The glow disappeared almost immediately as it came, taking the voice with it. If Archer hadn't heard the voice clearly, he would have doubted whether he had seen or heard anything.

"I choose you? What did the voice mean by that? And can you not see I cannot even talk much less walk? How am I supposed to go to you?"

Archer screamed internally as he kicked his legs in the air, the act almost flipping him over.

'Damn this frail body!'

...

The following day, his parents rose early to prepare for their journey. Archer lay in his cot, observing as they packed their essentials. They did not possess much, just a few clothes, some food for the road, and water; there was little to nothing else to pack.

"Are you not going to take this?" Archer strained his neck when he heard his mother's voice. She was holding up a long item folded up in an old bag, which looked like a sword.

"Elena, I told you I do not want to practice magic anymore."

'Oh, gracious God, was his father a mage?! Most of the dorks do not have magic, mostly because they were too busy looking for food than finding time to cultivate their powers. There were ten realms of cultivation, which was called the ten realms of shadows.

Most of the dorks did not get an awakening of their powers even to the first realm, which mostly manifested naturally for every mage.

Mages' attributes typically manifested between the ages of five and ten. If not cultivated before the age of fifteen, their powers would become dormant and could not be harnessed anymore. So for the dorks, most of them did not cultivate their powers until they had passed fifteen, and thus generations after generations of unharnessed powers led them to manifestly be without powers.

Archer had given up hope of ever having magic because he already knew that the dorks had no magic. But seeing his mother holding up the sword made his eyes fill with excitement.

"Kylo, we have not been to the capital in years. The roads may be dangerous, and we have our newborn with us. You would not want anything happening to your son, would you?" Elena asked, and there was silence in the room for an extended minute.

"You always find an opportunity to make me hold this sword again. I don't even think I still know how to use it. It's been how many years now, five?"

"You've achieved Essence. These things come to you easily. You'll remember everything once you hold this sword again."

Archer's eyes widened as he stared at his parents, his balls almost falling out of their sockets.

Wait... how did his father, a dork, achieve the realm of Essence?

The realm of Essence was the third realm in the realms of cultivation, directly, after the realm of Clarity. It was impossible to achieve Essence on your own, without attending the Academy, so did it mean his father attended the Academy?

Elena smiled and walked to where he was standing. Slowly, she unwrapped the cloth bag to reveal an old-looking sword.

Kylo took the sword from her and unsheathed it, and almost immediately, the blade glowed a blue flame.

'Blue flame? So his father had the flame attribute. But a blue flame? To achieve a blue flame, he must have cultivated at least three stages in the realm of essence. So how did he do that without attending the Academy?

"See, even the sword knows its owner," Elena smiled, her eyes curving in crescents.

Kylo shook his head and sheathed the sword. He took the old cloth from his wife and wrapped it.

"Nothing will happen on the way, Elena," Kylo said as he wrapped the sword with the old cloth.

As his father covered the sword, Archer spotted a sigil on the handle of the sword, but before he could take a closer look at it, his father had completely wrapped it up.

Archer was sure he had seen that sigil before, but he did not know where.

"You cannot keep running away forever, Kylo. One day, you must face your fears," Elena said and walked out of the room, slightly brushing against his arm.

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Kylo stood still, staring at the sword in his hand. After some minutes, his shoulders fell.

Archer's eyes dimmed as he stared at his father.

What must have happened that would make him quit magic?

Also, how could a dork have gone to the Academy? They could not afford it. Although there were scholarships available, it was only available to those who had shown exceptional strength at a young age, and dorks were too busy finding food and shelter, to notice children with exceptional skills.

So who was this man?

Archer's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the galloping of chariots in front of their house, and almost immediately, Elena walked back into the room.

"Kylo, the traveler has arrived, We should get going," Elena said as she walked to the cot where Archer lay, bent over, and stared at him.

"Archer, you are awake,'' she said, caressing his chin. ''Should I make him sleep, Kylo?" Elena asked, and Kylo nodded as he shut the windows and walked to the fireplace to put out the flames.

"Yes, we do not want him crying and alerting everyone that we are traveling with child."

Archer blinked as his eyes moved from Kylo, who was picking up their luggage, to his mother, who was staring down at him, a smile stretching her lips.

Hold on... wait, is my mother a mage too?

