The exterior of the castle resounded with an ominous rumble, while a brilliant bolt of lightning traversed the desolate, somber firmament, cleaving it asunder into dual realms of obscurity.
The windows quivered in response to the tempest's fury, the torrential raindrops creating a foreboding percussion against the glass, their relentless cadence permeating the space.
This eerie symphony cast haunting, dancing shadows across the room's interior, evoking an unsettling atmosphere.
Positioned at the heart of the room, the bed stood as one of the sparse adornments within the space.
And nestled within the bed rested a cherubic infant, whose plump cheeks were framed by a cascade of jet-black tresses.
His innocent countenance bore a tranquil expression as he gazed out the window, his azure orbs reflecting a detached curiosity in the face of the tempestuous tempest raging beyond.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka----or rather, Jin Runcandel, currently was 2 years old.
Just as in the preceding 365 days, he found himself engrossed in contemplation, pondering the mysterious circumstances that had led him to this peculiar juncture in his life.
He meticulously retraced the journey of the past year, scrutinizing each chapter of his existence since he had assumed the identity of the infant known as Jin Runcandel.
It was a ritual he faithfully observed, revisiting each memory with an unwavering commitment, just as he had done every day since embarking on this currently lackluster, moonless new life.
>Flashback<
Kiyotaka thought about it a few times.
Reincarnation. The words were clearly in his mind the moment he watched himself getting picked up by a woman and naming him as Jin, the youngest of the Runcandels.
Reincarnation---the eternal cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, was a concept that had consumed his thoughts for as long as he could remember. However, the lack of scientific evidence made him leave the thought in the annals of his current ambitions.
Comprehending the intricacies of reincarnation remained an elusive pursuit for him.
Upon his initial emergence into this world, the only conclusion he could hastily draw pertained to a peculiar twist in the fabric of space-time curvature.
Nevertheless, the notion of astral bodies and metaphysical concepts required a degree of belief that he was unwilling to embrace.
Typically, he would have delved deeper into such matters.
However, all that changed when he heard certain words from a particular individual. It was then that he learned his reincarnation had not been a deliberate act but rather a happenstance---fate.
After his birth, Jin was placed inside the Runcandel residence, where he was initially looked after the servants.
One of the sisters, the eldest---Luna Runcandel, watched her from afar, enjoying his cute little expression as he would often try to roll himself inside the crib, make curious noises or try to stand up despite being a kid who was just born.
Even the mother was surprised after looking at the unusual activeness in the boy.
Everyonne born in the Runcandels----specifically, pureblood Runcandels were blessed with a physique that was stronger, tenacious and resilient to poisons.
However, even for a Runcandel kid, Jin was exceedingly active.
However, that came with its own set of worries. The boy had no expressions. The only expressions he made was when he needed to be cleaned. Despite all that, it didn't stop from some of his siblings to look at him in a doting way.
The same could not be said about Jin himself.
'I have no motor control over myself. Also, I do not know why, but I feel like someone is watching me.'
The thought of someone silently watching him sent creeps down his spine.
However, it wasn't boredom that was killing Jin.
It was curiosity.
The youngest was contracted to the God of Shadows---Solderet.
Initially, the original owner of the body was contracted to Solderet, however, after dying, he was sent back in time. Due to dying once, the link between Jin and Solderet has been severed, hence he is no longer being protected by him.
Although, before dying, he left a few words.
{The reason why you replaced the original contractor remains elusive to me. However, since you are my new contractor, I will tell you a few things. Ask away.}
Jin knows the basics of where he has ended up.
A world controlled by two overlords---The Sword Family---Runcandels, and The Magic Family---Zipfels.
Magic was a taboo in the Runcandel family.
Jin knew already that he can't get his peace even in his second life as he was able to wield magic and was now a God's contractor.
Being the youngest of the Runcandel family, he had 12 older siblings. He wasn't going to aim for the throne anyways, given it was too "tiresome."
However, little did he know that taking birth alone in this family was going to mess his peaceful life up, let alone the act he does a year after his birth.
Currently, he was 100 days old. He could crawl here and there, but his body couldn't obey his mind and resist its natural needs. And so, he fell into a deep sleep.
(***)
1 year has passed since his rebirth.
Time was trickling slowly, one day at a time.
Jin was having the time of his life.
