**Childhood**
--------------------
"I must say, the experience of going through childhood again has not been very pleasant," Viktor murmured into his own mental journal as he analyzed his life up to the present day, now that he had turned three years old.
"Despite all the inconveniences of an infantile form and the constant absence of my father, I have gained something that was denied to me in my past life: a family—a mother and a brother five years older than I am now."
"Knowing I was no longer on Earth, I sought information about this world. First, I tried to understand the language my parents spoke. Despite the differences, there were some similarities to Earth's native tongues, so it didn't take long for me to grasp the language, and a few months later, reading naturally followed."
"I am in a border county of a kingdom called Valgoria, a place based on honor and tradition. The Graves house, to which I belong, protects the kingdom's borders from the Orcs to the North and the Empire to the East. For this reason, my father is always away, leading incursions and soldiers against Orc and Imperial invaders."
Viktor paused in his train of thought and looked around. He was currently in the Graves family library, making use of the little sunlight that filtered through one of the wooden windows in the stone walls.
However, he did not notice that in a darker corner, a figure was curiously watching him through a bookshelf. "He's still talking to himself," Gawain thought, looking at his younger brother with puzzlement.
In his view, he was strange. He liked being alone, didn't cry, didn't complain, and spent his days immersed in books. The servants said this was a sign of wisdom and good fortune. His mother, though worried, also showed satisfaction with him, but Gawain himself found him odd.
Though young, Gawain had inherited his father's sharpness and appearance—tall, strong, and despite his youthful face, hints of severity were already beginning to form in his features. He himself was starting to understand the responsibilities he would have to bear.
Having observed for a while, he soon decided to withdraw and return to his own tasks, leaving Viktor alone once more in that vast library.
Viktor, having murmured to himself a while longer, soon forced his young body to stand up and picked up a book near his size that he had been reading, which recounted the history of the kingdom and his family.
Most of the books in this library were accounts of battles, military conquests, or historical events. The remaining portion contained scarce and random information like recipes and fairy tales.
Looking at the vast number of books, Viktor allowed himself a sigh. It would take him a very long time to read this library completely, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Three years was more than enough time for him to accept the fact that he had reincarnated into a new world. It was an opportunity. Even though he was merely the second son of a Count and couldn't inherit a title, this didn't worry him.
"I've already risen to power from the lowest stratum of society once. Now that I'm starting near the top, it shouldn't be much harder," he said to himself with a laugh. This world, though technologically behind, should not be underestimated.
The supernatural lurked. He had already heard of mages and sorcerers capable of controlling the weather and raising the dead. There were various intelligent races besides humans, and many powerful beasts inhabited the world.
His own father was an example of a superhuman. He had once seen him cut a stone wall the size of a small house in half with a single swing of his sword. His strength alone was tremendous, and Viktor could sense that many of his other physical attributes were far greater than any human should be capable of achieving.
But when he asked his father the secret to such strength, the latter merely looked him in the eyes and said, "I trained and fought hard." Then he fell silent. Viktor was disappointed with the answer but accepted it.
Walking back, Viktor soon reached the shelf where he had taken the book from and pushed it back into place. At that moment, something caught his attention. The sunlight hit a book under the shelf, making it glint momentarily and causing Viktor to approach.
With great effort, he soon pulled the book out from under the shelf and brushed off the dust covering it. "A forgotten book? How strange. The librarian is not usually negligent, and this book seems to have been here a very long time," Viktor murmured to himself, looking at the cover.
After the dust cleared, he could observe golden patterns covering the book, inscribed in a language he did not recognize. However, he recognized the word at the center of the book. "Atlas of Knowledge?" Viktor murmured and tried to open it, but to his surprise, it was firmly sealed.
Although there was no lock, Viktor could not pry the pages apart to open the book. "Perhaps there's a mechanism?" he wondered and began to examine the book closely for something. He soon found a small button hidden within the script on the book's back cover.
*Click.*
"Argh," Viktor groaned in pain as he looked at his finger, which he had used to press the button. It was bleeding, with a small needle protruding from the spot. Before he could react, his blood dripped onto the book, making it glow with a golden color, startling him.
Everything lasted an instant before the book transformed into a cluster of lights and penetrated his hand. Viktor tried to prevent the lights from entering his body, but his effort was in vain. Soon, the symbol of a book appeared on the back of his hand for a moment before vanishing.
"What was that?" he asked himself, frightened, but soon a voice echoed through the library, calling him.
"Viktor, my dear son, come. It's time for lunch. Your father and brother are already waiting at the table," his mother's sweet voice resonated in the library. After taking a deep breath, Viktor calmed himself, stood up, and headed towards the library exit.
"I'm coming, Mother."