The world around me blurred into chaos.
I saw my father, Mihatu, on his knees mana leaking out of him in pale wisps. His breaths were ragged, each one weaker than the last. His sword lay at his side, useless, trembling from the force of Abrythm's frost.
My mother…
My mother was being dragged away, encased in jagged shards of ice that clung to her body like chains.
"Yare," my father whispered hoarsely, reaching toward her. But he collapsed fully, unconscious.
And I tiny, helpless, terrified could do nothing.
My vision distorted. Not from magic.
From tears.
---
*Flashback*
My hands shook as memories from another world flooded my mind.
A tiny room filled with silence.
The stale smell of instant noodles.
A computer screen glowing in the dark my only companion.
No mother's voice.
No father's hand.
No warmth.
No one sharing meals.
No one cheering for me.
No one caring whether I lived or died.
I had nothing back then.
And now…
Now I had a family.
A real one.
Warm. Loud. Loving.
*I will not lose them.
*Not again.
*Never again.
---
*The Awakening*
A scream tore out of me not of pain, but of rage so deep it felt ancient.
My small hands glowed.
No… they *blazed*.
Light burst from my fingers like molten stars. My shoulders burned, and something formed there a radiant *crest*, shaped like wings unfurling from my back.
A force surged inside me, emotional and overwhelming, a river breaking through a dam.
My mana churned violently, responding to my fear and desperation.
"I… said… DON'T TAKE THEM FROM ME!!!"
The light around me exploded.
I didn't choose a spell.
I didn't think.
My emotions cast it for me.
The only magic my body knew
*Water Blast.*
But this time…
It wasn't a child's spell.
A massive column of shimmering blue energy roared upward, swirling with white-hot light, crackling with sparks like miniature stars. The clouds above churned, twisting violently as if punched open by the tremor.
The blast shot forward, locking onto Abrythm like a hunter's arrow.
She turned too slow.
The attack swallowed her whole.
A sound like thunder cracked the sky.
Clouds collided, spinning in a vortex.
Water and light fused, exploding into a blinding pillar that pierced the heavens.
When the light faded…
Abrythm was gone.
Erased her ice evaporating into nothing.
And my mother dropped safely to the ground as the spell's force dissipated.
The sky cleared.
Then slowly, softly
Rain began to fall.
Not freezing rain.
Not poisoned rain.
Just… rain.
Peaceful, cleansing, like the world itself was sighing.
My vision dimmed.
My tiny body couldn't handle the power.
"I… protected them… Mom… Dad…"
And then everything vanished.
---
*The God of Summoning*
I found myself in a white space again.
Still fat.
Still naked.
Still annoyed.
"Great," I muttered. "It's this place again."
A shadow stepped forward tall, majestic, with long hair flowing like a cape of clouds.
"I am Kamaki," he announced. "God of Summoning."
I didn't even react.
He blinked. "You… aren't surprised?"
I shrugged. "Another god, another lecture. Just tell me what you want."
Kamaki stared at me like I was the strange one. "Why did you save your mother? Why risk your life when your body is merely two years old?"
I felt something tighten in my chest.
"…Because in my old world, I had no family."
My voice cracked.
"I ate alone. I slept alone. No one cared."
I swallowed hard.
"But here… I finally have people who look at me. Who worry for me. Who love me. If I can protect them even with this small body I will. Even if it costs me my life."
Kamaki's expression softened.
Almost proud.
"You have a strong heart, Hikaru," he said quietly. "Stronger than many grown warriors."
He placed a hand over his chest.
"In that case… I accept you. From now on, you are one of my chosen. A summoner in spirit."
I lowered my gaze. "…But I almost lost my mother because of me. What is my purpose here? Why was I reborn? To suffer the same pain? To watch the people I love be taken away again? Why send me to a world where I might repeat my old life?"
Kamaki knelt, meeting my eyes.
"All things are meant to happen," he said. "But destiny is not a chain it is a door. Only you decide whether to walk through it."
He tapped my forehead gently.
"To awaken your true self… you must first *summon yourself*."
The world around us began to fade.
"It is time to return, Hikaru," he said. "They are waiting."
"But… my parents"
"They're safe. And we will meet again soon."
"Not this again!"
And he vanished.
---
*Awakening*
Light flooded my vision as I opened my eyes.
"Hikaru!" Mother's voice broke with relief. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "My baby… never do that again… please…"
I didn't speak.
I couldn't.
Father wrapped us in his arms warm, shaking slightly.
"We're here," he whispered. "You're safe."
For the first time in two lives…
I felt truly loved.
---
*Four Years Later*
Time passed.
My body grew stronger.
My mind sharper.
My parents allowed me access to the attic, where countless books awaited me. Every day I read, trained, practiced.
*Swordsmanship*, to honor my father.
*Magic*, from the elements water, air, earth, lightning, fire.
Sometimes a spell backfired and blasted my shirt off.
Sometimes I accidentally dug a crater in the backyard.
Sometimes I got yelled at for almost burning the laundry.
But I kept going.
Because someday…
I will need power again.
---
And now…
*Four years have passed.*
And today
Today is the day everything begins.