Nathan – POV

  As expected, our mother’s voice carried across the fields, sharp and commanding, impossible to ignore. Serena and I exchanged a glance; both of us already resigned to our fate. We trudged back toward the house, our steps slow and guilty, though in truth we hadn’t gone far at all.

  And, as predicted, the scolding came.

  Mother stood at the doorway, hands on her hips, her expression a storm cloud ready to burst. “How many times have I told you not to wander so far from home?” she demanded.

  Far from home? We were barely a few minutes’ walk away. I wanted to argue, to point out the absurdity of her words, but I knew better. Serena and I kept our mouths shut, nodding dutifully. We promised her, again, that we wouldn’t stray.

  Geez. This woman was so overprotective. Not that I minded too much. It was annoying, sure, but there was comfort in knowing someone cared enough to worry. So, for the rest of the day, we stayed within sight of the house, where Dianne could keep her hawk-like gaze fixed on us.

  Of course, that meant I couldn’t practice my magic openly. Instead, I sat cross-legged beside Serena, pretending to meditate. To anyone watching, I looked serene and disciplined, but in reality, I was rifling through my inner “search engine,” brushing up on scraps of modern knowledge I still carried with me. It was a strange double life...half child, half something else entirely.

  When evening fell, Serena surprised me. She produced the gold she had retrieved from the pocket dimension and handed it to our parents. With a straight face, she claimed we had found the coins lying on the forest floor. I quickly backed her up, verifying the story.

  Dianne and Jakob accepted the explanation without much suspicion. They assumed the coins were remnants of the loot stolen by the late baron’s son, now dead and gone. They thanked us warmly; their relief evident. I realized then that Serena hadn’t done it for herself. She wanted to ease their burden, to give them hope.

  And what a gift it was. Over a hundred gold coins, enough to stretch our family’s survival for years. I was impressed. Serena had always been resourceful, but this was something else entirely.

  The days slipped into weeks, uneventful on the surface. Yet beneath that calm, change was stirring. Serena’s meditations were beginning to bear fruit. Slowly, she was learning to sense ambient mana. At first, it was faint, like catching the scent of smoke on the wind. But gradually, her awareness sharpened. I noticed the shift when she began describing things I could see in real time; the shimmer of energy, the faint pulse of magic in the air. Finally, progress. I prayed she would soon access her system and be assigned a class.

  And then, one day, it happened.

  It was my third birthday. Serena let out a squeal so loud it nearly shook the rafters. Mother rushed in, alarmed, demanding to know what was wrong. I had to cover for her, insisting Serena had only been startled by a bug. Mother frowned but accepted the excuse, though not without suspicion.

  The truth was far more exciting. After months of effort, Serena had finally accessed her system. She described her status screen to me in breathless detail:

  Class: Mage.

  Affinity: S in Fire, A in Wind.

  Level: One.

  HP: 10

  MP: 0

  Physical stats: a neat row of ones.

  Intelligence: a remarkable twenty.

  I explained everything I could, guiding her through the meaning of her stats, encouraging her to keep honing her mana senses. That night, our family feast was livelier than ever. Serena glowed with happiness, her joy infectious.

  The days that followed were filled with training. I instructed her to form her mana core before attempting anything flashy. It took her several days, but she managed to do it. Now, she had an MP of 200. Then I encouraged her to manipulate fire and wind.

  The simplest way I could explain it was through imagination. Picture the flame, I told her. Picture the wind. Inadvertently, I was teaching her through modern scientific principles, how fire ignites, how air moves, because I had no chants or incantations to offer. I warned her I wasn’t an expert, but she insisted on learning from me anyway. After all, she had seen me conjure shadow tendrils.

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  To my surprise, it worked. She managed to flicker a tiny flame on her fingertip; no chants required. The system rewarded her with her first spell: Small Flame.

  Her squeal of delight nearly deafened me. Once again, Mother stormed in, furious at being startled. Serena apologized profusely, but her grin never faded.

  From that moment, Serena was unstoppable. She insisted we practice as often as possible. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and it worked in my favor. She was far more persuasive than I when it came to convincing Mother to let us wander deeper into the forest.

  With that freedom, I could finally unleash my own warlock spells. I chose a massive boulder as my target, hurling shadow and flame against it until the stone cracked and smoked. The system rewarded me with a +30 Intelligence boost for my efforts. I refrained from casting wide-area spells like Rain of Fire, the risk was too great, and I avoided curses and afflictions, which required living targets.

