Kael opened his eyes slowly.
For a few seconds he simply stared at the wooden ceiling above him. Thin cracks ran across the wood, and a small spider moved slowly along one of the beams.
He did not panic.
He did not move.
Instead, he thought.
This body… feels small.
He lifted his hand in front of his face. The fingers were tiny and soft. The skin was smooth, without scars or strength.
It was the hand of a child.
Kael frowned.
"…Five years old," he muttered quietly.
His voice sounded small and weak.
That annoyed him.
In his previous life, his voice had carried authority. People listened when he spoke. But now… he sounded like any other child.
From outside the room he heard movement. Pots and plates clinked together.
Then a woman's voice called out.
"Kael! Breakfast is ready!"
Kael blinked once.
So that is my name in this life.
Slowly, he sat up on the small bed. His body felt light and weak. Even moving his arms felt strange.
But his mind was clear.
Sharp.
Much sharper than any normal child's.
He climbed out of the bed and walked across the small room. His steps were quiet as he stopped in front of a small mirror hanging on the wall.
A young boy stared back at him.
Black hair fell messily over his forehead. His face was thin, and his grey eyes looked calm in a way no five-year-old's eyes should.
Kael studied the reflection for a long moment.
Then he sighed softly.
"How troublesome."
In his previous life, he had knowledge. Power. Control.
Now he had none of those things.
He was weak.
Small.
Powerless.
For most people, that would be a terrible situation.
But Kael was not most people.
As he stood there, he suddenly felt something strange inside his chest.
Warm.
Very warm.
His expression changed slightly.
Kael closed his eyes and focused.
The warmth was faint, but it was clearly there. It moved slowly through his chest like a tiny flame trying to grow.
His mind searched through the memories of this body.
After a few seconds, he understood.
"Aether…"
That was what people in this world called it.
A strange energy that existed in the land, the sky, and living beings. Some people could control it. Those people were known as Weavers.
And the source of that power was something called an Aether Core.
Kael slowly opened his eyes.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"So I have one."
That meant he had potential.
That meant power existed in this world.
And if power existed…
Then he could take it.
The voice from outside the room called again, slightly louder this time.
"Kael! Hurry up or your food will get cold!"
Kael walked toward the door.
For now, he would play the role of a normal child. Acting strange would only bring attention, and attention would slow him down.
He opened the door and stepped into the small hallway.
But inside his mind, countless thoughts were already moving.
Plans.
Ideas.
Calculations.
He had started from nothing before.
He could do it again.
And one day…
This quiet little village would learn a simple truth.
Kael Varyn was not a normal child.
And the world would regret underestimating him.