"Huh? What do you mean he can use magic?" Akira's father, Hoshino Ryuji, asked his wife, Yuki, in shock, completely baffled by what he had just heard.
"Exactly what I said. He can use magic," his mother, Yuki, reiterated.
"How?"
"I don't know either."
"You do realize he's just a month old, right? How can he use magic?" Ryuji questioned, trying to make sense of the absurdity of what he just heard.
"I know, but I saw it. He made a ball of water with magic. And his body is… just see for yourself!" she replied, clearly frustrated.
Ryuji glanced down at the tiny bundle in the crib. Baby Akira looked back and gave him an innocent smile.
"He looks fine to me," Ryuji said, raising an eyebrow.
"Idiot. Use your Eye of Reason and look properly," Yuki snapped.
"Oh. Haha…" Ryuji let out an awkward chuckle, then focused. His purple eyes shimmered faintly as he activated his mystic eyes.
What he saw shocked him.
"How is this even possible?"
Mana flowed through Akira's tiny body as naturally as blood through veins. It wasn't wild or unstable. It was calm, balanced, and perfectly circulated. Even more shocking was how the mana was already infusing itself into his organs and limbs.
Ryuji immediately recognized this technique, mana circulation. a high-level internal control method that took seasoned mages years to master. And yet here was a baby, doing it effortlessly… as if it were second nature.
While his father was still reeling from the sight before him, Akira found himself shocked by something else entirely, his parents' eyes.
As he had suspected, those cool, striking purple eyes of theirs were the same kind of mystic eyes he possessed. But what startled him was not the similarity, it was the difference.
"Wait… they can turn theirs on and off whenever they want? Why can't I do that? I want to see the world normally too, you know."
The Mystic Eyes of Reason allowed their user to perceive all forms of energy, natural or supernatural. For Akira, it made the world far more colorful and vibrant than it had ever been. Yet, as beautiful as it was, he missed his normal vision. The problem was, he had no idea how to turn it off. And it was not like he could just ask his parents for tips, since he was a month-old baby. So for now, he was stuck with it.
As Akira pondered how to turn off his mystic eyes, his parents carried on with their serious conversation.
"Isn't this high-level stuff only powerful magicians can do? And even they consider this technique dangerous. How is he doing it?" Ryuji asked, still staring at his son in disbelief.
"I don't know either," Yuki admitted, trying to make sense of it herself. "But you know how some supernatural creatures are born with the ability to control mana, right? Maybe he's like that."
"But even if that's the case, how can he use spells? Spellcasting requires complex calculations. How did he manage that? He's still a baby," Ryuji said, frowning. He knew plenty of supernatural beings could instinctively manipulate mana from birth, but casting spells was an entirely different matter.
"Let me show you," Yuki said. She walked over to Akira, knelt beside him, and began playing with him as before. "Akira, look over here! Your favorite water animals," she cooed, conjuring small water animals to catch his attention.
"Well, I can't let my mother down, can I? Alright, maximum effort!" Akira thought as mana began to swell within him. He focused, carefully circulating it the way he had seen his mother do.
To Ryuji's shock, the same water animals Yuki made began to appear one by one. Akira smiled brightly, his face lighting up with excitement. To sell the act, he even added cheerful baby noises, doing his best to appear like an innocent child just playing with magic. He had to keep up appearances, after all.
But in his excitement, Akira lost control. The little water animals he had created popped all at once, splashing cold water straight into his face.
"Ouch, lost focus, wait, babies cry when this kind of stuff happens, right?" he panicked, recalling typical baby behavior. He quickly started crying. He had to stay in character no matter the cost.
Yuki rushed over and scooped him up in her arms, gently wiping his face. "Alright, alright, I'm here," she whispered, soothing him. Then she glanced at her husband.
"See? I told you," she said with a knowing smile.
"Is he… imitating you?" Ryuji asked with his mystic eyes. He studied Akira closely and saw it clearly. The baby was mirroring Yuki's mana flow with exact precision.
"Yes. And I think it's because of his Eye of Reason. He was born with it fully activated, after all," Yuki replied seriously.
"I know he was born with it, but I never expected this," Ryuji muttered, running a hand through his hair as he sighed.
"Wait, you guys weren't born with it? Well, I guess I really am a one-of-a-kind genius who appears once every ten thousand years. Sigh, I'm perfect even in this life," Akira thought, fully embracing his narcissism.
"What should we do, Ryu-kun?" Yuki asked with a trace of uncertainty in her voice.
Ryuji fell silent, lost in thought. "Well… he is the Destined One, right? Maybe that's why he can use magic at such a young age," he said, trying to rationalize the situation.
Yuki sighed, realizing it was indeed a possibility.
"Wait, what do you mean by 'Destined One'? No one told me anything about that! What am I even destined for?" Akira exclaimed internally, shocked by this sudden new revelation, but then he suddenly remembered the enormous tree of light he had seen while in the void.
"Maybe that tree chose me for something... but for what?" he pondered, but after thinking for a while, he realized it was hard to guess by himself, so he decided to wait for his parents to tell him themselves.
"So, what should we do? Should we seal his magic powers?" Ryuji suggested.
"WHAT? Father, you can't do this to me!" Akira panicked.