Before Archer could think of a response to his rhetorical question, his mother had placed her thumb on his forehead and whispered slowly.

"Sleep..."

And that was the last thing he heard before he drifted into darkness.

Elena only woke him up briefly to feed him and then put him back to sleep.

The next time he opened his eyes, they were in Eleniott, the capital city.

Archer arched his neck to peer outside of the chariot. Eleniott was as he remembered it.

The streets were meticulously paved with glistening marble stones, intricately patterned to create a mesmerizing mosaic under the sunlight. Buildings of baked stones and wrought iron lined the roads, standing tall and stately, side by side each other.

The air carried a distinctive scent_ a blend of fresh rain and the subtle fragrance of potions wafting from nearby pills and potion stores. Archer closed his eyes as he breathed in, reminiscing about his past life.

He missed his wife, Sereia dearly.

She must have wept so much. He wished he could comfort her, wished he could tell her he was not dead, that he was reborn as a child. But she would not believe him; no one would.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he wondered how she must be feeling at that very moment—dressed in mourning attire and weeping day and night.

"Kylo, I have a bad feeling about coming to this place." Elena said as she peeked at her husband.

He remained silent, gazing out of the window without uttering a word.

"Do you think... maybe he knows who we are..."

"Elena..." Kylo called in a stern voice.

"This place is filled with so much magic you do not know what powers can hear you. Watch what you say."

There was silence after he spoke, and Elena swallowed. "I did not mean to get you riled up; I'm sorry." She apologized and looked down at Archer, caressing his hair.

Archer stared at them. 'Were they so important that the king could know them?'

Archer did not know whether to feel happy or sad.

Happy that he was not born to random parents with no powers, but sad that they were hiding.

And hiding from the king of Erythrea meant nothing else but great danger.

"I just hope we are doing the right thing by coming back here, that's all."

"We cannot disobey the king, Elena. That will make him more interested in us. We'll just do what we are required to do and return immediately."

...

"Open the gates!"

The guard who had just checked their invitation letter announced as he handed it back to Kylo.

The huge ornate gates leading into the Palace creaked open as the two guards pushed each gate to the side. These gates were held together by colossal iron chains, their links as thick as a man's arm, and each link meticulously wrought with magical symbols that seemed to pulse with latent power.

The chariot rattled into the Palace, Kylo, and Elena peeking outside the window.

"We are here," the traveler spoke as he opened the door for them to step out.

Elena handed Archer to Kylo before she stepped down, and then she took him back. Kylo stepped out after. He spoke to the traveler briefly before walking to where his wife stood.

"Let's go in," he said, placing his hand on the small of her back.

"Who are you here for?" A palace guard walked up to them and asked. Kylo quickly gave him the unsealed letter from the king.

The guard read through it and gave it back to Kylo. "Follow me," he said and turned around, walking briskly towards the palace. The pathway leading up to the palace was wide and imbedded with marble stones, with beautiful cherry blossom trees lined side by side.

They climbed the wide long stairs that led up to the landing which had huge statues in between every pillar.

Elena looked at the mighty edifice before them, it had not changed so much from the last time she was here.

Elaborate carvings adorned every available surface. Gargoyles with sharp, watchful eyes perched on the parapets, serving as ornate decorations.

As they crossed the threshold, the cobbled courtyard stretched out before them, a mosaic of colored stones arranged in intricate patterns, leading the way to the heart of the palace. Lush gardens, vibrant with exotic flora and fragrant blooms, flanked their path. Tall flowering trees with leaves of different colors rustled in the gentle breeze, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

The palace itself was a sprawling complex of interconnected buildings. Towers with pointed spires reached towards the heavens, and elegant balconies overlooked the courtyard.

Elena carried Archer on her chest, his head over her shoulder, Archer's eyes overlooking the palace as they walked.

Archer remembered this place like it was yesterday. He felt nostalgic. Never in his life did he think he would die in such a manner and reincarnate as a helpless baby to incredibly poor parents who were running from God knows what!

He shut his eyes, refusing to stare anymore, the reality of his present life hitting him hard. He was a nobody now. A common dork. A lowlife.

But since he was here, maybe he would be able to find out what killed him. But how?

As his eyes remained shut, Archer suddenly heard a very familiar voice, one he remembered all too well even in his sleep.

"Are you here for the funeral?"