The morning sun had barely risen when Ren Kai opened his eyes. His small body felt weak, but his senses—those belonged to something far older. Every sound, every breath of wind, every heartbeat within the house vibrated in his mind like ripples in a lake.
He sat up slowly.
For a moment, the world around him flickered.
A faint cosmic pulse escaped from his chest—unseen by anyone but strong enough to make the wooden floor creak. Ren Kai immediately stopped it, instinctively sealing away the overwhelming power that once shaped entire realities.
He closed his eyes.
So this world has mana… and laws even weaker than my old one.
Footsteps approached. A woman's gentle voice followed.
"Kai? You're awake early. Breakfast is ready."
His new mother.
He turned, forcing a small smile—the kind a normal child should wear. "Okay, I'm coming."
But as he stepped outside the small wooden house, something else caught his attention.
A shadowy creature lurked at the far edge of the village.
It stared directly at him.
Its body was thin, twisted, and made of black fog—something no one else seemed able to see. The creature tilted its head, as if recognizing him… or fearing him.
Ren Kai's eyes narrowed for a moment.
His cosmic form flickered behind him—just for a heartbeat—causing the shadow creature to disintegrate into dust.
No one noticed.
Ren Kai exhaled slowly.
This world is already testing me.
And with that, the day began—quiet, peaceful, normal…
But the universe around him had already started to tremble.
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