"No, we shouldn't do that. If he can start training in magic now, his strength will only grow in the future. We can't diminish his talent," Yuki countered firmly.
"Mother, you're the best! Stop Father", Akira thought, feeling a newfound appreciation for his new mother.
"But it's dangerous! What if he hurts himself?" Ryuji warned.
"I'll keep a close eye on him. He's going to need all his strength in the future, after all," Yuki replied, glancing at her husband with a sigh.
"Yes… You're right. He's going to need all his strength," Ryuji admitted, though his tone was still laced with concern.
"What the hell am I going to fight in the future?" Akira mused, relieved that his parents decided against sealing his powers, but a bit excited about what lay ahead. if he is already destined for something great, then this new life of his is going to be fun.
"I'll try using other types of magic in the future and see if he can imitate them," Yuki said, already planning out Akira's training in her mind.
"Be careful, alright?" Ryuji sighed, worrying about the future. After thinking for a while, he added, "But it seems we need to isolate him for a few years, at least until he can control his magic".
"WHAT?" Akira was shocked again.
"Yes, you're right, Ryu-kun. It would be dangerous if he accidentally hurt other children. It's best to keep him in isolation," Yuki agreed with a resigned sigh.
"Et tu, Mother!?" Akira groaned, but he also realized from their perspective, he could indeed pose a danger to kids his age.
"Sigh, it can't be helped. I guess my plan to make new friends has to wait." Akira let out a mental sigh, feeling a little dejected. He really wanted to make friends in this life, but for now, that dream would have to be postponed.
Days passed as Akira continued practicing magic. His parents gradually increased the intensity of his training as he grew older. At first, they focused on the basics, such as manipulating natural elemental magic like fire and water. Once he reached a certain level, they introduced more advanced magic involving complex equations. They didn't neglect the fundamentals either, teaching him common sense and the general knowledge expected for a child his age.
At first, his parents were shocked by how quickly he was growing and learning, but they soon concluded that he was a genius and let it go.
As for Akira, he had always enjoyed learning new things, even in his previous life. The problem was, once he mastered something, he usually lost interest and moved on. Magic, however, was different. Its possibilities seemed endless. Even after mastering a spell, there was always room to refine, experiment, and discover new techniques.
So he mostly enjoyed his new life, his only complaint was that he was never allowed to leave the mansion. Ever since that day, he has been completely isolated from the outside world. From his parents' perspective, magic was a powerful and dangerous force, especially in the hands of a child. What if he got into an argument with kids his age and, in a fit of temper, hurled a fireball?
So, just like in his previous life, Akira was isolated. But this time, things were different. He had loving parents who stayed by his side, talked to him, and gave him warmth. He was also allowed to watch anime and movies, mostly superhero cartoons, both to spark his creativity and to teach him good morals.
"Listen, Akira. Magic is a great power, and with great power comes great responsibility. You must always be cautious when using it," Yuki said one day while teaching him.
"Don't worry, Mother, I'll only use magic to destroy evil and fight crime, just like Spider-Man," Akira declared with absolute confidence.
"No! Don't use magic like that! In fact, don't use magic in public at all. Most people in this world don't even know magic exists. We need to keep it a secret," Yuki said with a hint of panic.
"So, I can't be a superhero when I grow up?" Akira asked with a sad face. He was mostly joking, but deep down, he really did want to be one.
With a sigh, Yuki softened her tone. "I'll teach you more about the world when you're older. Then you can decide how to use your powers."
"Sure, Mother," Akira said with a smile, trying his best to sound like an obedient son.
And so, his training continued. Days turned into months, and months into years. Just like that, seven years passed.
Now seven years old, Akira had mastered every form of magic his parents had taught him and had even developed a few original spells of his own.
As for the results of the mana circulation technique he had been practicing since he was a month old, the outcome was mixed.
Circulating magic through his body had made him incredibly magically conductive. According to his mother, he could now cast spells faster and with more power than any ordinary magician. His physical strength had also improved significantly, far beyond what was normal for a child his age.
However, his attempt to enhance his mystic eyes by circulating mana through them didn't go as smoothly. While his Mystic Eyes of Reason had indeed evolved, the changes came with complications.
On the plus side, his eyesight had become extraordinarily sharp, comparable to a high-definition infrared camera. He could see at night, focus on distant objects, and pick up fine details with ease.
But unlike his parents, he couldn't deactivate his mystic eyes. They were always active. Combined with the rapid enhancement of his visual capabilities, this caused frequent and painful headaches. The heightened vision overwhelmed his brain, pushing it beyond what it could comfortably process.
He had asked his parents for a way to turn the eyes off, but even they didn't know how. They suspected it had something to do with how he had been born with them fully awakened.
Over time, Akira learned to endure the headaches. He had adapted for now, but deep down, he was concerned about the future. If his mystic eyes continued to grow stronger, would the pain become unbearable?
On the bright side, his already gem-like purple eyes had grown even more mesmerizing. Anyone who looked into them was captivated, almost entranced by their beauty.
Even so, after all these years, he had never once stepped beyond the walls of the mansion or met anyone besides his parents. But that was about to change.
Because today, for the first time in seven years, Akira was finally going outside and meeting people other than his family.