The door clicked shut. Silence descended once more upon the room.
Now, Astrael was alone.
Yet, his mind was in chaos.
The doctor certainly detected the peculiarity, the nascent mana within him. Doctor Harman's subtle signal to Father confirmed Astrael's fear. Now, father will know; I don't know how he will react.
"sigh..What's done is done. But what was that nightmare? It felt... real. Too real. And how did I lose consciousness?" He remembered only sitting by the window, in the library, practicing the breathing technique Rejuvenation.... then the crimson void.
To understand the situation and check his body, as well as what happened before he lost consciousness, Astrael closed his eyes.
He got into a meditative state he practices in secret. He felt a sphere condensed, pulsing gently, in his lower abdomen. It was small, perhaps the size of a pigeon egg, but undeniably solid, radiating a soft pulsating light.
"A core?" Astrael's internal voice was laced with disbelief. " But... that's impossible. Forming a core takes years of dedicated training, decades even. What is this?"
To test his thought, he focused on his breathing technique, Rejuvenation, gathering a wisp of ambient mana in his palm. Previously, it had been like trying to grasp, but requiring intense concentration and resulting in a faint, flickering glow.
This time, the response was instantaneous and overwhelming. Mana surged towards him, as a stream, which gathered into his palm with ease, forming a small, blue light orb, humming softly.
His control was effortless with precise ease. His precision, his sensitivity, the sheer volume he can handle, and channel..... it had all undergone a qualitative leap.
All his aspects drastically improved.
"What happened to me?" Astrael stared at the glowing sphere in his hand, the light reflecting in his wide, bewildered eyes.
[Ding]
A clear sound like a bell sounded in his head.
Astrael flinched, his head snapping around the room. "What was that sound? Probably, the stress and the nightmare are making me hallucinate; maybe I should rest," he mumbled.
[Ding]
"What...? Who's there?" Astrael prompted while scanning the empty corners, the closed door, and the familiar furniture
Just then, the door creaked open. Elara peered in, concern etched on her face. "Young lord? Did you call me?"
Astreal jerked, maintaining a calm expression. "Ahh.. no, nothing," he stammered, feeling foolish. "I was… just trying to rest."
"Ok, if you say so, young lord". Elara replied, her gaze lingering with gentle worry before she softly closed the door.
"Maybe I am hallucinating," He muttered.
[Ding]
This time, he unmistakably heard this sound in his head.
[Soul Integration: 100%.]
[Neural Pathways: Synced.]
He saw a blue screen in front of his eyes, and some text written on it.
[Initializing Foundational Protocols...]
[Initialization Complete. Accessing Core Status.]
[Primary Directive: Host Survival & Ascension.]
[Assessing Host Status...]
[Analysis Complete.]
The stone-like voice continued, indifferent to his inner turmoil.
[Aetheric Codex: Online.]
[Welcome, Host.]
The stone-like voice continued, indifferent to his inner turmoil.
"System?.." The word escaped Astrael's lips, and he was bewildered by this absurdity.
He knew the system, as he had read many types of system novels, which were the only escapism from the harsh lives he had lived in his previous life.
And if it was elated to his rebirth, he experienced.
"What are you...?" Astrael asked.
There was no reply. Suddenly, he got a headache which lasted for a few seconds, and an influx of information,
Then, a sharp, stabbing headache lanced through his head, brief but intense. Simultaneously, an influx of information flooded his brain.
'Damn, why didn't I thought of this. If I had a system or not, ' Astreal cursed under his breath, for being polished not to remember this.
', made him want to groan aloud. He felt like a fool, wasting precious time.'
'This is basically Reincarnation Terms and Policy No. 69, you get reborn with a system, like a standard package.'
This made him want to groan aloud. He had overlooked this despite being so cautious, and wasted these years on this. Now he felt foolish.
From memory, he knows that he could access the system early, but his foolish brain didn't think of this.
The massive influx of mana during the core formation or whatever that traumatic event was, had finally provided the necessary energy surge to boot the system from its dormant, autopilot state.
Once his thoughts focused, he started checking his status.
"Full Status", Astreal muttered.
Then a blue light glimmered in his vision, which assembled into a blue panel, like a holographic user interface similar to RPG games.
