The white-haired boy sat on the floor beside a tall shelf, flipping through a big picture book. He was so focused he didn't even notice the footsteps behind him.
"Young Master Erin, there you are!"
Lina, his maid, sounded relieved when she finally found him.
Erin turned his head.
"Sorry, Lina. The pictures here are really pretty... I like looking at them."
"It's alright, young master. But it's time for lunch. Your mother asked me to bring you."
"Okay! Let's go!"
He stood up with a bright smile.
Seeing his expression, Lina couldn't help smiling back. This child could melt anyone's heart just by looking at them.
They walked through the long corridor. Erin's steps were small, but his thoughts were already far вперед.
In one week, I'll be three years old.
And in these three years... I learned a lot.
He could already speak the local language, almost fluently.
He could even read simple things, though the writing system was complicated.
And the most important part:
I finally understood how this world works.
The world is called Kaeltaria.
It's divided into three continents, surrounded by massive oceans.
Erin was born on the Eastern Continent, inside the powerful Arktalia Empire.
The empire had nine great duchies, and dozens of lesser noble houses - marquises, counts, barons.
Even their own duchy had three marquises under it.
His father was Duke Arkwil, the head of House Arkwil.
Their lands weren't the richest, but thanks to his father's strength and the resources around them, the duchy held a stable middle position in the empire.
His mother was the daughter of the Duke of Valteria, a family famous for producing ice mages.
House Arkwil, on the other hand, was well known for lightning and strong body-based abilities.
And above all of them stood the Emperor, who had ruled for a very long time.
He didn't look old - not even close. People here simply lived longer, especially nobles and those with power.
His father had two wives - nothing unusual in this world.
The Emperor had five.
Erin also had two older brothers:
- Michael, his full brother.
- Richard, his half-brother.
And he had an older sister, Agatha, who loved sneaking him sweets and laughing when he hid them from the maids.
As for the power system...
That part was still confusing.
Father always said he was too young to learn everything.
So Erin only knew the basics.
There were two paths:
The Path of the Body - called the Tessos Path.
The Path of Magic - a mage's strength was shown by the magic rings that appeared under them when using their full power.
Each ring had the color of the mage's element.
His mother's rings were white.
His father's were violet - the same color as Erin's eyes.
Maybe that means I'll have lightning? Or something else?
Magic usually awakened at the age of six.
No rituals, no ceremonies - it just happened.
Most people inherited their element from their bloodline or region.
But there were exceptions.
Michael inherited lightning.
Agatha got ice.
Richard didn't inherit his mother's element at all.
So what will awaken in me?
They reached the door to the washroom.
Lina opened it and bowed slightly.
"Young master, please wash your hands and fix your hair. Then I'll take you to the dining hall."
Erin stepped inside.
The washroom wasn't anything like the old medieval bathrooms he remembered from books on Earth.
It was clean, bright, and surprisingly modern.
There was even a toilet - except instead of flushing, waste was removed with magic.
The water was heated by special stones.
The lighting came from glowing crystals, though common people usually used candles.
Erin approached the sink, turned the handle, and lightly pressed the warm stone.
Soft warm water flowed out.
He wet his hands... and froze for a moment.
A small boy stared back at him from the mirror.
White hair.
Violet eyes.
Soft, almost delicate features.
Wow... I really am good-looking. That's dangerous. I could become a narcissist at this rate.
He finished washing, wiped his hands, and walked out.
Lina was still waiting for him patiently.
"Let's go," he said.
She nodded with a gentle smile and followed beside him.