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“Uh… My head…” I woke up with a nasty groan, perhaps to the surprise of my onlookers. That’s because I found Maria looking at me with the deepest worry. She hugged me just as I woke up. Huh? What happened? I couldn’t really understand the situation.

“Oh, my baby. Are you okay?” Maria asked me while still hugging the breath out of me.

“Hm? I was just sleeping.” I patted her back to signal her to let go. It was getting a bit hard to breathe.

“How do you feel? Tell me.” She persisted without letting go.

“I feel great, Mom. Maybe I just needed a good night’s sleep. I feel much better than before.”

“Oh, thank the heavens. Thank the Merciful Seraphina!” With that, she finally let go of me. Not that it removed any of the confusion I was facing.

Robert, who was speaking to another man a short distance away, quickly walked next to me.

“Are you alright, bud?” He asked while trying to hide his worry. Something didn’t feel right to me. Why are they behaving like this? I couldn’t conclude.

“Please, let me check on him again,” said the man who Robert was speaking with a moment ago. As he approached me, my parents moved away to make way for him.

“Hello mister,” I greeted him without thinking. I was antisocial as Hugo, but that was not the case for Dylan. Maybe if I lean on this new personality more, I won’t have to become a shut-in again. I made a mental note to myself.

“Hi there, kid. I’m a friend of your father.” He held my right hand and seemed to mutter something softly. I couldn’t hear the words. But there was a faint light where he held me.

“… the doctor?” I asked, noticing a skill being used.

“That’s me,” he said gleefully. “Say, three days ago at the hospital, you said you were exhausted and that it was suffocating. How do you feel now?”

“I really feel fine, like I never got hurt,” I responded. “But did you say three days?”

“You picked up a poison, kid. This one attacks the mana reservoir. We call it Mana Poisoning. But you got lucky it was weak. A stronger one might’ve crippled you.”

“So… I was sleeping for three days?”

“That you were. I got rid of it a while ago. So, don’t worry about anything more.” He moved a little to face Robert.

“But I must say, the kid is quite perceptive. Most folks can’t tell they’ve got Mana Poisoning till the symptoms become too tough to manage,” he informed Robert with a look of interest. “You said he has no attributes?”

“No, he doesn’t,” Robert said with half the joy he was showing before.

“Give the kid a chance. Attribute or no attribute, the kid’s talented.” At those words, my parents’ faces lit up again.

Perceptive, my foot. They’d apparently mistaken the knowledge I displayed about my status condition, something I gained through the system, to be something I brilliantly perceived. That couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

“Rest up, kid,” the doctor said to me before getting ready to leave.

Maria kissed my forehead and asked me to stay in bed for a while. Then, the three of them left the room together, almost in sync.

As they left, I called up my status again.

STATUS Name Dylan Race Human Age 4 Job N/A Health 20/20 Stamina 20/20 Mana 50/50 Title(s) Awakened, Reincarnate Skill(s) Foreboding, Immortal Journal Condition N/A

Like the doctor said, I couldn’t find the “Mana Poisoning (Weak)” in my status anymore. Meanwhile, I noticed another thing. My Mana was only 5 the last time, but now it increased to 50. So, the status condition was limiting my available mana.

It didn’t improve my feeling of not having an attribute though. The only brilliance I displayed came about because of the status screen. But that gave me an idea. Maybe seeing one’s own status isn’t a common feat. That was the only reasonable conclusion I could come up with. Of course, I couldn’t be sure that it was my unique ability. But at the very least, it was not an ability they expected me to have.

Though I could appreciate a Mana capacity that’s greater than my Health and Stamina combined, I still had no clue how I compared against other kids, and more importantly, other adults. I made a mental note to check on that later.

Since I was feeling perfectly fine, I didn’t need to linger around in my bed any further. Despite living in this house for four years as Dylan, I still felt very curious about everything. That could’ve been an effect of the memories of my past life. I was far more curious as Hugo, I would recall. Though I couldn’t remember everything there was to remember, my unbridled curiosity was here to stay. I could feel that much with great certainty.

