2 "A New World"
At that moment, Aaron was very confused. The last thing he remembered before waking up in the arms of what seemed like giants was that he was driving.
'What the hell just happened?'
he repeated in his mind as he tried to analyze the situation.
Aaron, a newborn, blinked in confusion as his small eyes tried to focus on the world around him. However, all he could see was a blur of colors and indistinguishable shadows. He tried to move his tiny hands and legs, feeling the softness of the blankets that enveloped him, but he found that his movements were clumsy and uncoordinated.
A soft and comforting murmur filled the air, but he couldn't understand the words. His senses, still developing, struggled to comprehend his new surroundings. Aaron furrowed his brow, feeling a mixture of frustration and curiosity. Where was he? What was this place? Although he couldn't see or understand much.
(Excess of energy detected)
A robotic voice sounded in Aaron's mind, startling him. Aaron looked frantically around, but he still couldn't identify where the voice was coming from; he could only see blurry colors and shapes.
(Overexposure to magical energy may result in harm to the user's health, proceeding to storage)
The voice repeated, and suddenly Aaron felt tired. Gradually, the tiredness overcame him until he fell asleep.
In the warm and majestic chamber of the castle, the King and Queen hold baby Aaron in their arms, surrounded by a circle of knights and nobles. A tense silence fills the room as everyone watches the little one closely.
The magical glow that once emanated from baby Aaron begins to fade slowly, as if a candle were gradually extinguishing. The knights exchange worried glances, while the Queen cradles the baby tenderly, sensing the decrease in his magical energy.
The King furrows his brow, his concern reflected in his eyes, as he murmurs words of comfort to the Queen.
The midwife approaches with determined steps towards where baby Aaron is, surrounded by the King, the Queen, and the knights. With expert hands, the midwife gently lifts the little one and examines him carefully.
After a few moments of evaluation, the midwife straightens up and directs a reassuring look to the gathered group. "Your Majesties, Your Majesties," she says with a serene voice, "there's no need to worry. The young prince just seems to be tired, and that's why his magical power has momentarily decreased."
The King and Queen breathe a sigh of relief, and the knights share grateful smiles among themselves. The news that little Aaron simply needed to rest calmed the worries that had filled the room moments before.
With a gesture of gratitude towards the midwife, the King approaches and carefully takes his son into his arms. "Thank you for your prompt assessment and reassuring words," he says with gratitude. The midwife nods with a friendly smile before withdrawing, leaving the King, the Queen, and their precious son in a moment of relief and calm.
- Five years later -
In the castle gardens, a young man with light orange hair could be seen running with great intensity. His figure moved through the lush vegetation, zigzagging between trees and flower beds with a sense of purpose. To any passerby, it might seem like the young man was simply having fun, but there was something a little different about him.
His movements weren't just the carefree play of a young man; there was determination in the way he ran, as if he were training for something important. With each stride, his muscles tensed and flexed, displaying a strength and agility beyond his years.
As he moved through the gardens, his gaze remained focused ahead, his mind fully occupied with whatever goal he pursued. Despite the playful atmosphere, it was clear that this young man was driven by a sense of purpose and ambition that set him apart from his peers.
It was Aaron, now known as Escanor, the second prince of the Kingdom of Castellio.
"It's been 5 years since I was reborn in this world," Escanor whispers as he continues his training. "In these years, I've realized that this is not a normal world. At first, I thought I had been reborn in the past, but when my father's knights began to shine and perform superhuman acts, I realized that there was something more to this world."
Escanor thinks as he jumps over a small cluster of roses. "Magic was real," Escanor thought with a smile on his face as a faint golden glow runs through his body while he accelerates faster than a child his age should be able to.
[The user has detected the use of magic]a voice resonates in Escanor's mind, causing a smile to form on his face. [Improving mana efficiency and control,] the voice continues.
The faint glow surrounding Escanor becomes denser, a small aura of golden color surrounds Escanor's body, making him much faster than before.
"And with that, my mana control has improved," Escanor whispers. When he first discovered the voice in his head, he was scared. He thought some ghost or demon wanted to possess his body, but the voice quickly explained who it was and what its purpose was.
Flashback / 2 years earlier /
[Excess magical energy detected, proceeding to storage.]
A voice echoed in Escanor's head, and suddenly a trace of weakness appeared in his body.
"Damn, you again," Escanor murmured as he walked down the hallway.
"Why the hell are you sapping my energies?" He whispered, not expecting a response, but one came, surprising Escanor.
[Excess magical energy produced by the user is detected to force an evolution in the user's physical and mental attributes, which will eventually affect the user's health.]
The voice responded emotionlessly.
"What? Are you telling me that my magical energy is forcing my body to adapt to the power, thus harming me in the long run?" Escanor asked in surprise, as he had never heard anything like this before.
In these scenarios, magical energy never harmed its bearer, at least not in the comics and anime he had watched as a child.
[Correct, user.]
The voice replied.
I see. Thanks for the help, unknown voice," Escanor said sarcastically, as while the explanation may sound plausible, there is no proof that what the voice said is true.
[User's lack of trust detected.]
Said the voice.
[Recommended course: explain to the user the uses and objectives of the Mark 45 Archangel Model.]
The voice continued, causing Escanor to raise an eyebrow in bewilderment.
[Dear user, what you are hearing is the operating system of the Mark 45 Archangel Model armor. This armor was created with the aim of developing and stimulating the growth of the most talented individuals that ever existed in Universe 345791240, also known as the Magical Kingdom of Ascalon.]
Escanor merely raised an eyebrow.
