It was nearing midnight, a time when those who were of the arcane were at the peak of their abilities.

And just as planned, I began the ritual.

With a pulse of mana, I activated the massive circle made up of Celtic Runes. These runes were arranged in such a way that they would isolate my soul from the anchors of the world and allow it to form new a connection. With another pulse of mana, I activated the second circle that lay within the first. This one is made from the practice of the Onmyodo, the Japanese art of magic, designed to reach out to the cosmos.

And with the final pulse, the last circle, the culmination of my decades of research, was activated.

The circle made of the Vedic rituals originating from ancient India, was designed to draw power from a source.

Combined, the circle would isolate my soul from the anchors that held it to the realm of the Earth, then, it would open a way to the great cosmos beyond the material universe, the source of all things supernatural in this world, and finally connecting my soul to this source of power and drawing said power from it to empower my own magic.

It was supposed to be my final experiment, my greatest achievement, and the last tool that I would need in my arsenal to finally enact my dream plan.

To turn back time, and save my loved ones.

And yet, just like always, the universe proved once again just how hostile it was to those who dabbled in the arcane.

Something must have been amiss with my last circle because when my soul was disconnected from the World anchors flawlessly and the path was opened on time, it was not the Cosmos, the source of power that I sought which opened up to my soul, but rather it was something else.

What was this? Who was this? Where am I?? no, No! please! Don’t do this to me! No! I did not mean to-

----------------------------------------

With a barely suppressed scream, I jolted up from my bed, automatically reaching out with my hand which had mana flowing through it, ready to draw an Isa rune in the air to freeze any adversary that I would find.

It was then that I realized something was wrong.

My power felt strange like I was reaching for something distant, something that was alien, instead of the smooth process that I have become used to over the past seven decades of my experience as a mage.

The strangeness immediately set my mind on high alert as my senses spread out, trying to find any other mage or practitioner nearby. It was only when I failed to find anything did I turn towards my body, and felt a shock the likes of which I have only felt once before in my life.

Instead of the aged and scarred body that I was used to, I found the body of a teenager.

“No way, did the ritual actually succeed?”

Without wasting any time, I got up from the bed and hurriedly walked over to the side where a full-body mirror was situated, ignoring how familiar the room was.

Reflected in the mirror was not the aged body of an old mage from Europe with black hair and blue yes. Instead, it was the body of a teenager with blond hair and brown eyes and a face that I thought I would never see again in my life.

“I did it, I did it!!”

As tension left my body, my feeble body lost the strength to stay standing and fell to the floor in a heap as emotions ran wild in my head.

“Wait! The time, the year!!”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Picking myself up from the floor, I drew in mana from the world, activating a strengthening spell, and ran out of the room and down the familiar corridor, heading straight for the place where I knew the letters were brought in and stored until the head of the family decide what to do with them.

With a reckless push, I burst through the door which was nearly blown off its hinges, no doubt alerting the guards and servants that were working at this moment, finally arriving at the heaps of letters neatly placed on a table by the servants.

Picking up the letter at the top of the stack, I confirmed the date.

Year 1092 of the Third Age.

“I’m really back. The year may not be ideal but I made it back. Then, what was that? What happened at the end? What did I- no, never mind. What’s important is that I am back. My gamble worked.”

I did not get enough time to contemplate anymore as the guards burst into the room along with the Knight captain and my former Aura teacher, Gael Shieldheart.

I shook my head, clearing out the last image that I ever saw of him, as the Knight walked into the room with a cold look on his face.

“What happened? Young Master. We heard a loud noise accompanied by screaming. Did someone attack you?”

“No, Sir Gael. I just had a nightmare and ran randomly into this place, I must have caused the noise when I forced open the door in my panic.”

The Knight raised his eyebrow in doubt, looking towards the metal door where the sturdy metal lock was smashed open through brute force, then looking towards me.

His suspicion was warranted, unfortunately.

It would take at least a 3-star Novice Aura user to break open a metal lock like I just did in my panic, and it was a publically known fact across the territory that Cedric Terron, the only son of Duke Terron, was a wastrel that had no Aura or Magic capabilities.

I could do nothing but give a wry smile as I cursed my younger self for the poor reputation that I accumulated in this life.

It was not until the disaster and my arrival on Earth that I finally realized just what kind of human trash I was when I was younger.

An incident that I will not allow to take place again, not when I have finally obtained this second chance after a grueling seven decades of honing my powers in the hidden side of Earth’s civilization, crawling with the occult and the users of the arcane arts, hidden from the general population of the 21st century Earth.

“….Right, please refrain from causing any more disturbances and get back to sleep. You have to wake up early for our journey, and the lord will not tolerate it if you are tardy.”

I grimaced internally as the Knight did not even hide the sneer on his face as he led the guards out of the room and back to their posts, probably informing them that it was just the newest mischief caused by their good-for-nothin' young master.

The worst thing is that I can’t even defend myself from their judgment since they were right. I was a trash. I was the kind of guy who wasted all the golden opportunities and the privileges provided to him for being born in a position that countless people would kill to have.

But not anymore.

Finally, after seven decades, I am not Michael Hurley, one of the many mages of Europe, but I am Cedric Terron, the son of Aelric Terron, the Duke of the East, nicknamed the Shield of the East.

But first, I need to get a handle on what’s happening with my powers. Although, I have my suspicions about what is happening.

“Young master! What happened?? Are you okay?”

I felt my breath hitch as I heard the familiar voice, the same voice that has haunted my nightmares for so many years.

Turning around swiftly, I saw the face of a maid with white hair and eyes, her heart-shaped face filled with worry for her master as she started to visually inspect my form for any sort of injury.

My dear Leyla, the girl that my foolish younger self always bullied, yet could not live without for even a single day due to just how much I used to rely on her for everything. The girl endured all kinds of humiliation for her unusual features which were considered a curse by the nobility of this kingdom, yet never complained since she knew that my younger self would never care one bit about it.

The girl that took a lethal blow for me, yet caused me no small amount of anguish as I missed her constant presence for the rest of my life.

It was only with my mental discipline honed over decades of practice that I held back my emotions from showing on my face and tried to smile at her.

“It’s ok, Leyla. I just had a nightmare.”

“A nightmare?? I knew it, you are still upset about the upcoming trip! I must speak with the master about this-“

“Leyla. It’s ok. I am not worried about going to the capital. Go to sleep, I know you wake up early usually to prepare for my things.”

“H-how, no, that’s not important-“

“Leyla. That’s an order.”

The maid flinched at my words, causing no small amount of guilt and resentment at myself well up within me, but I held my neutral face until the young woman finally left the room and started walking back to her own room.

Yes, there were many cruel and evil deeds that I had done when I was this age, many of which vile enough to make me a monster in the eyes of everyone. And it was Leyla who took the brunt of my vile nature as my personal maid. That was why she reacted like that the moment I ‘ordered’ her.

But no more. Now that I am back, now that I have a second chance, I will make things right. I will no longer be what I once was during this time.

Combined with my training and knowledge from Earth, I will save my loved ones. This is an oath made on my soul, and I will uphold it not matter what the cost.