The hall of the Church of Lumina swelled with voices.
Raze—no, the infant who would soon be given a new name—could hardly process the sheer number of people who filled the sacred chamber. Nobles in embroidered robes. Soldiers in polished armor. Priests, officials, attendants, servants… far more people than he had ever seen visit their home.
Why are there so many? he wondered. Mother gave birth a month ago, but barely anyone came then…
He couldn't ask questions, but the answer soon revealed itself.
Whispers rippled around the hall:
"That is Lady Arlienne?"
"The king's concubine… the only commoner he ever chose."
"And these are the twins? His newest children?"
"Look at them… white-haired, like their mother."
Raze froze.
King? Concubine? Royal… siblings?
Pieces clicked together with a force that nearly stunned him.
His mother was not just a noblewoman.
She was a royal concubine—the only commoner ever accepted by the King of Vornis. A woman chosen not for politics or alliances… but for something else entirely.
And because she was a commoner, she had not lived in the palace but in a grand mansion—one Raze had assumed belonged to a wealthy family.
Now he understood.
He—no, they, he and his sister—were members of the royal bloodline.
A prince and princess.
I'm… royalty?
His infant heart hammered wildly.
Even though their father visited only once—on the night they were born—Raze could sense the complicated nature of this family. Duties, distance, obligations… the king had little time for affection.
Still, the truth remained.
He was reborn as a prince.
***
But more than royalty, this world had something far more fantastical.
Magic.
He had already noticed the glowing lanterns, the rune-covered walls, the shimmering air in the church. But this ceremony would determine something deeper—something permanent.
In this world, every living person awakened **one type of magic**, chosen and fixed at birth. For life.
And today, the crystal sphere would reveal that magic.
The royal family of Vornis was famous—feared even—for one thing:
Fire Magic.
Blazing, destructive, powerful.
Every royal heir for generations had been born with it.
Combined with their naturally massive mana pools, they were practically guaranteed to become elite mages.
Naturally, the hall buzzed with anticipation.
"Will the twins inherit the fire blessing?"
"Of course they will. They carry the king's blood."
"Two new fire mages of royal lineage… what fortune for Vornis!"
Raze felt his mother's heartbeat quicken as she approached the altar. Her grip tightened protectively around him, just slightly.
The priest raised the glowing sphere.
"First, the older twin," he declared.
The maid stepped forward with the girl.
A soft hum echoed through the hall as the sphere brightened, threads of light curling toward the infant.
The sphere pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
A third time—
And then a clear tone rang out, sharp and pure like a struck bell.
The priest's eyes widened.
"This child…"
The crowd leaned forward.
"…possesses Sound Magic."
The hall erupted into gasps.
"Impossible!"
"No royal child has ever—"
"Sound Magic? That forgotten branch?"
"But where is the fire element?"
"Is this a defect? A mistake?"
Raze's eyes widened as well.
Sound Magic? My sister… got something that rare?
Rare wasn't even the right word.
Sound Magic was nearly extinct.
Only a handful of cases were recorded in centuries. No common spellbooks. No teachers. No established techniques.
It was considered a magical dead-end.
He glanced at his mother—and felt her tremble.
Not in fear… but in recognition.
Her eyes shone with a familiar emotion.
Mother… also has Sound Magic, doesn't she?
He remembered the whispers:
"It was her voice… her singing… that made the king fall for her."
Yes. She, too, was blessed by Sound.
And now her daughter carried that same legacy.
But before anyone could recover from the shock, the priest spoke again.
"…Next, the younger twin."
Raze was lifted gently and brought before the sphere.
He felt the crystal's pull—warm, probing, curious.
His mana stirred.
Then—
PANG—!
A powerful chime burst from the sphere, louder than before. Light flared, swirling like waves of air.
The priest stumbled back.
The crowd fell silent.
"This child also…" he whispered, voice trembling in disbelief,
"…possesses Sound Magic."
The church exploded into chaos.
"Both twins?!"
"Not a single drop of fire?!"
"Two Sound Mages in one generation—how?!"
"This is a disaster for the royal succession!"
"No, this is unprecedented—!"
"Is this a blessing or a curse?"
Raze didn't know what to feel.
Sound Magic.
He didn't understand its potential.
He didn't know its limits.
But he could feel something—deep inside his tiny chest—a resonance, a vibration, a power that answered the world's currents.
A magic that wasn't fire.
A magic that wasn't destructive.
A magic tied to voice, music, emotion.
Just like… my dream in my previous life.
His mother stepped forward, pulling both twins close to her heart. Her expression was firm, protective, proud.
"These are my children," she said quietly. "Their magic is not a weakness."
The priest finally regained his composure.
"It seems their fates differ from the royal lineage. The Light has chosen… a rare path."
He placed a hand on the sphere.
"From this day forward, you are named—"
He pointed to the girl:
"Astra Wynfall."
Then to Raze:
"Aster Wynfall."
Astra.
Aster.
Twins bound by sound.
The hall buzzed with confusion and uncertainty.
No fire magic.
No royal tradition.
No expected destiny.
Only the forgotten, mysterious power of Sound.
And as the ceremony ended, the question hung heavy:
What would Aster do in a world where his magic had no guide, no teacher, and no place in the royal future?
