Adjusting my glasses as I heaved out a sigh, I couldn't shake the haunting question that lingered within: "What have I done?" Since when did I become such a coward, unable to carry out what I had planned? The weight of my own perceived failure pressed upon me, and I heaved a sigh, my gaze drawn upward to the weathered wooden ceiling of the modest hut that barely passed for a home.

The room was eerily silent, unnaturally so. I couldn't help but wonder if this stillness was normal. In my not-so-limited understanding of "them," this shouldn't be the case. However, at that moment, the only sound that reached my ears was the crackling of the fireplace, the flames dancing in the dim light.

My attention shifted to the bundle in my arms as I sat on the blood-stained bed. The crimson-soaked sheets bore witness to the struggle, my struggle, and cradled in my arms was a newborn, oddly silent. Despite the lack of cries, he looked completely fine, or at least he looked that way. The room was filled with an unusual quietness, broken only by the occasional creak of the hut.

The baby, those black eyes staring intensely at me, black eyes inherited from me and that I also inherited from the woman who one could, with a little stretch, consider to be my biological mother. His gaze seemed unnatural for one so young.

What are you staring at me for, huh?" I murmured, genuine concern in my voice. "Why aren't you crying? Isn't that what babies do? Or could it be that you're some supernatural little freak?"

Naturally, the baby didn't reply; he was just a baby, after all. I sighed and muttered more to myself than to him, "What am I going to do with you? Should I go through with it? It's not too late; I can still bring you there. But no, I don't... Tsk, I can't. You've busted me up. I can't make the journey, at least not for another day, no—two—three days."

Closing my eyes to massage my temples, I pondered my next course of action. It was at that moment that I felt it. Though not exactly a mage, my instincts were as sharp as any. A magical disturbance emanated from the baby cradled in my arms. Still staring at me in the eyes, he, despite not even having the strength to turn his head, caused small objects in the room to levitate. Utilizing my skill [Appraisal] I instantly identified the source of the commotion.

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Name: N/A

Level: ???

Race: Verdenkind

Class: N/A

Title: N/A

Experience: 0 / 225

[Status]

- H.P: 3 / 3

- M.P: 12 / 17

- S.P: 2 / 2

- Fatigue: 56%

- Defense: N/A

- Offense: N/A

[Skills]

- Telekinesis: Level 1

[Abilities]

『Expand』

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At the sight of the interface, a mixture of awe and apprehension washed over me. I was well aware of what was normal and what was not, and what was unfolding before me was far from ordinary.

Despite being born into the world just minutes ago, the boy was, with the Telekinesis skill, the very epicenter of a magical tempest.

In the quiet confines of the hut, small objects floated and danced, defying gravity with an otherworldly grace but only for a short while, for soon his M.P depleted down to 0. Returning to a much more uninfluenced state, the objects fell to the ground, creating a cacophony of sounds.

Initially taken aback by confusion, my emotions shifted to intrigue and curiosity. I couldn't help but mumble to the child and to myself, "You... could it be that yo—" However before I could finish my sentence, the boy, as if having phased through the strange and abnormal phase he’s thus far been in, suddenly began to exhibit a much more normal behavior for a child his age. In that moment, he ushered out his first cries, breaking the silence that had gripped the room.

I watched with utter confusion as he cried, the sound cutting through the air in stark contrast to the previous silence. It went on for what felt like an eternity, a half-minute that left me bewildered. Then, it finally occurred to me what needed to be done.

Hesitantly, I brought him to my chest, feeling the warmth of his tiny body against mine, and allowed what I had never, ever imagined having to do to happen.