Ten Years Later.
Early in the morning, a black-haired young boy and the older version of Knight Edmund could be seen practicing in their courtyard.
Both of them held wooden swords in their hands, probably going through a morning training session.
Swoosh...
The young boy swung the sword in a horizontal strike, but Edmund parried it effortlessly.
Clack!
The young boy, Egon, weak and sluggish, stumbled backward.
Edmund let out a disappointed sigh.
"Stand straight, Egon! You'll have to do better than this!"
The young boy, Egon, let out a tired breath.
"I told you already, Father. I am not cut out to be a Knight like you."
Edmund furrowed his brows. "You can't say it like that, Egon. If you don't learn, how will you survive in this world?"
Egon smiled faintly. "I am going to become a Sorcerer, of course."
He said it with so much confidence, and yet, like all the past times, Edmund shook his head.
"I am sorry, son. But you can't never become a Sorcerer."
"Is it because of my Black Hair?" Egon mused.
"Yes. No one, including myself, was able to awaken Soul Books. This has become a iron law from ancient times. You also cannot escape it. And that's why I wish to make you a Knight so that you can work under the Baron and live your quiet life."
Egon, who knew how everything would play out, looked ignorant.
"Once again, You're wrong, Father. In the next week's awakening ceremony, I am going to prove everyone wrong. I will awaken a powerful Soul Book."
Egon acted like a ten-year-old would, and this was also the reason Edmund looked at him with growing annoyance. He didn't have a shred of confidence in his Son at all.
"Enough big talk, rascal. It's time for you to build up some stamina."
Egon grumbled, and followed after Edmund.
Though he complained about the tiresome physical exercises, as adult by mind, Egon also understood the benefits of having a healthy body.
But deep down he knew, despite his best efforts, he could never reach his father's level of strength and discipline.
The man was on a whole another level, capable of going against fresh Sorcerers with ease.
However, against a higher level Sorcerer, even this strong man had no choice but to admit deafeat.
Ordinary people, however strong, could never hope to reach the Apex.
That day passed uneventfully.
During nighttime, he heard his parents whispering they would send him to the Knight Academy once he experience the harsh failure at the awakening ceremony.
Egon wasn't too much worried.
He had everything planned out.
______
The next day, on the rooftop of the small Delacroix house, 10 years old Egon could be seen basking in the sun with a bright smile on his face.
He had jet-black hair, a fair complexion, and bright, observant eyes.
Anyone would mistake him for an average boy with an innocent personality. But beneath that facade lived the mind of an old man who had never quite experienced sexual pleasure.
"Master Egon! Where are you? I have brought what you asked for. Please come down..."
Just then, a beautiful young woman in a maid's outfit appeared in the courtyard and called out.
Egon's lips curved into a faint smile as he saw the maid. She looked about 14-15, with a pleasingly gentle face. She wasn't his elder sister, Lucia, of course. Unlike Lucia, this girl had ordinary black hair, just like him.
She was their maid, Catherine.
"You got the Blue Star Grass, Catherine? That's wonderful!"
Thud!
He jumped down from the rooftop with surprising agility, landing softly but still startling Catherine like a frightened cat.
"Master Egon, please don't scare me like that. Here, take this..."
She hurriedly handed him a glass vial containing a shimmering blue grass.
"Thank you... I really needed it."
Many things had occurred in the Delacroix household in the last ten years.
• His Father Edmund had been promoted to Captain Rank.(an achievement very hard for an ordinary man like him)
• His elder sister Lucia had Awakened a Grimoire, surprising the whole of Delios Town. She truly caused an uproar when the Soul Book was revealed to be a rare B-Rank Grimoire.
With that, the small Delacroix family's social standing had soared overnight. Lucia had also gained admission to a prestigious Sorcerer Academy in a High-tier City.
Overall, those were the reasons the Delacroix family could now afford a maid like Catherine.
Still, Egon knew that in the end, the Delacroix name was nowhere near safety.
