I had always thought death was the end, but here I was, reincarnated into a little, unscarred, and pure boy in some place or time. I had fought in many battles in my life, and the war has already ended, but nothing had prepared me for the surreal experience of being reborn as a new person.

The last thing I remembered was the feeling of my life giving up, and then I woke up in a completely different place after touching that stone, meeting a fallen angel who brought me a completely different body. I used to be a old man, but now I'm something entirely different. A lost child in a strange land, with nothing but my wits and my experience to guide me,

I was confused and yet astonished, cold and soaked in the middle of a rainforest that I could possibly get lost in, and I had thoughts on my mind.

"Where the hell am I?"

I looked around my surroundings and only saw tons of trees that stretched so far that you couldn't see the end of them because of the heavy rain. Before being distracted, I went with my instincts to find shelter from the rain, and luckily I found a hollowed-out tree trunk that had fallen down and hid there. I took a seat and observed the downpour. I started to doubt that it was all a dream and began to believe that it was all real. Then, in front of me, I noticed a droplet flowing down from a tiny hole in the wood.

Each drop reminded me of shells dropping down on the floor, and my trauma hit with a flashback where I could see my friends firing back with shells ejecting from the cylinders of guns.

(Gunfire)

*Reloads*

"Son of a bitches! when will you all die already!"

(continues firing)

"We are running out of bullets! Where the hell is the reinforcements!"

(whistling sound)

(Loud explosions from enemy artillery barrage)

(Screams of Soldiers, Dying)

I hear the voices of war, hearing my men screaming and fighting off a never-ending wave of soldiers coming for an attack on their trenches. We were overwhelmed because of the numbers and the barrage of artillery rounds hitting our position.

My insanity is close to breaking out when I start to hear those unforgettable roaring sounds of war. When a single droplet drops, I immediately cover my ears, close my eyes, and try to calm myself down. I only breathe heavily until I brush the trauma off.

Luckily, my trauma has slowly worn off, and the voices have gone quiet. I then opened my eyes and laid my hands down as I finally calmed down. I looked through the wet forest and the rain peacefully and then hugged my little legs closed in the small hollow hole, but then I spotted something in the forest. I saw a silhouette holding a lantern and yelling someone's name.

"Garrel! Garrel!"

This is my hope—to find civilization and finally be able to get out of the forest, so I directly went out of the hole and went closer to the person. Because of the rain, I slipped on the ground and struggled to stand up, but seconds later, I met a woman.

It was a maid, the one who was holding the lantern, and as she kneeled down and touched my face and stared at me with a worried look on her face, the only thing that confused me was when she was yelling in a language that I hadn't heard before. I used to learn foreign languages since I knew I would be sent to Europe to fight in the war, so I studied, but this was the only time that I didn't understand what she was saying.

(German? French? I don't know... The clothes she's wearing seem to be European.

She was yelling in front of me as if she was very worried. I was so confused as to why there was a maid in the forest with a lantern, and also, I looked behind and there were some people behind her; it was two men clad in medieval armor, and both had long spears.

At first, I thought they were reenactors going to perform some historical event and find a lost child, which was me, but then, with the languages or the situation that I was in, I immediately thought of,

(Am I back in Europe or back in time?)

A few minutes later, I was escorted into a carriage. Sitting down inside a carriage, my feet couldn't touch the ground, and that leads me somewhere. I looked out the window and saw trees and views in the fields just like in France, and there we arrived at some kind of mansion from the Victorian era.

(It looks like I'm back in Europe again but maybe before or without the war ) thought in a impressed manner.

As soon as we reached the gates, they brought me out of the carriage; everyone there seemed worried and on the edge of despair, but they were relieved when, for some reason, I hopped out of the carriage. I was immediately led inside the mansion by them. I saw the magnificent mansion's interior when they unlocked the imposing door. It is a warm and inviting environment for those who are different from me because of the numerous colors, elaborate decorations, and exceptional architecture.

