The morning air was cool and carried the faint scent of dew and freshly cut grass.
Sunlight poured across the large courtyard of the Valerius estate, illuminating the white stone walls and elegant towers that overlooked the surrounding lands.
Steel clashed against steel.
CLANG!
"Again!"
A stern voice echoed across the training yard.
Two girls stood in the middle of the courtyard, both breathing slightly heavier than before.
They looked almost identical.
Long dark hair tied into neat ponytails. Bright green eyes. The same determined expression.
But their paths were very different.
The first girl gripped a wooden practice sword with both hands. Her stance was firm, her shoulders squared.
She lunged forward.
CLANG!
Her sword struck the instructor's blade with surprising strength.
"Too slow," the instructor said calmly, pushing her weapon aside with ease.
The girl frowned.
"I'll get faster."
Across the courtyard, the second girl stood several meters away, her hands raised as faint blue light gathered between her fingers.
Mana shimmered like tiny sparks around her palms.
A moment later—
FWOOOSH
A small flame shot forward and struck a wooden target.
The instructor watching her nodded slightly.
"Your control is improving, Lady Elara."
The girl smiled proudly.
Watching all of this from the shade of a large tree was a five-year-old boy. It was Josh
Or rather…
Julius Valerius, as he was called in this world.
Julius sat cross-legged on the grass, quietly observing everything.
Five years…
Even now, it still felt strange to think about.
Five years since he died in his apartment.
Five years since the night everything changed.
Josh glanced down at his small hands.
They were still unfamiliar to him.
Smaller.
Smoother.
The hands of a child.He also now had white hair and didn't need glasses.
Honestly…
I'm still not used to this.
At first, the realization had been overwhelming.
Waking up in a different world.
A different body.
A different life.
For the first few months, Josh had constantly wondered if it was some elaborate dream.
But dreams didn't last five years.
This world was real.
And it was fascinating.
Josh leaned back against the tree trunk as he watched his sisters train.
Yes.
Sisters.
The twins who had been staring at him when he first opened his eyes.
Their names were Aurelia Valerius and Elara Valerius.
Aurelia was the one training with the sword.
Determined.
Disciplined.
Already obsessed with becoming a holy knight like the legendary warriors of the kingdom.
Elara was the mage.
Curious.
Energetic.
And slightly mischievous.
Josh had quickly learned something important about them.
They might look identical…
But their personalities were completely different.
"Come on, Aurelia!" Elara called from the other side of the courtyard. "You're losing again!"
"I am not losing," Aurelia snapped back, clearly annoyed.
The instructor chuckled quietly.
Julius smiled faintly.
Some things are universal…
Siblings arguing.
His gaze shifted toward the massive estate surrounding the courtyard.
The Valerius family was one of the most respected noble families in the kingdom.
He had learned that gradually over the years.
His father—
Darian Valerius
Commander of the kingdom's Dragon Knights.
An elite military force that rode into battle alongside powerful wyverns and drakes.
Just thinking about it still amazed Josh.
Dragons…
Actual dragons.
His father was rarely home due to military duties, but whenever he returned, the entire estate seemed to grow livelier.
Darian was a tall man with a deep voice and a commanding presence.
But he wasn't cold.
Far from it.
He laughed loudly.
He teased his daughters.
And every time he saw Julius, he would pick him up like he weighed nothing.
"You're going to be a great warrior someday," he would say proudly.
Josh wasn't sure about that.
But hearing it still felt… nice.
Then there was his mother.
Vanessa Valerius.
A name that carried enormous weight across the kingdom.
The Archmage of Volaria.
Josh had overheard servants whispering about her countless times.
The woman who could summon storms.
The mage who defeated a demon general during the border wars.
Yet at home…
She was simply a gentle mother who liked reading books with her children in the evenings.
Josh exhaled softly.
I got lucky…
He had been alone in his previous life.
No family.
No one waiting for him at home.
But in this world…
He had been given something he never expected.
A family.
His thoughts drifted to something else he had learned over the past five years.
Magic.
Real magic.
Not game mechanics.
Not fictional systems.
Actual mana that flowed through living beings.
At first, the concept had seemed unbelievable.
But the more he studied it, the more fascinated he became.
In this world, people could train their bodies.
But they could also train their mana.
The more they trained…
The stronger their magic became.
Josh had secretly started practicing as soon as he realized this.
Meditation.
Breathing techniques.
Mana circulation.
And the results had surprised him.
My mana grows faster than normal…
Even his mother had noticed it.
She once stared at him with a strange expression after testing his mana capacity.
"Interesting…" she had murmured quietly.
Josh never forgot that look.
It wasn't fear.
But it wasn't normal curiosity either.
Almost like she had discovered something unexpected.
Josh frowned slightly.
There's still so much I don't understand.
Why had he been sent to this world?
Who was the voice that spoke to him when he died?
And why did he sometimes feel…
Strange.
A faint pressure deep within his chest.
Like something vast and silent was sleeping inside him.
It didn't happen often.
But when it did…
Josh felt cold.
Like standing at the edge of an endless abyss.
He shook the thought away.
Probably just my imagination.
Across the courtyard—
Aurelia's sword suddenly slipped from her hands.
The instructor knocked it away easily.
She groaned in frustration.
Elara laughed.
"See? I told you!"
Aurelia glared at her.
"At least I'm not setting the training targets on fire again."
"That happened once!"
"Three times."
Julius couldn't help but laugh quietly.
Life here is… peaceful.
But deep down…
A strange feeling lingered in his mind.
Josh stared at the clear blue sky above the estate.
Still…
Something tells me this peaceful life won't last forever.
And somewhere far beyond the kingdom…
Beyond the mountains and ancient forests…
Something stirred.
Something ancient.
Something that had been sleeping for centuries.
Waiting.
For the moment when the child of the Void would awaken.
End of Chapter 2