In his room within Aizen's Royal Castle, Prince Reivan, who'd recently turned six years old, was staring blankly at the sky with his chin resting on his left hand.

"Haaah~." He heaved his umpteenth sigh of the day as he raised his right arm to level with his eyes.

A wisp of white mist was dancing between his fingers, rapidly zooming from gap to gap after revolving around a finger once.

'Mm. I'm getting better at Mana Control.' Reivan grinned slightly as he willed the wisp to move faster. But, contrary to his intentions, he'd started losing precise control over the wisp. It was going faster, yes, however his control could no longer keep up with its speed. In the end, Reivan completely lost control of the wisp, and it flew off outside, dissipating into nothingness after a few meters. 'Well. Maybe not as better as I thought...'

Without letting it bother him much, Reivan conjured another wisp of mana, then resumed what he'd been doing. Ever since he'd taken a look at Roland's special ability, Reivan felt even more rushed to gain power. He and his brother had a ten-year gap in age, so the gap in skill and knowledge was enormous. How would he be able to help his brother if he stayed the way he was?

However, no matter how many times he begged, nobody would teach him anything related to combat. Not even his mother, whom he'd thought would do anything if he pleaded hard enough. He even tried to act incredibly cutesy! And yet it didn't work!

So, Reivan had to take it into his own hands. Because of the information his [Supreme Insight] gave him about [Harmony], Reivan knew that for a mortal to ascend, they had to combine their [Essence] with their [Physical Form].

And according to [Qi: Unleashed], Qi could be unified with Mana to produce essence.

Over the years, Reivan had gathered little tidbits of information through conversation. So, he knew that Roland had been training to unlock his Qi since he was ten.

But, three years ago, he'd watched Roland use some kind of magic to produce lights.

That meant that Qi had to be unlocked through intense training, but Mana, on the other hand, had a chance of being something readily available from the start.

Reivan thought that the logic was a bit faulty, but it was the only thing he could go off of at the moment. So, since he knew that mana existed within him, he'd tried all sorts of things to get it to move. Or do anything really.

And lo and behold, he succeeded when he turned four years old.

It wasn't because of his hard work and dedication though. It was actually because his [Supreme Insight] went through some sort of evolution, and allowed him to perceive the mana within him.

'Well, who knows? Maybe it was only able to do that because I tried so hard?' Reivan made excuses to himself. In any case, controlling his mana was much easier when he could perceive it so clearly.

As he'd received no education on magic yet, controlling it was all he could do though. He couldn't really do anything with it at the moment, but he didn't think he was wasting time by training to better control mana.

Extra Skill:

[Chaos Origin] Connects this unit to the Chaos Origin, transforming all of its essence into [Chaotic Energy], as well as temporarily bestows this unit with [Omni-resistance] and [Elemental Immunity].

[Chaotic Energy] is highly volatile and dangerous to mortal bodies, so this unit is advised to take care while using this ability.

It was because of his [Chaos Origin] skill, which he'd decided to seal for a long time.

It had mentioned that Chaotic Energy was highly volatile, but what if he'd learned how to control energy to an incredibly high level? He'd be able to use this extremely dangerous sounding but extremely useful sounding ability without much worry.

That was what Reivan thought.

He tried to be optimistic and not think about the possibility that everything he'd been doing for the past two years was actually useless.

So, every chance he could get, he would secretly train his Mana control. Whether he was bathing, reading, studying, or eating. Luckily, it seemed that the maids weren't able to see the mana, but he'd have to be careful around his family and the knights.

His family was oddly strict about not letting him learn combat skills of any kind. They wouldn't even allow him to watch Roland spar. Every single one of them would always tell him to play and don't worry about grown-up things.

Reivan had an adult man's soul inside, but even he was exasperated at their insistence on keeping him in the dark.

He'd ran out of interesting books and still wasn't allowed in the library. The history and geography books that he was allowed to study from time to time were somewhat helpful, but they were only filled with very basic information. It was to the extent where it was fairly obvious to him that certain things were being obscured on purpose.

'It's outright maddening...' Reivan clutched his head in frustration. The worst part about it was, nobody ever lied to him. So he couldn't use his sub-skill, [The Truth Buried in Lies]!

[Essence of Falsehood]

Sub Skill #2 - [The Truth buried in Lies] Passive: There is a small chance that this unit can gain knowledge of the [Truth] when a [Lie] is detected by [Lie Detection].

'Haah. I guess there's nothing I can do about it... Not like I can just tell them that I'm actually a grown-ass man inside.' Reivan lamented. He supposed he'd just have to wait and wait and wait. Until his family thought to reveal things to him. 'Well, I guess I do kind of understand them. If this was the real world, you wouldn't teach a six-year-old about business administration and weapon usage... It's still frustrating though.'

Reivan's agitation caused him to lose control of the wisp of mana again, making it soar towards the sky... Just in time before the door to his room suddenly opened, a man wearing Kingly attire walked in.

