"Sirius Lucen Starlight… my new name," the boy thought to himself, reflecting on a name that sounded like it was straight out of a fantasy novel. When he first heard it, he genuinely believed he had been reborn as a prince in an isekai-style medieval fantasy world. But the truth was much stranger than that.
Sirius Lucen Starlight was not just a name, it was his true name, a special one known only to his family. To the outside world, he had been given a far more ordinary name, one meant to help him blend in.
"Akira, look over here," his mother called softly, her voice filled with warmth and affection.
"Yes... Hoshino Akira, my actual new name," he reminded himself, the name everyone else from now on would know him by.
A month had passed since his rebirth into this world, and in that short time, he had already learned a great deal about his new family and surroundings. The first and most shocking discovery was that he was in Japan, most likely somewhere near Tokyo, and the year was 2000.
But this wasn't just time travel. In fact, this world was far different from the one he used to live in.
"An alternate reality… probably," Akira mused.
The first obvious difference was his new mother, Hoshino Yuki. Like him, she had a grand True Name known only within their family.
Her appearance alone raised too many questions. She looked too young to be a mother, likely in her late teens or early twenties. But what stood out the most about her was the color of her eyes and hair.
She had flowing snow-white hair and gem-like purple eyes that seemed to hold an endless sea of stars, traits Akira shared with both her and his new father.
Back in his original world, such features were unnatural, bordering on impossible. White hair and purple eyes either didn't exist or were extremely rare genetic anomalies. But here, they seemed perfectly normal, even hereditary.
Still, that alone wasn't enough to confirm his suspicions.
What truly sealed the deal was something else entirely.
"Look here, Akira," his mother's voice pulled his attention. He lay in his crib, staring up at her as she hovered her hand above him. With a gentle motion of her fingers, a glowing blue magic circle formed in the air. Shimmering streams of water emerged from thin air, twisting and dancing into delicate shapes like animals, birds, and miniature vehicles, each one crafted from liquid and floating gracefully before him.
Yes. The reason Akira was certain he wasn't in his original world was simple.
This world had magic.
In fact, he can actually see mana too, or whatever he thinks mana is, glowing light particles that he could see all around him, and inside the bodies of his parents too, he could see them just as his vision stabilized. At first, he even thought he was hallucinating.
Akira reached out his tiny hand, trying to touch the water constructs, but his small fingers couldn't quite reach. His mother smiled down at him, her eyes filled with warmth and affection as the water creations continued to playfully float above him.
"Do you like them, Akira?" she cooed softly, guiding the water animals closer, letting them dance just beyond his grasp.
"Of course I like them! It's magic, real magic! How can I not be excited?" Akira thought, but the only sound that escaped his lips was an unintelligible cooing. After all, he was still just a one-month-old baby, and his vocal cords weren't developed yet, so he couldn't pull an Anos Voldigoad even if he wanted to.
Still, his mind raced with excitement. He couldn't wait to use magic himself. He didn't know how to yet, but perhaps his parents would teach him when he was older.
"But I want to learn it as soon as possible," Akira had watched enough anime to know that the earlier you started training magic, the stronger you became as an adult, and if he could somehow start learning now, while still a baby, he might grow up with a massive reservoir of mana.
"Alright... I need a plan," he thought. He would have to figure out how to secretly practice magic without his mother noticing. The first step, he knew, was to sense magic energy around him. Once he could do that, he could start experimenting on his own.
But can he even do it without his parents noticing? Since he can see mana normally, he had a feeling his parents could too. Besides, those starry purple eyes they have, he had a feeling those are some kind of mystic eyes, if so, he couldn't hide his secret training, so he was in a pickle.
As his thoughts spun with various schemes on how to learn magic and become stronger in this world, his tiny body began to feel heavy with sleep. After all, he was still just a baby, and his body was weak and got tired easily.
"Seriously, when will I grow up?" he thought with frustration, just before drifting off into sleep.
Days passed as Akira continued to think of ways to secretly learn magic. However, most of his ideas were thwarted by one undeniable fact, he was still just a baby. He had never imagined that being a baby would be this hard. He couldn't move freely, couldn't talk, and the worst part is, he couldn't control basic bodily functions like before. And the baby food? Absolutely awful.
Being a baby is hard, but he knows he can't magically grow up, he has to do it one step at a time. So, first, he decided to focus on learning how to crawl.
Lying on his stomach, he struggled to move. His small limbs twitched with effort, but his muscles were still barely developed, making each movement exhausting. Still, Akira wasn't the type to give up easily. Once he decided on something, he would keep trying without stopping until he finished it, so he is determined to crawl despite the difficulties.
His mother, unaware of the complex thoughts running through her infant's mind, watched him from nearby with delight. To her, it was simply her son growing up fast.
"Look at you, Akira!" she exclaimed, joy evident in her voice. "You're growing up so fast!" She clapped her hands softly, encouraging him as he struggled to pull himself forward. Each small movement he made was met with her delighted cheers, her eyes sparkling with pride.
Akira couldn't help but grin. It was fortunate that Japanese was one of the languages he had learned in his previous life, it gave him a huge advantage. He understood everything around him and didn't have to learn a new language from scratch.
Even when his limbs started to ache from the effort, he pushed himself to keep going. But just as he wanted to try a bit more, his mother gently picked him up.
"You're such a strong boy, Akira," she cooed softly. "But you can't grow up all at once. Time to rest."
"No, mother, I am not tired, I can do this all day...…you know what, I do feel sleepy all of a sudden, maybe I will take a little rest." Listening to her soothing voice, Akira couldn't fight off the tiredness and soon fell asleep.
Over time, he successfully learned to crawl. The first step of his plan was complete.
