Kai didn't return to the training ground the next day.
Instead, he stayed inside his room. The windows were shut, and the curtains drawn, making the room warmer and more secluded.
Kai sat on the floor, sitting in a lotus position, trying to meditate to clear his mind.
"If I recalled correctly, in one of the books I read from the library, there was a way to check the corewithin thebody," Kai thought to himself.
He began meditating, trying to feel his body.
He could sense the icy cold core aura in his abdomen—yet something felt strange.
"From what I read, the core of those, in the Glacius bloodline, who use ice magic, should be extremely icy cold… but mine feels a little different," Kai murmured.
"Why the heck does my core feel warm?" Kai exhaled slowly.
"Ahhh… I'm glad I got a second chance at life, but this is too much," he said with a shake of his head.
But then he refocused.
"Control," he muttered quietly, trying to concentrate.
He raised his arm straight, gathering mana from his core. A faint chill formed in his palm, and he attempted to cast one of the basic spells he'd read about.
"Icicleblade," he whispered.
A shard of ice shot forward, not very strong but enough to leave a scratch on the wall.
Suddenly, the hand he used to cast magic was covered with a layer of frost, and a sharp pain surged through him.
"Ouch… it hurts. My hand is burning," Kai quickly put his hand into the warm water he had prepared in advance, knowing this would happen.
"Seriously… I just wish I could cast other types of magic. Whyonlyice?" Kai was frustrated.
"The novels I read in my past life were so much better—at least the main characters there could use different kinds of magic… how cool is that?, and look at me here."
In this world, a person can only use the magic they have an affinity for. If they try to cast magic outside that affinity, their core will be damaged—sometimes severely. For instance, a fire mage trying to use any type of magic like wind magic it could cause their core to burst, and the person at best would be crippled and at worst could also die.
Kai knew this all too well; he didn't want to risk it. So he had accepted his fate.
Knock knock—
Someone knocked at the door.
"Who is it?" Kai asked.
"It's me, your mother. I was worried because I didn't see you in the training ground, so I came to check on you," Mara's calm and gentle voice responded.
"Okay, Mother...one moment."
Kai quickly hid the basin of warm water under his bed and tried to conceal his burned hand, hoping his mother wouldn't notice.
He opened the door.
Mara entered.
"Yes, mother, I'm just studying by myself," he said.
"Ohhh, Kai, I was worried about you," Mara said softly, then embraced him, showing her love and concern.
"You really love reading, don't you? Ahhh, my little boy is so smart," she said, smiling warmly.
Kai maintained a neutral expression, but inside, he felt a warmth he hadn't experienced in a long time. Someone cared for him—more than he had in his previous life.
He hugged her with one arm, trying not to show his injured hand, and pulled back quickly, hoping she wouldn't notice.
As he was about to withdraw his arm, Mara suddenly grabbed his hand and said—"I told you not to use magic until we sort out how to fix your problem." Her voice was full of worry, almost tears in her eyes. "Your mother would be very sad if anything happened to you."
Kai sighed softly.
"Okay, Mother," he said quietly, not wanting to make her sad, and accepted her concern.
Mara quickly wrapped his burned hand with a damp cloth to ease the pain and asked the maids to bring some healing potion.
Kai couldn't practice his magic further that day because of his mother. Instead, he spent his time with her, reading some books before sleeping.
Deep inside, Kai felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. He was genuinely happy that, in this life, his mother was spending more time with him and caring for him.
He then recalled something from his previous life.
His parents had always been busy, coming home late, and he had to take care of his little brother, so he rarely received this much attention. But now, everything was different. He cherished every moment with Mara.
Morningcameearly.
Kai woke up before dawn, earlier than usual. He pulled aside the curtains and looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly but gently.
He opened the window and took a deep breath.
"Nothing beats fresh morning air," Kai whispered to himself.
He started stretching his body, then suddenly remembered something.
"Using other kinds of magic I don't have an affinity for isn't possible, but no one said I can't train my body in physical arts."
He quickly began warming up.
Then he tried to recall everything from his past life. Even though Kai wasn't athletic in his previous life, after falling ill, he'd often watched athletes train on TV.
"Start with a warm-up, then move step by step," he thought.
He dropped to the floor and did push-ups, only able to perform ten before his small body tired and he started sweating.
"Asexpected," he muttered, panting.
Kai was only seven so it's a given that his body is not yet developed for heavy physical activities.
Despite his small frame, something inside him felt different—an unyielding resolve.
"Imay be weak now, but I'll get stronger."
But something didn't feel right. His fatigue was gone.
"That's strange."
But he paid no mind to it and continued on.
He quickly recovered from the fatigue and got changed.
Then he stepped outside for breakfast, mentally prepared for what lay ahead.
One thing was clear—Kai was determined to achieve his goals, no matter what.