Not thinking about the future, at all and just enjoying his time as a little baby fawned over by his nanny---Gilly.
Little Jin spent his days drinking lots and lots of milk from a bottle and fall asleep when the time came.
And whenever he relieved himself in his diapers, Gilly, his nanny, would come replace them.
It was a luxurious life. He didn't feel any shame. If anything, he enjoyed being pampered like this.
'I think I deserve this much for what's to come.'
Although, he did not know the full extent of it, Jin was still aware his life is going to be a bed full of thorns.
So, he enjoyed every last bit of it.
That was all his daily schedule had entailed during the entire year.
Everything went well.
Until a certain day.
A week after he had his first birthday.
A certain woman entered Jin's room.
Her ebony tresses cascaded gracefully, framing a visage that bore a penetrating, keen gaze accentuating her straight and pointed nose.
Her allure was undeniable, but it was tempered by an air of shrewdness and dominance that had garnered her the moniker 'Black Panther' from those who crossed her path.
She was the mistress of the house, Rosa Runcandel---the mother of Jin and his siblings.
Jin looked at her with a blank look. He was already not fond of her.
Although, the curiousness in his chest bubbled on a reflex, almost instinctively as he took her features in and etched them in his brain.
'What was that?'
He almost felt like his own body was foreign to him.
"Are the preparations over, Gilly?"
"Of course, ma'am. Today's the day the young master 'selects', so I've paid special attention to everything."
"Good. Then let's go immediately."
Gilly and Rosa engaged in their customary small talk, a routine exchange of words.
Among the Runcandels, practicality was a cherished trait, and indulging in idle conversation was a rare luxury they seldom afforded themselves or even others.
Jin was confused as he held a bottle in his mouth, sucking on the milk as if his life depended on it.
'Select what, exactly? Don't tell me they make kids pick up a sword.'
Jin thought.
And a few moments after, he found himself in the [Garden of Swords]
In the Runcandel family, a unique and significant tradition known as the 'Selection' awaited the children on their first birthday.
This ritual involved the adults carefully arranging an array of various items on the floor, and then encouraging the infant to crawl toward and select one of them.
A deep-rooted superstition surrounded this practice, suggesting that the chosen item would symbolize the child's future and destiny.
Curiously, the Runcandels held this superstition in high regard, and it was an event that carried great weight within their family.
Rosa gently cradled Jin and led him to the grand central hall of the castle.
Jin felt a pang in his heart for getting separated from his milk bottle. Making a mental reminder of devouring it later, he looked ahead.
At the heart of the hall stood a formidable figure, arms confidently crossed.
He was none other than Jin's father, Cyron Runcandel, renowned as the mightiest knight of their era.
'He must be the patriarch.'
Jin thought, addressing to his father as patriarch.
'Then those must be....' His voice trailed off in his mind as he saw the 12 people standing on the other side. Almost all of them were teens.
'...my siblings.'
Suddenly, Jin felt his body convulse. As if seeing the faces of his siblings gave his little body an inherent trauma.
'This again... I can't talk to Solderet again, but I am sure the body's original soul is not here. Is it the body? Does it remember even after being sent back in time?'
Jin had no idea about the bullying this body had gone through in his previous life. Although, he could deduce everything already.
Especially the brother who was looking at him from the side of his eye. His black hair was combed back, giving him an elegant look but there was something else about him that made Jin narrow his eyes on him.
"Rosa, place Jin on the floor."
Cyron's command was heeded by his wife, and she gently lowered Jin until his tiny limbs touched the cool, unyielding marble, causing a slight shiver to course through his fragile form.
A mere two meters away from him, the array of items for the Selection ritual lay before him.
His curious eyes scanned the assortment, taking in a book, two coins, a solitary grain of rice, and a formidable collection of over twenty distinctive swords protruding from the hall's floor.
As he observed the peculiar spectacle before him, a stream of incredulity flowed through Jin's thoughts.
The notion of making a baby crawl amid a multitude of swords, with the intent to grasp one by the blade, struck him as utterly preposterous.
'Rice! They have rice. I guess I should touch that.'
Jin immediately thought.
"Now, choose one of them, son."
Cyron's voice was gentle, lacking the booming thunder that usually made people reel and get on their knees the moment they confronted him.
