The world around me blurred into chaos.
Shouts overlapped. Magic screamed through the air. Ice shattered. Water exploded. The sky itself seemed to tremble as if unsure which side to favor.
Then I saw him.
My father.
Mihatu was on his knees.
Mana leaked out of his body in pale, fading wisps, like smoke drifting away from dying embers. His breaths were ragged short, uneven each one weaker than the last. His sword lay beside him, half-buried in frost, its blade trembling as if mourning its master's failure.
He tried to move.
Failed.
My chest tightened painfully.
Then I saw her.
My mother.
My mother was being dragged away.
Jagged shards of ice wrapped around her body like cruel chains, lifting her off the ground. Her face was pale, lips trembling, breath visible in the freezing air. She struggled but the ice answered with sharper spikes, tightening mercilessly.
"Yare…" my father whispered hoarsely.
He reached out.
His fingers fell short.
His arm collapsed.
And so did he.
Unconscious.
Still.
Gone from the fight.
And I
I was tiny.
Helpless.
Terrified.
I couldn't scream.
I couldn't move.
My vision distorted not from magic.
From tears.
---
*Flashback*
The battlefield shattered into fragments of memory.
A tiny room.
Silent.
The stale smell of instant noodles clinging to the air.
A computer screen glowing weakly in the darkness my only source of light. My only companion.
No mother's voice calling me to eat.
No father's hand resting on my shoulder.
No warmth.
No laughter.
No one sharing meals with me.
No one cheering for me.
No one asking how my day went.
No one caring whether I lived or died.
I had nothing back then.
Nothing.
And now
Now I had a family.
A real one.
Warm.
Loud.
Messy.
Loving.
A mother who scolded me and hugged me too tightly.
A father who trained me with pride shining in his eyes.
I clenched my fists.
*I will not lose them.*
*Not again.*
*Never again.*
---
*The Awakening*
A scream tore out of me.
Not of pain.
Of rage so deep it felt ancient like it had been waiting for centuries to be unleashed.
My small hands glowed.
No
They *blazed*.
Light erupted from my fingers like molten stars, scorching the air itself. My shoulders burned, searing heat carving into my skin as something formed there
A radiant *crest*.
Shaped like wings.
Not physical.
Not feathers.
Pure light unfurling from my back, pulsing with emotion.
Mana surged violently inside me.
Fear.
Love.
Desperation.
All of it mixed into a single overwhelming force, like a dam breaking under unbearable pressure.
"I… said…"
My voice cracked the air.
"DON'T TAKE THEM FROM ME!!!"
The light exploded outward.
I didn't choose a spell.
I didn't chant.
I didn't think.
My emotions cast it for me.
The only magic my body knew
*Water Blast.*
But this time…
It wasn't a child's spell.
A massive column of shimmering blue energy erupted, roaring like a divine torrent. White-hot light spiraled within it, sparks bursting like miniature stars. The clouds above twisted violently, ripped apart by the sheer pressure.
The spell locked onto Abrythm.
She turned.
Too slow.
The attack swallowed her whole.
Thunder split the sky.
Clouds collided, spinning into a violent vortex as water and light fused into a blinding pillar that pierced the heavens themselves.
The world held its breath.
When the light faded
Abrythm was gone.
Erased.
Her ice evaporated into nothingness, leaving no trace behind.
And my mother
She fell.
Gently.
Safely.
The chains shattered midair, dissolving like mist.
The sky cleared.
Then slowly…
Softly…
Rain began to fall.
Not freezing rain.
Not poisoned rain.
Just rain.
Clean.
Gentle.
As if the world itself was sighing in relief.
My vision dimmed.
My tiny body couldn't endure the power it had unleashed.
"I… protected them…
Mom…
Dad…"
Darkness embraced me.
---
*The God of Summoning*
White.
Endless white.
I was back again.
Still fat.
Still naked.
Still very much annoyed.
"Great," I muttered. "It's this place again."
A shadow stepped forward tall, majestic. Long hair flowed behind him like a cloak made of clouds.
"I am Kamaki," he announced.
"God of Summoning."
I barely reacted.
He blinked.
"You… aren't surprised?"
I shrugged. "Another god, another lecture. Just tell me what you want."
Kamaki stared at me as if *I* were the strange one.
"Why did you save your mother?" he asked.
"Why risk your life when your body is merely two years old?"
Something tightened in my chest.
"…Because in my old world, I had no family."
My voice cracked.
"I ate alone.
I slept alone.
No one cared."
I swallowed hard.
"But here… I finally have people who look at me. Who worry for me. Who love me."
My fists trembled.
"If I can protect them even with this small body I will.
Even if it costs me my life."
Kamaki's expression softened.
Almost proud.
"You have a strong heart, Hikaru," he said quietly.
"Stronger than many grown warriors."
He placed a hand over his chest.
"In that case… I accept you. From now on, you are one of my chosen. A summoner in spirit."
I lowered my gaze.
"…But I almost lost my mother because of me. What is my purpose here? Why was I reborn? To suffer the same pain? To watch the people I love be taken away again?"
My voice trembled.
"Why send me to a world where I might repeat my old life?"
Kamaki knelt before me, meeting my eyes.
"All things are meant to happen," he said gently.
"But destiny is not a chain it is a door."
He tapped my forehead.
"Only you decide whether to walk through it."
His touch was warm.
"To awaken your true self… you must first *summon yourself*."
The world began to fade.
"It is time to return, Hikaru," he said.
"They are waiting."
"But… my parents"
"They're safe. And we will meet again soon."
"Not this again!"
And he vanished.
---
*Awakening*
Light flooded my vision.
"Hikaru!"
My mother's voice broke as she pulled me into her arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks, soaking my hair.
"My baby… never do that again… please…"
I couldn't speak.
My father wrapped us both in his arms warm, strong, trembling slightly.
"We're here," he whispered.
"You're safe."
For the first time in two lives…
I felt truly loved.
---
*Four Years Later*
Time passed.
My body grew stronger.
My mind sharper.
My parents allowed me access to the attic, where countless books waited. Every day I read. Trained. Practiced.
*Swordsmanship* to honor my father.
*Magic* water, air, earth, lightning, fire.
Sometimes a spell backfired and blasted my shirt off.
Sometimes I accidentally dug a crater in the backyard.
Sometimes I got yelled at for almost burning the laundry.
But I kept going.
Because someday
I will need power again.
---
And now…
*Four years have passed.*
And today
Today is the day everything begins.
---