  Instead, I turned my attention to the next best thing: insects, birds, and small animals. Not Serena, tempting though it was when she teased me. Each successful cast earned me more experience, and soon I gained another +35 Intelligence.

  When I checked my status again, I couldn’t help but smile. Progress. Real, tangible progress.

  Status:

  Name: Nathan

  Class: Shadow Mage, Warlock Demonologist, Afflicition, Destruction

  Title: Otherworldly Knowledge

  Name: Nathan

  Class: Shadow Mage, Warlock Demonologist, Affliction, Destruction

  Title: Otherworldly Knowledge

  Level: 20

  HP: 210

  MP: 4350

  Strength: 21

  Stamina: 21

  Agility: 21

  Dexterity: 21

  Intelligence: 435

  Constitution: 21

  Affinity: Shadow SSS+, Fel Energy SSS+

  Active Skills: Shadow Bolt 4, Immolate 3, Summon Imp, Shadow Tendrils1, Corruption 2, Curse of Weakness 2, Life Tap 2, Curse of Agony 2, Fear 1, Summon Voidwalker, Drain Soul 1, Create Healthstone (minor), Health Funnel 2, Drain Life 1, Curse of Recklessness 1, Unending Breath, Searing Pain 1, Create Soulstone (minor), Ritual of Summoning, Summon Succubus, Summon Incubus, Rain of Fire 1, Demon Armored Skin 1

  Passive Skills: Mana Sense 2

  The rewards for casting spells for the first time in this world, were honestly pretty sick. Each successful attempt came with a rush of satisfaction, a tangible acknowledgment from the system itself. I couldn’t help but feel grateful, not just for the power, but for the sense of progress. It was like the universe was patting me on the back, whispering, Good job, kid. Keep going.

  Serena, of course, wasn’t idling by. She had thrown herself into fire magic with single-minded determination. What irked me, though, was her habit of pestering me whenever she hit a wall. Every time she got stuck, she’d tug at my sleeve, demanding answers. And being the good brother that I am, I indulged her. I reminded her of the basics; how fire begins, how it feeds on air, how she could coax it into life by imagining the flame breathing.

  I didn’t complicate things by introducing her to the myriad of flammable gases or the finer points of combustion. Not yet. For now, I let her stick with the simple principle: air fuels fire. One day, when she’s ready, I’ll explain the periodic table to her. I can’t help but wonder what effect that kind of scientific knowledge might have on her magic. Would it sharpen her control? Expand her repertoire? Or would it break the rules of this world entirely?

  We weren’t exactly having fun...training was serious business, but there was a strange joy in it. Still, whenever Mother’s voice rang out from the house, sharp and commanding, we dropped everything and sprinted back. The last thing we wanted was to raise her suspicion. To her, we were just children and not even ten years old yet. We shouldn’t have classes yet since we haven’t undergone the awakening ceremony. But here we were a mage and a warlock/mage. We are a testament that the norms are not always right.

  As for me, I hadn’t yet tried summoning my other demons. That was a door I wasn’t ready to open. For now, I focused on my shadow spells. That was where my knowledge was weakest, and I wanted to strengthen it. Back in my old MMORPG days, I had been a master of warlock spells, but this world was different. Here, theory and practice didn’t always align.

  My persistence paid off. One day, after countless attempts, I managed to summon a second shadow tendril. Now I had two. The discovery thrilled me, but what fascinated me most was how they felt. The tendrils weren’t just tools...they were extensions of my will, as natural as moving my own arms. It was strange, unsettling even, but also exhilarating. Like suddenly waking up with an extra set of limbs.

  They weren’t difficult to control, just… weird. Still, I’ve always believed in the maxim: practice makes perfect. So, I practiced. I experimented with complex maneuvers, weaving the tendrils together, testing their limits. Yet, despite my efforts, the system didn’t reward me with any intelligence bonuses. That told me something important: I wasn’t the first shadow mage in this world. Others had walked this path before me.

  And so, our days fell into a rhythm. Mother’s scoldings, our secret training in the forest, the steady growth of our powers. Serena’s laughter rang out more often now; her confidence blooming with every spark of flame she conjured. As for me, I felt the shadows stirring at my command, whispering promises of greater strength.

  We were only children in our parents’ eyes. But in truth, something far larger was unfolding. The world beyond our little home was vast, dangerous, and waiting. And when the time came, we would be ready.