I walked down the stairs to see what my parents and that doctor were up to. I was careful to avoid their attention. I figured they would be more likely to speak freely if I weren’t around. They seemed like the kind of parents who think keeping information hidden from me is somehow helping me. But with the bits of memories coming back to me from time to time, I recall having been bullied for not having an attribute. Yet no matter how many times I asked them about it, they didn’t tell me anything. It’s possible that I would still be clueless about the situation if I’d never gotten injured this time around.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

I sat down on the stairs with my small body and tried to peek at the adults in the living room. The first thing I noticed was our housemaid sitting on the side of the wall with her arms tied up. She was evidently still crying, but it was muffled noises at that point. There was someone in adventurer gear next to her. I could tell he was an adventurer because I’d seen Robert enough times in similar outfits. I assumed he was keeping the housemaid captive while my parents and the doctor were upstairs. Nevertheless, I tried to hear what they were talking about.

“…the mug carried the poison,” the doctor concluded. I missed a large chunk of his explanation, unfortunately.

“And she was the one who poisoned it? Why would she?” Maria responded with disbelief.

“Robert is my old friend, and I know about your situation. I’m no Tracker, but it would seem to me that she was targeting you, Maria, not your son.”

“You mean, it was the Royals?” Robert interjected.

“That seems highly likely. Since she is unwilling to speak, I can only tell you about the evidence at hand. She poisoned the mug in hope that Maria would drink from it.”

“But I ended up using it to serve Dylan instead,” Maria stated, with a face that screamed self-blame.

“It would appear so,” the doctor surmised. “But don’t beat yourself up for it. You’re family. I think it’s best to keep your son in the loop.”

“You’re right,” Robert engaged, “It wasn’t the first time they tried to harm us, and it probably won’t be the last. It’s time we rethought our approach to this matter. We can’t have our son suffer for our history.”

I was expecting Maria to say something, but she appeared to be too dejected to continue. I always thought they were only hiding the matter about my attribute, but that was only the surface of it. They were hiding secrets that could’ve cost me my life.

I remembered how my ‘Foreboding’ skill activated when I looked at the mug. I thought it was telling me about the strangeness of the mug in this different world. Certainly, it would’ve been a rare sight to see a wooden mug like that in my last life. So, the ‘Foreboding’ skill was telling me about the danger in the mug instead.

I did think the naming of the skill was too odd for it to only identify strangeness, but if it were telling me about potential dangers instead, then that made a lot more sense. It seems that I received an amazing skill without even realizing it. At the very least, I wouldn’t have to be worried about similar attempts at my life in the future.

Robert went out of the house with the doctor and the adventurer who was keeping the housemaid captive, all the while pulling on the rope tied to her hands. He was noticeably angry while this happened, and even though he was dragging the housemaid away, he was never glancing at her. Maybe he feels some kind of deep hatred for her, or perhaps for himself.

Although my parents in this life had their own parenting style, they undoubtedly loved me and cared about me. Even though most of our parents want the best for us, their decisions don’t always produce the best results.

After the three of them left, Maria closed the door and sat down on her rocking chair. She used to hold me in her arms on that chair as she told me stories. I could vividly remember the fairy tales, of elves, dwarves, and dragons. A part of me believed they were real, and with these memories unlocked, that possibility seemed truer than ever. Though I’d never seen one before…

Maria seemed vulnerable, alone, lost in her thoughts. The wise thing to do would be to let her come to terms with her situation since she was the original target of that Mana Poisoning. But I needed answers, and it seemed like the perfect situation to get some.

“Mom…?” I asked as meekly as I could. At that point, I was already at the bottom of the stairs. “Did Rebecca do something? Why did Dad take her away?”

