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Ugh, I hate being a baby!

Not that I despised the whole baby experience, but let's face it, having someone change my diapers was downright mortifying!

My prestige, my self-esteem, my honor. Everything went downhill. And the most traumatizing part? Well, let's just say, things seemed to have shrunk a little.

Anyway, let's rewind to the beginning of this bizarre journey.

The first few weeks into my new life weren’t too bad. We were living in a lodge situated at the outskirts of a town called Silvermill.

My parents on the other hand didn’t seem like bad people.

Despite my useless body, my lovely mother, Ada, never let me down. She was essentially my personal chauffeur, carrying me wherever she went. I'd perch on her shoulders, wiggling my tiny legs next to her face while I held for dear life so I would not fall to my death.. again.

You know, a second life is understandable but a third? Let's keep it real.

Ada wasn’t just a mom, she was a crafting genius. Every now and then, she'd take me along when she went out selling her handmade stuff to folks around town. And man, did they love her! I mean, who wouldn't? With her warm smile and genuine vibe, she could sell glasses to the blind. But what really blew my mind was her knack for selling. She was like a negotiation ninja, scoring deals left and right.

Total natural! My father really hit the jackpot !

But the best part of my day? Sneaking peeks through the kitchen window while mother whipped up dinner, watching father Gavin swing his sword left and right.

But seriously, was this even the same world I used to know? Gavin was a whole different breed. His jumps were unreal, not even an olympic athlete would dare replicate them. His speed and agility were unnatural, I could miss a whole attack if I even blinked once. And his strength, let’s just say the air waves caused by his sword swings almost pushed down a tree.

“Your dad is amazing isn’t he. He was the strongest, most handsome and most charismatic warrior of his age ! No wonder I fell for him, “ said my mother as she swung the wooden spoon she used for cooking, splattering drops of sauce everywhere, while making girly squeaks.

As much as I loved her, sometimes she went full cringe mode.

"Luka! Check out Daddy!" Screamed Gavin as he made goofy gestures and baby noises.

He'd be the perfect dad if not for those occasional lapses into big-kid mode.

Although, it might be my fault, since all I could utter were *gougou gaga* sounds.

I have to say something, I can't keep on dragging it.

I started rehearsing to myself : Father, you are amazing. Come on repeat it little me: Father you are amazing!!!!

I collected my thoughts, breathed in a good amount of air and opened my lips :

“Papa, Ama-thing, papah”

WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT??? OMG KILL ME, KILL ME NOW.

Suddenly, everything went silent. I turned around just to see Ada frozen in her place, looking at me with glowing eyes, while holding both hands on her chest.

Then she rushed towards me, and hugged me so hard my eyes almost popped.

*GAVIN!!!!! He said papa, he said his first word. Oh my god !!”

Now that you think about it, this was the most excited she's ever been. She somehow made me feel proud ahahah.

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But I seriously need to teach myself to talk. Apparently, these folks have never heard of education before.

As weeks turned into months, I started to understand the spoken language more, piecing together the puzzle of this crazy world, thanks to eavesdropping on my mother’s conversations with the neighbors and paying attention to my father's bedtime stories.

So, get this : there are five major kingdoms ruling the world:

'Borros' is where the dwarves live, tucked away in the far west among huge dry mountains and deep tunnels. Dwarves are famous for being tough and working hard, especially when it comes to digging up metals and gems, holding the monopoly in the gem market. They also build super strong cities and forts out of stone that last forever.

Even though their homes might look rough, there's a sense of strength and connection to the earth all around them. Plus, they're not just good at mining; they're also really brave fighters.

‘Eldoria’ is the place where elves reside, way over in the east in a big jungle with tall trees called the ‘Arbor Heights’. The elf lands are divided into two parts. The outside part is called Elytra, where the night elves live. And in the middle is Elinnri, the main city where the white elves live with their Queen.

Elves are kind of private and keep to themselves.

