply, relieved that she wasn't actually mad at him, but also happy that he got to see her playful side again.
"Alright! Let's eat this food before it gets cold!"
Ophelia clapped her hands together cheerfully while smiling at everyone that was sitting there ready to eat her homemade cooking, her eyes sparkling with pride.
—Damn, this food really does taste incredibly good and makes my mouth water every single time I eat it, which is something I never experienced before.
Ryn was amazed at the thought, knowing that none of the food in his miserable past life had ever tasted this good or made him feel this satisfied and happy. Not even a single meal could compare to this, and it was like he was eating expensive food in a five-star restaurant every single day without having to pay anything for it.
"Anyways Ryn, there's something important we need to talk about,"
"Five years ago—you might not remember this clearly, but you somehow casted a beginner's spell that was weirdly powerful enough to blast a huge hole in the storage room's thick walls."
"Mhm."
"Uhh..."
—Yeah, I'll just act like I don't remember that incident at all because I don't want them to have any weird suspicions about me or start asking difficult questions that I can't answer.
Ryn thought it over carefully, eventually coming up with the safest solution to avoid any awkward questions or problems that might come up.
"Yeah, I honestly don't remember doing anything like that."
Ryn lied smoothly while scratching his head in the process to look more convincing and innocent.
"Yeah, I thought so since you were so young... But we're planning to hire a professional mage to teach you proper magic control and techniques."
"Wait, what did you just say?"
Ryn was completely confused, looking back and forth at Ophelia, then at Jan, then at Ophelia again, then back at Jan with wide eyes. This news was too sudden and unexpected, and he never thought that they'd actually take his magical accident seriously enough to hire a real teacher for him.
"We're hiring a professional mage to teach you how to use your magic safely!"
Ophelia said excitedly while clapping her hands together to congratulate Ryn, her face glowing with a proud smile that made her look even more beautiful.
"Congrats Young Master on this amazing opportunity!"
Maria also joined the celebration by clapping loudly in the process, her eyes sparkling with excitement for Ryn's future training.
"YAHOOOOOO!"
Jan screamed loud enough to probably wake their neighbors up from their sleep, acting like he was the one that was going to be trained instead of Ryn, his voice echoing through the house.
—This might actually seem like a lot of fun and a great way to learn about this world and how magic works in it.
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A whole week had passed since that conversation at breakfast, and someone was knocking on their front door with steady knocks, and the sound was faint but clear enough that Ophelia was sure that she could hear it from the kitchen. She walked toward the entrance and carefully opened the heavy wooden door to see who was visiting them at this time of day, wondering if it could be the person they were expecting. At the sight before her, it was the 'professional mage' they had been talking about and expecting just a week ago, standing there with a calm and confident presence.
"Good morning, I'm the magic trainer you hired to teach your son."
The man said calmly with a friendly smile, his voice smooth and confident, making Ophelia feel at ease right away. He was tall with bright blonde hair that caught the sunlight and his overall physique was pretty decent and well-built, showing that he took care of his body and stayed in good shape for his job. His eyes were big and lengthy, which made him look much friendlier and more approachable, perfectly matching his polite way of talking and gentle manner that made him seem trustworthy and kind.
He was wearing a clean white shirt underneath, a light-brown colored waistcoat was layered on top of that, and finally a shiny silver chest plate that reflected the morning light completed his outfit, making him look professional and skilled. He was also wearing a sturdy leather belt that had a well-crafted sword strapped to it, along with its matching scabbard that looked expensive and well-maintained, showing that he was serious about his work. On his legs were well-fitted black pants that looked comfortable to move in, with a protective knee-guard to add extra defense during combat situations, and it seemed like he was also wearing a shin-guard hidden inside his pants for complete protection.
This was the skilled man that would train Ryn to become a refined and powerful mage in this magical world, and he looked like someone who could really help Ryn learn everything he needed to know.