I rubbed my small fingers over the crib. 'I should take my time to choose.'
It was too important to rush.
For now, the goal was simple. I needed more gold.
Without it, I couldn't become a Mage at all.
Gold toys, gold coins, anything that shimmered with the glow I needed.
Seris helped more than anyone.
She visited often with her mother, Marianne. Every time she came, she brought another golden toy.
She didn't understand why I liked them so much, but she noticed I always reached for them first.
"Lord of Shadows, you have such a good friend!" Yuna clapped her little ghostly hands as our pile of gold grew.
That afternoon, Seris waddled to me with determined steps. She set a golden-painted horse in my lap.
"Friend likes shiny," she said, her tone serious.
I blinked and gave a small nod.
My mother chuckled at the sight. She reached down to ruffle my hair. "You spoil him too much, Seris."
Seris puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms. "No. Friend needs."
Marianne's soft laugh followed. "She's very attached, isn't she?"
Lyra only smiled. "It's good for him. He doesn't open up to many people either."
Their laughter filled the room, warm and careless.
But my eyes stayed on the toy horse in my lap.
My hands clutched it tightly.
To them, it was just play. To me, it was another step forward.
Day after day, the pile of gold grew in secret.
Before I realized it, my first birthday had arrived.
…
The System's screen appeared again.
Strength: 2 → 3
Dexterity: 4 → 5
Endurance: 0 → 1
Shadow Summon: Level 2 → Level 3
My efforts were paying off.
I had finally gained one point in Endurance.
Physically, I was growing at a pace that even surprised me.
An average adult human had stats around ten. For a one-year-old, my numbers were already decent.
But one stat refused to move.
Spirit.
It was still stuck at four.
I frowned at the screen.
Yuna noticed my frustration, and floated closer.
"Spirit is very hard to train without being a Mage. For now, you can't do much, Lord of Shadows."
I clenched my little fist.
Spirit wasn't just hard to improve. It was almost impossible without a proper Class.
And because of my low Spirit, my Shadow Summon wasn't leveling as quickly as it could.
Even so, it had reached level three, which was great for someone my age.
"Don't fret too much, Lord of Shadows." Yuna spun in a little circle, her eyes shining. "It's finally time!
"Today is your birthday! You'll get so many gifts! Some of them should have gold.
"Young Lady Seris' gift will definitely be gold.
"With today's haul and what you've saved already, you'll be able to become a Mage today. Then your Spirit stat will finally start increasing!"
Her excitement was so big that I couldn't help but smile.
I nodded. 'Yes. Today is important.'
The morning came quickly.
The house was louder than usual. Servants moved in and out of the rooms carrying trays and dishes.
Balloons floated lazily in the corners.
The smell of baked bread and roasted meat spread through the halls.
I sat quietly on the couch, resting in my mother's lap.
She pressed her cheek against mine, her arms wrapped around me.
"Today's the day," she whispered softly. "My baby turns one."
Her warmth seeped into me, making me relax against her chest.
Across the room, my father crouched near a drooping banner. No matter how much tape he used, it slid down again.
"Why won't this thing stay up?" he muttered, frowning.
Mother laughed softly. "Because you're pulling too hard. Give it to a servant."
"I can do it," he insisted.
He pressed it against the wall again.
This time it stuck, though one corner sagged.
He stepped back with pride like he had won a battle.
I watched silently, taking in the scene.
Near the doorway, a maid asked, "Will there be many guests?"
"Plenty," my mother answered. "Family, friends, and some from his father's side. Even Marianne and Seris are coming."
The maid smiled. "It will be lively."
Lively wasn't what I wanted. But the gifts were always welcome.
Especially Seris's. She always brought gold.
Yuna had been right. With today's gifts and the toys I'd saved, I might be able to reach 0-Star Mage tonight. Maybe even 1-star Mage rank.
Mother noticed where my eyes wandered.
"You really love gold, don't you?" she teased.
She gestured around the hall. Gold balloons, golden streamers, even the birthday sign with glittering edges.
White, gold, and blue filled the room.
She reached out and tapped my cheek. "We picked these colors because of you. You stared at the golden boxes longer than anything else. So we thought, why not go all out?"
I didn't know what face to make. They were starting to think I was a gold digger.
They weren't wrong.
But I had reasons to like gold.
At least their assumption worked in my favor. They kept buying me gold-plated toys.
And today, they'd bring much better gifts.
'I don't know what gifts they have prepared, but I need to make sure they give me something even better than what they've prepared.'
I shifted in her arms and placed my small hand over hers. I looked up with wide eyes, trying to look as cute as possible.
She blinked down at me.
"Ma… ma… mama…" I said softly.
She froze.
The entire hall went still. Even the servants turned.
"He spoke!" her voice shook with joy. "He said mama! He finally spoke!"
Tears welled in her eyes. She called out, "Honey! Come here! He said his first word!"
My father rushed over so fast he almost knocked over the cake table.
"What? Really?"
He crouched beside us, staring at me. His grin stretched from ear to ear. "Say it again! Can you say 'dada'?"
I sighed inside but kept my face innocent.
"Da… da… dada?"
His excitement exploded.
He lifted me high.
"He said it! My boy's first words! Mama and dada, huh? You clever little guy!"
He tossed me lightly and caught me again.
My mother's joy turned into panic. "Stop that! You'll drop him!"
"I won't, I won't," he said, still laughing. "He's fine. Look at him!"
He spun around with me in his arms. I smiled to make them relax.
Mother crossed her arms but didn't push further. She sighed, though her smile returned slowly.
"We were so worried," she murmured. "You never made a sound unless you needed something. We thought something might be wrong."
I blinked at her, acting clueless.
"But now… today of all days," she said, "you spoke."
Father lowered me back into her arms. "It's a sign. Today is special. We need to do something even better now. He deserves it."
Mother raised an eyebrow. "We already got him a gift."
"It's not enough," he argued. "I'll prepare something even better, something that fits today."
He pulled out his phone and walked out of the room, already calling someone.
Mother chuckled and kissed my forehead.
"Your father's always been like this. Impulsive, but sweet. Looks like your first words are going to cost him a fortune."
I smiled to myself.
'Mission accomplished.'