The aide stopped before a tall white door carved with little crescent moons.
He shifted Fainyx slightly in his arms and pushed the door open.
The hinges made a soft sound.
Fainyx blinked.
The room inside was… bright.
A large bed with a soft blue canopy stood in the center, pillows shaped like clouds piled neatly on top. Plush bears sat proudly at the side. A small play corner rested near the window, filled with wooden toys and neatly arranged picture books. The curtains were pale cream, embroidered with tiny stars.
It was undeniably a child's dream room.
"…Do you like it, Young Master?" the aide asked gently.
Fainyx was speechless.
Inside his mind, however...
I absolutely do not like this.
The cuteness... The softness... The fluttery ribbons hanging by the bed...
It made him deeply uncomfortable. He is a mind of an adult, but of a body of a child, oh wait scratch that... but still... this is too childish...
But since he was still physically a child. Complaining would only create unnecessary attention.
So he just nod once.
The aide smiled in relief. "This will be your room from now on young master. Young Master Liam personally requested this design. He said you might like this style."
…Brother, your taste is terrifying...
"Rest well," the aide added. "If you need anything, you may call for me, His Grace, or your brothers."
The door closed softly behind him.
Silence.
Fainyx stared at the nearest teddy bear.
Slowly.
He picked it up.
Placed it inside of the cabinet.
Then moved the other toys with with the teddy bear, inside the cabinet.
He would not touch them again.
With a small sigh, he climbed onto the bed.
It was soft.
Far softer than the thin mattress in the annex.
He sank slightly into the cushions and stared at the ceiling.
His thoughts
Should I stay? Or should I leave?
Living here had benefits.
Food three meals a day, the protection of the Duke, and also status... even if Liam or Adam became a lord they won't just threw me away, or rather they will let me leave once I grown up and give me money as inheritance to live a normal life. I know they won't kill me since they live up to the expectations of a named character, so I know them very well.
As long as they believed he was mute and weak, they might hide him from public view. He could quietly grow stronger but also free from the responsibilities of a noble son.
He could play the role of a lazy noble muted son.
Eat. Sleep. Do nothing.
And secretly train.
Strengthen his body. Expand his mana. Prepare for the future.
Yes… that life sounded peaceful.
His plans were still incomplete
Knock. Knock.
"Are you awake?" Liam's voice came softly from outside.
Fainyx sighed inwardly and got up to open the door.
His brother Liam stood there, brows slightly furrowed in concern.
"Does your body still hurt?" he asked immediately.
Fainyx shook his head.
Liam exhaled in relief. "May I come in?"
A nod.
Liam entered and sat on the edge of the bed, gesturing for him to sit beside him.
Silence filled the room.
Fainyx waited for him to tell what he wants to say.
Liam's fingers fidgeted slightly.
"…Do you hate Father and us?"
Fainyx blinked.
What kind of question is that?
He shook his head firmly.
Liam looked down, guilt clouding his expression.
"I'm sorry... For the servants treating you this way... For not protecting you sooner…
Fainyx didn't know what to say.
So he stood up .
went In front of Liam.
And gently patted his head.
Since his body is still tiny he can't reach his head when he's sitting, and this... is a quiet reassurance.
I'm not angry.
For the first time
He tried to smile.
His facial muscles are stiff so when he tried it's hard to maintain it for a minute.
It was small, slightly stiff, but warm enough to make Liam calm down.
Liam froze.
"You… you smiled…?" he whispered in shock.
His gaze lifted to Fainyx's eyes.
Hidden behind his bangs,
Violet.
Shimmering faintly like crystals beneath moonlight.
And suddenly—
A memory.
Their mother.
Her soft laughter, Her gentle embrace, Her violet eyes shining in sunlight.
"He… looks just like Mother…" Liam murmured, tears forming.
Fainyx stiffened and stop smilling.
Why is he crying?!
Before he could react—
Liam hugged him tightly.
"Can I… stay like this for a moment?"
Fainyx sighed internally.
He nodded.
Liam was stronger physically so escaping without using magic was not an option.
So he simply patted his back.
He's a bit of a crybaby…
But as he heard the faint whisper of "Mom…" against his shoulder—
His thoughts softened.
I see... it seems that he just misses his mother.
After a minute, Liam pulled back, embarrassed.
"Sorry… I got emotional."
He smiled faintly. "When you smiled… you looked just like her."
Fainyx paused.
So he resembles their mother.
Strangely—
That made him a little happy.
Liam stood. "We'll have breakfast together tomorrow. I'll wake you personally."
A small smile.
"Goodnight."
The door closed.
The Mirror
Fainyx walked to the mirror.
He stared at his reflection.
Slowly—
He tried to smile again.
The expression that appeared was gentle, Soft.
Very different from his usual stoic face.
He brushed his hair aside.
Violet eyes shimmered clearly now.
Yes.
He resembled the woman in the painting.
That resemblance…
Could be dangerous.
Too cute. Too noticeable.
He dropped the smile immediately.
Back to cold and indifferent face.
He preferred it this way.
Then he lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
The room was silent.
Moonlight spilled softly across the floor.
He opened his Storage box interface in his mind.
