Blurry. That's the only word that fits this new world. I could only make out faces close to me - everything else was a smear of colors and shapes. It was like wearing the thickest glasses in existence, then suddenly taking them off. The light was almost blinding, too white, too pure.
I didn't know anything about this place. Only the memories of my past life clung to me, and the people around me weren't speaking English or anything remotely close. It was like Latin had been tossed in a blender with something else I couldn't place. Every sound was strange, musical in a way, yet alien.
The only people I "knew" here were my mother - whose name I couldn't understand yet - and an older woman who seemed to be my caretaker. She was the one who changed my diapers, moving with the tired efficiency of someone who'd done this for decades. My mother, however, was the one who fed me, her voice soft, warm. The only word I could clearly make out was "Mama".
Being a baby sucked. My vision was short-ranged, my hearing muffled unless someone was right in my face, and worst of all… I couldn't even control my own body properly.
From what little I could see, there were a lot of swords decorating the walls, alongside grand portrait paintings. But what caught my eye most were the glowing orbs mounted in iron brackets. They weren't candles - each one shimmered with a steady white light, no flicker, no smoke. I could feel the faint hum of energy even from here. Mana.
Here, mana wasn't about flashy fireballs or summoning storms. It was woven into everyday life - powering lights like these orbs, strengthening swords, reinforcing armor. Practical. Efficient.
This wasn't some random farmhouse - it looked like a palace. In my old world, only kings or dukes lived like this. Which meant… I'd gotten lucky. I wasn't born poor this time.
So far, I'd only met my mother and caretaker. No father in sight. Maybe he was away on some mission… or dead. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised. In my past life, I grew up without a father.
That changed one evening.
I was lying in a crib, trying to make sense of the muffled conversation between the two women in the room, when heavy boots echoed against the polished stone floor outside. The door opened, and a man stepped in - tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a dark blue surcoat embroidered with a golden crest. His hair was black, streaked faintly with silver, and his presence filled the room instantly. His eyes landed on me, and for a second, the coldness in them melted.
My mother spoke quickly, smiling brightly. She turned to me and said a word slowly, as if to help me understand. "Papa."
So… this was him. My father.
He came closer, removing a pair of leather gloves, and leaned over the crib. The scent of oiled steel and leather clung to him. He studied me for a moment, then - surprisingly gently - placed a hand on my tiny chest.
And that's when it happened.
Time… stuttered.
It was brief - just a fraction of a second - but the mana-lit orbs on the walls seemed to freeze mid-glow. The sound of my mother's voice dulled, like someone had covered my ears. Even my father's hand felt heavier against me. Then, just as suddenly, everything went back to normal.
My heartbeat quickened. Tempus Fractura. That voice from before… was it already working?
I said nothing - not that I could - but my mind was already racing. Powers like this didn't make you safe. They made you a target.
That night, I drifted to sleep with those thoughts still swirling.
And then… the dream began.
There was no weight to my body - because there was no body. I was a sphere of soft, pulsating light, hovering in an endless void. My "skin" shimmered faintly, like ripples of mana flowing across its surface. I couldn't feel a mouth, couldn't breathe… yet my awareness was sharp, crystal clear.
I could move, gliding through the darkness simply by willing it. No sound, no friction, just pure movement. The sensation was intoxicating - like I had shed all the limits of flesh.
A faint golden glow appeared in the distance. Drawn to it, I drifted closer, and the shape sharpened into a floating plate of polished metal. Strange symbols twisted across its surface, glowing faintly. As I focused, the letters began to shift, rearranging themselves until I could read them perfectly:
[Name]: Ashen Darkburg
[Abilities]:
• Tempus Fractura – Current Limit: 0.5 seconds
• Magic Knight's Blessing – A sacred ability, granting mana reinforcement and mastery over mana-forged weaponry. Highly respected among knight orders.
The plate pulsed once, sending a faint vibration through my mana-form.
"User has activated Tempus Fractura for the first time."
The numbers under Tempus Fractura flickered - 0.5 seconds shifted into 1.0 second.
I floated there, staring at the change, a strange thrill coursing through my mana. A whole extra half-second… and this was just the beginning.
The golden plate cracked suddenly, splitting into a thousand shimmering motes that drifted away into the void.
Before I could follow them, a shadowy ripple spread across the darkness, like something vast had just noticed me.
And then I woke up - my tiny heart pounding in my chest.