Chapter 5: The New Beginning(1)
"F*ck," Alden groaned as he woke. He looked around, not feeling any sharp pain from before.
'I'm healed,' he thought, still confused. His eyes landed on a woman with brown hair and eyes, dressed in a maid outfit, holding a vial of potion in her hand, the one Cedric had thrown, now empty.
She was the maid assigned to him by the family. Alice had been his maid ever since he could remember.
She was one of the few people in the family mansion who treated him normally.
But ever since he could remember, he had never seen Alice smile or show any emotions. He used to think she didn't care about him at all and that she just treated him as a duty or responsibility.
But now, with memories and experiences from his previous life, he could clearly see her concern and hesitation behind her indifferent face, which he hadn't noticed before.
"Are you okay, Young Master?" she asked, her voice devoid of any hint of concern or emotion, but he knew otherwise.
"Yes, I'm fine, Alice," he said with a bright smile. This was the first time he'd smiled so genuinely since he transmigrated.
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Alice's POV
Alice widened her eyes slightly, not expecting Alden to smile.
'I haven't seen him smile in a long time,' she thought, maintaining her indifferent expression.
She had been trained by the family ever since she could remember to be indifferent—to not express any emotions. It had always been difficult for her to show them.
She wanted to comfort him...to let him know she was with him...but she couldn't.
She had watched him since childhood—his timid self, always passive, never making eye contact, never showing any reaction, never standing up for himself.
'But recently, something has changed.'
She thought as she looked at his smiling face.
'The young master is no longer the timid person he once was. He's even started standing up to Young Master Cedric. It's as if he's become a completely different person.'
"Is there anything you need, Young Master?" she asked quietly, her voice clear and steady.
"No, I'd like to rest for a bit," he replied in a tired voice.
Alice turned to leave, but then she heard Alden's voice, softer this time.
"Thank you, Alice. Thank you for everything." His words were filled with warmth.
Alice turned around only to see the young master trying to sleep. She silently exited the room, her steps light. With a small smile tugging at her lips.
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Alden's POV
After Alice left his room and he heard the door being closed, Alden got up from his bed.
His expression filled with determination.
'I have to get stronger,' he thought as he went to the desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out the book where he wrote the novel.
There are only two months until my awakening ceremony, 'I have to prepare for it. I think I know what I need for it.' Thinking this, he opened a particular page of the book...
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One month later
It had been a month since Alden had arrived in the world of Eryndor. Not much had happened since then.
After their last confrontation, Cedric had stopped bothering him.
'Why?' Alden thought, smirking. 'Because of the awakening ceremony. He's too busy training to waste time on me.'
Cedric and Seles were both the same age as Alden, and all three were set to undergo the awakening ceremony at the same time.
Alden, too, had been preparing diligently.
The family had assigned him two mentors one for theoretical knowledge and another for combat training.
At this moment, he was seated in the study room, listening to his mentor, Seren, who was responsible for his theoretical lessons.
Seren, a calm and kind woman in her mid-twenties, was explaining various aspects of mana and awakening. However, most of it was information Alden already knew.
"Young Master, are you listening to me?" Seren asked seeing Alden lost in his thoughts.
"I am listening," Alden replied calmly.
"Then tell me about mana and awakening," Seren challenged, tilting her head slightly.
Alden smiled faintly "Mana is everywhere, in the air, in the earth, even in us,"
Alden thought, recalling information from the novel. "But without a mana core, it's just dormant and can only be moved through our mana vessel and nothing else. Awakening unlocks mana core which helps in storing and using atmospheric mana."
"Awakening occurs on the first day of every year for everyone turning 17 that year. Through it, they awaken their personal system and gain the ability to form a mana core, which allows them to store and manipulate atmospheric mana." He smirked slightly and said in a confident voice
Seren blinked, surprised by his flawless explanation.
"Then tell me about special abilities and soul abilities," she pressed, curious if he could answer that as well.
"Special abilities are rare and can be awakened after awakening. Although the chances of awakening one are very slim but attuning one's mana veins to a high-rank mana tome some months before awakening slightly increases the odds of awakening an ability related to the elemental affinity of tome."
"Soul abilities, on the other hand, depend entirely on the awakening trial. Only those who perform exceptionally well or achieve some hidden conditions in the trial have a chance to awaken one, it is rarer than special abilities" Alden explained confidently.
Seren's eyebrows rose in astonishment. For most people, this wouldn't be extraordinary, but Alden had never been taught anything beyond basic reading and writing. He had been deliberately kept ignorant of the outside world due to the influence of Vespera, the first wife of the family head, who despised him.
"Good job, Young Master," Seren praised. "Shall we continue where we left off?"
"Of course," Alden replied cheerfully.
Seren continued her lecture. "As you know, everyone has a potential rank measured at birth. However, potential doesn't dictate everything. A person with primordial rank potential may never reach their full potential"
She paused to see if Alden was paying attention before continuing, "In this generation, there are some individuals with primordial rank potential, but none have achieved it. The closer one gets to their potential, the harder it becomes to advance further."
Alden raised his hand. "Is there anyone in the Draven family with primordial rank potential?" he asked curiously.
"Yes," Seren answered calmly. "The current patriarch of the family, Young Master Rodrick, and Young Miss Seles all have primordial rank potential."
"What about Seraphina and Cedric?" Alden pressed, curiosity taking over him.
"Young Master Cedric and Young Miss Seraphina both have overlord rank potential," Seren replied.
After explaining some more things the lesson came to an end after 2 hours...
"That's it for today's lesson. I will get going now. Have a good day, Young Master." Seren said before leaving.
After Seren left, Alden sat alone in the room, thinking about potential. He was measured to have Ascendent rank potential.
But he wasn't so sure about it, as in the novel it was mentioned that the potential measured is not absolute, and sometimes the potential measured might be wrong.
As Alden was lost in his thoughts the door to the room opened and Alice came with tray of food.
After having dinner, Alden sat by the window, gazing at the beautiful sight of two moons illuminating the garden in a mysterious glow, letting the serene scene calm his restless mind.
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Author's Note:
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