The season passed, after the winter, vibrant spring came, which exploded in summer.
However, within the baby's body, Astrael's ambition didn't decrease.
Time passes slowly. Astrael's control over mana continues to increase, along with the accumulation of mana in his body. His body is glowing healthier.
His routine was less a schedule and more a relentless siege against helplessness.
Daylight hours were dedicated to deciphering the world through sound and sight. He became like a sponge, absorbing all the knowledge.
Lord Kaelen's voice, deep and resonant like distant thunder during estate discussions, held a different voice entirely when he murmured to Astrael, rough fingers surprisingly gentle against his cheek.
Lady Laira's melodic chime, directing servants or soothing Luna's latest fiery naughtiness, softened into a lullaby that resonated deep in Astrael's soul.
After some time, he could speak some words, but didn't know what the correct time to speak as not to scare them.
So, he thought, when they ask him, he will speak.
Now he started to say some babbling words like "mama" when his mother embraces him or "dada" when his father comes near him.
He always expresses his affection to his big sister Luna whenever she comes to him to play, by saying "baba",
She always gets happy and joyfully tells him to call her big sister.
And his nanny, Elara, whom he loves to show his affection, as she most of the time takes care of him.
As his physical body grows, crawling becomes a slower, frustrating, and inefficient means of transport.
In this 1 year, he can now walk freely under the watch of his parents and nanny.
He remembers the day he was able to pull himself up and stand upright, clinging to the oak chair leg while his mother, Laira, and nanny Elara were in breathless delight, but this victory was irritating to him.
Standing. Which took him months to be able to do, and ended with a soft thud on the cushion.
Each progression in his life was cheered by his beautiful mother and strict, handsome dad, in addition to the servant of the house.
Luna, now 5, became more explosive. The chaos she sowed previously got amplified by 5.
"What a pyromaniac". Astrael mused.
He remembers the day he turned one year old. Ravenastra manor was not buzzing with some grand celebration, but with a warm, small familial celebration, where his mother, father, big sis Luna, nanny, in addition to servant of the house.
His father, Kaelen, presented him with a small, sturdy block of wood with the family crest engraved on it - a raven in flight clutching a crackling lightning bolt in its talons, in addition to a silver sword in the middle, with the runes engraved on its blade.
His father gave him with solemn pride.
Whereas his loving mother embraces him while whispering blessings into his soft ear and ties a small pendant of a silver raven on his neck.
His loving sister Lunapresented him with a slightly charred, misshapen clay lump which she insisted was a "fierce dragon".
Everyone started laughing while Luna made a face of hamster face.
Later, when he was alone while the adults talked about affairs of the kingdom and court, he stood on the edge of a table.
With much deliberate focus and concentration, he started to summon a single mote of blue particle, which is mana.
It hovered on his palm. It was not the elemental like the spark of fire or a drop of water. Only pure, raw mana. Then he summoned more of these motes of light light which became a cluster of mana just like a star in the starry skies.
He held the cluster and controlled it with precise control, which is a testament to the year of relentless training he underwent.
Now, he felt no such exhaustion as he had felt earlier. Only a cool breeze
'One year, ' he thought,' One year down. He let the cluster of mana dissolve, the energy he was emitting from his body flowing back into his tiny frame
He looked towards the window, towards the world beyond the manor walls, a world of magic, danger, and unknown strength.
A world he would conquer in the future, not as Aarav Singh, the broken failure, but as Astrael Ravenastra.
One wobbling step, two whispered words, three stolen sparks of power at a time.
The siege continued, but the walls, finally, were starting to tremble.
Outside, the roaring of the lightning is testament to it.
. . .
The following years weren't easy for Astrael.
Now 5, he can speak more clearly than before, fill up his vocabulary, plus the his language.
He was able to ask many questions and learned about the general history and current affairs of the world, which is common to the general population.
After inquiring and reading some books in the library, which became his haven, he learned they are currently in Ravestria town, which is a part of Valen county, which is situated in the south of the Aeleria Kingdom.
And they are a Baron in terms of nobility. The hierarchy of this world is very strict.
Knights, Baron, Viscount, Count, Earl, Marquise, Prince/Princess, Duke, then the highest authority, the King of the kingdom. This is the general nobility rank in the kingdom.
His parents knew about the neighbouring kingdoms.
The Aeleria Kingdom borders 3 kingdoms. The nearest one to the barony is the Everia Kingdom. As compared to the other kingdoms, which are always in conflict with each other for territories and resources, the Aeloria kingdom is rather peaceful.
Which he don't know why.
There were no such books about the name of this world. As this is a magical world then maybe some magical races would be present, such as elves, fairies, and demihumans.
Most books contained fabled stories of beautiful princesses, heroes, and the demon king.
There are some other books also based on magic and aura.
Aura represents the path followed by warriors. Fundamentally, two main professions exist in this world: Mages, who walk the path of magic, and Warriors, who master Aura.
Warriors cultivate Aura through intense physical training and sheer will, accumulating life energy ("blood energy") until it saturates their being and manifests as a colored energy field around their bodies. This Aura dramatically enhances all their physical attributes.
Mages, conversely, interact with the ambient mana they gather, shaping it by combining their internal reserves with the world's energy to cast spells.
Becoming a Mage depends critically on innate talent, while the Warrior's path relies primarily on relentless hard work. The Warrior's path is also significantly slower, more arduous, and fraught with physical pain compared to the Mage's.
Consequently, everyone aspires to become a Mage. Mages also hold a distinct early advantage in power.
However, reality dashes these hopes. Only one in a hundred possesses the necessary talent for magic, and Astrael's family lineage was firmly rooted in the Warrior tradition.
"There's no more information here," Astrael thought. "Perhaps Mother knows more." He settled into meditation, practicing the breathing technique he had unknowingly developed and named Revitalization.
Over the past year, the mana he diligently accumulated had begun circulating through every fiber of his body. This internal flow had subtly enhanced his physique, making him sturdier and refining his features.
While meditating with the Revitalization technique a few months prior, Astrael had made a startling discovery: the accumulated mana within him had begun to liquefy.
This time, as he closed his eyes, something extraordinary happened. Ambient mana from the world itself began converging upon him at an astonishing rate. It violently compressed, swirling and condensing at his core until it formed a dense, radiant sphere – a mana core the size of a large egg.
Some time later, Astrael opened his eyes.
"Wha—?" Shock gripped him. The room was devastated. The window hung open; books lay scattered chaotically across the floor as if shaken by an earthquake.
"Young Lord, it's time for...!" His nanny, Elara, entered and froze mid-sentence, her eyes wide with horror at the scene. "YOUNG LOR—"
Suddenly, overwhelming exhaustion crashed over Astrael. His eyes grew impossibly heavy. Darkness swallowed his vision as he collapsed. The last thing he saw was Elara's terrified face rushing towards him.
.
.
.
[Ding]
.
.
.
[Binding successful ]
[Soul Integration: 100%.]
[Neural Pathways: Synced.]
[Aetheric Codex: Online.]