"Alright, time for the next step," he thought, formulating a new, riskier plan. It was a gamble, but he was willing to take risks if it meant unlocking his magical potential.
One afternoon, while his mother was momentarily distracted, Akira seized the opportunity. He crawled slowly but steadily toward the edge of a low table.
"Normal babies and reincarnated babies across the universe, do not try this at home." With that last warning, without any hesitation, he pushed himself forward, tipping over and plummeting toward the floor.
The impact sent a sharp jolt of pain through his tiny body, and Akira let out a loud, piercing cry.
"Ouhhhhhh…" Akira groaned in pain. "Man, that hurt way more than I expected. Seriously, whose bright idea was this? Wouldn't just bumping my head against the wall have been enough? Aghhh…"
In truth, he had considered that option. But he figured no one would bother using healing magic for just a little bump. So, this plan made more sense, at least it did before he felt the pain.
Now, it was excruciating.
Hearing his cries, his mother's head turned hurriedly around, her eyes wide with horror as she saw her baby lying on the floor.
"AKIRA!" she screamed, her voice trembling with panic. She rushed over and scooped him into her arms, her face pale with fear.
"Oh no, Akira! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling. Without a second thought, she began to channel her power, casting a spell.
"Heal."
A small green magic circle appeared in front of her hand. A gentle, glowing light poured from it, enveloping Akira in warmth as the pain in his body gradually faded.
As his mother's magic surrounded him, Akira focused with all his might. He could see how the mana reacted to the spell, and now he was trying to sense the energy flowing into him through the healing magic, concentrating on every sensation.
Then, suddenly, he felt something.
A new, unfamiliar energy stirred inside his tiny body. The same glowing mana he could see outside was now flowing into him. It was coming from his mother's spell, but at the same time, something inside him awakened. He couldn't explain it, but he knew something had changed. He could feel magic now. Not just see it.
"Alright, Operation No Pain No Gain is a complete success," he thought, a small, satisfied smile creeping onto his face. Now that he could sense magic, he could begin experimenting with it.
"Are you alright, Akira? Does it still hurt? I'm so sorry," his mother's worried voice brought him back to reality. Akira looked up at her tear-streaked, panicked face, and he was shocked more than anything else.
His plan had worked, but he realized he had frightened her. His thoughts drifted back to his previous life, as someone who was born and raised in a secret facility, he never had a mother, not even a mother figure, the people who raised him, made sure not to get attached to him and tried their best to stay away from him, so this is the first time he had seen someone cry for him.
For the first time, Akira felt a deep emotion he hadn't experienced before. Guilt. Akira was someone who had never felt such feelings before. Even when he made weapons that could kill thousands, he never felt guilt, but seeing his mother cry made him feel it for the first time.
He knew what he had done was reckless, and seeing his new mother so cry made him regret his actions a little. So he tried his best to give her a reassuring smile, hoping to convey that he was alright.
"Thank goodness you're okay. Don't scare me like that," his mother sighed, visibly relieved as she hugged him close.
Watching her, Akira silently vowed not to do anything reckless again, at least, not for a while. But soon, a wave of drowsiness washed over him.
"Why am I sleeping so much lately? is it because of the magic my mother used ?" he thought as sleep overtook him once again. He decided to start his magical experiments tomorrow.
The next day, Akira began his experiments. His first step was to sense the magical energy he had sensed before within his body and attempt to control it. At first, he thought it would be tough, but it went more easily than he thought. It's as if his new body is highly compatible with this energy, since his parents can use magic seems like he inherited their talents.
"Alright, step one is done. Now… what the hell is step two?" he thought, trying to recall as much as he could from the anime, manga, and light novels he knew in his previous life. He needed to figure out how to use the magic now that he could control it.
"I don't know how to use any spells yet. What should I do?" he pondered. He was cautious about imitating any spells indoors, and his parents might notice something odd if he did something big and stupid. And the last thing he wanted was for them to think he was possessed or something strange. Better safe than sorry.
So, he decided to experiment with the magic inside his body first, to see what would happen. "Should I try some kind of mana circulation techniques by infusing mana into my blood? Or maybe I could develop my mystic eyes by circulating mana in my eyes," he mused, considering multiple possibilities.
"Hmm, let's try both." He began circulating his magical energy, mana, through his body, infusing it into his blood, eyes, and limbs. Best case, he might gain a new power.
"Worst case… I turn into a monster." He knew from some stories that infusing too much magic or causing a magical overload could transform someone into a mutated monster in some anime, but he decided it was worth the risk. He would first practice for a day and see what happened.
And so, a day passed, and Akira perfected his mana circulation technique. Now, he can do it automatically all the time, but he didn't want to try it in front of his parents. So, he practiced his mana circulation technique when he was alone. Luckily, his parents didn't notice his actions, but he also knew that hiding from his parents was hard since he had a feeling they also have the same kind of mystical eyes he has, and it was only a matter of time before they noticed him, so he had to come up with a plan.
"Hmm, what should I do?" After contemplating his options, he devised a risky plan. The next time his mother played with him using her magical water animals, he would try to imitate her.
"Best case, they'll think I'm some kind of once-in-a-century genius. Worst case… let's not think about that," he decided he should deal with the consequences after they happened.
"Akira, look over here!" his mother called, as usual, conjuring her water animal shapes to play with him.
"Alright, time to do this," Akira thought, gathering his determination. He raised his tiny hand, mimicking the flow of mana he noticed from his mother whenever she used her magic.
"Water… H2O… just imagine it." Focusing intently, he reached out, and suddenly a small ball of water appeared before him.
"It worked!" he thought excitedly, smiling as he looked up at his mother, eager to see her reaction. Just as he expected, her eyes widened in shock, and her mouth hung open in stunned disbelief.