The familiar white storage space appeared.
It had always been simple.
Items go in, Items come out.
But recently—
He had noticed something strange.
When he placed the plant inside earlier, it didn't wither.
It didn't freeze in time like game storage mechanics usually would.
It reacted to mana.
It lived.
Which meant—
"It's not just suspended space…"
He frowned.
If it were ordinary storage, living beings shouldn't survive inside.
Even in the game, spatial storage that preserved life required advanced magic.
Yet his Storage box allowed it.
And more importantly—
He could enter it mentally and see the stuffs inside the storage box.
Though he had never tried physically...
Because that would be reckless.
His fingers tightened slightly over the blanket.
How is it structured?
Is it compressed space? A folded dimension? Or a separate pocket world connected to his core?
If it's connected to my mana core…
Then expanding the storage would mean expanding the spatial boundary.
But that shouldn't be possible.
Spatial magic required anchors.
Magic circles.
Stabilizers.
Without those—
Forcing expansion could cause collapse.
Or worse—
Trap him inside.
He swallowed.
If he entered physically and the portal closed—
Would he suffocate?
Would the space destabilize and crush him?
Would he be erased?
There were too many unknowns.
He closed his eyes.
Theory one: The inventory is a fixed divine system. Cannot expand.
Theory two: It grows naturally as his mana increases.
Theory three: It is incomplete, and expandable if force-fed mana.
The third option was the most dangerous.
Because if it failed—
The spatial backlash could damage his mana core permanently.
And in this world—
A damaged core meant a ruined future.
He exhaled slowly.
"…It's impossible."
At least, it should be.
A child expanding dimensional space alone?
Ridiculous.
Even the academy's strongest spatial mage needed preparation to create a temporary domain.
And here he was—
Considering brute-forcing his Storage box open.
He hesitated.
But then—
He remembered Jaren.
Cold water at dawn.
Starvation.
Isolation.
He needed insurance.
A place no one could reach.
If he couldn't rely fully on the Nocte family in the future...
He needed his own escape.
"…It's dangerous."
His gaze hardened.
"But I don't have the luxury not to try."
If he failed, he would stop immediately.
If he sensed instability, he would withdraw.
Carefully.
No recklessness.
He sat cross-legged on the bed.
Forcing the Boundary
Mana flowed quietly beneath his skin.
Invisible.
Undetectable.
He opened the inventory.
The white space appeared.
He focused on its outer boundary.
Instead of placing items inside—
He pushed mana into the "walls."
At first—
Nothing happened.
Then—
A ripple.
Like a stone dropped into still water.
His eyes narrowed.
"It reacts…"
He increased the output slightly.
The white space trembled.
Fine cracks formed along the edges.
His heart pounded.
If this shattered—
Would it explode inward?
Would it implode?
Sweat slid down his cheek.
He kept feeding mana steadily.
Not too fast.
Not too slow.
The cracks widened—
And then—
Reality in front of him distorted.
A thin vertical tear appeared in the air.
A portal.
Cold air brushed his face.
He stopped immediately.
Breathing hard.
He checked his mana.
"…Half?"
Only half was gone.
He stared at his hands.
That shouldn't be possible.
He was prepared to collapse.
Prepared for near depletion.
But he still had reserves.
His core felt deep.
Too deep.
Like a well with no visible bottom.
"…Reincarnator's privilege?"
He almost laughed under his breath.
Is it because I kept my memories?
Does a mature consciousness strengthen the mana core?
Or is this body itself abnormal?
The Nocte bloodline…
Mother's lineage…
Or something else entirely?
He didn't know.
And that was what unsettled him most.
Entering the Unknown
He stepped through.
White space.
Endless.
He walked.
Five minutes before reaching the edge.
He turned slowly.
"…This is absurd."
And he still had mana left.
He tested further.
Imagined soil.
Trees.
A sky.
The space trembled violently this time.
Mana drained faster.
Grass spread under his feet.
Trees rose from nothing.
Wind moved.
And above—
A sky formed.
With clouds.
And a sun.
He froze.
"I didn't imagine a sun…"
The space was self-completing.
That realization sent a chill down his spine.
This wasn't just storage expansion.
This was world construction.
His mana dipped dangerously low.
He stopped immediately.
Enough.
He returned through the portal and closed it carefully.
The room was quiet again.
He fell back onto the bed, exhausted.
Naming the Space
He stared at the ceiling.
"Storage box" was no longer appropriate.
That sounded like something from a game though we are indeed inside a game but still, storage box's a bit of a no go...
This was different.
Hidden.
A world born from his mana.
A space only he could enter.
A sanctuary.
A weapon.
An escape.
"…Sanctum?"
He shook his head.
Too simple.
"…Inner Domain?"
Too arrogant.
He closed his eyes and thought carefully.
It wasn't just a room.
It was a reflection of his core.
A world tied to his existence.
Then it came to him.
"…Aetherium."
A world of mana.
Born from nothing.
Hidden between reality.
Yes.
That felt right.
From now on—
It wouldn't be called storage.
It would be his Aetherium.
And no one else would ever know.
With that final thought—
His mana finally settled.
And sleep claimed him quietly.