Maria looked a bit astonished, but it didn’t take her too long to hide her surprise. “What are you doing here, honey? You need to rest.” She got up from her rocking chair and approached me at the bottom of the stairs, crouching down to speak to me at eye level.

“I was feeling fine, so I just wanted to walk around a bit,” I told her in hope that it would be enough of an excuse. “I did sleep for three days,” I added meekly.

“That you did. All right, come with me.” She picked me up and sat down on the rocking chair with me on her lap, much like those story times that I missed so much. “Be honest, what did you see?”

“Just Dad dragging away Rebecca. There was also the doctor with him, and another uncle I haven’t met before.”

“…” She seemed to be making up her mind. So, I decided to push her a little more.

“I promise I’ll grow up to be strong, so you’ll never have anything to worry about.”

New Obligation created! "Strength Seeker" Description Your mother is worried about your well-being and the stability of your family. Show her that you can become strong and take care of your family, and yourself. Objective(s) Reach 250 in Stamina and 300 in Mana before the Age of 10. Reward(s) 1× Skill Creation Ticket.

Huh? Something very unexpected happened from my careless promise. I was just trying to probe Maria, but I ended up triggering the Obligation System instead.

“I know. You’re already strong. You were so brave at the hospital, and even today. I think you’re going to be amazing one day,” she spoke before I could continue my train of thought.

Is she so optimistic because there’s an adult’s consciousness in this tiny body? I guess I ended up behaving a bit more maturely than my age. It’s not like I had any clue about how to act like a four-year-old. I mean, I guess I did. But actual four-year-olds aren’t really thinking about how they should be acting. So, it was hard for me to mimic that kind of behavior. Maybe I could go ‘Ah-le-le’ and pray that everything works out. Or not.

“I can’t tell you everything yet. I hope you can trust your mom.” She held me tighter as she continued, “Before I settled down with your dad, I was someone of high status amongst the nobles. But something happened. I had to choose between my oath as a Healer and my duty to the people. I ended up choosing the people.”

She was sobbing, I could tell. But I did not have the heart to look at her. If I looked at her, we would both be crying, and the conversation would end with no result. I needed to find out more. I couldn’t give in to that weakness. I guess Dylan’s demeanor is still vividly present. That was a good thing because I was worried if my identity as Hugo would be too overwhelming. Dylan’s life was not just a rebirth, it was also a second chance for Hugo. So, I couldn’t be stubborn, but I also couldn’t be weak.

As I didn’t say anything, Maria continued.

“But it’s not acceptable for Healers to break their oath. I was banished from the Church of Seraphina, and my healing skills no longer have the strength they once showed.”

“Dad didn’t do anything?” I inquired.

“Oh, he would’ve, I imagine. And he would’ve made an enemy of the world in the process. But we didn’t know each other back then. I met your dad when I was hiding from the Church and the Royals. He knows now, but I convinced him to prioritize our safety over petty revenge.”

Maria had been speaking to me thus far with my back turned to her. But she decided to move me to the side and look me in the eye as she continued.

“I’ll ask the same of you. You’ll grow up one day, and you’ll have a life of your own. Revenge is not okay. I chose the path that led to this situation, and I wouldn’t change a single thing. Do you understand?”

“I understand, Mom,” I responded without looking away from her.

Maria ruffled my hair and kissed me on my forehead. I could imagine her situation. She was still being pursued by the Royals, and maybe even the Church. Because she believes that she deserves everything that’s been happening to her, she feels content just hiding from them. Unfortunately, I was not in a position where I could influence her thoughts.

She wiped away what tears remained in her eyes, and then she wiped away mine. I ended up crying anyway. I was regaining my emotions as Dylan, or so it seemed.

“Mom. Can you tell me a story like you used to?”

“Yeah. Yeah. We could do that. Which one do you want to hear?”

“Whichever you like.”

“Okay. Umm… Oh, I think you’ll love this one,” and so my mother continued, “Once upon a time…”