1 A Birth Brimming with Hope

"Uwaaah, uwaaaaah!"

The cries of a baby.

In reality, they were his very first cries!

But they were not the only sounds echoing in the house.

Just after the arrival of the baby boy was announced, many cheers and shouts of joy were heard from every corner of the villa.

The birth of the newest member of the Windsor lineage was an event worthy of celebration.

It was also evidence of the hopes everyone placed in Adall Windsor, this little baby who now carried the title of heir to the greatest family of magicians in the world of Era.

Mana exists in this world.

It is an element that, like air, is abundant in nature. It is the energy used by warriors to deploy their auras and by magicians to cast their various elemental spells.

The Windsors are one of the many families specializing in the latter category, namely magic.

Over the thousand-year history of this family, several great magicians have been born within it. Thanks to the fame and influence of these overpowered beings, they now control nearly a third of the world. This includes several kingdoms and empires as well as a multitude of independent cities.

In the Windsor family, an unwritten rule dictates that the family leader must be a great magician.

Unfortunately, Adall's father, who, according to the birth order, was supposed to inherit this title, unexpectedly turned out to be more suited to the art of the sword.

This was one of the reasons why the birth of the little boy was so hopeful. Indeed, if he had the necessary skills to become a great magician, the succession order, which took into account his father, would be maintained.

Michael Windsor, Adall's father, could then take the reins of the family if something happened to his own father, the current leader, until his son became competent enough to assume the role.

So, a few years passed...

Adall Windsor was now 10 years old.

And as tradition dictates, it was at this age that the magical talent of family members was evaluated.

Early in the morning, he was awakened and prepared for the occasion.

Being the most prominent candidate for the title of heir to a family as prestigious as the Windsors, Adall lacked nothing. He was entitled to the best clothes, food, teachings... that it was possible to afford in this world. Naturally, he did not hesitate to take advantage of them.

Adall was born with the distinctive signs of the Windsors: black hair, a long face, and cerulean blue eyes... And compared to other children his age, he was a very beautiful person. A quality he had strongly inherited from his mother, but generally speaking, the Windsors were not ugly characters.

For the occasion, his servants had prepared a white and blue outfit that perfectly matched his natural colors. This made him even more beautiful than usual.

Once ready, he took the stairs to the floor where his personal room was located. He immediately noticed that someone was waiting for him at the end of the steps.

It was Uncle Zackael, his father's twin brother.

Zackael Windsor was a very talented person. Even within the Windsor family, few individuals matched or surpassed his talent for magic.

Oh yes! Unlike Michael, Adall's father, Zackael could boast of being a true Windsor. And as an unfortunate twist of fate, he was the one born second among the twins. This initially denied him the position of family leader.

However, Zackael had never shown any frustration at his position in the succession order. He even regularly visited his nephew, who, by virtue of his birth, once again denied him the title of family leader.

That was why his presence at the foot of the stairs surprised neither the servants lined up behind him, nor Michael, who had just passed through the villa door after checking that everything was ready for the journey they were about to undertake.

After descending enough steps, Adall, smiling, spoke up.

"Uncle Zackael!"

"So, how is the Little Prince today?"

An answer automatically followed from Zackael, leading quickly to a perfectly normal discussion between an uncle and his nephew, while the latter descended the stairs completely.

"Did you also come to accompany me to the Tower of Mages, Uncle?"

At Adall's question, he replied positively. He wouldn't miss for anything in the world such an important moment in his nephew's life, he said, a fond smile on his lips.

The least that could be said, observing the scenes of the discussion between Zackael and Adall, was that these two loved each other wholeheartedly.