3 Ch. 3: Adrian Leillucis [1]
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An hour ago.
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A white-haired boy covered in mud, lying prone on the ground. As the rain poured down relentlessly, his fingers twitched, indicating signs of life. His eyelids squirmed and slowly lifted, revealing a pair of mesmerizing cerulean eyes that resembled the vast expanse of the cerulean sky.
The sound of the downpour filled his ears, and he became aware of the raindrops continuously pelting his skin. Confusion washed over him as he tried to piece together the events leading up to this moment.
How on earth did he end up in this vulnerable position, lying in the rain like a heartbroken dude?
Blinking a few times to clear his vision, he surveyed his surroundings and found himself surrounded by a lush forestry environment. The realization struck him: he was in a forest.
But why?
His memory flickered, he vividly remembered being on a train, engrossed in reading a novel, and—had the train been involved in an accident?
It seemed like a plausible explanation for his current predicament. He must have been thrown off the train during the chaos. The pieces of the puzzle were slowly coming together.
Summoning his strength, he attempted to lift himself off the ground, but his body rebelled and a wave of nausea surged through his stomach.
"Cough, cough!" He coughed violently, spewing a mouthful of blood onto the muddy ground.
The crimson liquid mingled with the earthy hues before being quickly washed away by the relentless rain. His forehead furrowed momentarily, not from the sight of blood, but from something else.
Something felt off.
As he sat up, he raised both hands to his sight, only to be met with the sight of small, delicate hands that belonged to a child. Confusion and disbelief flooded his mind.
How could this be?
He was a 28-year-old man, yet he found himself trapped in the body of a child.
"What is—"
He immediately shut his mouth, the sound that escaped his lips was not his usual baritone voice. Instead, it was the voice of a child who had not yet reached puberty. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks, adding another layer of bewilderment to his already perplexing situation.
Summoning his resolve, he forced himself to stand, but his weakened body betrayed him, causing his steps to falter. Desperate for support, he stumbled towards the nearest tree and leaned against it, seeking stability.
As he surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings once again, a sense of foreboding settled over him. The wilderness before him was shrouded in a thick fog, adding an eerie ambiance to the already mysterious forest.
His gaze shifted, and he noticed a towering slope nearby. Its height was such that the canopy of pine leaves obscured the view of its summit. Examining the traces left on the slope, he deduced that the boy—he now inhabited had fallen from there.
A chilling thought crossed his mind—had this person met their demise?
Though he couldn't fathom how or why this had happened, one thing was certain: he now occupied the body of a child.
But who was this boy?
—Ding!
The sound of a bell resonated through the forest, capturing his attention. His gaze shifted towards a peculiar sight—a blinking [STATUS WINDOW] hovering in front of him. It hadn't been there before, but without much thought, he reached out and touched it.
As his finger made contact, the [STATUS WINDOW] displayed information that left him both intrigued and bewildered.
« Name: Adrian Leillucis »
A name appeared before him, causing him to raise one of his eyebrows in surprise. So, it seemed he had become this person—Adrian Leillucis.
Adrian Leillucis…?
Wasn't that the name of the protagonist's half-brother in the novel he had been reading just a few hours ago on the train?
« Title: The Second Prince of the Aeon Empire »
The Aeon Empire was the very place where the main events of the novel unfolded.
Though he hadn't finished reading it, he had gained valuable insights into the world he now found himself in.
« Race: Human »
« Age: 6 years old »
The details of the boy's life remained unknown to him as Adrian had already passed away before the start of the novel. Based on this paragraph alone, it can be inferred that Adrian's life was pretty much fucked up.
[ Adrian's life took a tragic turn when, at the tender age of 12, he witnessed the heartbreaking death of his mother. She bravely sacrificed herself while trying to protect him, but this act of heroism ultimately led to the entire Lancaster Family being condemned to death.
However, fate intervened on the day of their execution, as an unforeseen accident occurred, allowing the Lancaster Family to escape. Since then, their whereabouts have remained a mystery.
Tragically, Adrian's life was cut short at the age of 13 when he was killed by Nathaniel. ]
The circumstances surrounding his death were unknown to him, but what puzzled him was the constant description of Nathaniel's mourning over his younger brother's death.
It seemed contradictory—why would Nathaniel grieve if he was the one responsible for Adrian's demise?
Was it remorse that plagued him?
The novel itself began when Nathaniel returned from war at the age of 18, three years after Adrian's passing.
The age gap between them was two years, indicating that Nathaniel would be around eight years old at this moment. This meant that Adrian had only seven years left before the fateful day and ten years before the events of the novel unfolded.
Despite the looming death flag hanging over him, the boy remained unfazed.
« Occupation: Elementalist - Lv. 3 »
He realized that he had transmigrated into a fantastical world brimming with magic, mythical creatures, and inexplicable phenomena.
