Three months had passed since Paulo awoke in this new world. By then, she had learned to crawl and had begun noticing just how different her new home was from anything she remembered on Earth.
Paulo moved slowly across the smooth wooden floor, coming to a halt next to one of the sturdy support beams. The space had no light switches, no appliances emitting a hum, and not a single wire in sight running through the walls.
During these times, the System quietly updated itself. Without warning, a piece of knowledge simply appeared in her mind: the world she had been reborn into was called Terra.
This puzzled her; she hadn't been aware of it before and assumed the knowledge had come from within her own mind.
Later that day, as she crawled near the top of the wooden staircase, her mother, Satsuki Satoshi, quickly intervened, stopping her from going any further to avoid the risk of injury.
"XX-XXX-X," her mother said, speaking in a language Paulo still couldn't understand.
As Satsuki continued speaking, a faint purple glow flickered across her vision.
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(!)NOTICE YOU HAVE UNLOCKED A NEW SKILL
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[PASSIVE SKILL ACQUIRED]
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION LV.1
INFORMATION:
[AUTO TRANSLATES THE DEMON LANGUAGE KNOWN AS HADES]
REASON YOU UNLOCKED IT:
[YOU FINISHED THE QUEST: A STRANGER'S TONGUE]
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""You shouldn't be standing near these stairs by yourself, it's dangerous. Something bad could happen," Satsuki said, and this time Paulo was able to understand her words thanks to her passive skill.
The girl's eyes widened in surprise. For the first time, she could comprehend her mother's voice. She figured it must be because her mother was speaking in the Language the system told her about.
Satsuki started walking, cradling Paulo in her arms as she headed back to put her daughter in the crib. Along the way, she noticed Paulo drooling again and softly wiped it away with a tissue.
They reached Paulo's room, and as Satsuki approached the wooden crib, she carefully lowered her daughter inside. While there, she tossed the used tissue into the trash bin.
As she turned to leave, she didn't realize Paulo had already climbed out of the crib. Using the power of the system, she quietly, opened the door, careful not to make any noise that might alert her parents.
Paulo slipped into the kitchen unnoticed. Peering inside, she saw her mother talking with her father, Daiki Satoshi, the conversation appearing tense.
"I'll need to head out again," he said, attempting to keep his tone calm so as not to upset Satsuki further.
"What do you mean, going out again? You've barely been home for weeks and our daughter needs you," she replied, frustrated and reluctant to start an argument, especially with their tenth anniversary approaching.
"The Chaos Syndicate is active once more. I have to stop them before they endanger the village," Daiki explained before stepping out of the house.
Chaos Syndicate? Is it like some goofy villain name. Sounds like they're a group from a fictional comic book.
At first, this was Paulo's impression of them, but the reality turned out to be far worse than she'd anticipated. She wasn't aware yet, but the situation was on the verge of becoming much more unpleasant.
However, before Paulo can think about that a person had entered his vision. She didn't know who this person was because she was so far away. Her eye sight has always been blurry ever since being reborn.
What she didn't know is that the maid had spotted her. After realising, Paulo had tried to crawl away but couldn't do it fast enough as her twig arms weren't that strong.
"Master, you shouldn't be out of bed yet," The maid had spoken and like her mother she can understand the main but the thing that bothers her is the way she said master.
Why was I called that? I don't think that I am royalty in these parts of town? They wouldn't even let me go outside for a quick second?
When Satsuki realized the crib was empty, her heart lurched. She immediately searched the room before spotting the maid carrying her baby. Relief flooded her expression as she hurried over, pulling the child into her arms.
Her eyes narrowed at the maid, silently warning her never to take the child without permission again.
A short while later, Paulo was back in his crib. Satsuki and the maid stood just outside, engaged in conversation that quickly took on the tense tone of their earlier dispute.
"I told you never to leave the chosen one alone. If the Syndicate learns he's here, or worse, sees him injured, we're finished". Satsuki had explained, folding her arms.
"I'm sorry, my lady. It won't happen again," the maid replied.
Chosen one. What is she talking about? I am just a lonely teenage boy in my past life. How can I be this?
"Ah, Ah," Paulo had murmured, her tiny voice stumbling through words only a baby could fumble.
Then suddenly, the front door cracked open, the echo ricocheting up the staircase. Satsuki froze. She knew she'd locked it before Daiki left.
"Who's there?" Her whisper cut through the silence, sharp with fear.
Step by cautious step, she descended the creaking wooden stairs, pulse hammering. Each footfall was deliberate, sweat glistening on her brow, tension coiling tighter with every breath.
Relief washed over her, until it didn't. There he stood: Daiki, back from the hunt. Crimson stained his blade, his shirt, his hands. Thick droplets of blood pattered onto the floor. Smears of bone and grime marked the tiles, already scrubbed clean by the maid, but the memory lingered.
"You're back Daiki. How did your hunt for the syndicate members go?" Satsuki breathed, voice low, guarded.
Without a word, they moved to the kitchen. Blood trailed behind him like a shadow, seeping into wood, soaking into carpet. He shoved his coat under the faucet, red swirls spiralled down the drain.
"Tough fight. But no one crosses the Satoshi clan. Not when the new head is involved." he muttered, exhaustion heavy in his bones.
Satsuki nodded, calm as ever, and handed him a fresh coat. Blood meant nothing to her now. Not after everything they'd built, and bled, for.
Back in her room, Paulo lay in her crib, hands resting gently on her lap, eyes locked onto the system interface, again. Curiosity burned brighter in her than ever before.
All this Chosen One talk had been gnawing at her, stirring more questions than answers. To clear her head, she'd pulled up the system for the first time in three months, wondering if anything had shifted. Without hesitation, she drove straight into the SKILL menu.
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SKILLS
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Active Skills: NONE
Passive Skills:
Language Acquisition: Lv.1 EXP: 12/100
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Everything seemed fine, until it suddenly wasn't. Paulo had no clue skills levelled up through experience points; she had always assumed each new tier came from hitting milestones or completing quests. That misunderstanding? It changed everything.
Interesting, so I think I get this by hearing people speak or speaking it myself. Let's get this started.