Chapter 8: 5 years
As Atticus stood before a mirror, he couldn't help but reflect on the past three years of his life. It had been a whirlwind of experiences and memories, all etched into his mind. He remembered the times when his grandparents, Zelda and Ethan came to visit him.
Although it was hard pretending to be a child, their presence brought warmth into his life, and he enjoyed the moments they spent together. He also played with Freya a few times and enjoyed her showering him with gifts.
But it was meeting his cousins that truly left an impression on Atticus. Meeting them for the first time was a interesting, to say the least. As he had never had siblings or cousins before, even in his past life.
They had been away when Atticus was born. The siblings, possessed distinct personalities that Atticus found fascinating. Ember, though cold at times, intrigued him. She had an air of mystery around her, often keeping to herself and speaking very little. Her reserved nature made Atticus wonder what thoughts and emotions were hidden beneath her quiet exterior.
On the other hand, the boy, Caldor, was a bundle of energy and cheerfulness. He had a contagious laughter that filled the room, and his constant chatter brought a liveliness to any gathering. He enjoyed hanging out with them but was disheartened when he found out that their mother had died giving birth to Ember. Caldor was currently nine and Ember seven.
As Atticus continued to gaze at his reflection, he was happy that he was going to find out more about this world today. After weeks of constant pestering and relentless baby faces, Anastasia finally gave in to Atticus' persistent requests and allowed him to have a personal teacher. She knew her son was far from normal, but she still wanted him to have a normal childhood.
She didn't want him to find out about the world's precarious situation for now, so they agreed that he'll only learn how other subjects and not history for now.
Atticus had been longing to find out more about the world he was reincarnated into. He didn't need to learn how to read from scratch, as the language was conveniently English. He tired to search online to find out more about Eldoralth, but it was hard as Anastasia was constantly monitoring him and everything he watches online.
Claiming that she wanted him to grow up without worrying. All he found out was that the Ravenstein family was among the most powerful and richest families within the human domain and there was a huge war going on.
Anastasia had first thought he was to young to start taking lessons. But one day, as Anastasia was engrossed in a book, Atticus approached her and began reading aloud from a nearby book.
Astonished, she watched in awe as he effortlessly deciphered complex words and comprehended their meanings.
Anastasia was already happy that her 3 year old could speak fluently, but was shocked when he started reading easily at 4. In that moment, she decided to get him a teacher. It had been a year since then, and his teacher finally promised to tell him about Eldoralth.
Back to the present. Atticus was excited to see his progress. He had been absorbing mana into his mana core anytime he was 'alone' for 3 years and was excited to know how far he had gone. 'Status!' He thought excitedly.
A holographic system interface materialized in front of his face;
========================
Character Profile:
------------------------
Username: Atticus Ravenstein
Age: 5
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Attributes:
------------------------
Strength: 7
Agility: 9
Endurance: 4
Vitality: 10
Intelligence: 8
Charm: 10
Rank: Novice+ New!
Talent: Mythical
Bloodline: Locked
Abilities:
------------------------
* Conceal [Grade: Mythical]
- The ability to conceal your power from anyone regardless of rank. You may choose what level you want to be shown.
========================
Atticus examined his progress, feeling exhilarated about it. Although it wasn't as astounding as he had hoped, he could only blame Anastasia and her relentless attention for that.
His eyes couldn't help but gaze at his intelligence stats. He had thought it was a normal stat like the rest, but oh boy, was he wrong.
Atticus had always been smart even in his past life, but it wasn't as pronounced as it was now. Each increase in his intelligence stats brought about a huge change in the way he viewed the world.
Back on Earth, Atticus was smart and had a vivid memory; he could remember subtle details about things and the people he met.
However, after reincarnating and awakening, Atticus found that he could comprehend complex things very easily. And each rise in his intelligence stats increased this ability.
He removed his gaze from his stats and stared at his reflection in the mirror.
"Hmm. i truly have some great genes. I am pretty handsome" he said, smiling.
The first thing that caught his attention was his physique.
Despite his young age, he possessed a good shape, evident in his well-proportioned body. His white hair added a unique touch to his appearance, standing out against his young, smooth skin.
As he observed his reflection, he couldn't help but notice his handsome features. His eyes, blue, framed by long lashes that fluttered with each blink. His nose, small and button-like, perfectly complemented his cherubic face.
A mischievous smile adorned his lips, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. Atticus couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as he admired his own reflection, appreciating his unique qualities.
He was wearing golden bracelet on his left arm. It was an artifact Anastasia had given to him to conceal his mana core from others.
'I'll have to learn how to fight soon. Having strength without knowing how to use it, is pretty useless,' he thought. During the years, he tried exercising and joining the guards training session every morning, but Anastasia always interfered, saying he should take it easy as he was still a child. 'What an over protective woman'
After a few seconds of staring at his reflection, Atticus entered the bathroom to prepare for his lesson.
'Let's see what deep shit I got reincarnated into'.
***
Greetings, reader with a taste for the extraordinary! ?? Just like an ice-cold cola, your insights add a refreshing twist to my writing journey. ???? Ready for a virtual toast to keep the creativity flowing? ????
New novel chapters are published on fr(e)ewebnov(e)l.com