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As soon as the door opened, a greater fear filled me, but it felt like I didn't need to be afraid. The servant entered the room holding a bottle of milk, picked me up, and started feeding me.
—They say mother's milk is important in the first 6 months, Are you really feeding a newborn baby formula milk?—
After finishing the milk, the servant patted my back waiting for me to burp, but it was so embarrassing that I couldn't do it.
I wasn't allowed to walk around the house; during the first 3 months, I couldn't even step outside my room. Some servants looked at me with eyes full of fear, while others treated me simply as a baby, acting accordingly.
At 6 months old in the Verblade house, I started to walk. Most of the servants found this strange—
—What would they do if they knew my consciousness was awake?—
At 6 months, I saw the steward again. He looked at me, satisfied and happy, and said, "I knew I could expect this much from you, young master. Among your siblings, you are the youngest to walk."
Did this man know my consciousness was awake? Because he spoke as if he did, as if he expected a response from every move I made.
I was only able to communicate with the steward through movement. His intelligence actually scared me, but he didn't seem like a bad person. I trusted him and listened to his words.
On my first birthday, I started to speak, although I still couldn't fully form sentences.
Two more months passed and I started speaking fluently.
So much so that the family head noticed me a lot, and the steward came to see me personally, telling me that I would meet the family head within 3 months and that I should prepare until then.
But I didn't even know what to do; what could they expect from a one-year-old child? This family really didn't make sense.
Anyway, I got a list from the steward. The list detailed what I needed to learn within 3 months.
Based on this list, the steward created a schedule:
6 hours a day for reading books, 2 hours for learning manners and ethics,
And the remaining 8 hours were to be spent with the sword.
I worked every day of the week; I was not allowed to rest except for sleeping—sometimes I didn't even sleep.
—If we're not going to follow the schedule, why did we make one?—
Three months passed like this, and finally, the steward allowed me to rest before my meeting with the family head.
I didn't get out of bed for a whole day. When I woke up, the steward was waiting at my door. I got ready and went with him.
The steward put me into a carriage. The Verblade estate, which they called a "house," was too large even to travel around by carriage.
The carriage stopped and we got off. The door I saw was probably bigger than the house I had been locked in, which felt like a prison.
Who could be passing through this door?
The steward held my hand and led me inside.
We passed several corridors and rooms until we came to another very large door.
—This family really has a size problem—
The steward opened the door, but as soon as it opened, for some unknown reason, I dropped to my knees.
What was in front of me was more than just frightening—I realized that even kneeling I wouldn't survive.
I looked at the steward, but he was standing easily.
Was this thing focused only on me?
I tried to activate the meaning I had read about in books. I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. I felt the air burning my body as it entered my lungs, but I didn't stop.
The pain I felt could have killed me, but I couldn't move my knee at all.
Even though I was still in the same position, I began to see the world differently.
The feeling that I would die if I didn't escape gradually faded and was replaced by the thought that if I resisted, I didn't need to be afraid.
But I failed. How could I have resisted?
As I was thinking this and searching for a more effective way, a terrifying voice from the far end of the room that separated my soul from my body came.
"Mana, huh?"
Did this terrible voice understand what I was doing?
But then it laughed, its laughter echoing throughout the huge room, and somehow the pressure on me disappeared at once.
This terrifying voice said to me, "Andre, come... Sit beside me."
I counted 10 people at the table and I was probably the 11th.
At the far end of the table sat a giant man.
To his right was a woman, probably his wife—she was unbelievably beautiful, someone you'd never see again in your life.
His left side was empty.
There were 9 people in total on the right and left sides of the table: 5 on the right and 4 on the left.
I noticed there was an empty chair meant for me.
The steward came with me and helped me sit in the chair.
I noticed the eyes on me; the others at the table looked at me with murderous intent.
—Except one woman, whom I don't know why, but she looked at me with eyes full of affection—
But more terrifying than these was that man,
I guess his name was "Lord Cauron."
This frightening man carried a sword as big as himself and wore a blood-red outfit to hide the stains.
His hair and eyes were completely black.
I couldn't even look into his eyes, so I won't say more about him.
This terrifying man said, "Andre, I know you can talk."
And I replied, based on the lessons I had taken and a little guesswork, "Yes, family head."
I shouldn't have said that; the man laughed nonstop for five minutes straight, then turned and said, "Don't be so formal, you're only 1.5 years old."
"You can use mana at this age, and from what I heard from the steward, you also have talent with the sword. You will be my strongest son!"
