I

' I shouldn't have stayed up all night playing games with them yesterday. Now my head is killing me.' Slowly, the boy open his eyes. 'Huh? My ceiling shouldn't be that high. And why is there a painting on it?' The painting depicts several knights attacking what looks like a brown bear, except it has wings. He can't quite tell what kind of creature it is.

Suddenly, he notice that his bed has become enormous, no matter how he turn, he won't fall off. It's only then that be truly wake up. As soon as he sit up, he hear the sound of the door opening. He see a maid walking toward him. "Young Master Richard, you're finally awake. If you don't hurry, you'll be late." The maid says this as she pulls him from the bed and leads him to a full-length mirror. Soon after, she and two other maids, who he didn't even notice arrive, begin to help him get dressed.

As he look at the reflection in the mirror, he see what appears to be a seven-year-old child. He think to himself, 'Is this me? Why have I become a child? Where am I? And Richard isn't even my name… My name is….' Suddenly, he stop. 'Wait, why can't I remember my name?' No matter how hard he try to recall it, he can't remember his name. But in the process of trying to remember, he see an image of an animal, a book, and a hammer. Just as he decide to take a closer look at them...

"Young Master, are you alright?" The maid, Selina, the first one to enter the room, asks with concern as she sees him frowning and staring at the mirror. "I'm fine, just thinking about something." He reply.

"In that case, you'd better hurry up and eat something on the way to the training grounds. You're almost late," Selina says as she finishes dressing him and gently pushes him forward while placing a piece of bread in his hand. "Hurry now."

"Alright, alright, I get it. Stop pushing me; I can walk to the training grounds myself. And enough with the bread, just give me some water, I'm a bit thirsty." After eating a third piece of bread, he finally ask them for water. They seem like they're racing against time, constantly pushing him forward while handing him bread to eat. 'Why are we in such a rush? Even if I'm late, at worst, I'd be punished by the instructor—shouldn't be that big of a deal.' he think while drinking water.

He is now walking down a very medieval-style corridor. On the right side, je can see what appear to be portraits of ancestors from this castle's family. Some are clad in armor, engaged in fierce battles with enemies; some are dressed in fine, noble garments, seated on unique thrones; and others are in military uniforms, commanding on the front lines. On the left side are large stained-glass windows, much like those in grand cathedrals. Each window has some sort of design, or perhaps they are simply made colorful to give the windows a more majestic feel. For now, he can't really make out the details. From the portraits and architecture, he at least deduce that he is currently in the medieval period. However, he's still unsure of which country or era this might be.

After walking for about 10 minutes, he begin to hear sounds from ahead, wooden swords clashing, along with loud cheers.

"Go, Lord Cassius!"

"You can do it, Lord Marcellus! Keep going!"

Voices like these come from the direction of the commotion. "What's going on? Why's it so lively?" He ask Selina, the maid who first entered his room and the only one to have spoken to him. "It's probably Young Master Cassius and Young Master Marcellus having a duel." Upon hearing this, he recall memories about the two of them and this family.

Cassius is the eldest son of the Aurelius family and the heir to the family. In his memories, he's a kind person who always smiles at everyone, but there are also rumors that he's ruthless, and anyone who threatens him mysteriously disappears. The second, third, and fourth sons all tried to take his position, but within 15 years, all three mysteriously vanished without a trace, with no clues as to what happened to them. No one even suggested searching for them.

Marcellus is the fifth son of the family. From a young age, he loved reading, be it culture, strategy, or politics, and could quickly grasp the essence of any book. His combat abilities aren't lacking either, which has led the family patriarch, Maximilian, the 86th head of the Aurelius family, to hold high hopes for him. He hopes Marcellus can open the path to true civil service for the family.

The Aurelius family is a military-oriented one, with every member joining the army upon reaching adulthood—whether as part of the family's private army or regular troops, though most join the private forces. Before adulthood, each family member is required to train regularly to become a soldier or a general. Family members must also participate in the family's hunting competitions. While this has given the family great influence in military circles, it has left them with little sway in civil service.

Suddenly, he hear Selina's voice. "Young Master, we've arrived at the training grounds. You can go on alone from here. Remember to follow the instructor's commands, and don't make Lord Maximilian angry again."

"Got it, I'll train properly," he respond as he walk toward the training grounds. Now, he begin to feel nervous. After all, as a medieval noble, he's supposed to know how to wield a sword, but he's only ever seen it in videos and have never used one for real. He worry that this might make people notice something is off.