Leon shifted his grip on the wooden blade. The "Formation" stance was more than just a pose; it was a conversation with the air. In his past life, he had performed this thousands of times, but back then, his body had been a dull tool.
Now, something was different.
'That screen from five years ago...' Leon thought, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the scarred boulder. 'It didn't say I had a talent for the Song or the Attunements. It said Absolute Swordsmanship.'
He realized then that he had been looking for the wrong spark. He didn't need to find magic in the air; he needed to find the rhythm in his own limbs.
As he moved.
It wasn't a clumsy swing of a child. It was a blur of calculated motion. He stepped forward, his weight pivoting on the balls of his feet with terrifying efficiency. The wooden sword hissed through the air, striking the boulder with a precise crack. He didn't stop there. He flowed into a horizontal slash, then a low sweep, his small body twisting like a leaf in a gale.
Every strike landed exactly where he envisioned. It was as if his mind and the wood were one. it was a perfection of instinct. He felt a joyous bubble of laughter in his chest as he danced around the mossy rock. He wasn't summoning lightning or ice, but the way the wind whistled around his blade felt just as magical.
By the time he lowered the wooden sword, his breath was coming in heavy heaves, and his tunic was drenched in sweat. He walked over to a nearby stream, the cold winter air biting at his damp skin, and knelt to splash his face.
The water settled, and he stared at his reflection.
Gone was the "fat boy" infant. In the clear water, he saw a boy with messy, snow-white hair and a face that was already losing its roundness, revealing a sharp, defined jawline. His eyes were a startling, bright blue—the color of the sky just before a storm.
"Well," Leon grinned, giving his reflection a wink. "If the whole 'greatest swordsman' thing doesn't work out, this face is definitely going to be breaking hearts. I might need a sword just to keep the ladies at bay."
He chuckled to himself but then noticed the position of the sun. 'Oh, crap! Firewood!'
Leon practically tumbled through the front door, laden with a stack of logs. At the dining table, the atmosphere was thick with the smell of roasted meat and the chatter of his siblings. Kael, Poldie, and Les were already seated, and his mother was just finishing placing the last of the steaming plates down.
"There he is!" Kael shouted, leaning back in his chair. "Did the little fat boy get lost in the woods again? Or did you find a particularly delicious-looking mushroom and forget the time?"
Leon slammed the logs into the bin and marched to the table, his face turning a light shade of red. "I wasn't lost! I was... taking the scenic route. And I told you, I'm not fat!"
"Sure, sure," Kael teased, reaching over to try and pinch Leon's cheek, though Leon skillfully tilted his head just out of reach.
"Leave him alone, Kael," Poldie laughed, her white hair shimmering in the lamplight. "It's his birthday! And besides, we have something for him."
A hush fell over the table. Even Les, who was usually staring at her fork as if it were a complex puzzle, looked up. One by one, they reached under the table and pulled out small boxes wrapped in thin, recycled paper.
Kael pushed his gift forward first. On top was a messy note that read: Heres your gift, fat boy.
Leon opened it to find a heavy, polished longsword made of genuine Eterna steel. It was a "short" longsword, sized perfectly for a young trainee. It was sturdy, unornamented, and balanced with a slight forward weight for power.
'He's a total pest,' Leon thought, running a hand over the cold metal. 'But I can feel the warmth he's trying to hide. He probably spent his whole allowance on this.'
"Thanks, Kael," Leon said, giving his brother a genuine smile.
Next was Poldie. Her box contained a delicate silver necklace with a tiny, swirling blue gem. The note said: For my lil glutton boy.
"It's enchanted with 'Zephyr's Grace,'" Poldie explained proudly.
[Effect: Increases movement speed by a small margin during a dash.] "It's beautiful, Poldie. Thank you."
Then came Les's gift. There was no note. When Leon opened it, he found a thick, leather-bound volume titled: An Introduction to Song Enlightenment. It was an incredibly detailed guide on how to sense the vibrations of the world.
'She looks like she's off in another world most of the time,' Leon thought, looking at his quiet sister, 'But she knew I was struggling with the Song.' He smiled at her, and for a split second, Les's lips twitched upward.
Finally, his mother handed him a large, heavy box. Her note read: My darling lil white nudgy.
Inside were two books one on advanced Attunements and another on the history of the Song along with a set of clothes. They weren't just common tunics; they were made of fine, reinforced silk and high-quality leather, looking incredibly expensive and durable.
Leon looked around the table at his family. In his past life as Age Throne, he had been a ward of the state, a number on a roster. He had died in a muddy trench with no one to call his name.
"Thank you, guys," Leon said, his voice a little thick. "This... this is the best birthday I've ever had. Truly."
A week passed in a blur of packing and bittersweet laughter. The morning of the departure was grey and misty. A large carriage stood waiting in front of the house to take the three older siblings to the Academy.
Leon stood with his mother, waving as the carriage began to roll away. Kael was hanging out the window, shouting something about "not eating all the cake," while Poldie blew kisses and Les simply watched until they disappeared around the bend.
The silence that followed was heavy. Leon felt a sharp pang in his chest. Even though he was technically an "old soul" and Kael was a massive pain, the house felt suddenly, painfully empty.
"They'll be back for the summer, Leon," his mother said softly, resting a hand on his shoulder. She looked down at him and smiled. "But you have work to do, don't you?"
Leon nodded, his sadness shifting back into determination. He went inside and grabbed the sturdy backpack his mother had prepared, now loaded with his new books, his steel sword, and enough supplies for a full day.
"Don't forget your bags!" she called out as he stepped off the porch.
"I won't, Mom!"
Leon adjusted the straps of his pack, the weight of the steel sword at his side feeling right. He headed back toward the forest, the mist swallowing his small frame.