James Narration: It was supposed to be just another normal, utterly boring day. Like, the same exact day I'd been living for years. Woke up at the usual god-awful time, dragged myself to school for the usual useless lectures, then off to my soul-crushing part-time job. What I didn't expect was for anything to actually happen. Because nothing ever does.
(Start if the story)
[ALARM CLOCK BLARING, 7:00 AM]
James's eyelids opened, then squeezed shut. Nope. Not again. He stared blankly at the ceiling, fighting what was to come regardless.
James's Inner Monologue: Seriously? Already? Time to drag my ass out of bed. Again. He let out a pathetic groan as he fell off the side of the mattress, landing in a heap of clothes on the floor.
The rest of the day was a blur of routine. Classes, forcing polite nods at classmates, trying not to fall asleep during history. Just the usual grind. Until I got to work.
James's Inner Monologue: Alright, time to clock in. Maybe I can convince Jane to let me off early today. Hopefully.
His manager, Jane, took one look at him as he stepped in. Her face was all scrunched up with concern.
Manager Jane: "James, you look like death reincarnate. Why not just take the day off?"
James: "Nah, I'm good, Miss Jane," I mumbled, probably sounding as convincing as a wet sock. "Just didn't get enough sleep. Not sick, promise."
Later, as the day was going by and work was flowing in as usual, something new happened
Customer: "Give me all the money in the register," said while reaching for their coat jacket.
James: "Haha, Nice joke, now what would you like to order?" while unseriously taking the person's words into account, "Why try to rob a local Chick-fil-a, theirs much less busy places around, without witnesses."
A second later, James gets shot in his shoulder and starts bleeding out. The customer ran out the door and escaped from the fast food location.
James Inner Monologue: I didn't expect he'd actually been serious. I wonder why I was the only one shot.
As James slowly drifts as he bleeds out and no one helps him, he sees his life flash before his eyes, hoping that maybe next time he'll lead a better life, if the next time ever comes.
James regains consciousness after what felt like forever. As he comes to, he looks around and sees an unfamiliar place, with unfamiliar people around, they're speaking a language that he doesn't know, but he somehow understands them.
The people around him aren't saying anything useful, however, amongst their chatter, he does hear that he's called "James Belfork". This is a surprise as he was sure he had died, but it looks as if he had been given a second chance.
As James tried to get up, he had finally had the realization that he had been reincarnated into a baby's body, and had minimal control as to what he could do.
James Inner Monologue: Damn, my movements and speech is limited along with me not being able to really do anything.
After a while James had accepted the fact that he was likely not going to be able to do anything for the next few years, so he had decided to start saying random key words he had seen in some Manga he read in his past lives, that featured people being reincarnated into fantasy worlds.
James Inner Monologue: Status open?
To James' surprise nothing happened, so he tried to do something different instead.
James Inner Monologue: If fantasy status windows don't appear, then maybe I can cultivate or use some powers. Well I suppose trying to cultivate wouldn't be a bad idea, but then again I don't know how, and even if I did, wouldn't it be suspicious for a baby my age to be able to use powers. They might not even be such powers in this world, For all I know I could just be on earth in the past.
While James was trying to figure out things to do, he chose to try and control his new found body, so he could walk as soon as possible and get some books to read up on the history of the world he had been reincarnated to.
[6 MONTHS LATER]
James Inner Monologue: A few months have passed since i've reincarnated and i'm finally able to walk, but can't talk properly at least not at the current time.
I've found out more information about my situation over the past months. I'm James Belfork and apparently a part of the Belfork Family, which is one of the 8 Great Families, and I'm a noble of the 5th-ranking Noble Family, the Belfork's.
I'm the son of Larry And Maria Belfork, My father is a Government Official of the Nation of Zalon, his the Minister of Finance and a decently important person to the Nation. My mother is an ordinary commoner which had married into the Belfork family after years of being an orphan, so she doesnt have any family, other than my Fathers.
I have 2 siblings, their names being Lisa Belfork (My younger elder sister), and Brian Belork (My elder brother). Lisa is about 2 years older than I and tries to play with me more often than not. Brain is 5 years older than I and betrothed to a member of the lowest-ranking family within the 8 great families. Brain normally minds his own business and trains with a sword as he has a ranking of B. Other than that, it seems the rest of my family is mainly involved in politics or training, at least my immediate family.
James Inner Monogule: For the time being, as i have limited movement and can't communicate with others, it seems best to try to learn more about this world, so I might as well try to find some books.
Since the family I was reborn into has some standing, it shouldn't be 2 difficult to find books and study some of the world's history and just general knowledge about what my life's going to be like.
[A FEW HOURS LATER]
James Inner Monogule: After a while of looking through some old books that i found in the family library, it seems that this world isn't as peaceful as it looked on the surface. Since I found that as of the year 1523 (Palistinalican Calendar) that the has been a cold war between the nation of Zalon and Lazaria, It doesn't seem like anything that majour, however considering that it has been going on for the past 15 years, it does seem like their would be possible conflict between the 2 Nations, which wouldnt end well for me, if I had to get involved.
Along with this, I've found that apparently we live on 1 big continent which has a collection of humans, elves, demons, spirits, and demi-humans. Their seems to be malice towards demons and demi-humans amongst humans, and their normally treated as slaves in human towns and certain Nations.
