My "father" is gone. At least… I think he is.
It's been six more months since I started living with Julia—and he hasn't stumbled through the door even once to punch deer or blast lightning into the sky. No explanation. No message.
Just… gone.
And me? Yeah… I still can't use magic. Kind of hard when I can't even read. Every day I stare at these books like a caveman trying to intimidate a smartphone into working.
Thankfully, Julia exists.
She reads me stories every night. Not kiddie tales—no, no. Real fantasy stories about ancient heroes, wars, mages, monsters… exactly what a toddler needs to go to bed maximally hyped.
Two names show up the most:
Darius, the Hero. Luzius, the Saint.
Luzius was boring. That guy was so holy his mistakes were probably just moral side quests.
But Darius?
Darius was different. Wild. Unbreakable. Fearless. A warrior who toppled armies like they were dominos.
And every time Julia reads his feats, every time she describes—so gently—how he shattered boulders with his bare hands or made the earth tremble with nothing but his aura—
…I think of my father.
A little too much.
It's unsettling. Creepy even.
I like Julia. She's warm, kind… almost like my mother from my old world. Different kind of warmth, but close enough to stab me right in the chest.
Because if I think about my actual mother…
That poor woman. Her son died—I died—and she doesn't even know why.
Sometimes I wonder what she looks like now. Whether she's crying. Whether my brother is taking care of her.
I hope so. God, I really hope so.
My father… my real one…He must've been devastated too. He worked a lot, but he loved me. Loved me so much he wouldn't let me study abroad because "I can't stand the thought of you being that far away."
Back then I thought he was being dramatic.
Now?
Phew.
If I had just gone…I probably wouldn't be here now.
Irony hits different when you're reincarnated as a toddler.
Knock.
…Huh? Someone at the door?
Great. I'm sitting here like a stranded potato on the edge of my bed—which Julia made intentionally high so I wouldn't climb out at night to raid the bookshelf again. Yeah. She knows me too well.
I stretch, but nope. Can't reach. Imprisoned in my own bed.
My voice won't help either—it still sounds like a broken teapot being stepped on.
Probably another guy trying to woo Julia. Happens all the time.
…
"Good day, Lady Vaynhouse," a man's voice says.
Hmm? A guy. And for once, not one who's drooling.
Julia answers softly—way more respectfully than usual."Good day… um, you are?"
"My name is Notos Quillen," the man says. "Member of the Research Division of the Virtue of Wisdom. Specializing in: Magic."
Magic?
Oh.
Finally, someone who isn't here to offer Julia apples and a marriage proposal.
Interesting.
I perk up. His clothes rustle—clean, elegant. No armor. No sweat smell. Definitely not a villager. Noble? Maybe.
Or worse…A super-smart mage nerd here to expose me as a mana-deficient loser.
"May I come in?" he asks politely.
Julia raises an eyebrow." Are you here to recruit me again for the Wisdom?" Her tone sharpens. "Tell your superior my answer is still no."
Whoa. Never heard her like this.
What the hell did she go through?
BAM!
She slams the door in his face. No hesitation. No polite smile.
I just stare.
Wow. That was… cool.
She turns to me.
Oh no. OH NO.
That look…
I'm scared. Quick—I should hide under the blanket before her demon mode activates or she reflexively punts me into orbit.
…My blanket?
HEY!!
She picks me up. Just—lifts me. No warning. And then—
She hugs me.
"Ma… ma?" I whisper.(Okay look. THAT WAS NOT INTENTIONAL. It slipped out. I swear.)
She squeezes tighter. Okay… ow… ow… TOO TIGHT.
"Leave you here and go with them?" she murmurs. Her voice is quiet but firm." Do they think I'm insane?"
She smells so good. Floral. Comforting.
Why does this feel so warm?
Why do her arms feel so safe?
DUDE—I ALREADY HAVE A MOM SAVED IN MY HEART STORAGE!! STOP MAKING ME FEEL THINGS!!
Anyway.
I'm three now. And my father still hasn't come back.
By the way?
So this is what it feels like when a dad "goes out for milk." Weird sensation. Like hunger, but sadder.
Whatever.
I don't need him.
…I think.
