I left the house not long after Mother, my mind filled with thoughts of mana, awakenings, and the weight of the path ahead.
Briarwood was a small village surrounded by towering trees. The air always smelled faintly of pine and damp earth. Farmers tilled fields, merchants called out their wares, and children ran barefoot through the streets. To the untrained eye, it was a quiet, idyllic place. But I knew better. Danger always lingered nearby—mana beasts prowling the forests, rival guilds clashing in distant towns, ancient dungeons waiting to be unearthed.
That was why adventurers mattered.
Both of my parents were once proud adventurers. Father, Ethan, wielded a spear with precision and ferocity, his physique already at mid C rank. He was one of the top three strongest in Briarwood, surpassed only by the guild master at peak C and the vice guild master at high C. Among villagers, he was a hero. Among adventurers, he was respected.
Mother, Anna, was no less remarkable. A healer and earth mage, she had reached peak D rank before I was born. Her magic saved countless lives, though she often joked that it was Father's recklessness that gave her the most practice.
Their story was simple yet filled with romance. At twenty-one, Mother found herself pregnant. At twenty-two, Father abandoned his adventurer party, disbanded it, and chose family over fame. Together, they returned to Briarwood—their birthplace, nestled among familiar woods and friendly faces. Here, they laid down roots, Father continuing solo quests while Mother found steady work at the guild.
And then, there was me.
As I walked along the dirt path, I couldn't help but feel the weight of their legacy pressing down on me. Both of them had talent, strength, and recognition. I, however, carried something different. A secret. The memories of a past life and the insatiable desire to rise above mediocrity.
I clutched my small fists. I didn't want to live quietly in my parents' shadow. I wanted to forge my own legend.
The villagers greeted me kindly as I passed—familiar faces, smiling and waving. To them, I was just young Alex, Ethan and Anna's boy. They didn't see the restless hunger inside me, the nights spent absorbing mana until exhaustion claimed me, the mornings where my body trembled from the energy swirling within.
I arrived at my favorite destination: a small clearing just outside the village, ringed by mossy stones and shaded by towering oaks. Here, the air was thick with ambient mana, the perfect place for practice.
Closing my eyes, I sat cross-legged and began the slow, deliberate breathing Father had unknowingly inspired in me. Inhale. Sense the currents. Exhale. Draw them in.
The mana shimmered faintly against my skin, invisible yet tangible. I pulled it into myself, guiding it toward the vague, empty space near my heart. The pressure inside me grew, swelling until it pressed against every fiber of my being. It was suffocating, yet exhilarating.
I'm close. I can feel it.
A tremor ran through my limbs. My heart thundered in my chest. The familiar warmth of absorbed mana swelled, threatening to overflow. For a moment, I thought today might be the day.
But then, just as suddenly, the sensation subsided, leaving me drained and frustrated.
"Not yet," I whispered bitterly, opening my eyes. The clearing looked the same as always—sunlight dappling the grass, birds chirping above—but to me, the world had shifted just a little more. The boundary between ordinary and extraordinary was thinning.
I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and stood. There was still time. My fifth birthday was a little more than two months away. And deep down, I knew I wouldn't have to wait that long.
When my awakening finally came, I would be ready.