The first thing I noticed was the light. It wasn’t the harsh, sterile glow of the laboratory I had come to know so well. No, this light was warm, golden, and… alive. It filtered through the cracks of a wooden ceiling, dancing in the air like tiny sparks of magic. I blinked, my vision blurry, and tried to move, but my body felt heavy, uncoordinated. My arms were small, pudgy, and my legs barely responded to my commands.

What… happened?

Memories of my previous life flooded back—the cold metal table, the scientists in their white coats, the experiments that pushed my mind to its limits. I remembered the rebellion, the explosion, and then… nothing. And now, here I was, in what looked like a rustic wooden room, lying in a crib.

A crib?

I tried to speak, but all that came out was a gurgling sound. Panic surged through me, but I forced myself to stay calm. My enhanced thinking kicked in, analyzing the situation with cold logic.

I’ve been reincarnated.

The realization hit me like a thunderbolt. I was no longer Subject 7, the lab experiment. I was someone new, in a new world. But where was I? And who were these people?

As if on cue, the door creaked open, and a woman stepped inside. She had kind eyes and long, auburn hair tied back in a loose braid. Her face lit up when she saw me, and she rushed over, scooping me up in her arms.

“There you are, my little Kaelith,” she cooed, her voice soft and soothing. “Did you have a good nap?”

Kaelith. So that’s my name now.

I studied her face, committing every detail to memory. She smelled like herbs and something sweet—honey, maybe. Her warmth was comforting, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I felt… safe.

“Lira, is he awake?” a man’s voice called from the other room.

“Yes, Eldrin! Come see him,” the woman—Lira—replied.

A moment later, a man entered the room. He was tall and lean, with sharp features and a pair of glasses perched on his nose. His hair was a messy mop of dark brown, and he wore a simple robe with a satchel slung over his shoulder. He looked like a scholar, not a warrior.

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“Ah, there’s my little mage,” he said with a grin, reaching out to tickle my chin. “One day, you’ll be casting spells just like your old man.”

Mage? Spells?

My mind raced. So this was a world of magic. That explained the golden light and the sense of energy in the air. I could feel it now, a faint hum in the back of my mind, like a song just out of reach.

“Eldrin, don’t overwhelm him,” Lira chided, though she was smiling. “He’s still just a baby.”

“Nonsense,” Eldrin said, waving a hand dismissively. “He’s a Veylen. Magic is in his blood. And besides, I’ve already started working on something special for him.”

Lira raised an eyebrow. “Special? What are you talking about?”

Eldrin’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “A signature magic. Every great family has one, and I’m not about to let my son fall behind. I’ve been experimenting with a new concept—something that combines runic theory with elemental manipulation. It’s still in the early stages, but I think it could be revolutionary.”

Lira sighed, shaking her head. “You’re impossible, you know that? He’s not even a year old, and you’re already planning his legacy.”

“It’s never too early to start,” Eldrin replied, his grin widening. “Besides, I have a feeling he’s going to be something extraordinary.”

As they talked, I took in my surroundings. The room was small but cozy, with shelves lined with books and jars of strange ingredients. A faint scent of herbs and parchment filled the air. Through the window, I could see a sprawling landscape of rolling hills and distant mountains, bathed in the light of a setting sun.

This is my new world, I thought, a sense of wonder creeping into my mind. A world of magic.

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Later that evening, as Lira rocked me to sleep, Eldrin sat by the fireplace, flipping through a thick tome. I couldn’t read the words from my crib, but I could see the intricate diagrams and symbols on the pages. One image in particular caught my eye: a glowing sphere surrounded by swirling lines of energy.

“The Core,” Eldrin murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. “The heart of all magic. Without it, we’d be nothing.”

I strained to hear more, but my infant body betrayed me, and I drifted off to sleep. In my dreams, I saw the Core—a massive, pulsating sphere of light, its energy radiating outward like the roots of a great tree. I could feel its power, vast and infinite, connecting everything in this world.

When I woke, the image stayed with me, etched into my mind like a memory. The Core wasn’t just a source of magic; it was the foundation of this world, the lifeblood that sustained it. And somehow, I knew I was connected to it.

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As the days turned into weeks, I grew more accustomed to my new life. Lira and Eldrin doted on me, their love and care a stark contrast to the cold indifference of my previous world. I began to understand the rhythms of this place: the way the light changed with the seasons, the hum of magic in the air, and the quiet strength of the people who called it home.

But even as I settled into my new life, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was coming. The Core’s energy pulsed in the back of my mind, a constant reminder of the power that lay within me. And though I was just a child, I knew my journey was only beginning.