Only he knew one thing for certain—
This time… I will not waste my second life.
***************
After three years:
Three years passed in the blink of an eye.
Aster Wynfall—once Raze of Earth—had grown from an infant into a lively three-year-old. He could walk, talk, and think clearly, but despite his growing independence, one rule remained firmly in place:
**He was not allowed to leave the mansion grounds.**
The Wynfall estate was vast, with gardens, courtyards, and training yards, yet the high walls surrounding it always reminded him of the truth—
He was a royal child born from a concubine, and the outside world was not entirely safe for him.
Still, he wasn't alone.
Astra, his twin sister, was always at his side. If Aster took one step, she took another. If he sat, she sat. If he tried to hide, she somehow found him in seconds.
"Aster! Don't run so fast!" she cried as she chased him around the garden, her small legs wobbling.
"I'm not running," Aster laughed, though he absolutely was.
Astra puffed her cheeks. "Mama said you shouldn't leave me behind!"
"She said that because you cry if I disappear," Aster teased.
"I do NOT cry!"
She cried.
Every time.
But Aster didn't mind. In truth, Astra's clinginess felt comforting. He had never had a sibling in his past life, and now he had someone who loved him unconditionally—someone who followed him like a shadow and held his hand without needing a reason.
***
During these three years, Aster also learned about his royal family.
His half siblings—two brothers and two sisters—visited occasionally.
The eldest prince, **Leon wynfall**, was stern but polite.
The second prince, **Varus wynfall**, seemed cold and barely spoke.
The elder princess, **Seraphine wynfall**, treated Astra like a doll and spoiled her endlessly.
The younger princess, **Lyria wynfall**, was not much older than the twins but already trained in mana control.
They were polite, curious, but distant. There was no cruelty… yet there was an undeniable invisible wall between the royal children and the concubine's twins.
Especially after the Naming Ceremony.
Fire Magic was the royal family's pride.
Aster and Astra had broken that tradition.
***
After the ceremony, their father—the King—visited only once more.
He had offered their mother a place inside the palace.
"Arlienne," the king said gently, "bring the twins to the royal palace. They will be safer and receive proper education."
But she shook her head.
"Your Majesty, the palace is not a place for children with Sound Magic. Their presence would only invite criticism or danger. Let me raise them here… away from politics, away from scrutiny."
The king hesitated, then agreed.
Perhaps out of love.
Perhaps out of fear of what the court would say.
Either way, the Wynfall mansion remained their home.
***
By the time Aster turned one year old, he could already speak in full sentences—a miracle that shocked the servants and priests alike.
And along with language… came music.
He discovered it accidentally.
One night, while humming a tune from his previous life, Astra clapped her hands in delight.
"Aster, do that again! Again!"
"Like this?" he hummed.
Astra giggled. "Pretty! Very pretty!"
Their mother overheard and gasped.
"You two… your voices…"
She knelt beside them, tears gathering in her eyes.
"You both inherited it… the voice blessed by Sound Magic."
That night, she sang them a lullaby.
No instruments.
No accompaniment.
Just her voice—gentle, warm, resonant.
But what made Aster freeze was the magic woven into her words.
Her voice carried power.
The air vibrated softly around her. The mana in the room stirred as if responding to her melody. Even Astra, who usually struggled to sit still, went silent instantly.
Aster wasn't just listening to a song.
He was witnessing Sound Magic with his own ears.
When the lullaby ended, he whispered:
"Mama… your voice… it's magic."
Arlienne smiled sadly.
"No, dear. Sound Magic is considered weak here. Most people cannot use it, cannot teach it, cannot recognize it. Singers hardly exist anymore. Those born with this magic… often hide it."
She gently touched Aster's cheek.
"But Sound Magic is not weakness. It is beauty. It is emotion. It is connection. It is the rarest magic in the world."
Her eyes dimmed slightly—memories surfacing.
"It was my singing that drew your father to me… but even he does not understand the true nature of sound."
Aster felt his breath catch.
In that moment, everything fell into place.
This world had no music.
No singers.
No techniques, no culture, no industry behind sound.
It was as if music itself had been forgotten by the world.
Is that why I was reborn here?
A world without music… and I am someone who used to chase it?
His heart thumped.
Not with fear.
Not with uncertainty.
With purpose.
I'm not here just to survive. Not here just to live quietly.
He clenched his small fists.
Mama, Astra… and this world… I'll show them what Sound Magic truly is.
I'll bring music back. I'll sing louder than anyone in this world.
I'll become the greatest singer Vornis has ever seen.
Astra tilted her head beside him. "Aster? Why are you smiling like that?"
Aster grinned. "Because I decided something."
"What?"
"That we're going to be the best singers in the world."
Astra blinked. "Singers?"
"And we'll show everyone sound magic isn't weak."
Astra's face lit up with a smile as bright as sunlight.
"Then I'll sing with you! Always!"
Aster took her small hand and nodded firmly.
"Together."
Their voices were small now.
Their magic undeveloped.
Their paths uncertain.
But they had inherited the rarest magic in existence—
and Aster carried the memories of a life that loved music more than anything.
His journey had finally begun.