'H-holy shit... That was close.' Reivan tried to calm his rapidly beating heart as he tried to act as if nothing was wrong. Reivan stood up as he greeted his visitor.

"Father." Reivan smiled brightly as he ran up to hug the man's leg. "Why are you here?"

"Hoho." Rodin chuckled as he ruffled his second son's ivory-colored hair. "Why? Can't I?"

"That's not it." Reivan shook his head as he let go of Rodin's leg. "But aren't you always working?"

"I-I don't work that often..." Rodin scratched his cheek awkwardly, then he turned his head away and looked at Reivan from a corner of his eyes. "Do I?"

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"I barely see you." Reivan nodded as he mercilessly said.

"Ugh..."

"Only three times a month?"

"Urghhhh."

"And that's if you had less work than usual. Usually, it'd be once or twice a month."

"URGH!" Rodin clutched his stomach, his face screwed up in pain.

'This is kind of fun.' Reivan inwardly laughed. He'd had no intentions of making his father feel bad. Reivan just knew from experience that children had little to no filter. So, since he was currently a child, he would have to be quite blunt, most of the time.

Rodin kneeled and hugged Reivan to his chest. His grip tightened, as if he wouldn't let go no matter what.

"I'm sorry, Rein..." Rodin apologized, his voice trembled with the guilt that he felt. He was a King, yes. But he was also a father. Despite all of his efforts to make time, he'd still ended up neglecting his child to such an extent. Rodin's heart tightened, and he found it incredibly hard to breathe. "You must hate me so much... I'm so, so sorry..."

'Yikes... I didn't mean to make him feel this bad. Why is his skin so thin?.' Reivan felt guilt as he hugged his father back. He naturally felt no resentment for the man.

In his two lives, Reivan barely saw his fathers when he was a child. But, he knew that Koutarou and Rodin were very different from each other. Koutarou hadn't spent time with him because he wasn't very relevant in his father's eyes. While Rodin would have spent all his time with him if he didn't have the weight of a nation on his shoulders.

The results were the same, him growing up without a father, but the reasons behind them were worlds apart (No pun intended). An actual child may have not cared about the reason, the child would have likely still resented the father because of the neglect they suffered. But, Reivan could appreciate the difference.

"I don't hate you at all father." Reivan infused all the sincerity he could muster into his voice as he patted his father's back. "I'm very proud that you're my... dad."

"..." Rodin slowly let go of his son and grasped his shoulders as their gazes interlocked. Rodin could see a golden pair of eyes staring back at him. Clear, innocent, and without an ounce of falsehood. Eyes that were nothing alike the foreign ambassadors that he dealt with on occasion. His voice trembled as his eyes began to well up with tears. "Really? Rein?"

"Mm. Yes." Reivan nodded twice. He looked towards the window, to the skies beyond. "Out there, lots of people are counting on you, right? And they love us because you work so hard for them. The knights that protect us, the maids that take care of us, all of them serve us so well because of you, Father. How could I not be proud?"

"Rein..." Roland bit his lip as he clutched his heart, feeling incredibly moved.

"Someday, they'll count on me too!" Reivan beamed as he exclaimed.

"..." Rodin couldn't help but smile at his son's words. "That's true."

"Yeah! Then, me and big brother can help you out!"

"Haha..." Rodin chuckled as he stroked his son's face. "That's true!"

"Then, then." Reivan excitedly hopped up and down. "You won't have to work so hard, and then we can spend more time with each other!"

"Wahaha!" Rodin laughed louder than he'd ever done in recent years. Happiness flooded through every vein in his body, and he felt extremely light. "That's true!! Very True!!"

"Yeah!" Reivan's pearly whites shined brightly as he toothily grinned. He nudged his father with his elbow as he needled the man. "And if we want that to happen faster, you have to start teaching me some magic or something!"

"Hahaha! That's tru—... Hm?" Rodin, in his elatedness, was about to answer in the affirmative, but then he realized what his son had just said. He gazed at his son's previously innocent smile with horror.

He'd almost agreed on reflex. Was that intentional? Did his son, who was six years old, just lure him into releasing a statement? He felt like he was talking to a sleazy merchant, flattering him so that he'd agree to their terms. That couldn't be, right?

Rodin shook his head in denial, both of his thoughts and his son's suggestion. "N-no... Not yet."

"But why!" Reivan stomped his feet in a tantrum.

"Because you're too young, Rein." Rodin said firmly.

"..." Reivan grit his teeth in vexation. It was the same reason, over and over again. "Just a little, please?"

"No means no," Rodin said, in a tone that brooked no argument. He watched as Reivan held his head low. As Reivan's shoulders drooped, Rodin scooped him up into his arms and brought him over to a sofa, where he sat down and placed his son on his lap. Rodin smiled as he stroked his son's back. "You're still too young, Rein."

"That's what you all say. Always." Reivan said as he pouted, his voice stained with resentment.

