Chapter 3
The next morning, Ren's routine truly began.
He woke with the sunrise, his small body stretching and yawning as though he were any ordinary five-year-old. To his parents, he was still a fragile child recovering from a strange fever. To himself, he was a reincarnated mind managing a growing pool of mana, calculations, and long-term plans.
He fetched water from the well, careful not to lift the bucket too easily. He helped Elara scatter feed for the chickens, deliberately stumbling once to sell the illusion of clumsiness. He listened to his mother Lyra hum softly as she cooked, storing away every detail of this peaceful life even as he prepared to move beyond it.
His Control was improving—not just over magic, but over himself. Facial expressions. Tone. Body language. Every movement was measured. No suspicion could be allowed to bloom.
His real life began every afternoon.
Once chores were done and the village settled into its lazy post-lunch calm, Ren slipped away. His excuse never changed.
"I'm going to play by the creek."
No one questioned it. Children had always done so. Oakhaven was quiet, forgotten, and safe—at least on the surface.
---
The Daily Grind
The forest greeted him with damp earth and filtered sunlight. His chosen clearing waited patiently, as if aware it was about to be abused again.
The dead oak stood at its center.
Ren planted his feet exactly twenty paces away, lifted his small hand, and inhaled slowly.
Fire mana surged.
"Fireball."
WHOOM!
The explosion cracked through the forest, scattering birds and leaving a rolling cloud of smoke. Heat washed over Ren's face, forcing him back a step. When the smoke cleared, he already knew the result.
Still standing.
He narrowed his eyes and activated Appraisal.
Dead Oak (Forest Grade)
Durability: 97.3%
Mana Resistance: Low
Weakness: Fire (1.5x damage)
A fraction of a percent. That was all he had managed today.
Ren exhaled, wiping soot from his cheek. By adult standards, the progress was laughable. By this world's standards—by a child's standards—it was monstrous. A normal villager's fire spell wouldn't have scorched the bark at all.
But Ren wasn't satisfied.
"This tree will fall," he muttered. "Even if it takes years."
He turned away before frustration could poison his focus.
---
Wind and Bruises
His second trial awaited.
Wind mana flowed more gently than fire, but it was infinitely harder to control. Ren centered himself, spreading the mana through his body the way he'd practiced—core first, then limbs.
A cushion of compressed air formed beneath his feet.
He pushed off.
For a moment, he rose—three feet, then four—before the wind destabilized.
"Ah—!"
He spun sideways and hit the ground with a dull thump, air bursting from his lungs.
Ren lay there for a moment, staring up at the canopy.
"Again."
He adjusted the flow, redistributing mana toward his legs. This time, he hovered longer—six seconds—before wobbling and crashing into the dirt.
Again.
Eight seconds.
Again.
Twelve.
His landings were ugly. Ferns stuck to his hair. Dirt smeared his clothes. Once, he miscalculated and slammed shoulder-first into a tree root, forcing him to bite back tears.
But each failure sharpened his Control.
The wind stopped fighting him so violently. His corrections grew faster. His sense of balance—both physical and magical—improved.
By sunset, he managed to drift ten full steps through the air before collapsing onto his back, chest heaving.
Not flight yet.
But close.
---
The Hunger for Knowledge
Physical limits could be trained away. Ignorance could not.
That night, Ren lay awake, staring at the ceiling. Appraisal was powerful, but it was reactive. It told him what was, not what could be.
The Child God's rules echoed in his mind.
Read the simple ones. Witness the complex.
Oakhaven offered neither.
The next evening, as Kael worked on repairing a fence, Ren approached him with wide, curious eyes.
"Father," Ren asked, "what's the easiest magic someone can learn?"
Kael chuckled. "That would be Light. Every child learns it. Just a glow to see in the dark. It's written in the village primer."
Ren nodded, filing the information away.
That night, he crept quietly into the corner of the room where Elara kept her school supplies. The Village Magic Primer was thin, its pages worn soft from years of use.
He opened it carefully.
Simple Personal Magic: Glow
Function: Creates a small, sustained light source from the user's palm.
Mana Cost: Very Low.
Requirement: Focused will.
Ren placed his hand on the page and activated his Personal Magic.
The words dissolved.
Knowledge flooded in—not memorized, but understood.
Personal Magic Skill Acquired: Glow (Simple Grade)
He raised his hand.
Light bloomed.
Soft. Steady. Silent.
Ren extinguished it immediately, heart pounding.
It worked.
Over the next several nights, he consumed the rest of the primer.
Cleanse.
A gentle purification spell.
Mend.
A basic repair enchantment.
Useful. Practical. Limited.
And then—nothing.
The book was empty of secrets.
Ren closed it slowly.
This village had nothing more to offer him.
---
A Wall Called Oakhaven
Days passed.
The oak's durability dropped, painfully slowly. His flight time crept upward by seconds. His mana control refined itself.
But his growth had plateaued.
He needed spells he couldn't read. Magic he couldn't witness. People who knew more than farmers and children.
He needed to leave.
The chance came sooner than expected.
Kael returned home one evening with rare excitement in his eyes.
"I've got a job," he announced. "Silverstream. Three days round trip. Good pay."
Ren's heart skipped.
Silverstream.
A town meant travelers. Merchants. Maybe mages.
"I wish I could take you," Kael added with a sigh. "But the roads aren't safe."
Ren smiled obediently.
And began planning.
---
The Push
For two days, Ren was perfect.
Helpful. Quiet. Cheerful.
In secret, he appraised everything.
Kael's Cart
Durability: 60%
Weakness: Left axle (Integrity: 30%)
On the morning of departure, as Kael loaded the cart, Ren focused his Wind mana.
Not a blast.
Not an attack.
A whisper.
The faintest pressure, applied precisely.
CRACK.
Kael froze.
He inspected the axle, cursing under his breath.
"Damn it… I'll have to fix this."
The delay mattered. Ren knew it.
He stepped forward, eyes shimmering.
"Father… take me with you."
Kael hesitated.
Ren pressed gently. "I can help. I won't be a burden."
Silence stretched.
Finally, Kael sighed. "Alright. But you obey me. Every word."
Ren nodded eagerly.
Inside, his pulse thundered.
He had done it.
Oakhaven lay behind him.
Silverstream waited ahead.
And this world—vast, dangerous, and full of knowledge—had just opened its first door.
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