My reflection stared back at me from the surface of the lake.
Small.
Young.
Nine years old… maybe ten at most.
I crouched at the water's edge, studying every detail carefully. Long dark hair framed a calm, almost unsettling face. My eyes were sharp — far too sharp for a child — carrying a quiet awareness that didn't belong in this era.
I looked exactly like Hao Asakura.
Not similar.
Not inspired.
Exact.
"…That's honestly terrifying," I murmured.
The water rippled as spiritual energy unconsciously leaked from my body. Even without trying, I could feel everything around me — insects beneath the soil, drifting spirits lingering between life and death, and the faint emotional echoes left behind by travelers who had passed this lake long ago.
The world felt… loud.
Alive in ways normal humans would never understand.
A flash of light appeared beside me.
My clothing materialized instantly.
A familiar white robe, soft and pristine, settled over my body as if it had always belonged there — Hao's classic attire, perfectly fitted despite my smaller frame.
[Starter Equipment Granted.]
I smiled faintly.
"Well… might as well look the part."
The road to civilization wasn't hard to find. Human thoughts were like lanterns in the darkness — bright, chaotic signals pulling at my awareness.
Without effort, I reached out.
And listened.
At first, the voices were overwhelming.
Fear. Hunger. Hope. Suspicion.
Thousands of fragmented thoughts brushed against my mind.
I winced.
"Okay… maybe turn that down a little."
Instinctively, knowledge surfaced — techniques belonging to Hao's memories. I adjusted my spiritual perception, narrowing the flow until individual thoughts became clear instead of deafening noise.
Better.
Much better.
As I approached the town gates, realization settled in.
This really was the Middle Ages.
Stone walls. Wooden structures. Iron tools forged by hand. People dressed in rough fabrics, their lives ruled by survival rather than progress.
Rough estimate?
About fifteen centuries before the modern heroic era.
Long before most caped heroes.
Long before global organizations.
Before the age of science rivaled magic.
Which meant one thing.
Magic ruled quietly from the shadows.
I stepped into town.
No one stopped me.
To them, I was just a strangely calm child in white robes.
But their thoughts betrayed them.
Poor kid… where are his parents?
Is he a priest?
Those eyes are unsettling…
I almost laughed.
Humans were fascinatingly transparent.
Mind reading came naturally — not invasive effort, but passive awareness. Emotions translated into meaning before words even formed.
One man worried about crops failing.
A woman feared illness spreading.
A guard secretly wondered if monsters in the forest were real.
They had no idea monsters already walked among them.
Me included.
I paused in the marketplace, closing my eyes briefly.
Spiritual particles floated everywhere — faint traces of souls lingering after death. This era was saturated with unmanaged supernatural energy.
No Sorcerer Supreme maintaining balance.
No organized magical oversight.
Raw.
Untamed.
Perfect.
"If this is the ancient era…" I whispered, smiling slightly, "then I get to grow before the real monsters wake up."
Because eventually, beings like Doctor Fate, the future Ancient One, or legends such as Doctor Strange would rise.
But right now?
They didn't exist yet.
And I had fifteen hundred years to prepare.
A sudden chill ran down my spine.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Something nearby wasn't human.
A wandering spirit watched me from the edge of the street, invisible to everyone else.
Its presence trembled.
Not hostile.
Afraid.
Of me.
I exhaled slowly.
"…Right."
Even at one percent synchronization, my spiritual pressure already terrified lesser entities.
This world was going to notice me sooner than I planned.
And honestly?
I wasn't sure whether that excited me… or worried me more.
[Template Synchronization: 2%]Ability Unlocked: Advanced Spirit PerceptionPassive Skill: Surface Thought Reading
I smiled.
"Guess leveling already started."
The age of heroes was still far away.
But the age of me?
That began today.