The royal library of Elenoir was my sanctuary.
While other four-year-old children were playing with wooden toys or chasing butterflies in the gardens, I spent hours among the ancient shelves, devouring every book on magical theory that I could find. Not because I had to, but because I needed to understand.
I had managed to fully form my mana core three years ago. Since that first night when I was three months old, I had continued drawing in mana particles methodically every day. While other babies were just beginning to crawl, I was building the foundations of my power.
The process had been slow but steady. I visualized my core as a container that needed to be filled, and each night, I drew more and more mana into it. Particles of every element came without resistance, as if they recognized that they belonged to me. By the time I turned one year old, my core had already reached the light red stage. At two years old, dark orange. Now, at four, it shone with a solid yellow.
It was absurd progress by any standard. Even Arthur, with all his memories as King Grey and his obsessive training, had not advanced this quickly in canon. But I had the Legacy. Every element responded to my call with the same ease, accelerating my development in ways no normal mage could replicate.
But power without knowledge was dangerous. And that was why I was here, reading a dusty tome on advanced mana manipulation.
"Kael, here again?"
I lifted my gaze from the book. Tessia was standing at the entrance of the library, her hands on her hips in a pose that was meant to look stern but only made her look adorable. She was seven years old now, and every day she looked more like the Tessia I remembered from the novel. Her platinum-blonde hair had grown to her shoulders, and her turquoise eyes shone with a mix of exasperation and affection.
"I'm just reading, Tess," I replied, using the nickname she had allowed me to use since I learned how to speak.
I had had to be very careful with how I behaved. I couldn't act too mature or I would arouse suspicion. I had learned to speak at a normal age, walked when expected, and generally behaved like a smart but not supernatural child. Except for my obsession with magic books, which my parents attributed to early curiosity.
"Reading?" Tessia walked over to me, looking at the book. Her eyes widened. "Kael, this book is advanced level. I don't even understand half of it!"
I shrugged, feigning childish innocence. "I like the pictures."
It was a lie, of course. I was studying the theory behind elemental manipulation, looking for ways to better control the Legacy without revealing its true nature. But I couldn't tell Tessia that.
She sighed and took the book from me, closing it with a soft thud. "You've spent enough time here already. Come on, I want to show you something."
What thing?
A mischievous smile crossed her face. "It's a secret. But it's important. Come on."
She took my hand and dragged me out of the library. I didn't resist. I knew that look. It was the same one I had seen in images from the web novel. Tessia was planning something, and when Tessia planned something, things got interesting.
We snuck through the palace corridors, avoiding guards and servants. Tessia had clearly planned this route, because she knew exactly when to turn and where to hide. Finally, we reached her room.
"Close the door," she whispered.
I obeyed, and she immediately ran to her bed, pulling something out from underneath it. It was a book, but not one from the royal library. It was older, more worn, with an appearance that screamed "adventure."
"What is that?" I asked, even though I had an idea.
"It's a book about adventurers," Tessia said, her eyes shining with barely contained excitement. "I found it in Grandpa and Grandma's attic. It talks about people who go out into the world, explore dungeons, fight mana beasts—have real adventures!"
She sat down on the floor, and I sat across from her. She opened the book, showing me illustrations of adventurers in shining armor, mages casting powerful spells, and massive beasts being defeated.
"Look at this, Kael," she pointed to an image of an elven woman with a bow, standing on a cliff overlooking an infinite horizon. "She left Elenoir. She saw the world. She didn't stay trapped in the palace her whole life."
I heard the tone in her voice. Longing. A desperate yearning for something more.
"Tess…" I began, but she continued.
"I know Mom and Dad love me. And I love Elenoir. But sometimes…" she bit her lip, "sometimes I feel like these walls are suffocating me. I want to see more. I want to do more than just be a princess who attends ceremonies and learns etiquette."
My heart tightened. This was the Tessia I remembered. The one who would feel so trapped that she would eventually run away into the Elshire Forest. The one who would meet Arthur. The one who would start a chain of events that led to so much suffering.
"When I'm older," Tessia continued, her voice dreamy, "I'm going to be an adventurer. I'm going to go out and see the world. All of Dicathen. Maybe even beyond."
"And what about me?" I asked softly.
She blinked, as if she had forgotten I was there. Then she laughed softly and ruffled my hair. "You'll come with me, of course. We'll be a team. The adventurer princess and her genius little brother."
"Genius little brother?"
"You're the only four-year-old I know who reads advanced magical theory books," she said with a smile. "When you grow up, you'll probably be an archmage or something."
If only you knew, I thought.
Tessia closed the book and looked at me seriously. "Kael, promise me something."
What?
"Promise that when we're older, we'll have adventures together. That we won't stay trapped in the palace forever. That we'll see the world."
It was an impossible promise. I knew what was coming. I knew Arthur would appear soon. I knew war would break out. I knew Tessia would suffer in ways she couldn't even imagine right now.
But looking into her eyes, full of hope and dreams, I couldn't deny her this.
"I promise, Tess," I said. And added silently: But I also promise to protect you from what I know is coming.
She laughed brightly and hugged me. "I knew you'd understand! You're the best brother in the world."