The sun was setting, casting a golden hue over the vast, glittering city of Avalon. Its towering spires reached toward the heavens, and the sprawling marble streets, lined with mansions and gilded shops, gleamed in the twilight. But despite the grandeur of the city that seemed so perfectly designed, inside one of its most prestigious households, a single person was experiencing the most unexpected of transformations.

Arthur Von Calderon had been an aristocrat in his past life—an ordinary man of noble birth who had lived a life of privilege and comfort, but whose destiny was never meant to be extraordinary. He had been born into the Calderon family, a name respected for generations, but it had never truly held the kind of power that commanded awe. He had lived a life of decadence, politics, and courtly intrigues—until one fateful day when his life came to an abrupt and untimely end.

At least, that’s what he thought.

A sharp, searing pain had struck him down in an instant, a car crash so violent that he never saw it coming. But then—there had been no blackness, no void. He had awakened in a place that defied all logic, surrounded by towering trees and unfamiliar sights.

And then he remembered.

His name wasn’t Arthur Von Calderon anymore.

He had been reborn as the third son of the Calderon family, in a world that was magic-infused and rife with creatures from myth and legend. He had no memories of his previous life, save for a vague sense of an unimaginable past. He was now Prince Arkadius Calderon, the third heir to a vast fortune and a noble family in the kingdom of Arathel.

The world he found himself in wasn’t the one he knew.

“Are you awake, Ark?” A soft voice broke his reverie. His eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the soft candlelight that flickered in the chamber. His personal maid, Luna, stood by his bedside, her long silver hair cascading over her shoulders in gentle waves.

Ark sat up slowly, his body still adjusting to this new form and new world. His golden eyes, a striking feature in this world where most people had dark, earthy shades, met Luna’s concerned gaze.

“I’m awake,” he replied, his voice calm but with an edge of uncertainty that even he couldn’t hide.

Luna nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. “The tutors will be here soon, your Highness. It’s time for your lessons.”

Ark raised an eyebrow. “Lessons, huh? How much of my previous life is going to matter in this one?” he asked, more to himself than to Luna.

“Your previous life, Ark?” Luna paused, her expression softening. “Forgive me, but you haven’t forgotten yet, have you?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Ark felt a familiar ache in his chest as the fog of memories threatened to overwhelm him. But then he pushed it down. He wasn’t sure what this new life was, or why it felt so familiar and yet so foreign. Was this truly a second chance, or merely a trap of fate?

His new body—a youthful one, perhaps in his early teens—was slender yet wiry, with the features of a noble but not a king. His life had been arranged for him from the moment he was born into the Calderon family. As the third son, his prospects were limited. His father, a man with an iron grip on the kingdom’s economy, was most concerned with his eldest son’s potential to inherit the title of duke, and his second son’s future as a knight commander. Ark, on the other hand, was destined to live in the shadow of his brothers, inheriting nothing, contributing little, and watching as his family’s affairs unfolded far above his head.

But now, in this new world where magic flowed through the air and warlords contended for power, Ark had a chance to change the trajectory of his life. He was determined to make something more of himself—something worthy of his new beginning.

As Luna prepared to help him into his elegant robes of the noble court, he gazed at his reflection in the ornate mirror. The face that looked back at him was unfamiliar, but the eyes—those golden eyes—held a depth that made him feel like a different person altogether.

“I’ll do it differently this time,” Ark muttered under his breath.

The first lesson of the day came in the form of magic.

Unlike the world Ark had come from, where science and technology ruled, magic was the lifeblood of this new world. It was something he was expected to learn, something he could not avoid if he hoped to even survive here. His tutors arrived promptly—a pair of stern-faced sorcerers dressed in flowing robes, their eyes sharp with the expectation that he would pick up their teachings quickly.

“Your Highness,” said one of the sorcerers, a woman named Elder Selene, who was as ancient as she was wise, “your potential is vast. The Calderon bloodline carries the latent ability to control powerful elemental forces. We will begin with the fundamentals of wind magic.”

Wind magic. Ark had heard of it, of course, but had never given it much thought. He was a noble—magic was something for the mages and warriors, not the aristocrats. But now, as he felt the energy swirling around him in the air, something strange stirred within him. It was not just the wind. No—it was something deeper, something primal. A force that felt both alien and yet intimately familiar.

“Focus, Ark,” Elder Selene urged, her voice steady but sharp. “Channel the power within you. Let the winds dance at your command.”

For a moment, Ark hesitated. But then, something inside him clicked. A sudden surge of energy coursed through his body, and he raised his hand, commanding the winds to obey. Slowly, the air around him began to swirl, forming a soft breeze that picked up into a swirling gust. It was weak, fleeting, but it was there.

Ark’s heart raced. This was magic—the kind of power he’d never dreamed of in his past life. And yet here, in this new world, it was his to command.

“Remarkable,” Elder Selene whispered, her eyes narrowing with curiosity. “I’ve never seen someone master the art of wind manipulation so quickly. It seems your potential is not to be underestimated, Ark Calderon.”

But Ark wasn’t focused on her praise. He was thinking of something far more important—his future. His plans. He would rise to the top in this world, no matter the cost. The Calderon family had wealth, but wealth alone wouldn’t bring power. Magic. Allies. Strategy. These were the keys to shaping his destiny.

And Ark Calderon would forge his path, no matter where it led.