In this realm, Mana, a pure form of energy, was the key to casting spells and performing extraordinary feats. To harness the power of mana, one needed to awaken their Mana Pool—a reservoir within their own body.
Just as its name suggested, the Mana Pool functioned as a container or lake to store and utilize mana. The size of an individual's Mana Pool varied, depending on their innate ability to absorb and retain mana.
He raised his hand and a bracelet—the Telesphere came into view.
He attempted to channel his mana into the bead, hoping to activate it. However, despite his efforts, nothing happened. After three unsuccessful attempts, he gave up.
".פקעת מים."
Soon, a magic circle materialized above his palm, conjuring a ball of water. To his surprise, he discovered that he had no difficulty channeling mana or invoking the Runic language to create magic circles—it just came out naturally.
It was weird, but whatever. The fact that the boy's magical abilities were intact, spared him the need to start from scratch in this unfamiliar world. Satisfied with his display of power, he dismissed the water ball.
Furthermore, now he understood why no one had come to rescue the boy. It turned out that his Telesphere was broken, which in turn had caused the tracking system inside it to malfunction.
There were two methods of performing magic as an Elementalist: Normal Incantation and Silent Incantation. The Normal Incantation involved audibly chanting the Runic language, while the Silent Incantation was the opposite—performing magic without uttering a word.
While the Silent Incantation might not yield as powerful results as its counterpart, it offered the advantage of surprise and stealth. The speed at which one could chant the incantation depended on their mastery of the Runic language and their overall magical proficiency.
« Adrian's Elemental Affinity »
Water: SS
Fire: SS
Lightning: SS
Earth: SS
Wind: SS
In this fantastical world, the elements held immense power, and there were five primary elements: Water, Fire, Lightning, Earth, and Air.
Each individual possessed an affinity for at least one of these elements, with some affinities being genetic or commonly found within certain families. Having an affinity for a specific Element made it easier for a person to learn and control that particular element. For example, someone with a Water affinity would find it more natural to conjure and manipulate water-based magic.
However, individuals were not limited by their affinity and it was not uncommon for someone to master two Elementals. While it was theoretically possible to master all five Elementals, it was an exceedingly rare feat. Most individuals naturally lacked interest in certain elements, making it challenging to dedicate the necessary time and effort to become proficient in all five.
Mastery of multiple Elementals required years of rigorous training and dedication. However, the boy—whose body he possessed—had an extraordinary gift. He was born with high affinities for all five Elementals, a rarity beyond comprehension. This fact alone marked him as someone truly special.
It sparked a hunch within him that if this boy managed to survive his death flag, he would undoubtedly become the greatest Elementalist on the entire continent. Also, there were two distinct methods for utilizing the power of the Elementals: Conjuring and Manipulation.
Conjuring involved casting elemental magic, such as summoning a fireball out of thin air or creating a ball of water as the boy had just done. Conjuring demanded a greater expenditure of mana since the caster had to create the Elemental out of nothingness. However, it offered the advantage of the versatility and the ability to conjure the element in any form desired.
On the other hand, Manipulation involved controlling and manipulating existing elements, acting as a conduit for their power. This method required less mana compared to Conjuring, as the caster utilized the elemental energy present in their surroundings. For instance, manipulating a nearby flame or shaping a gust of wind to their will.
« Skills »
[ Incantation ]
Description: Raises the speed of spell-casting.
Rank: SS
Despite his young age, he was surprised by the boy's impressive Incantation Skill rank.
It was clear to him that Adrian was destined to become an exceptional Elementalist.
« Character Statistic »
»Physical
STR / Strength: E-
PDF / Physical Defense: E-
TLT / Talent: D-
AGI / Agility: E-
»Magical
MAG / Magic: B-
MDF / Magical Defense: B
»Ability
INT / Intelligence: A
MP / Mana Pool: S-
He was left speechless when he laid eyes on his Physical Statistics; they were so overwhelming that even looking at them caused him physical discomfort.
In a moment of frustration, his tongue rolled by itself. "Garbage."
Shaking his head to clear his mind of distracting thoughts, he proceeded to read through the information.
[ Gifts ]
» Chrono's Blessing : [Future] - "The Foreseer"
» Eyes of the Truth: Able to see other people's Status Windows.
"..." His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
He couldn't help but ponder the sudden appearance of these mysterious gifts. In the novel he had been reading, there was no mention of such abilities. The author never explained their existence, so why were they now a part of his reality?
Perhaps there was something he missed, a hidden clue or foreshadowing that would shed light on their purpose.
—Crunch!
The boy was abruptly jolted back to reality by the sound of a snapping branch. He turned around, only to be blinded by a sudden flash of lightning that illuminated the surroundings.
The deafening rumble of thunder followed, echoing through the air. As his vision gradually returned, he found himself face to face with a group of men dressed in black attire.
'Assassins…?'