When he said this, the fear inside me was tied to one thing: my eldest brother Cadeon Von Verblade, who sat right next to me.
At least the steward told me everyone's names and who they were, so I could recognize Cadeon.
Cadeon looked at me with angry eyes, while Lord Cauron suddenly shouted, "Cadeon, if you don't stop this, I'll send you to the Verser Sang desert for a year!"
It was clear that this shout was a threat.
How strong was Cadeon that Lord Cauron threatened him instead of ordering him?
These questions overwhelmed me, but Lord Cauron said,
"Andre... You will be one of the strongest in this family, and from now on, you will no longer stay in that prison-like house."
Actually, I was happy.
I would escape that house.
But I still had doubts, so I calmly asked, "Why?"
Lord replied, "You have a 10-year training ahead of you, in which you will learn everything: swordsmanship, mana use, even turning your mana into aura...
I see potential in you."
When he said "turning mana into aura," both Cadeon and my other elder brother Kaedor Von Verblade froze.
Kaedor was the second eldest brother.
While Cadeon led the army in battles, Kaedor handled affairs within the dynasty.
But I didn't understand why they both froze when "turning mana into aura" was mentioned.
I said to Lord Cauron, "Is turning mana into aura difficult? Both of my brothers froze."
As soon as I said this, Cauron started laughing again—he probably thinks everything I say is a joke.
"I will answer that later, my child," he said.
"Now eat your meal and let the steward show you your room."
I finished my meal and was about to leave when Lord Cauron's wife said, "Luckily the summoning ritual failed, right? Look at what kind of son we have!"
This summoning ritual—what was it? Questions filled my mind as the steward held my hand and led me to my room.
My room was as big as the previous house—no, not that big, just as big as my previous room.
What was I going to do in this room anyway? After all, a room is only used for sleeping.
The steward left me alone for a while, and I tried to sleep in my room...
I don't know if I succeeded in sleeping, but I found myself again in that white void—probably my subconscious—and there was the shadow in front of me again.
Every time I slept, I asked the shadow if I would come here, and luckily the answer was no.
"This is your last meeting in your mind, Andreas. The darkness in your eyes will be the Verblades' nightmare. Find me in the Genocide Unit exam 10 years from now. I will tell you the truth that day," it said, and I woke up.
I don't know how much time passed since I slept, but outside it was quite dark.
Since it was night, I decided to examine my room and found a mirror; finally, I could see myself.
I stood in front of the mirror with my eyes closed, then suddenly opened them.
My reflection showed black eyes with no trace of red hair, a small nose and mouth, and ears of an ideal size for a 1.5-year-old child.
I could say my hair was short, very short actually.
But the more I looked at myself, the more shocked I was.
Was this really me?
Eyes that seemed empty and vacant, as if they were the very embodiment of disaster and betrayal.
Even if I tried to look innocent, I realized that the darkness in my eyes would never disappear.
The shadow said this darkness would consume the Verblades.
The Verblade family didn't seem like a bad family, maybe the shadow was my subconscious trying to deceive me.
For now, I decided not to trust the Verblade household.
I wanted to stay awake during the night, but after a few hours, I fell asleep while reading a book.
This time, I wasn't in that white void—probably my subconscious—but had a good sleep.
When I woke up in the morning, I first started theoretical training, which would last 6 months, and on my 2nd birthday, I would begin practical training.
I liked this plan and continued following it for 6 months.
Luckily, the steward was responsible for my theoretical training, which made me feel very comfortable.
I looked forward to my daily theoretical training.
"Young master, remember, theoretical training will not only be in these 6 months but throughout your 10 years of training," the steward said.
I didn't really want this.
Learning everything in 6 months and spending the next 10 years entirely on practical training seemed much more advantageous.
I told this to the steward, and he answered, "Your training program was determined by Lord Cauron, I have no say."
Lord really wanted me to master everything.
Fortunately, I had no intention of disappointing his expectations.
In theory, I learned how to activate and use mana.
The steward asked me:
"Take a deep breath and think about your subconscious.
What do you see there?"
"A shadow, in the shape of a human silhouette."
The steward was surprised.
"Can you talk to it?"
"Yes, sometimes."
The steward was even more surprised.
"So you have met it before?"
"Yes, a few times."
"Your power lies here; the purer your subconscious is, the stronger your mana, but it is hard to control. Now tell me, young master, what color is your subconscious?"
"An endless white. So white that I cannot see my own hands. But the shadow is so clear in this pure white that no matter how far I move away, I can still see it."
The steward stood up and said, "Let's finish for today".