The afternoon sun hung high above the Valerius estate.
Training had finally ended, and the courtyard had grown quiet.
Servants moved about their duties while the instructors packed away wooden weapons and practice targets.
Aurelia wiped sweat from her forehead as she picked up her training sword.
"I almost had him that time," she muttered stubbornly.
"You almost fall every time," Elara replied teasingly.
Aurelia shot her a glare.
"At least I can hold a sword without blowing something up."
Elara gasped dramatically.
"That happened one time!"
"Three times."
From beneath the large oak tree nearby, Julius laughed softly.
Even after five years, watching his sisters argue was strangely comforting.
It made everything feel normal.
Well… as normal as being reincarnated in a fantasy world can feel.
Julius stood up and stretched his small arms.
He had spent most of the afternoon watching their training, but now the courtyard was nearly empty.
His sisters were already heading back toward the manor.
"Elara," Aurelia said, walking ahead, "if you set mother's study on fire again—"
"I said it was an accident!"
Their voices faded into the distance.
Julius remained in the courtyard.
The gentle breeze brushed against the grass.
For a moment, everything was peaceful.
Then Julius glanced at his hands.
I should practice.
Over the past few years, he had quietly trained his mana control whenever he had time alone.It really wasn't a surprise for the son of the kingdom's archmage to be able to use magic at such a young age.
At first it had been clumsy.
But recently…
Something had changed.
His mana responded to him faster than before.
Almost like it was eager to move.
Julius sat cross-legged on the grass.
He closed his eyes.
Alright… same method.
Slow breathing.
Calm thoughts.
He imagined the mana flowing through his body.
A warm current beneath his skin.
Like invisible energy moving through tiny rivers.
At first, everything felt normal.
Just like every other time he practiced.
But then—
Something deeper stirred.
Julius frowned slightly.
That's strange…
The mana inside him suddenly felt heavier.
Darker.
Colder.
Like the warmth had been replaced by something vast and endless.
A chill crawled up his spine.
Wait… what is this?
He tried to stop the flow of mana.
But it didn't stop.
Instead—
It expanded.
Julius' eyes snapped open.
The air around him had changed.
The sunlight seemed dimmer somehow.
The grass beneath him rustled softly.
A faint black mist curled around his fingers.
Julius froze.
That… wasn't there before.
His heart began to race.
He had seen magic before.
Fire.
Wind.
Lightning.
But this…
This felt wrong.
The air grew colder.
The black mist thickened, swirling slowly around his hands like living smoke.
Julius stared in disbelief.
What the hell kind of magic is this?
He had never seen anything like it in the books his mother owned.
Even the advanced magic texts never mentioned anything like this.
Suddenly—
The ground beneath him cracked.
A thin line spread through the stone courtyard like a fracture in glass.
The black mist pulsed once.
The world seemed to go silent.
Julius felt it clearly now.
Something enormous moving beneath his consciousness.
Something ancient.
Something that did not belong in this world.
A whisper echoed faintly in his mind.
Awaken…
Julius' heart nearly stopped.
What was that?
The mist suddenly surged.
Darkness spilled outward like ink in water.
The nearby training dummy began to crumble slowly, its wood decaying into dust.
Julius panicked.
Stop! Stop! Stop!
The mist reacted violently to his thoughts.
For a moment it grew even stronger.
Then—
"Julius."
The voice cut through the air sharply.
The darkness vanished instantly.
Like it had never existed.
Julius turned slowly.
Standing several meters away was Vanessa Valerius.
His mother.
Her long white hair moved gently in the wind.
But her expression was different from usual.
Serious.
Her green eyes were fixed on the cracked stone beneath Julius.
Then on the training dummy that had partially turned to dust.
Then finally…
On Julius himself.
Julius felt his stomach tighten.
Oh crap did she see that?
Vanessa walked closer slowly.
Her gaze was calm.
Too calm.
"Julius," she said softly.
"What were you doing?"
Julius hesitated.
His mind raced for an explanation.
"I… was practicing mana control," he said carefully.
Vanessa stopped a few steps away from him.
She looked at the ground again.
The broken stone.
The decayed wood.
Then she crouched slightly and placed her fingers against the crack in the courtyard.
For a moment, her eyes closed.
She was sensing the remaining mana.
Julius felt his heartbeat pounding in his ears.
Please don't notice…
Seconds passed.
Then Vanessa's eyes slowly opened.
Something dark flickered across them.
Shock.
Fear.
And something else.
Recognition.
But it disappeared almost instantly.
She stood up calmly.
Then she smiled gently at Julius.
"You should be careful when practicing," she said softly.
"Mana can be dangerous if it's not controlled properly."
Julius nodded slowly.
"I understand."
Vanessa studied him for another moment.
Then she turned and began walking back toward the manor.
But as she walked away…
Her thoughts were anything but calm.
That mana…
Her fingers trembled slightly.
She clenched her hand tightly to hide it.
It couldn't be.
That power should not exist anymore.
A name echoed in the deepest corners of her memory.
A forbidden power spoken of only in ancient records.
The magic that once threatened the world itself.
Void Magic.
Vanessa's heart beat faster.
And for the first time since Julius was born…
Fear crept into her mind.
Just what… was my son reborn as?
End of Chapter 3