On a map, I saw that there is a split between territories. Their is the human territory, which is the largest of the 5 territories, the Elven Terrotorry which is the second largest, and mainly spanning across areas which have more plant life, thes the spirit territory which is filled with good and evil spirits and is avoided by most races, due to how unsafe it is without having strong magical articafacts, there is the demon territory which is filled with powerful demons and resembles a living style more akin to the communist sociatyss in my past life, and lastly there is the demi-human terrotory which is the smallest of the 5, and hosts people that look like cross breads between Demons, humans, and animals.
So far as I've been researching this world, there doesn't seem to be anything that would disrupt my second life that much, at least not from what I've dug up so far.
As I'm still lacking the means to do anything at the moment other than researching the world, i might as well try to find something that could help me become powerful or just a means to live a somewhat peaceful life.
[A FEW MONTHS LATER]
James Inner Monologue: It seems I've grown to a point where I can converse with others and generally do things. I'm about 1 year and 9 months old currently. My life is going quite well so far, and my parents don't seem to have any problem with me, nor do my siblings.
Since I'm at a point where I can actually do things, it might be best to try and train in some way.
Over the past few months, as I've been doing more research, i've found out about how magic and general things in this world work. From what ive found, there seems to be an Aptitude test which one has to take at the age of 5, that determines the whole tregectory of thier lives, with it Ranknig from SS to F, with SS being good, and F being bad, and the characteristics of the test is that you have to put your hand on a crystal ball in a church and your aptuitde gets messured, but the aptitude doesn't decide your path, it just measures your potential which allows one to choose what they can do.
SS-ranking individuals are few and aren't found outside of Elves and Demi-humans, along with Demons, but they're known to have amazing potential in magic and combat fields. S-ranking people normally found amongst all races, have good magic and combat potential, and are quick learners, along with normally being able to fight for hours on end. A - D ranking people are the average, and tend to be give and take in their potential, so they either have very good magic or combat potential, but lack in one or the other, depending on which they have. E and F ranking people are just trash, leftovers that no one cares about, and get treated as good as slaves as they lack in both combat and magic potential; however, they can still hold up if they have a lot of training behind them, but not to anyone above C-rank.
From this information, I should expect to at least to be a C-rank if I'm unlucky and an A, maybe even S, if i was blessed by the gods, but it's unlikely to happen, as within my family's history there doesn't seem to be anyone who has gotten below D-rank, or gone above A-rank.
I'll still have to wait a few years before any of this matters though, as there isnt anyway for me to use magic before getting my aptitude test, as the test also unlocks the ability to use magic; however, I can improve my combat abilities and general strength before then.
James Belfork: Which would be good if I get unlucky and somehow become an F-rank, but that would happen now, wouldn't it? (Laughing nervously).
[LATER THE SAME DAY]
James Belfork: Father!,
Larry Belfork (Jame's Father): Yes, son?
James Belfork: Is it possible for me to start sword training?
Larry Belfork: It is, but why would you want to start training with the way of the sword at your age?
James Belfork: It's better to learn it sooner than later, especially if I'm going to be a knight or a political member of our family.
Larry Belforks Inner Monologue: Isn't this kid thinking 2 far ahead, he's only 1 year and months old…
Larry Belfork: I suppose so, it's better to know how to protect yourself sooner rather than later.
We will start your training in a few months, but before then, build up your stamina, so you'll be able to keep up.
James Belfork: Yes, sir!
After asking his father to train with the sword, James began trying to train his endurance, so that when he began sword training, he would be able to keep up.
As the months had gone by, James had started running and lifting light weights in order to build endurance and stamina, along with trying breathing techniques, which would better help him, and allow for him to last longer, and keep more oxygen in his lungs and blood, so he wouldn't faint.
[A FEW MONTHS LATER]
James Inner Monologue: It's the day I start sword training, a few months have passed, and I've built up some endurance and strength along with general stamina, which is what my father had asked me to do, before starting to train with the sword. I'm about 2 years and 1 month old at the moment, which means that in the next 11 months to a year, my parents will be picking out the person who'll be my future wife (Supprising in this world, one spartener is chosen at the age of 3, and they normally stay together for the rest of their lives, along with that, their souldbound after their aptitude test at age 5, which makes them fall in love or atleast see eachother in a new light, however if ones aptitude is bad, they wont be soul tied, and can even be dubbed as Ex's, but with this the desistion of who they will induvualually spend their lives with is decided by themselves, as they're deemed old at that point, atleast for arranged marriage).
I hope the person whom my parents chosoe as my future wife isnt weird, or bothersome, and that they wont mind living a peaceful life in some country side somewhere, since I dont plan to be involved in the action and politics of this world much.
[LATER THE SAME DAY]
James Belfork: Father!, isnt it about time I start training the way of the sword?
Larry Belfork: I suppose it is, it has been a few months, and you're 2 years old at this point
James Belfork: So can we start right now?
Larry Belfork: I dont see why not, lets go to the training area
James Belfork: Alright, let's go.
James Inner Monologue: At last I can finally start properly training with the sword, due to the fact that their maids and butlers everywhere, I didnt have an opportunity to try train by myself outside of endurance and stamina, as they would interfere and more so ruin my attempts.
But since my fathers allowing me to do so now, it shouldnt be a problem in the future.
[TO BE CONTINUED]