I don't even remember when I stopped counting the days.
But before I knew it… I was four.
Three whole years had passed — like a blur.
Sometimes, I still wake up surprised to be in this small wooden home with a woman I now call mother. The ache of my past life hasn't vanished, but this new reality… it's real. Tangible.
One morning, I stood in front of the old mirror, shaky on my legs but stable enough to catch my reflection.
Blue eyes.
White skin.
Hair — dark, messy, slightly wavy. A little longer than I'd like, but it suited me.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
Over the past three years, I had learned more than just how to crawl and sneak through bookshelves. I'd learned about the world.
This land… it's called Auren — the human continent. One of three.
Liora belongs to the Elves — glowing lakes, enchanted forests, and those treetop cities I've only seen in illustrations.
Drakar is ruled by Dwarves and Shear-Traits — the latter still a mystery in most of the books I've found.
But it wasn't just about geography.
There was something worse.
Caste.
Even in a new life, inequality followed me like a curse.
Among humans, nobles ruled over mages, mages over commoners, and commoners over peasants. A chain of superiority — rigid and brutal.
Elves had their own hierarchy. Royalty — kings and queens — sat above all. The rest? Treated equally… but never above the crown.
Dwarves respected strength. Pure and simple.
And the Shear Tribe? No one seemed to write much about them — not even the oldest scrolls.
Still, I studied. Obsessed.
Every spare moment, I spent learning.
Magic was the key.
That's what I decided.
The foundation of all magical growth began with Aura Classification.
Aura mages were the first step — and each was ranked:
Z > S > A+ > A > B > C > D
I learned about the aura colors, too.
Z-Class had the rarest:
White (0.1%)
Black (0.5%)
Flame Blue (1%)
And... White-Black — something my books never explained, just mentioned in passing. A footnote that felt out of place. I'd remember that.
S-Class auras included:
Red
Brown
Yellow
Blue
The lower ranks?
A+ to D — colors varied, but they weren't considered "rare."
Once you awakened your aura, you could attune to an element.
Humans — uniquely — could master all four: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire.
But only if their potential was high enough.
The elves, despite being more elegant and magically sensitive, could usually master only one or two — though they did it flawlessly.
Dwarves and Shear-Traits? They weren't as magically inclined — mostly sword-focused. Power and skill in raw combat.
And then… there were Devil Elements — spoken of in riddles, myths, or hidden texts. Nothing concrete.
I tried to dig deeper, but one night my mother walked in and said it was time for bed.
Heh. Caught.
Still, she didn't scold me. Just gave that look — a mix of exhaustion and quiet love — then tucked me in with a soft hum.
Then, at the age of eight, something changed.
Mother, seeing my talent, wanted more for me.
She planned to send me to one of the largest magical universities on the continent. An opportunity anyone would kill for.
But I refused.
Not because I was afraid.
Because I wasn't ready to leave her behind.
So she tried something else — hired a private mage tutor.
Unfortunately, the tutor couldn't come.
Turns out she was already training a royal child and had been summoned for official duties at a nearby kingdom.
Instead, she sent her disciple — a teenage girl — to deliver a handwritten letter and an invitation.
An offer to come train at the royal castle.
The castle wasn't too far. A short ride away, apparently.
And because of that… my mother agreed.
I didn't.
I didn't want to leave.
Not her. Not now.
But deep down, I knew she was doing this for me.
So, despite the lump in my throat, despite everything screaming to stay… I left.
Not with anger.
But with hope — and a strange new determination.
I walked away from the only warmth I'd known in this world.
And into the unknown, again.