The Runcandel family members observed Jin's crawling with bated breath, their collective anticipation palpable.
Each set of eyes held a distinct curiosity about which sword the youngest member would choose—whether it would be a pair of twin swords, a grand and imposing greatsword, an elegant longsword, or perhaps an entirely different blade altogether.
'Crawling with this amount of stamina is exhausting.'
Jin thought. It was the first time in his life he was suffering from exhaustion due to lower stamina.
Despite having a physique blessed by the gods themselves, making a one-year-old crawl amidst real swords was something that could exhaust him easily, no matter how robust his body was.
With determined resolve, Jin's diminutive limbs propelled him forward, inch by inch, until he drew near the solitary grain of rice placed amidst the array of items.
Cyron grumbled and his siblings suddenly started whispering, some snickering in a condescending way as they watched him touch the bag of rice...
...almost.
He suddenly looked away.
The others almost flinched at the sudden change in the trajectory.
Jin's eyes were wide. As he saw behind him, he felt a familiar presence. Almost as if someone was calling out to him.
'Solderet?'
He thought.
'No. It is not him. But I feel his presence. It's faint, but I can feel it.'
He was unaware of it as of now, but it was the smell that lured him. Like a moth to a flame, Jin started crawling at max speed, making his thick diaper sway from left to right in tandem with his high speed.
Cyron was the first to react.
Witnessing the abrupt change in Jin's demeanor, found his own eyes widening in sheer astonishment. The unexpected turn of events had caught him completely off guard.
He almost felt himself cackling but restrained from doing so.
The other siblings, one who realised what was going to happen gasped, eyes wide in... shock...as much as equally in jealousy.
While some had apparent look on their faces, a few of them clicked their tongues while one of them smiled.
A smile that hid the evil intentions inside.
The weapons formed a protective circle around the desired item situated in the center.
As Jin rolled and crawled, his path took him tantalizingly close to the nearest sword, a sight that elicited widened eyes from all those assembled in the hall.
In the eyes of the observers, it was an age-old expectation that infants, regardless of their lineage, would invariably reach for the nearest item within their grasp.
However, Jin's meandering trajectory through the forest of swords defied convention, leaving onlookers with bated breath.
A collective thought echoed in their minds: "Could he possibly be heading for that sword?"
With each deliberate swerve Jin executed amidst the treacherous sea of blades, the brows of Cyron and Rosa, frozen in disbelief, began to twitch in response to the suspenseful and unconventional path he embarked upon.
"Ghhh..." Jin spoke out loud, although unintelligible, it was enough to convey his message.
However, the way his family interpreted it was the opposite to what he actually meant.
He had touched the flat side of the sword in attempt to not cut his hand and he purely touched it because he was pulled in by the sweet smell of Solderet's shadow energy that left a single, miniscule trace on the sword.
As the collective attention of the family members shifted from the baby to the particular sword in question, their jaws collectively dropped in sheer astonishment.
Their initial assumption had been that Jin had merely happened upon this particular sword by chance.
However, the stark reality proved to be vastly different from their initial impressions.
It became abundantly clear that Jin had crawled with an unwavering determination towards this specific weapon.
His relentless journey had left him utterly drained, for even with the intellect of an adult, manipulating the body of a mere one-year-old proved to be no simple feat.
Jin's tiny hand came to rest upon [Barisada], the sword that bore not only a name but also the emblem of the Runcandel clan.
Throughout countless generations, this sword had been a symbol of unparalleled significance, reserved exclusively for the Runcandel patriarchs.
More precisely, it could only be wielded by those patriarchs who had earned the recognition and approval of every member within the Runcandel Clan.
In the annals of Runcandel history, the instances of Barisada being 'selected' during the ritual could be counted on a single hand.
Moreover, every child who had chosen Barisada in this manner had inevitably grown up to assume the mantle of the Runcandel patriarch.
Every child, that is, except for Jin Runcandel from his prior life.
Since even the past Jin had subconsciously chosen Barisada.
"Jin chose the Founder Temar's sword," Cyron declared with solemnity, and a mix of emotions pervaded the onlookers.
Some couldn't contain their elation, while others struggled to conceal their discontent.
This was the essence of the Runcandel.
"The ritual is concluded," Cyron announced, his voice carrying the weight of tradition. "Take Jin to Storm Castle."
