Morning arrived slowly over the quiet countryside.
Soft golden light spilled across the rolling fields outside the remote village of Hage, painting the grass in warm colors as the sun crept above the horizon. Birds chirped lazily in the trees while a cool breeze drifted through the dirt paths connecting the small cluster of houses.
For the first time since arriving in this strange world, David Banner slept without fear of being eaten alive.
It wasn't comfortable sleep, though.
His mind had been restless the entire night.
When David finally opened his eyes, he found himself staring at a wooden ceiling illuminated by thin beams of sunlight slipping through a nearby window. The faint smell of bread and firewood filled the air.
For a few seconds he simply lay there quietly, letting the events of the previous day replay in his mind.
The wolves.
The strange energy in the air.
The way those monsters had suddenly fled from him for no clear reason.
"…Right," David muttered quietly to himself.
"This is definitely happening."
He slowly sat up on the bed and stretched his arms. His muscles felt sore from running and fighting the night before, but something about his body felt… stronger. Lighter. Like the stamina of youth was constantly bubbling beneath the surface.
David glanced down at his hands again.
Still fifteen.
Still not his old body.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
"Well," he murmured to himself, "at least I'm not dead."
Before he could think further, the door to the small room suddenly burst open.
"HEY MISTER! YOU'RE FINALLY AWAKE!"
David blinked as a loud voice filled the room.
Standing in the doorway was a short boy with spiky ash-blonde hair, bright green eyes, and an energy level that immediately made David's head hurt.
The boy grinned widely.
"Man, you slept like a rock! Sister Lily thought you might've died or something!"
David stared at him for a moment.
Then recognition slowly dawned.
"…Asta?"
The boy blinked.
"Huh? How do you know my name?"
David immediately froze.
Crap.
He quickly rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"I—uh—heard someone say it earlier."
Asta stared at him suspiciously for exactly two seconds before his grin returned full force.
"Well yeah! That's me! Asta! Future Wizard King!"
David mentally sighed in relief.
Yep.
Definitely Asta.
No one else in existence could be that loud this early in the morning.
A second figure appeared behind him in the doorway.
This boy was much calmer. Black hair, sharp green eyes, and a quiet composure that made him look far more mature than his age.
"Stop yelling so early in the morning, Asta," the boy said calmly.
Asta spun around immediately.
"HEY YUNO! I WASN'T YELLING!"
"You always yell."
"I DO NOT!"
David watched the exchange silently while rubbing his temple.
Yep.
That was definitely Yuno.
The prodigy of the Golden Dawn.
Standing right in front of him… as a fourteen-year-old.
Reality felt stranger the longer he stayed here.
Yuno's calm gaze shifted toward David.
"You're the person Father Orsi found yesterday," he said quietly.
David nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
Before anything else could be said, another voice echoed from downstairs.
"Asta! Yuno! Stop bothering our guest and come eat breakfast!"
Asta immediately lit up.
"FOOOOOD!"
Without another word he dashed out of the room like a missile.
Yuno sighed quietly before following.
David stared at the doorway for a moment before letting out a tired laugh.
"…This world is insane."
A few minutes later David found himself sitting at a long wooden table inside the small dining hall of the church. The room was lively and warm as several younger children sat together eating bread and soup while chatting happily.
At the head of the table stood a tall man with messy gray hair wearing a priest's robe.
Father Orsi.
The man who ran the church and raised all the orphans in Hage village.
Beside him stood a beautiful woman with long blonde hair wearing nun attire.
Sister Lily.
David almost choked on his food the moment he saw her.
He quickly looked down at his bowl.
Yep… Asta's obsession suddenly makes a lot more sense.
Father Orsi smiled warmly as he approached David's seat.
"How are you feeling today, David?" he asked kindly.
David paused slightly.
It was still strange hearing someone call him by name in a completely different world.
"…Better," he admitted honestly. "Thank you for letting me stay here."
The priest waved his hand casually.
"Nonsense. Anyone who ends up collapsing outside our village clearly needs help."
He studied David carefully for a moment.
"You said yesterday you don't remember where you came from?"
David nodded slowly.
It wasn't exactly a lie.
"I woke up in the fields outside the village," he explained. "Everything before that is… fuzzy."
Father Orsi hummed thoughtfully.
"Well, until you remember anything, you're welcome to stay here."
David blinked.
"Really?"
The priest smiled warmly.
"This church is home to many children who had nowhere else to go. One more won't make much difference."
Across the table, Asta suddenly slammed his hands down dramatically.
"THAT MEANS YOU'RE ONE OF US NOW!"
The entire table jumped slightly at the outburst.
Yuno calmly continued eating like nothing happened.
David stared at Asta for a moment before laughing softly.
"…Yeah. I guess it does."
For the first time since arriving in this strange world, something warm settled in his chest.
A place to stay.
Food.
People who didn't want to kill him.
It wasn't much, but it was more than he expected.
After breakfast, David stepped outside into the church courtyard.
The morning sun warmed the ground beneath his feet as he looked across the open fields surrounding the village.
The strange energy from yesterday was still there.
Flowing quietly through the air.
Mana.
David slowly closed his eyes.
He could feel it now.
Faint currents drifting around him like invisible wind.
It brushed against his skin.
Passed through his lungs when he breathed.
He couldn't control it yet.
But he could definitely sense it.
"…So this is mana," David murmured quietly.
He raised his hand slowly and focused on the feeling around him.
Nothing happened.
Not even the slightest reaction.
David scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Okay… maybe sensing it is step one."
Behind him, Asta suddenly shouted from the training field.
"HEY DAVID! COME TRAIN WITH US!"
David glanced over to see Asta swinging a massive sword-shaped stick while Yuno practiced controlling small bursts of wind magic nearby.
A small black swallowtail bird quietly watched them from a nearby fence.
Nero.
Secre Swallowtail in disguise.
David studied the bird for a brief moment before smiling slightly.
"…Sure," he said.
As he walked toward them, he had no idea that the strange energy quietly sleeping inside his heart was already beginning to grow.
Nor did he know that exactly one month from now, the day of the Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony would change everything.
For now, though—
David Banner simply began learning how to live in this new world.