'Madania' is where we're from, down in the south. It's made up of four cities in a triangle shape, with the main one, Crownspire Citadel, right in the middle. Around it are Silvermill to the east, Ironforge to the west, and Sunburn to the north.

Madania is known for being all about war, with a super organized military that keeps us safe. And yeah, we do some trading too, mostly weapons and slaves.

'Aquadon' is one of the human tribes, just like us in Madania. They live up north on three islands called Sapphire Springs, Frostpeak Valley, and Ice Canyon. Aquadon is all about the sea.

They have the best navy and do a ton of trading with stuff they find in the ocean. They get cool things like gemstones, fancy plants, and spices from faraway islands. They're really good at making deals and being friends with other kingdoms.

Finally, there's Centralis, the big capital city where everyone comes together. It's a shared territory with its own independent system, where all the different races have a say in how things are run. There's this group called the "pillars" who make the big decisions, and they're even more powerful than the kings! But orders are only executed after being approved unanimously by all the pillars..

And guess what? Magic's real! According to my father, everything in this world runs on mana, a natural energy from the realm's core.

And there are two kinds of people: the magic-bending Arcanists, who manipulate nature’s mana, and people who could not use magic whatsoever, called the madanians.

Yep, that's us the people of Madania.. We drew the short straw on that one!

But why was Gavin so super powered? Well, turns out we madanians got blessed with crazy physical strength and fast regeneration by the "guardians" or so mother says.

Is Guardians a fancy term for gods?

Frankly, it seemed like these gods took pity on us, which is kind of sweet, but also a bit of a gut punch when you really think about it.

And of course there had to be a plot twist, these blessings only develop gradually. First manifesting at 8 years old then becomes stronger as time passes with enough training. It basically removes the limit of what our bodies can achieve.

Well there are too many things I still couldn’t get my head around, but let’s leave it be for now.

Months passed, and I finally took my first steps. It was liberating, you know? Independence felt like a whole new world opening up to me. I could finally wander around at my own pace. But I came to regret that feeling, when I tumbled out of the first floor window while trying to catch a glimpse of my father doing his usual training routine.

I had a knack for falling I guess!

The fall was no joke. It made a loud bang. My parents rushed over, expecting the worst, only to find me oddly uninjured, without little to no scratches.

"Oh my god, honey! Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Ada exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement.

"His blessing already manifested?" Gavin’s voice held a mixture of wonder and pride.

"I've always believed he was special!"

"Have you ever heard of a one-year-old awakening his blessings before, Ada?"

"No, but doesn’t this mean our baby boy is just unique?"

"Well, didn't I say he's going to become a warrior like his dad? Well, the day came. Come on, Lu, training starts toda..." Just as he was about to finish talking, Ada smacked the back of his head so hard he started stuttering.

"He's still one year old! At least wait until he's three" she scolded.

Yeah, like that would make a difference. But seriously, am I like a hot shot?

As months passed, I spent my days watching Gavin train, studying his movements, and trying to emulate them. And at night, long after my parents had slept, I'd sneak out of my own bed and venture into a room I stumbled upon recently. It was filled with books, though sadly I hadn't learned to read yet. But that didn't demotivate me. Those nights became dedicated to absorbing whatever knowledge I could from those books. I was the best archaeologist and historian of my time. Learning a new language from a few dusty tomes? Piece of cake.

Eventually, I cracked the code of the language. But during that quest, one particular book caught my eye. It spoke of a great war that brought havoc upon the world centuries ago. But it wasn't about the war itself; rather the after effect of it. The world once lived in peace, with kingdoms united and people supportive of each other. They shared currency, traded with each other and established the pillars of balance. But the war bred agony and suffering, breeding hatred between the Arcanists, who felt superior with their magic, and us madanians, who stuck to our pride.

Things got so bad that the Kingdom of Madania established laws banning magic within its borders and banishing any who used it.

Trading still exists to this day, but just from an economical point of view.

Some madanians chose to leave the kingdom, others supported their leaders' cause.

One thing for sure though, Arcanists were not allowed to step foot here.

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