"Haha." Rodin couldn't help but chuckle despite the situation. "Because it's true."

"But I want to help you! And big brother too!" Reivan pleaded.

"I see." Rodin smiled as his heart was filled with warmth. He felt having a son like this was a father's greatest fortune. "When you get older, you will come to know everything."

Reivan snorted. He contemplated whether to just tell the man that he was actually much older than Rodin thought. His age on his status screen even said 'Cannot be Measured'!

Rodin grinned wryly at his son's reaction. He stroked his son's hair, which was reminiscent of bones. Bones, which he witnessed plenty of during his reign as King. Bones of enemies, allies, and of family. Rodin didn't want his son to join that world just yet.

"You don't have to rush things, Rein." Rodin said as he patted his son's head consolingly.

"..." Reivan crossed his arms in front of his chest and turned his head away.

"You're still a child..." Rodin was about to say, but then he remembered he'd already said it. He thought for a bit, then amended what he said. "So you should live like a child. Play like a child."

"But..." Reivan muttered hesitantly. 'I don't have much time... What if brother gets taken over by that Ego or something?'

"Look, Reivan Aizenwald." Rodin's demeanor shifted all of a sudden. His voice became clear and firm, and his expression stern. As if he was a different person entirely. "There will come a time, when you will have to make a choice. Whether to live for Aizen." Rodin paused, taking a deep breath. "Or for yourself."

"..." Reivan gulped. He'd never seen his father this way before. Reivan had unconsciously seen his father as a goofy or silly type of father. Vianna would treat him as she wished, and he would just sheepishly laugh along. When he was a baby, Rodin would make funny faces, trying to get a laugh out of him. He wasn't always around, but when he was, Rodin would always give the impression of a person with a mild personality. Regardless of how respectful everybody seemed to be towards his father, that remained to be his impression of Rodin. But looking at the man in front of him, Reivan felt like he was seeing what everybody else saw in his father. 'A King truly cannot be an ordinary person.'

"Reivan, when that time comes, and you choose to live for this country..." Rodin brought his face close, leveling his bright blue eyes with Reivan's golden ones. Reivan's body stiffened, and he felt as if he was looking at a deep well. "Then even if you wish to live as a child again, nobody will allow it."

"..."

"This nation will not allow it."

"..."

"The world will not allow it."

"..."

"I will not allow it. Rein." Rodin said, intoning every word. "You will serve. Whether you still wish to do so, or not. That is what living for this nation means. Once its weight is placed upon your shoulders, you cannot take it off anymore. You must either bear it for as long as you live..."

"O-or...?" Reivan hesitantly spoke up.

"Or." Rodin brought his mouth close to Reivan's ears. His voice was almost a whisper. "You get crushed underneath it."

Reivan gulped unconsciously.

Rodin moved his head away and gazed back into his son's eyes. He felt satisfied when he noticed that his son hadn't looked away. A good sign. Rodin released the tension within his body, and the smile he usually wore when he was with his son returned to his face.

"So that's why..." Rodin stood up, his son held in his arms. "Do not rush. Be a child for now."

'For when the time comes, you will see things children should never see. And you might hate me forever for showing them to you.' Rodin held back the words he wanted to say. He wanted to cherish this time, when he could still easily carry his son like this, protect him within his embrace, and hide him from the horrors that plague the world.

"I still have a bit of time before I have to get going. Do you have something you want to do with Father?" Rodin asked his son, who seemed to have stopped sulking.

"Well..." Reivan thought for a bit. If it had been a while ago, he'd have stubbornly insisted on learning about magic and whatnot. But his father had convinced him that maybe he really shouldn't rush too much. Perhaps he should use this time to plan things more thoroughly instead.

"Rushing never saved the time that planning did." as they said. Perhaps it would be harmful if he rushed things.

'I suppose I'll take a step back for now...' Reivan inwardly sighed.

"D-do you not want to spend time with Father...?" Rodin asked after Reivan seemed to take too long to decide.

"No no." Reivan snapped out of his thoughts as he smiled. "I just had so many things I wanted to do with you, that I couldn't decide which to choose!"

You have used [Essence of Falsehood]

"I see!" Rodin beamed as he nodded. "Well, you better decide quickly. I only have around ten minutes left."

"Ten minutes... then let's just chat Father!" Reivan chirped. He couldn't think of anything else fast enough.

"Chat, huh? About what...?"

"About..." Reivan thought about it, then he remembered his father's earlier demeanor. "About why you work so hard, Father!"

"Oh. About why I work so hard, huh?" Rodin smirked. He found it amusing how oddly mature and deep the question was. Wouldn't children normally ask things like who one liked more, or ask for stories about adventures to other places and whatnot? Rodin shook off his thoughts and warned. "It's a long story, you know? Do you still want to know?"

"I do!" Reivan nodded vigorously.

"Haha... Very well then. Now, where do I begin..." Rodin thought about it for a bit, then began his tale.