Their current minor success only made them more visible. They could easily be buried in the war or massacre that would inevitably result from the conflicts between the greater forces he knew were looming.
Egon opened the box, carefully pulling out the Blue Star Grass. It was a common looking non-magical herb. But only he knew it's true value.
Blue Star grass, mixed with a few more herbs can create a potent elixir that could increase one's Mental Strength by alot.
And he had been taking it for 8 years.
At first he secretly sneaked into forest to find it, but later he asked Catherine to source it from the secret location.
"Did you notice anything unusual near the East Woods, Catherine? Any strange travelers or marks on the ancient oak tree?" he asked causally as he examined the grass.
Catherine shook her head, slightly puzzled by his fascination with the woods.
"No, Young Master. Just the usual old woman collecting kindling. Why do you always ask about the oak tree?"
Egon smiled, his innocent facade firmly in place. "Oh, no reason. I just read about it in an old fairy tale. It's said to be magical."
In truth, he had no time for fairy tales. He was just trying to find a loophole in the system.
Wherever Blue Star Grass grew, there was a chance to meet its guardian. And if he could somehow find this guardian, he could get the chance to obtain the fabled Elixir of Souls.
The Elixir of Souls was a deep piece of lore from his own novel. It was a near-mythical item that gave the user absolute bodily control and a terrifying boost in Mental Strength.
It was said that humans consciously control less than 10% of total bodily functions. Most bodily activity happens automatically, without awareness. But after drinking that miraculous Elixir, every part of his body would be under his command.
In the world of Grashia, a person's ability to awaken a Soul Book was heavily dependent on their innate talent and, more specifically, their raw mental fortitude. For an ordinary boy with no apparent magical lineage, the Elixir wasn't just a cheat; it was a potential destiny-changer. It could be the key to ensuring he didn't awaken a useless, low-rank Soul Book, or worse, none at all.
That's why, before his Awakening Ceremony arrived, he urgently needed to obtain it.
The old woman collecting kindling that Catherine mentioned was too specific a detail to ignore. In the novel's lore, the guardians of the Blue Star grass often appeared as humble, inconspicuous figures.
If he could impress that guardian as the worthy, just like Veera did, he could easily obtain the Elixir.
So, without delay, he sneaked out of the Delacroix House in the afternoon, just when it was his mother's time to collect the laundry from outside.
His father was busy on duties, and his sister Lucia was far away at the Academy, unable to keep an eye on him.
So, after distracting Catherine with a minor duty, he easily slipped out.
Egon moved with a calculated stealth honed over a decade of mental practice. He wasn't a hero, but he was a survivor, and his movements were precise.
Slipping out the back door, Egon felt a rush of cold air against his ten-year-old face, a feeling of genuine freedom he hadn't experienced since his arrival in this new world.
His destination: the Ancient Oak Tree in the Eastern Woods.
The journey required navigating the quiet back alleys of Delios Town. Egon stuck to the shadows, moving quickly and efficiently, his height and appearance allowing him to blend in with the occasional stray child or errand boy. He kept his eyes focused, not for obstacles, but for the subtle clues he knew his novel's lore provided.
The path to the East Woods was rough, but he knew the area well from years of eavesdropping on local chatter and observing maps. The woods themselves were dense, known locally for being slightly treacherous, which made it the perfect hiding place for the guardian of Blue Star Grass.
He quickly arrived at the edge of the woods, where the environment immediately cooler and heavier with the scent of pine and damp earth.
Deep in the distance, he could see the silhouette of the massive, weathered Oak Tree.
'Veera found the Guardian by showcasing profound conviction and disregard for danger. I don't have Veera's innate bravery, but I have the script,' Egon thought, pushing deeper into the shadows. 'I know the test.'
His heart beat faster. Not from fear, but from the exhilarating realization that for the first time, he wasn't just reading his novel; he was participating in it, moving to seize his destiny before it could seize him.