>Flasback end<
As the memories of that pivotal day resurfaced within his mind, Jin let out a resigned sigh.
Following that "damned" Selection ritual, he had become the target of a malevolent magician who had placed a talent-blocking seal upon him.
However, the contract with Solderet had remained intact, serving as an automatic mechanism that nullified the curse.
'I need to find the culprit. Accusing one of the siblings without having tangible evidence would not work. No one would believe a little kid like me anyways.' Jin thought.
Delving into the motives, Jin's instincts and conclusions pointed toward the possibility of a sibling being involved.
Yet, he couldn't ignore the existence of other potential suspects in this puzzle.
He knew that he needed to tread carefully, for uncovering the truth would require a keen intellect and a strategic approach.
He could just leave the matter altogether. However, the came from him once. They will most definitely do it again. He was not safe.
As he looked outside the window, a bright flash of lightning blinded him, followed by a violently oscillating thunder.
However, the youngest Runcandel kept his eyes on the blinding light. This wasn't enough to make him flinch or peel his eyes away.
'Why is it always raining here?'
Jin asked himself. Of course, he knew the answer to this question. He was bored of storms every day. He died when spring was in full bloom. So, the only thing he missed about earth was the spring... as for now.
As for the answer to 'Why is it always raining'.....
The Storm Castle.
A castle detached from the Runcandel Clan's main castle.
Every Runcandel child cannot take a single footstep outside the Storm Castle until they turn ten, to protect them from assassination attempts.
Jin thought about who would dare to do it in the first place. However, he overheard the maids talking about it one day.
-----I am sometimes scared, you know. What if someone attacked? After all, there are only little kids here.
----Isn't there a guardian knight stationed as well? I heard they are super strong.
----One guardian knight isn't enough if someone tried to do anything.
----Didn't you hear about the tale long ago?
----What tale?
----There was a certain case around 200 years ago when someone had attempted it. The Kungen Clan, another clan of swordmasters, had attacked the Runcandels, and 9 young children of the Runcandel Clan ended up getting killed. However, the very next day the entire Kungen Clan was annihilated, including every family member and the extended families of the servants, and disappeared into the annals of history. Ever since then, it had been a tradition and rule within the Runcandel household to have every child remain within the Storm Castle after their 'Selection' rituals until they became 10 years of age.
Also, unlike the maids, Jin knew from a glance that the guardian knight, whose name he came to knew was Khan, was more than reliable. He couldn't use aura as of now, since he was only 3, but he could gauge his strength due to his knowledge from past life.
The ambiance within the Storm Castle lived up to its formidable name.
Perched atop Mt. Murakan, a mountain presumed to be the loftiest in the world, the castle was perpetually ensnared in a tumultuous tempest, as its namesake suggested.
Regardless of the season, the mountaintop remained shrouded in relentless rain, fierce gales, and ceaseless lightning strikes.
Observing the harsh environment, Jin couldn't help but reflect on the detrimental impact such conditions could have on a child's emotional development.
He mused to himself, "This place isn't suitable for a child's emotional growth. No wonder my brothers ended up becoming so violent and brutal... It's because of this place."
However, that was from a normal person perspective.
"For a clan like Runcandel, this place is perfect. The mindset of killing machine can be nurtured in a place like this." Jin mused.
Anything done to the extreme had such effects.
Just as how the chaotic surroundings in this life could lead in active aggression, his past life in that cold, quiet, sterile white place led to how he was. The aggression stayed, however, there was an "active and passive" difference.
Both kinds of environments took out their humanity and emotions.
However, that wasn't the case for anyone.
For even amongst Jin's siblings, there was someone who did not completely lost it. Just like in white room.
However...
'They won't be fit for the throne.'
That was the harsh reality.
Jin sighed again. It was an awful lot of sighing for a 3-year-old kid.
Amidst the tempestuous solitude, there were only two other Runcandel children sharing the Storm Castle with Jin.
His ten other siblings had all surpassed the age of ten. The occupants of the castle included Jin, his two brothers, the five elite knights who protected them, their nannies, and approximately ten servants—making up the sole inhabitants of the Storm Castle's isolated domain.
Curiously, Jin flicked his fingers and an orb of black energy sizzled to life.
"What shall we do today?" He asked himself before looking at the cat in the window.