Stunned and amazed, more maids approached me, rapidly guiding me to the long, enticing corridor leading to a room—it was a bathroom. They removed my soaking clothes and lifted me as if it were nothing before placing me in the hot bath tub. They washed my entire body. I felt uncomfortable at first, but this wasn't my first time being helped in the bath, so I was calm and let them do their jobs.

They dried me off with a towel and dressed me in clean clothing. They then escorted me out of the bath and to somewhere else in the mansion, which was some kind of main hall. The maids bowed and left me alone. I stood there confused with all the things that were happening around me, as if it were happening so fast that I didn't even know what to do and couldn't explain in my mind what had happened.

In front of me, I spotted a bifurcated staircase ahead, and somehow, because of my curiosity, I went up the stairs. Upon walking up the stairs, I thought of myself,

(Whoever owns this mansion is certainly an incredibly wealthy person, and I wished I could live a life like this) Impressed but have a slight envious feeling.

Then, out of nowhere, I heard menacing footsteps coming down the stairs, which caused me to pause and stare at the person standing in front of me on the stairs. It was a tall, middle-aged man who was glaring menacingly.

(Who might this man be? He's tall as hell) I thought.

The mysterious man approached and suddenly slapped me so hard that I fell to the floor. I could feel how painful it was, but it wasn't as painful as losing a leg or being shot. The man who's standing starts yelling, which, again, I still don't understand because of this annoying language barrier between us.

(Goddamn, that's a hell of an introduction.)

I, an emotionless doll boy, then experienced an odd event. I eventually started to comprehend what the man was talking about because the words had altered as they were being spoken. I soon understood what he was saying.

"How dare you run away! You made us all worry, and we've been looking everywhere for you," the man said.

I was astounded that I soon realized I was in shock and lying on the ground. I was unexpectedly sheltered and protected by an unknown, stunning woman at the moment that the man was about to give me another smack of the face. I was carried by the woman like a baby, as if I were weightless. She kissed the spots on my cheeks where I had been slapped before turning to face the man and yelling at him.

"Don't you dare do that to our son like that! He is just a young man!" the woman yelled

"Huh? Young man? tsk, how ironic of that boy to run away after being so simply disciplined!" the man said.

"Discipline?! more like a beating! Need I remind you that you're the reason why he ran away in the first place!" the woman responded.

I was extremely baffled as to why they were arguing, which was my only reaction—just a simple poker face—but upon further understanding, I realized that these two people could be my or, I mean, his parents based on what they're saying. As the two people in front of me, who could be my parents, continue to argue, I start to sink deep into my own thoughts as the sounds around me fade.

(Goddamn, surely a heck of a day)

Few weeks later

A dying veteran who just got reincarnated has begun to investigate his new life. I finally knew who I really am, Garrel Rionhart, a son of a noble, which I learned by listening to the maids when they called me for meals. It turns out that my soul has switched bodies with this 10-year-old boy's body from a wealthy family.

I, who had seen myself in the mirror and still doesn't believe that I have been reincarnated as a little boy. What I saw in the mirror was that this boy has a small, slim body with a little scar on the right side of my forehead, which is not very visible. I have beige hair and a set of forest green eyes. My hair is quite long but not too long; it's quite in a way, so I decided to use a hairband that I found in a dresser to keep it in place.

Since that strange event, it is surprising that I have been able to understand them and their language clearly for the past few days. I had no trouble hearing or reading, and I began to think that this may be because of the child's memories, which are adjusting to my soul.

Out of curiosity, I wandered aimlessly across a quarter of the mansion, from my bedroom to the garden, where the maids were prohibiting me from going out because of the incident I was said to have caused. The room that I am always in is the dining room, where somehow all of us must be on time. I eat the meals being cooked, which will mostly likely be bread and wheat porridge as usual, even with my "new" parents, but the strange thing is that they don't chat much while they're eating, which was presumably customary in the past.

Because of the memory of this body, I somehow know both of his parent's names, which are already in my mind. The father's name is Famus Rionhart, and the mother's is Sulfiana (Sul) Rionhart. Both of them served and took part in a war that happened 20 years ago. It seems like he is the only child in the family.

