A hush pervaded Brightwood Orchard as dawn light stretched across dew-kissed branches. Three years had passed since Kael's birth—three years of secrecy and ceaseless diligence. Beneath the orchard's tranquil routine, he had grown from a wide-eyed infant with hidden power into a bright, observant child. Outwardly, Kael played the part of a typical three-year-old, toddling around with curiosity. In truth, he honed his body and magic in secret, striving toward a single goal: awakening his dormant mana core.
Despite his rapid progress, that elusive spark of Awakening remained out of reach. Countless attempts ended in disappointment, leaving his synergy channeling locked at Basic Level 9—an impassable bottleneck without an active core. Yet Kael refused to abandon hope. Somewhere between orchard chores, secret training, and the occasional skirmish with lesser beasts at the perimeter, he had climbed to Level 5 overall. Each level granted him five precious attribute points to assign, adding to the smaller stat boosts he gained from daily effort.
Still, no matter how strong he became in body or synergy control, nothing could substitute for igniting that core.
Quiet Shifts in the Orchard
Morning in Brightwood typically began with Father—Joren, the blacksmith—firing up the forge. Sparks danced off new iron brackets and plow blades, his rhythmic hammer strokes echoing across the yard. Mother—Meria, soft-spoken and ever-patient—would check the orchard's fruit-bearing rows or gather herbs near a small patch of medicinal plants.
Kael followed them discreetly, ever watchful for moments he could slip away and train. Now three years old, he was taller than before—though still small enough to vanish behind stacked crates or vanish into the barn's quieter corners.
Since the incident with the wolf-boar months ago (when Kael was but a baby), many orchard hands remained uneasy. Strange footprints occasionally appeared near fences; once or twice, a corrupted stray beast tested the wards at night, only to be driven off by a mix of orchard workers' spears and Altheon's residual runes. Kael himself had faced two minor attacks—small, twisted fox-like creatures—earning enough combat experience to push his Level from 2 to 5 over time. That occasional fighting, combined with daily synergy practice, became the foundation of his swift growth.
Father and Mother never witnessed Kael's secret battles, for he always acted swiftly and in the shadows. He refused to risk panic or confusion if anyone discovered a toddler flinging spells in the orchard's dark corners.
The Concealed Regimen
Beyond these occasional scuffles, Kael improved himself through daily repetition. Whenever no one looked, he performed rudimentary squats, push-ups, and footwork borrowed from foggy recollections of his past life. Slow at first, he'd tested every stance carefully—ensuring no orchard hand accidentally spotted him carrying out martial drills.
As months passed, system notifications affirmed his effort:
[Notification: Due to persistent physical training, Strength +1. Constitution +1.]
Such messages repeated often, awarding him incremental stat boosts. Meanwhile, each time he leveled up from battling minor beasts, he received 5 free attribute points to distribute. With three new levels (from 2 to 5), Kael had gained a total of 15 additional points. He split them between Strength, Constitution, Intelligence, Spirit, and a little into Agility, weaving them around smaller gains from training.
The result: a child who could now lift small crates without panting, run back and forth across orchard rows with minimal fatigue, and maintain synergy spells longer than any typical novice mage. Yet he kept this hidden. To onlookers, Kael was merely "helpful," perhaps "surprisingly sturdy," but no more.
Father only suspected Kael was strong. He saw glimpses: the effortless way Kael lugged small sacks of produce or how the boy never seemed tired. Mother quietly observed how Kael rarely flinched carrying water buckets. Neither parent fully realized how systematically Kael had invested his attribute points—nor that each stealthy fight earned him experience he poured into both body and mind.
Stuck at the Brink: Basic Mastery
Amid these successes, Kael remained vexed by a single, stubborn truth: all his synergy channels—Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and the newly unlocked Light—had reached Basic Channeling Level 9 and refused to advance further. The system's quiet warnings confirmed the bottleneck:
[Notification: Attempt to raise Basic Earth Channeling to Lv.10 failed. Core remains unawakened.]
