I've lost count of how many days I've been here.
The sun rises, sets, and I've stopped keeping track.
My mind is sharp, my memories intact…
But my body?
This ridiculous, tiny body, unable to hold up its own head?
A true prison.
I am Arthion Dae Valen.
Former king of Solarys.
War strategist.
Master of the blade.
And today… I can't lift a spoon without flinging porridge everywhere.
Fate has a sense of humor.
A cruel one, I must say.
At least I've stopped crying every time I wake up. That's progress.
Today again, I'm wrapped in this absurdly soft blanket, lying on a raised wooden terrace beneath the shade of a blue-leaved tree.
The morning breeze is cool.
The smell of fresh bread drifts from the kitchen.
And in front of me—
There's her.
My sister.
Elaia Varion.
She must be ten or eleven, radiating a calm, precise energy. Her auburn hair is tied in a tight braid down her back. Her eyes are sharp, intelligent.
She has that kind of presence… rare.
Like a born commander.
Or a star in the making.
And today, like every morning since I became conscious, she's training.
Not with a sword or weapon.
No.
With Ezrath.
Real magic.
Not those pitiful illusions street performers throw around.
No.
Spheres of water levitating in her palms, gusts of wind controlled by her will, sparks dancing around her fingers.
Magic… alive.
"Breathe deeply, focus on the calling. Feel the flow, not the control."
She talks to herself while practicing.
Or rather, she repeats the instructions she's been taught.
Me? I observe her with the focus of a monk.
Every hand movement, every blink, every breath.
I try to understand. To mimic.
But so far, the only thing I've managed to produce… is a burp.
Brilliant.
Day 9 of Observation (according to my estimations)
I'm starting to recognize patterns in her gestures.
There's a structure—a sort of ritual dance mixed with a specific kind of breathing.
It's not raw magic.
It's… a communion.
This world vibrates.
It's saturated with the energy they call Ezrath.
As if the ground, the air, even the light itself were made of some invisible fabric certain people can touch.
Elaia swims through it like a fish in water.
And me?
I'm a pebble.
A soft, drooling pebble that can't stand on its own legs.
I clench my tiny fists and try to imitate her.
I close my eyes.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Feel the flow.
Nothing.
Damn it. I was a king. I crushed armies. I manipulated the political forces of three kingdoms…
And now I'm struggling not to choke on my own saliva trying to sense Ezrath.
How ironic.
Day 12
Something happened.
Nothing spectacular, no.
I didn't suddenly float into the air, glowing with divine light.
But… I felt something.
A shiver in my chest.
Like something within me responded to the breeze.
A faint vibration—barely there, but real.
I had been trying to mimic Elaia: hand outstretched, palm open toward a flat stone before me.
My goal? To make it move.
The result?
The stone didn't budge.
But my heart skipped a beat.
A dull warmth spread through my chest—like a sleeping fire.
It lasted maybe a second.
But I didn't imagine it.
And just like that…
Everything changed.
Day 13
Another attempt.
Same posture.
Same focus.
My hand trembles slightly. My muscles are weak—I know that.
But that's not the issue.
The issue is this invisible lock, this wall between me and that latent power.
A barrier I can't name. Can't break.
And yet…
I feel it.
I feel that something slumbers within me.
A force I've never known.
Not even in my old world.
It's as if my soul has been marked by… that place.
The Nexus.
That word keeps returning in my nightmares.
Chains. Shadows.
Creatures whose gaze breaks the mind.
I don't know what it was.
But I know I came from there.
And I know it changed me.
"Kael! Are you listening?"
It's Elaia's soft voice.
She looks at me with a small smile.
She thinks I'm just an ordinary baby.
I reply with a happy gurgle.
She bursts out laughing and kisses my forehead.
You adore me now, sister…
But just wait until I surpass you all.
…Assuming I ever manage to move a damn rock.
Conclusion of the Day:
• My body is weak.
• My mind is intact.
• My sister is brilliant.
• I'm jealous.
• I'm… curious. Hungry. Impatient.
I've never had so much to learn.
And even if I have to crawl, drool, fall, and cry for months…
I will discover this world.
I will master it.
End of chapter 2