Sei looked up at the opening of the pit. It was quite deep.
Is my body alright?
He ran his hands over his entire body. When his fingers touched the back of his head, they felt wet. Sei pulled his hand away and stared at his palm. It was covered in quite a lot of red blood.
"My head is bleeding!"
He hurriedly cast a healing spell. The wound closed, but the scar did not disappear completely.
"Now, I need to get out of here."
The wind began swirling around his body, forming a sphere before slowly lifting him into the air. Once he reached the surface, Sei landed on the ground and looked around. Tall pine trees stood everywhere. He turned toward the pit he had just climbed out of.
"Looks like this is a hunting pit," he muttered. "But how did I end up inside it?"
He fell silent, confused. Then, the memories came rushing back.
Bismarck. The Emperor of Absolute One. The black sphere that had covered the sky.
Sei immediately went on guard and scanned his surroundings.
"I almost forgot about the battle earlier. But here..."
A gentle breeze swept through the trees.
"...there isn't a single trace of a battle. It's so peaceful."
Just then, the voice he had heard before opening his eyes sounded again.
"BIG BROTHER SEI!"
A little boy came running toward him, looking to be around six years old. He stopped right in front of Sei, his shoulders rising and falling as he struggled to catch his breath.
Sei observed him. The boy had blue eyes and golden-blond hair that fell in soft waves across his forehead.
"Are you alright, Big Brother?" the boy asked between breaths.
"I'm fine. But why are you calling me your big brother?" Sei frowned.
"What do you mean? You're my big brother, Kak Sei. Of course I'm going to call you that."
"I... I'm your big brother?!"
The boy looked at him suspiciously.
"What's wrong with you, Big Brother? Don't tell me you hit your head when you fell earlier?"
Well, he's not exactly wrong. I did hit my head. But this is strange. I don't have a younger brother.
He placed a hand on his chin and began thinking.
For now, I'd better pretend I've lost my memory. That way, he won't get suspicious.
"Yeah," Sei finally replied. "I hit my head earlier, and I've lost my memories."
The boy gasped and immediately approached him, his face filled with panic.
"Are you hurt anywhere else, Big Brother? Have you lost all your memories?!"
"Seems that way. I don't even know who you are," Sei answered with a faint smile.
"Is it really that bad...?" The boy fell silent for a moment. "Alright, I'll help you remember everything. Let's start with me. My name is Rokutou Sora. I'm your younger brother."
"I see. Do I have any other younger siblings besides you?"
"No, Big Brother. Just me."
"Okay, I understand." Sei suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right! Father and Mother! We need to go home now."
Sora stared at him for a moment.
"You're really a good person, Big Brother."
"What do you mean?"
"It's nothing, Big Brother. Come on, let's go home."
Sora started walking ahead.
Sei was still confused by his younger brother's words, but he followed him from behind.
As soon as they stepped inside the house, two people approached Sora. They were their parents.
"Sora, are you alright, son?" their father asked, his face filled with concern.
"Mother has prepared some food for you inside," their mother said with a smile toward Sora.
Sei felt something was off. Neither of them even glanced in his direction.
Maybe it's because Sora is the youngest, so it's only natural that he gets more attention, he thought.
They all headed to the dining room and took their respective seats. Sei sat down as well.
Their father glared at him angrily.
"Sei! What are you doing sitting here?!"
Sei flinched.
"I-I want to eat here too."
His father stood up, walked toward Sei, and roughly grabbed his arm, pulling him out of his chair and causing him to fall to the floor.
Sei winced as his back slammed against the wooden floor. Slowly, he tried to get back up.
His father returned to his seat. Sora simply sat there in silence, watching his older brother being treated that way.
Sei glanced at his mother. She remained busy arranging the food for the three of them, as though nothing had happened.
Without saying a word, Sei turned around and headed to his room.
He sat on the edge of his bed, trying to make sense of everything.
Alright, let's analyze this. I suddenly found myself inside a pit. I suddenly have a younger brother. And my parents... or rather, this Sei's parents, seem to hate him.
He rested a hand on his chin.
There's only one conclusion. I've reincarnated into the body of another Sei.
"I need to look for something in this room," he muttered before lying down on the bed. "But what?"
A few seconds later, he sat up again.
"A diary! This kid must have a diary!"
He got off the bed and began searching through his room. Inside the desk drawer, he found a brown-covered book.