He had tried daily to push past that threshold—focusing mana, meditating at dawn, layering elemental flows—only to feel the synergy repel him. Without an awakened core, the next level stayed just out of reach.
It wasn't only channeling. His budding spells, like Clay Shield or Ember Dart, likewise stalled at Basic Lv.3. Any attempt to raise them higher produced the same system block. What I need, Kael often mused, is to spark my core. No matter how many lesser beasts I defeat or how meticulously I train, I can't breach that last gate.
Morning's Undercurrent
One crisp morning, Kael lingered by the barn while Father hammered a new iron gate. Mother busied herself sorting herbs. Sunlight spilled through orchard leaves, illuminating drifting motes of dust. Kael closed his eyes and inhaled, imagining he could sense subtle mana currents around him.
Off in the distance, Rowan, the orchard's veteran hand, barked instructions to younger workers about fence repairs. He still remembered the wolf-boar's rampage that nearly destroyed part of the orchard. Determined not to see such havoc repeat, Rowan personally oversaw any vulnerable section of fence.
Kael felt grateful for the orchard's relative peace. The wards plus the watch rotations had mostly kept danger at bay. Nonetheless, a faint tension clung to everyone—an awareness that corruption could strike again at any time.
Secret Attempts at Awakening
After lunch, Kael quietly slipped away. Under the guise of napping in a shady corner, he crept behind a tall apple tree near the orchard's western boundary. Ensuring no one was nearby, he settled onto the grass, closed his eyes, and began the familiar routine: merging Earth, Fire, Air, Water, and Light synergy into a single internal swirl.
He directed the swirling energies toward his center, mentally coaxing them to ignite. For a moment, warmth flickered in his lower abdomen. He thought he felt the faintest spark—like the hush before a roaring flame. Then, inevitably, it vanished:
[Notification: Awakening Attempt failed. Core remains dormant.]
Kael's shoulders sagged. He exhaled slowly, fighting the urge to let frustration consume him. This had been his routine for months: gather synergy, push it inward, fail, repeat. Still, he refused to stop. One day, I'll manage it.
Standing, he wiped grass from his tunic. No watchers had approached—good. He wandered back toward the barn, forcing a casual gait so no one suspected the disappointment simmering in his chest.
A Father's Suspicion
Near the forge, Father paused mid-swing, noticing Kael's approach. Joren gave a slight nod. "Son, come here."
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
Kael complied. Joren eyed the small boy. "I was about to fetch a few iron scraps from the orchard shed. Mind carrying them back for me?"
Kael blinked. Father rarely asked for direct help, typically avoiding tasks that could reveal Kael's hidden strength. But perhaps Joren wished to confirm a growing suspicion.
"Sure, Father," Kael said softly.
They walked together to the shed, a small structure storing leftover metal pieces, nails, and tools. Joren indicated a modest bundle of iron bars. "They're heavier than they look," he cautioned.
Kael stooped, testing the weight. Not too heavy, but heavier than typical orchard chores. Carefully, he slipped his arms beneath and hoisted them, feigning mild strain. In truth, with his boosted Strength and Constitution, it was manageable—though he pretended it cost effort.
Joren's brow rose. "Good job, Kael. That's… quite the load."
Kael smiled briefly. "I'll be careful."
They returned to the forge. Joren took the bars from Kael's arms, setting them on a workbench. For a heartbeat, father and son exchanged a look. Kael saw questions flickering in Joren's eyes—How can my three-year-old manage that so easily? But Joren said nothing, only nodding approval.
Deep down, Kael knew Joren suspected more than mere "strong genes," but Father chose to remain silent, trusting Kael had reasons to hide his true capacity.
