fruits....

Time kept on passing.

Raze continued his silent training.

Every day, he tested his body, pushing past his limits. He moved his legs faster, ran across the house, climbed anything he could find—chairs, tables, even the wooden frames near the door. His tiny hands gripped surfaces with surprising strength, and his balance improved at an unnatural pace.

Nyx watched, torn between awe and concern.

"At this rate, he'll start running before he turns one," she murmured to herself, shaking her head in disbelief.

Most children took their first steps cautiously, afraid of falling. But Raze? He ran toward challenges as if failure wasn't even an option. He fell often, but he never stayed down for long.

Nyx couldn't help but worry, yet deep inside, she felt something else—pride.

Her son was special.

The village had started noticing it too.

Raze, who was barely a year old, was already walking confidently while his younger brother, Kael, was still in his cradle. This small yet undeniable contrast became a point of conversation among the villagers.

"Did you hear? Nyx's boy walks like a three-year-old!"

"He speaks clearly, too. I've never seen a child develop so fast."

Rumors spread, and with them, opinions.

Some thought Raze was simply gifted. Others whispered that while he might not have any magic, his intelligence and early growth could make him a good scholar—perhaps even a royal counselor in the future.

"A shame if he has no magic," an elderly villager sighed. "With a mind like that, he would have made a fine mage."

Raze paid no attention to their words.

His goal remained the same.

He had to become strong.

Even if the world was against him.

Even if fate had already marked him as a failure.

But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

By the time he turned two, Raze had become unstoppable.

His small legs carried him faster than most toddlers should be able to move. He ran through the house, the village, even attempting to chase animals that were far out of his reach. His endurance was unlike any child's, his curiosity boundless.

Nyx, who had long accepted that her son wasn't normal, couldn't hold back her happiness.

And so, she made a decision.

"I need to nurture his mind," she said one evening, her purple eyes filled with determination. "He needs a teacher."

It wasn't common for children as young as two to start formal learning. Most parents waited until their kids were at least four or five. But Nyx knew Raze wasn't like other children.

She found a retired scholar named Master Efran, a strict but knowledgeable man who had once served a noble family.

At the age of two and a half, Raze began his formal education.

His lessons started with the basics—reading, writing, and arithmetic. Literature, history, and proper etiquette soon followed.

Raze absorbed knowledge like a sponge. He memorized words faster than expected, learned to form sentences properly, and even surprised Master Efran with his ability to reason beyond his age.

Kael, on the other hand, had no interest in books.

While Raze sat through lessons with a calm yet focused expression, Kael would wander off, playing with sticks and stones, laughing at the simplest things. He was just a normal child.

Raze didn't mind.

He had something more important to focus on.

As the days passed, he grew comfortable around Master Efran. And finally, one day, he gathered the courage to ask the question that had been haunting him since his rebirth.

"Master," Raze said, his small voice filled with curiosity. "What does it mean to be a mage?"

The room fell silent.

Efran, who had been correcting Raze's handwriting, slowly put down his brush. His gaze, sharp and filled with experience, landed on the child.

"You are too young to ask such things," he said sternly. "Focus on your studies. Not on the brutal, arrogant fools who call themselves mages."

Raze frowned.

This was not the answer he had hoped for.

"But Master—"

"Enough," Efran interrupted. "A true scholar does not waste time chasing power. Knowledge is a greater weapon than any spell."

Raze clenched his tiny fists.

He knew there was more to it than that.

Mages weren't just 'arrogant fools.' If they were, why did they hold so much power? 

But Raze wasn't foolish enough to push him further. Not yet.

If he wanted answers, he would have to find them on his own.

And so, with quiet determination, he continued his studies.

For now, he would play the role of the obedient student.

But in the shadows of his young mind, a plan was already forming.

If no one would teach him, he would teach himself.

And one day—

He would uncover the truth about magic.

No matter what it took.

The silent battle continued.