"Found it!"
Sei brought it back to his bed, lay down, and opened the first page.
There was a drawing of a family. Five people were standing together, holding hands: two adults, a man and a woman, and three little boys.
Maybe this is what the original Sei wished his family could be like, he thought.
He turned to the next page. A child's handwriting filled the paper.
Today is my fifth birthday! I'm going to the guild in town for my assessment. I'm so excited! I wonder if I'll be a swordsman class? Or a shield bearer? An archer? A spearman? I can't wait to find out!
"The original Sei was quite cheerful," he muttered.
He turned another page.
I just got back from my assessment. The results were disappointing. I'm a mage class, but my mana is only 50. My physical strength is 20, and all my other stats are around 20 as well. After Father and Mother found out, they stopped talking to me.
Sei paused for a moment.
"This Sei is completely different from me," he muttered. "I was born with an extraordinary mind and an enormous mana capacity."
He looked at the next page.
"I wonder what happened after that."
He turned the page.
Today, I woke up a little late, but Mother didn't wake me up like she usually does. I went to the kitchen and saw her preparing lunch. I asked her why she hadn't woken me up. At first, she didn't say anything. When I asked again, she yelled at me.
*"WHY SHOULD I WAKE UP SOMEONE AS USELESS AS YOU?!"
I was shocked. I couldn't say anything. I returned to my room feeling sad.
"That's such a cliché," Sei muttered.
He fell silent for a moment before adding quietly, "Still, I feel sorry for him."
He turned another page.
Today, I practiced swordsmanship and other forms of training in the forest. It was incredibly difficult. But I haven't improved at all. It feels like I'm stuck in the same place.
Tears slowly trickled down both my cheeks. But I'll keep training! I refuse to remain useless forever. I want to become a knight wearing shining armor.
Beneath the entry, there was a single sentence written in smaller, faded ink.
Even if it's only a fairy tale...
Sei stared at those words for quite some time.
He closed the diary, got up from the bed, and walked toward the mirror.
The reflection of a seven-year-old boy stared back at him. His black hair was messy, sticking out in every direction as though it hadn't been combed in ages. His eyes were black as well, and they looked far too tired for a child his age.
"I promise you, Sei, the original owner of this body. I'll make us become that knight."
He paused for a moment.
"I may not be able to use a sword, but I'm a master of magic."
He returned to his desk and sat down.
"I already possess magic from my previous world. Do I need to learn the magic system of this world as well?"
He pondered for quite some time.
"Alright. I'm curious, after all. I'll learn the magic of this world too."
He walked over to the bookshelf in his room and picked up a book on basic magical techniques.
The first page explained the meaning of mana: an energy that every human possessed from childhood, granted by God. Behind the explanation was a story.
"So, humans originally didn't have mana in this world," Sei muttered.
In the beginning, humans possessed no mana within their bodies. Two centuries ago, God made a mistake. He sent down a messenger who possessed the ability to control all elements through mana. However, the messenger abused his power. He became the ruler of the world and destroyed it as he pleased.
Eventually, some humans prayed to God, begging to be granted mana so they could fight against him. God answered their prayers and bestowed mana upon all of humanity, allowing them to control the elements.
"This story is quite similar to the world I used to live in," Sei said, slightly surprised.
He continued reading the next page.
There are five basic elements that can be controlled using mana. Over time, numerous variations and sub-elements derived from these five elements have also become controllable.
"So... mana doesn't control molecules?"
Since birth, every human possesses mana and affinity for at least one element. Some people possess two or even three elemental affinities, but such individuals are extremely rare.
Sei leaned back in his chair.
"Alright. Now, how do I measure my mana capacity?"
He turned to the next page.
Mana capacity can be measured using a magic stone. Simply hold the stone in your hand, and it will begin to glow. A faint glow indicates a small mana capacity. The brighter the glow, the greater the mana capacity.
"I see. That's pretty easy to understand."
He looked up from the book, scanning his room.
"I should look for a magic stone first. Maybe the original Sei kept one somewhere in here."
He opened each of the desk drawers one by one. In the very bottom drawer, he found a light blue stone, clear and transparent like a crystal.
Sei lifted it toward the light and took a deep breath.
"Alright, here goes. I wonder if this body's mana capacity is still 50, even after being inhabited by the soul of a Sei from another universe?"
He tightly gripped the stone and...