Subtle Gains from Practice
Later that afternoon, Kael snuck into the barn's rear to practice synergy forging. He rummaged for small lumps of clay and scraps of metal. Using Earth Channeling at Basic Lv.9, he shaped the clay into thin discs; then with a careful wisp of Fire synergy, he baked them so they hardened slightly.
[Notification: +1 Intelligence from refined synergy forging!]
A quiet warmth surged through Kael's mind. Those incremental gains in Intelligence had, over time, raised his problem-solving and runic design skills. Each synergy forging attempt, each discrete chore, each subtle act of channeling could yield small attribute boosts. Combined with the free points from leveling, he now boasted stats far beyond an average toddler's.
If only these synergy creations could level up further… he lamented. Each channel remained stuck at Basic 9, no matter how many runic shards or clay wards he forged.
Still, it wasn't wasted effort. He carefully etched simple runic lines across the discs, hoping eventually to link them around the orchard fence as mini-wards or alarm triggers.
Increments of Strength
Nightfall approached, orchard hands wrapping up chores. Father hammered the last nails into a repaired fence post. Mother stored tools in the barn. Kael felt the day's usual fatigue setting in—but far less than an ordinary child might. He'd endured a busy day of orchard tasks, synergy forging, and a failed awakening attempt, yet still had energy to spare.
He examined his System Panel in the dimming light:
[Name: Kael Ashborne][Level: 5 | EXP: 120 / 600][Strength: 13 | Agility: 6 | Constitution: 12 | Intelligence: 24 | Spirit: 32][Free Attribute Points: 0]
He recalled the first time he hit Level 3—a small beast infiltration at night, subdued behind a row of crates. Two months later, leveling to 4 came from finishing off a corrupted fox while orchard workers slept. More recently, he slew a stray monstrous rodent nibbling at the orchard's roots, tipping him to Level 5. Each level-up offered 5 free points, which he'd judiciously spent across Strength, Constitution, Intelligence, and Spirit. Meanwhile, synergy forging and physical training had steadily boosted his stats even further—especially Strength and Constitution.
No one else in the orchard realized how systematically Kael combined these gains. Even so, all that power was rendered incomplete by the single missing piece: an awakened core.
The Subtle Reveal (But Not Too Much)
Sunset painted the sky with orange and violet hues. After a simple supper of vegetable stew, Kael accompanied Mother outside for some evening air. Fireflies blinked among orchard rows.
Meria spoke softly, "Kael, come with me." She led him to a quiet spot near the forge, away from prying orchard hands. "I wanted to see… you do something small. Something magical."
Kael swallowed. He had tried to keep all advanced feats hidden, especially from strangers. But the orchard was calmer now, and he sensed Meria's gentle curiosity. I can show her a tiny bit… just enough to ease her worries.
He raised a palm, summoning the faintest swirl of Light synergy—less than half what he typically wielded. A small orb of golden glow materialized, flickering softly like a firefly cluster. Meria's eyes widened in quiet wonder.
He let the orb float, drifting around a few feet off the ground, then dissipated it. Next, he bent down to scoop a handful of dust, mixing in a thread of Air synergy so it twirled in a delicate spiral before falling. Minor illusions—pretty but harmless.
Meria's gaze shone with motherly pride. "Such a lovely trick," she whispered. "Does it hurt you?"
Kael shook his head. "No, Mother. It's easy. Just a bit of synergy."
She touched his cheek. "You're growing so fast… I only ask that you stay safe. No one else must see—some might be alarmed. But… I'm glad you trust me enough to share a glimpse."
His chest warmed. Though he had shown no advanced spells—no lethal Stone Wind Lance or Clay Shield—this small display of synergy felt like a bridge of trust. For once, he sensed no fear from Mother, only awe and acceptance.
Father's Perspective
They returned to the cottage, where Father tidied up leftover metal scraps from the day's forging. Meria offered him a quiet nod, hinting she'd seen Kael do "something magical," but they left it unspoken in front of Kael.