Famus Rionhart is a middle-aged retired knight who now serves as a landlord in a province. He is tall and appears in shape despite his old age. He has brown eyes and golden brown hair with white streaks. Although he is busy and strict, he is also incredibly ambitious and understandable man.

Sulfiana Rionhart is a retired nurse who is now a housewife. Her height is average, and she appears young, beautiful, and slender for her age. She has a set of emerald eyes and unusually long white hair. Although she is loving and gentle, she sometimes worries and overprotective too much. She puts her hair in a bun and ties a crimson ribbons through it to give off an attractive and formal appearance.

My current goal is to discover as much as I can about and adapt to this new life. I must first learn as much as I can about who I am, where I am, and how to act like their son while keeping his parents from suspicion. Now that I think about it, this may prove to be very challenging for me.

In a compact booklet I found in his drawer, I keeped a list of my objectives and writes notes about hmy life so far. I check the list as I completes each objective. I already crossed out my first goal of discovering who I was because I already knew the important parts of who I was and who my parents were except my this family background. I still have a few objectives to accomplish, and now I'm trying to figure out where I am, but too bad I'm was restricted from going out of the mansion.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Objective 1: Who Am I?

A month a later

Out of boredom, I explored almost every part of the mansion until I found my favorite room, which was the library. It was owned by my mother as a hobby, and it was a small room with a lack of books because books were said to be very expensive, which I was warned about when entering because the books were too old and would be fragile while reading, but since it was the only hobby that I could possibly to enjoy, I read a particular book.

I was surprised that I could read the books despite the fact that they were in a different language, which is probably due to the memories of this body that merged into my mind. Each book had strange markings and grammar that confused him, so i decided to just put it back on the shelf and switch to a smaller book.

Once I opened a different book, a paper fell out of it. I picked up the folded paper and open it to see what's inside. It was an antique map of the world, but it wasn't the earth I thought it was.

"Heh?!" I was dismayed on what I saw.

The map showed parts of a continent that I hadn't seen before. It depicts nations, provinces, cities, different sorts of terrain, and a topography that is very different from Earth's. During my past life, I was known to be tasked with working on maps during the war for navigation, from knowing most of the terrain and strategic locations to the whole world since I also loved geography when I was a kid, and this was the first time that I saw such a map. I was convinced that I was certainly in another world after making this new discovery and was certain that it wasn't some sort of antiquated map.

I start to gaze into the window, which I'm sitting right next to, and see not the scenery or the birds but flying reptiles, or as they like to call them, "wyverns," flying over the skies, which shocks me and makes me more sure I'm in another world.

Due to how startled I was by what I saw, I lost balance in my chair and fell down on the wooden floor, making a loud noise that alerted a concerned maid to discover him on the floor. They found me lying on the floor and assisted me.

(Well, that's objective two being crossed out, I guess.) a small thought in my mind

Objective 2: Where Am I?

My next objective is to know my purpose. Before I was reincarnated as a little boy, I thought about the fallen angel I saw, which reminded me of my purpose in life. He mentioned a second chance, but I didn't hear anything about being reincarnated anywhere.

I used to be an atheist after the end of the war because it heavily skepticised me about the concept of God, but now that I got reincarnated, I'm now convinced that there is afterlife, but I didn't trust a fallen angel who said that he would guide me through life until I was convinced that he was going guide me to save the world from whatever was going to happen.

A few days later, after days of analyzing books from the library and knowing more about the world, I learned so much from each chapter, but sadly the books are too limited and some are quite hard to read, but I quite understand how the world works, not only knowing through the books but also learning more from the conversations with the maids.

According to what I know, we are in a world known as Eldoria, on a continent that is home to the vast empire known as the Sulerian Empire, which has 72 provinces. When Famus and Sul were still in service, it was once a kingdom that formed an alliance with other kingdoms to resolve a conflict that had broken out decades earlier. It may have been rather widespread then, but it has since changed into a feudal empire with a system of hierarchy that divides the nobility from the commoners.

This world and Earth are somewhat similar. There are some books that are merely unclear. The drawings in the books show humans with long ears next to people with animal ears and tails, which is strange to include in a book of this kind. Had I read further in the book which confused me more by this particular text.