[The objectives of the Mark 45 Archangel Model armor are to help its users reach their maximum potential. While the operating system has no idea how it arrived in this universe or integrated with the user, this does not change the primary objective.]
The voice stated emotionlessly.
"So you're not responsible for my rebirth," Escanor thought. Previously, when the system explained its origin, he thought that maybe the voice was responsible for his rebirth, but by its words, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with it.
"If what you say is true, then what kind of help is it to sap my magical energy?" Escanor asked with doubt and suspicion.
[This armor hasn't sapped the user's energy; it has only been stored for the user's future use and to prevent any harm that may affect the user's future.]
The voice replied.
[Additionally, storage is not the only function of the armor.]
The voice said, causing Escanor to feel a drop of curiosity about the alleged advantages of the armor.
[Among the advantages of the Mark 45 Archangel Model is the improvement of the user's performance and control of energy.]
This raised an eyebrow in Escanor, as while he knows he has a great deal of magical energy according to his father's court magicians, he has never practiced with it since he has no idea how to harness this magical energy.
[Another function it has is analysis, while this advantage may not seem like a great addition, I find value in the armor's analytical power. At this moment, the Mark 45 armor has the most powerful analysis method ever created in the Kingdom of Ascalon. According to the system's estimates, the user should be able to learn, decipher, and improve any spell and fighting technique they see on the first try.]
This totally surprised Escanor, as if what it said was true, this would make him the person with the most potential in the kingdom, if not in the whole world.
[However, this function is only available at its maximum potential when the armor is in combat mode. Outside of this state, the user only gains a moderate increase in analytical capabilities, so they can learn, copy, and improve techniques without using the armor, but it won't be on the first attempt.]
Now this seemed more reasonable to Escanor, and it made sense, after all, he had learned to read and write much faster than any other child according to the teachers his father had sent to teach him.
[And finally, the armor has a combat mode that enhances all the user's skills and attributes, and the armor was made with the strongest materials ever created in the Kingdom of Ascalon.]
Said the system as an image of a full-body golden armor with a lion-shaped helmet appeared in Escanor's mind.
"That looks like armor from a Zodiac Knight," Escanor thought with some amusement.
[These are all the advantages that the armor has. I hope that with this, the user will trust the system more, as the system's existence objective is for the user to reach their maximum potential.]
Escanor still had doubts, so he decided to ask one last question to see if he should trust the voice.
"Initiating self-destruction?"
Escanor said uncertainly, not knowing what to expect, but to his surprise, the voice responded.
[Do you wish to initiate the self-destruction process?]
The voice asked without any emotion, just waiting for Escanor's response.
"No, cancel self-destruction." Escanor said now a little more confident.
[Self-destruction canceled. Have a good day.]
The voice said before falling silent again.
"Okay, I guess things are going to get a bit more exciting now."
Escanor said as he resumed walking down the hallway.
-End of flashback.-
As Escanor finished recalling, he realized his training had led him to the part of the garden where his mother used to spend her time. Escanor decided to approach, and as he suspected, his mother was sitting at a small table, sipping a cup of tea while observing the flowers surrounding the entire garden.
"Mama," Escanor shouts as he approaches his mother.
"Oh, my little prince, what are you doing here?" the queen says as she lifts Escanor and sits him on her lap.
"Nothing, just playing," Escanor says with a smile on his face, while his mother simply smiles as she strokes his head.
"Were you playing with your brother Daymond?" the mother asks curiously.
This makes Escanor grimace internally. His older brother, Daymond, was a complicated subject. Apparently, he hated Escanor for being born; he was jealous that their parents gave more attention to Escanor for being the youngest, so he often intimidated or insulted him when their parents were busy.
Usually, in these cases, Escanor would defend himself and return all the blows and insults that Daymond threw at him, but he was an adult. He wouldn't stoop to fighting with a child, especially now that he could use magic to enhance his blows.
Escanor didn't want to imagine what would happen if he accidentally hit him and ended up breaking his arm or something similar. He was sure that in an ancient society like the Kingdom of Castellio, superstitions were very common, especially if magic was something common among the nobles and knights of the realm.
If that were to happen, they would surely accuse him of being cursed or possessed and he would be hunted like an animal. No, Escanor didn't want that for his life, so he took the best option he had every time Daymond threatened or tried to hit him.
He would scream 'mom' at the top of his lungs and then accuse Daymond to her of wanting to hit him or for having insulted him. This made Daymond even angrier with Escanor, but he couldn't do anything about it because if he tried, he would be punished, usually with multiple spankings on the rear end...
"No, Mom, Daymond doesn't want to play with me," Escanor said with a false tone of sadness, which was enough for the queen to sigh and shake her head.
"Oh, that boy. I don't understand why he can't get along with you when you're such a sweetheart," the queen said as she hugged Escanor tighter.
"Don't worry, my little one, I'll make him play with you, or else he'll deal with me," the queen said with a sharp look in her eyes that promised punishment if they didn't do as she said.
"Oh, sorry, Daymond, I think Mom will destroy your rear end again," Escanor thought to himself as he silently prayed for his older brother's poor rear end.
Daymond, who was currently in his room reading a book, felt a shiver run down his spine. This put him on alert, and he looked around his room. He didn't know what had happened, but he knew it was his little brother's fault.
"Can I stay with you for the rest of the day, Mom?" Escanor asked, as he had already finished his morning exercises and had nothing else to do.
"Of course, my little one," the queen said as she kissed Escanor's head.
"Thank you, Mom." A smile formed on Escanor's face as he leaned against his mother's body, and she began to tell stories to him.
It truly was a good day, and Escanor hoped that these days would last much longer.
-End of the chapter-