Host : Astrael Ravenastra
Age: 4 yrs
Race: Human
Title: Young Master, The One Who Defies Death, ???, ???
Class: -
Cultivation: Novice
Level: 0
Exp.: 0/100
Bloodline: Ravensastra Bloodline
-------------------------------
Attributes:
- Strength: 5
- Agility: 5
- Intelligence: 10
- Endurance: 4
- Vitality: 5
- Charm: 5
- Soul: 100 (LOCKED)
- SP: 0
(10 - adult human average)
-------------------------------
Skills and Abilities: [Appraise]
-------------------------------
After getting mesmerized by the blue interface, he gathered his thoughts and started checking his status.
"Hmm..It looks like I don't have any quirky AI. Maybe I don't need one." He surmised.
Astrael focused on his attribute section in the status screen, and was surprised to find the explanation of the individual attributes.
Strength: This attribute tells of the physical strength, muscle capacity, and the amount of force the said individual can apply.
Agility: This attribute represents the collective unit of speed, reflex, coordination, nimbleness, evasiveness, and dexterity of the said individual.
Intelligence: This attribute tells the amount of mana a person can hold, problem-solving skills, and the capability to learn, understand, and make decisions.
Endurance: This attribute measures the stamina, the resilience, and how prolonged the said person can perform the said physical and mental work.
Vitality: This attribute represents the health, vigor, self-healing capability, in addition to longevity of the said person.
Charm: This attribute measures the ability to attract, influence, social grace, and persuasiveness. It includes the likability, interpersonal communication ability.y
Soul: This attribute represents the strength of the host soul, the ability to attack, defend, and recover, in addition to comprehend.
After understanding the said attributes, his gaze landed on the soul, "My soul is much stronger than I guessed, maybe due to the million deaths I suffer, and why this is locked." Astrael contemplated.
"Leave it, I will see to it later." He thought of moving on the Exp.
"Similar to games, probably I have to kill, to gain experience points to advance in ranks, Nice."
"Yup, the cultivation tells the power scale I am, and I guess it must be the first stage of it."
"Yawn...I should rest now." It was such a hectic day.
. . . . . . . .
Meanwhile, in the manor, the study room.
"What?... How is it possible for my child to condense a mana core?" she exclaimed, the words tumbling out in a mixture of confusion and concern.
"It's true, dear. This is what Doctor Harman said, "Baron Kaelen replied, steadying his voice and meeting her gaze. "You know him; he will not lie about something this serious."
"But my boy is only four!" Laira protested, her mind racing with the implications. "Are you certain? There must be some mistake—"
"I know, honey, but our boy is a genius! His future is limitless," Kaelen interjected, a triumphant smile spreading across his face that belied the worry lurking in his heart.
Till now, he was in shock at the revelation, but beneath it lay an undeniable pride. His son was destined for greatness.
Yet, as Laira paced, Kaelen's elation began to falter. A shadow cast over his joy, darkening his thoughts.
"But this is not just a blessing," he murmured, the joyous cadence of his voice replaced by a weighty seriousness. "If the other families learn of this… they'll do anything to suppress his potential or leverage it for themselves."
Laira stopped mid-step, her eyes widening as realization crept in. "You're right. They'll see him as a threat."
Baron Kaelen took a deep breath, glancing out the window at the full moon in the sky.
"We must act with caution. This news needs to be kept under wraps. We can't let anyone sniff out his strength, not until he is ready. We have to protect him, ensure he has the training he needs to grow into his potential without drawing unnecessary attention."
Lady Laira nodded, her expression softening as she considered their son.
"We'll bolster the estate's defenses, keep trusted allies close, and reinforce the safety around Astrael. He must never know of the dangers that lurk outside these walls." As they spoke, a sense of purpose filled the room.
It would not be easy, but together, they would ensure their son had the opportunity to flourish without the dark shadow of envy looming over him.
Their love and protective instincts forged a new resolve, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.
***
🌟 Hey, fellow traveler of tales and treasures! 🧭 Your presence here is a journey filled with surprises, like uncovering hidden gems 💎. Isn't it fascinating how a little GOLDEN ✨ something can change everything? 💛