We're going out again. Way too often if you ask me. In my old life, I never left the house unless I needed the gym. Now Julia drags me outside like I'm a hyperactive puppy.
"Fresh air is good for you," she says.
No it's not. You know what's good for me?Books. Silence. Peace. And zero people trying to touch my face.
Speaking of—
A young woman approaches. Orange-red hair. Very bright. Kind of looks like she's made of half a campfire.
She smiles at Julia… then at me.
Hey—Wait—NO, NO, DON'T—
She reaches out and—
PINCH.
"OW!!"
I grab my cheek, stunned from this unprovoked attack by a total stranger.
"So cute," she says, beaming.
"Cute?!" I'm TWENTY—Okay… physically three…BUT STILL.
"Mirana, good to see you… how's your little one?" Julia asks.
PLEASE DON'T START SMALLTALK, JULIA. I BEG YOU. I CAN'T HANDLE THIS.
"Well, he'd be fine… if he actually slept," Mirana sighs."Sometimes I swear he's nocturnal."
"Reminds me of someone I know," Julia says—and smiles directly at me.
…
…
EXCUSE ME??
Julia…Are you betraying me? Selling me out to random mothers??
Unbelievable.
…
We walk on.
Before us stands a huge tree, branches arching like a roof. Beyond it, a field of flowers spilling across the land, colors dancing in the wind.Farther ahead—small houses, thin smoke rising from chimneys. And behind them… mountains. Endless, blue, majestic.
Wow. Just… wow.
It's beautiful.
But—
Without realizing it, my face shifts into peak sulk mode. Lips pushed out. Eyes narrowed. Silent protest level: expert.
She'll notice. She HAS to notice.
Then I'll say: "No Julia, I won't cheer up unless you teach me magic…"Hah! Perfect!I'm a genius! A—
Flick.
"OW—HEY!! That hurts!"
Julia snaps her fingers against my forehead like she's activating a spell. Assault, straight-up assault.
She frowns. "What's that face for, Kore?"
I glare like an offended goldfish. I say nothing.
Silence is my weapon. If I don't talk, she'll worry… she'll get confused… emotional… desperate—
Then I'll ask for magic lessons and win—
"Kore."
She stops me.
Both hands rest gently on my tiny shoulders. Warm. Soft.
Her eyes melt into concern.
"Kore… is something wrong?"
My brain: DON'T TALK. RESIST. RESIST. THIS IS FOR POWER.
My mouth:"Hmmmph…"
DAMN IT. I LOST.
I inhale deeply.
Okay… now or never.
I tilt my head slightly. Eyes wide. Pupils shimmering.Lower lip trembling.
Puppy-Eyes Mode: ACTIVATED.
"M-Mama…"(My voice is so soft angels would take notes.)" I can't read well yet and… you always read such pretty stories to me…"
She blinks. Her shoulders loosen.
GOOD. SHE'S FALLING FOR IT.
"Could you maybe…"Add a little voice tremble—perfect."…read me a magic book?"
Her eyes widen for a second.
I push.
"I wanna do cool tricks like you!"
BAM. THAT'S IT. THE FINISHER. She's done. I win. VICTORY ROYA—
Julia slowly smiles.
She kneels down, hands resting on my shoulders.
Her eyes—soft, sad—meet mine.
"Kore…"
YES. SAY IT. SAY YES.
"I would love to…"
YESSS—
"…but you barely have any mana."
…
Huh?
"You can't become a mage."
…
HUUUUUUH?!?!
Inside my head, an orchestra dies.
WHAT?! EXCUSE ME?! ME?? NO MAGIC?!
My bloodstream does a hard emergency stop.
What do you MEAN "no magic"?!
My mouth opens—no sound. I stare like a TV that just lost signal.
She strokes my hair gently.
"I'm sorry, Kore… you have almost no mana. Even if you learn to read, even if I teach you everything… you wouldn't be able to cast a single spell."
I DIE INSIDE.
What is this?! Am I cursed?! Did the world scam me?! Am I… TRASH?!
ME?! The son of that testosterone-Kratos monster??
How do I have LESS mana than a potato?!
I stumble back emotionally shattered.
…
That's it. I'm done.
End of Chapter.