Hark! This fair land is imbued with the power of Elementia Arks, which doth grant its might to the majority of people, depending upon whomsoever hath the ability to wield it

(What's a Elementia Arks?)

I'm most perplexed by the term "Elementia Arks," which seems to be some sort of energy or something based on an old book I was reading that was ready to become dust. It always repeats those words to me with odd pentagons drawn over them, which is strange. I decided it didn't bother me too much and that I would keep reading other books and, sooner or later, I would learn more. It's like a directive to do something.

"Amazing, he's reading so many books at such an early age. Huhu" a maid whispering through the crack of the door.

Unexpectedly, the maids were watching me while I read through the gap in the door, and I could hear them complimenting me for reading books at such a young age without realizing that I was an old man who's in a kid's body. But, I didn't mind them that much and I just let them be. I quickly came to the startling conclusion that I had read so much more than I had in the past, to the point where I had nearly emptied away half the shelf and piled all the books I had read into a tower.

A particular day happened after days of progress and adjustment in the world. We were having a very silent dinner, as usual, until the silence all broke out when Famus called out my name.

"Garrel" he said deeply.

"Mhm? What is it father?" I replied in calm manner.

Both of them looked at each other which raised Garrel's attention. Then Famus said,

"Me and your mother will have a five day business trip tomorrow to the capital and visit your aunt's, so we won't be here for a matter of days"

Sul had a worried look on her face after Famus told me that I'd be left alone in the mansion for a while, which made her question Famus if she could just stay in the mansion instead for me. Sul was about to say something but I then interrupted her and said,

"It's alright mother! I'm responsible enough to stay alone so you there's no need to worry about it" she grasp her breath and sigh by what I said.

"See? our son is responsible enough he say, don't worry dear, I ordered one of our maids to take care of him" Famus said.

Sul is still concerned, but eventually she relaxed and decided to accompany Famus on his journey to a different province. I realized what they meant, but I wondered what I might do instead of just conversing with the maids or reading books when they leave. I do, however, have an unhappy feeling in my head, which prompts me to consider something.

(What if they leave like everyone else back then?)

After that week, they left for their business by carriage. I watch them go to the horizon, and after waving my goodbyes with the maids beside me, I directly go back inside the mansion so I can write the things that happened that day in my journal and proceed to learn by reading in the library, but I realize that my body isn't that physically fit as I was quite slim for average while passing myself in the mirror and thought of myself as I touched the mirror.

"I couldn't believe that I could become like this. From a frail old gizzard to a young noble boy, I feel like I don't deserve this kind of life, but I still need to take it for good but somehow... I still feel... lonely..."

I left the bedroom afterwards after thinking something very absurd but in fact true. I feel a little lonely despite the fact that there are maids and my parents who could be with me, but now that they're on their business trip, I feel like I'm living in the past again. When I opened the door, I heard someone running down the halls, and I hit them by accident.

"Kya!"

"Ah! sorry! I didn't see you ther-"

When I turned to face the person I had collided with, I was stunned to find that it was a young child lying on the carpet. As she was dressed in a maid's uniform, despite the fact that I had never seen her before, she must be a worker in this household. Doe eyes and brown hair are the features of this girl. She seemed to be startled when she looked up to see me. Seeing her put her hand on her head as I hit her made me decide to assist her since she was on the floor because I felt bad about what I had done.

"I'm very sorry, are you alright?"

She look at the end and she seemed to be hesitant to grab it. Then another maid came running calling her name which seems to be worried which echoes the hall.

"Sittia! Sittia!"

"Mama?" the girl said silently.

The maid approached us both, bowed to me as she always did, and assisted the small girl. Although having another family in here is pretty strange, it appears to be her mother, so there must be a reason for it until I find out more in the future. When I was about to apologize to her mother, but soon as I turned my face to her, I noticed something bizarre happened.