Joren patted Kael's shoulder. "You look well, son. I'm… relieved." That was all he said.
Kael sensed Joren's underlying relief that Kael wasn't overexerting or delving into any ominous powers. Indeed, if only they knew how carefully Kael had withheld the depth of his synergy. Still, Kael felt grateful for their acceptance—no panic, no condemnation, just a watchful and loving concern.
Nightfall Resolve
Lanterns lit the orchard. A few workers patrolled the perimeter fence in pairs. Rowan's cautious voice drifted through the dark as he assigned watch shifts. Kael and his parents prepared for rest in the cottage, tension lighter than usual. The orchard, for once, had faced no monstrous intrusion that day.
Yet Kael's mind buzzed, replaying the half-failed awakening attempts, the synergy forging locked at Basic 9. I need the core's spark.
He considered sneaking outside to try once more under the moonlight. But the memory of repeated failures weighed on him. Exhaustion tugged at his limbs from the day's exertions. Enough for tonight, he decided. I'll keep at it tomorrow.
Curling up on the small bed in the cottage's side room, Kael gazed at the ceiling. In near silence, he listened to Father extinguish the forge and Mother douse the lantern. The orchard's hush enveloped them, crickets chirping a lullaby.
Dawn's Promise
By first light, Kael stirred from sleep, determined anew. He'd greet the orchard day with more synergy drills, more forging experiments, and if any lesser threat lurked, he'd handle it quietly for the experience. Above all, he planned to keep pushing for that elusive awakening.
Though the path felt endless, he had grown immensely since the wolf-boar incident—Level 5, a robust body, synergy channels at Basic 9, and a handful of budding spells. And now, at least, his parents suspected he was "strong," but not how strong. They'd glimpsed a faint display of harmless magic, no advanced feats.
Someday, I'll show them the real me, Kael mused, after I awaken.
He rose from bed, tiptoeing outside to watch the sunrise. Rays of gold lit the orchard trees. A breeze rustled leaves overhead. He inhaled, tasting morning dew and faint orchard mana. Another day to refine synergy, to strengthen these wards, to ensure Father never needs to abandon this place.
His small fists clenched. He might be only three years old, still unawakened, but he was no ordinary child. He was Kael Ashborne, reincarnated magus—poised at the threshold of a grand destiny. One more push, one more practice. He would not stop until that core finally ignited, unveiling the next chapter of his hidden power.
Status Window
Name: Kael Ashborne
Talent: SSS (Hidden)
Age: 3
Core Grade: Unawakened
Level: 5
EXP: 120 / 600
Attributes
Strength: 13
Agility: 6
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 24
Spirit: 32
Free Attribute Points: 0
Trait: Sage's Insight (Passive – fosters advanced comprehension of synergy, runes, and forging)
Synergy ChannelingFire Channeling (Basic, Lv.9) (Stalled due to unawakened core)Earth Channeling (Basic, Lv.9) (Stalled due to unawakened core)Air Channeling (Basic, Lv.9) (Stalled due to unawakened core)Water Channeling (Basic, Lv.9) (Stalled due to unawakened core)Light Channeling (Basic, Lv.9) (Stalled due to unawakened core)Selected SkillsClay Shield (Basic, Lv.3) – A rudimentary earthen barrier.Ember Dart (Basic, Lv.3)– A small, focused flame bolt.Mist Veil (Basic, Lv.3) – A localized water-vapor concealment.Sunflare Needle (Basic, Lv.3) – A pinpoint beam of light.(Minor synergy tricks stuck at Basic Lv.3, requiring awakened core for further growth.)
Status Summary: Kael has reached Level 5 through hidden battles and constant training. Each new level granted 5 attribute points, supplementing smaller gains from synergy forging and physical exercise. Yet all five core channels are stuck at Basic Lv.9, spells at Basic Lv.3, and the true leap forward demands an Awakened Core—still out of reach despite Kael's persistent attempts.