"By the power of nature's grace, I call upon the healing space. With leaves and roots and earthy hue, Let health and wellness shine anew. Nature Arc, Heal"

There was a green light appeared in her palms and particles coming out aiding the little girl's injured spot. I was extremely puzzled and yet amazed by what I'm seeing right now as this is my first time seeing the power of the Elemental Arcs.

From that moment on, I not only learned a lesson from not being careful, which led me to bump into a girl, but I also learned the real intent of this world. I also had to contend with the idea of magic in a world where swords were the only weapons. I came to realize that this world is far wilder than the one in which I previously existed and passed away. From housemaids to the most potent mages I could find in books,

(I could maybe obtain one as well...)

In the days before my parents arrive, I frequently begin to run into the young girl I met the other day. She first gave off the impression of being fairly shy, but eventually I was able to get her name.

"Sittia!" her mother called her.

Her name was Sittia, and she was the youngest maid in the household. All I know about her is that she has been working with her mother for the past few weeks, and that's about all I know about her. She is two years younger than me, and after the day I ran into her, she started stalking me everywhere in the mansion. We ultimately start talking when she watches me read, and we start going through the halls.

"Lord Garrel! I'm so sorry that I ran into you that one day! Please don't banish us from this household!" She desperatly bowed as she told me those words.

Although I do believe she has been keeping it for some time, I was really perplexed by why she stated that. Her statements made me feel awful since they exposed to me what servants believe. On that day, I gave her a head pat while attempting to use the kindest words possible.

"There is no need to worry, accidents happen and I hold no grudges against you or anyone in the household. You are an essential part of this household and your services are greatly appreciated. So please, do not worry about being banished. How about we become friends? well... as my apology for what I did" I said softly.\

"Lord Garrel.." she said as she start to tear up.

When she heard what I said, her eyes sparkled. Even though it was quite easy to say, she started crying. I experienced a heartbeat that I hadn't experienced in a while. I tapped her on the back to make her feel better, and as a result, we grew close. This incident brought back painful memories of the day I met my first friend, who died in the war, but this time it was a girl I became friends with.

From that day on, we became so close that we began to meet each other all day. We played together in the halls, playing tag and other games. We read together in the library, and since she's illiterate, I taught her how to read the basics and also transcript the words being said in the book. Make me feel like I was a child again, but I still feel the sadness and regret from the past, but at least I could be with someone that's near my age. When I thought she could read, it made me realize how unbalanced the class system in this world is—even the young cannot have access to a proper education because of the class they're in.

(Such an unfair world we are living in...) I thought.

Weeks have passed since my parents' business trip, and now they have returned. Compared to earlier, they both appear considerably happier. Sul has started hugging me and acting in ways that mothers often act since she misses me a lot. Then, Famus had a dinner conversation with me at some point.

"Son, since you're in a developmental stage, which is the time that I'll need to properly teach you the ways how this family runs, I'm astonished that there hasn't been a complaint from any of the maids in the previous few days so far, which means you have matured well for the past few months," Famus said.

"Why are we training?" I questioned.

"Son, we want the best for you because, someday, it will be best for your future. Remember, you're in a family that has struggled in the past, and you, the sole heir, are the one who will control this family someday with a tradition that our forefathers have brought upon us till this day."

He grabs gently at my right shoulder and says to me with the words that I won't forget.

"You're our only wish, my son; all we want is for you to succeed."

Those words have inspired me the most. Other than him and my mother in my past life, I haven't heard anyone else wish me success in many years. Those words give me the courage to hope that this life is far different than what I imagine from the past. This life is what made me finally speak, as was my realization that this life is my way to escape the pain and trauma of my past life.

In my estimation, this is my only chance to give my life a great turn. Family, friends, and myself are now my priorities, and the goals I set must be at the top. A man who used to be weak and fails must die to become a man who has yet to become strong and succeeds.

Famus smiled and said, "I'll remind you tomorrow that it's the start of your training about how much reality you can withstand to know and handle, whether physique or mind," before getting up from the table. I know that I must do everything possible to learn more about my purpose in life, and now I know what it is: to be successful and join the one percent.

Objective 3: What is my purpose?

[ No man steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man. ] - Heraclitus