The sky was filled with unknown stars, shining as if competing against one another. A cold breeze occasionally ruffled Peter's hair.
It was late at night. His friends had grown sleepy after dinner, their bodies focused on digestion. One by one, they said their goodbyes and returned home.
Peter smiled as he gazed at the center of the square. The bonfire that had burned brightly hours ago had now shrunk, its flames flickering gently. Villagers danced in a circle around it, their faces glowing with joy.
Among them were Mariah and Joseph, lost in their own world, sharing a quiet moment together.
Taking a deep breath, Peter let them be. They deserved this.
Sleep tugged at his eyelids, but he could wait a little longer. It was the least he could do for them.
What did the future hold for him?
He was barely more than five years old, yet he had already gathered a lifetime of cherished memories.
Raising a hand to the sky, he spread his fingers wide, as if trying to grasp the stars.
I want to see more of this world. Meet people from distant lands. Taste foods I've never imagined. Witness the wonders hidden across this realm.
The lack of air pollution made the night sky dazzling.
Above him, five moons hovered—each glowing in a different hue.
It was breathtaking in its own way.
Especially knowing they aren't just celestial objects.
Once, there had been only two.
Each of them was now a godly domain.
His gaze shifted to the open IDE tab on his status screen.
Status...
[
God-Slayer
Rewarded to those who have slain a god. This title...
]
He had no idea what to do with this information.
Shaking his head, Peter stepped aside. His target sat quietly a few meters away, lost in thought.
As he approached, she looked up.
"I heard you're getting married," he said, taking a seat beside her.
"I am."
That was… curt.
"Isn't it a bit soon? You must be, what—21? 22?"
She nodded.
"How's the guy?"
"Toby's nice," she said, taking a slow sip from her glass. "Though it's hard to tell. I've only met him twice."
"Hmm… Didn't you used to like that guy who worked at the tavern? What happened to him?" He hadn't seen the man in ages.
"He ran off one day without a word. Chasing some adventurer girl, or so people say."
Wow. Peter thought, unsure of what to say.
"What a bastard," he finally muttered.
She didn't reply. They just sat there in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, though.
"I'll miss you."
He didn't know why he said that. Nor did he know why he was crying as he did.
She just smiled and pulled him into a quiet hug. For some reason, she looked happy to hear it.
They shared a moment together. After a few minutes, his tears dried.
Soon, Mariah arrived to take him home, and Rose and Peter parted ways.
His mother didn't ask why his eyes were red the entire way home.
Once they arrived, she helped him change in silence.
She led him to his room, tucked him in, and kissed his forehead. "Good night," she whispered.
That night, for the first time, he didn't work on his Skill. Instead, he just slept.
Rose was, in a way, his first friend.
…
The next day, things fell back into normalcy.
Peter swayed on unsteady legs, struggling to find his center of balance. Sweat poured down his forehead, dripping into his eyes.
"Get your breathing under control," Joseph said, stopping beside him.
Easy for you to say, Peter grimaced.
Still, he did his best to follow the advice.
Thump. Thump.
Giving up on standing, he sank to the ground, taking deep, measured breaths.
Closing his eyes, he focused inward, trying once more to circulate his mana. Slowly, his body loosened, his heartbeat steadied, and a shroud of calm settled over him. He didn't fight it.
His mana stirred. It wasn't much—barely a trickle—but it moved.
For the first time, he lost track of his surroundings. His mind was quiet, free of distractions, entirely focused on his body.
And then, he felt it—his soul.
It burned like a furnace. Too vast, too powerful for someone as small as him.
Like an RTX 4090 shoved into a PC running a Pentium 4 with 2GB of RAM.
It kept producing mana, feeding it into his body, but with nowhere to go, the excess bled into the atmosphere.
Then, from the depths of his soul—
Ping.
Something stirred, breaking his concentration.
System Notification:
[
You have unlocked a Skill: Mana Manipulation
Do you wish to accept it? Yes / No
]
Peter opened his eyes, expecting to see Joseph—but his father was nowhere in sight. Instead, Mariah sat beside him, gazing at the sky.
His movement caught her attention, and she turned to look at him.
"Where's Dad?" he asked.
She smiled. "He left two hours ago. You've been sitting like this for the past three hours, my child."
Grumble.
Right on cue, his stomach made its hunger known.
Mariah giggled, standing up and offering him a hand. "Come, let me get you something to eat."
"I unlocked Mana Manipulation," he told her as he took her hand.
She nodded, unsurprised. "Did you check your status yet?"
At her prompt, he pulled it up. "Spirit increased by one point."
She hummed in thought, tapping a finger against her left cheek. "It's an essential skill for any form of casting besides spell skills. No—let me correct myself."
"It's essential for a lot of things. Your friend Charles will likely need to unlock it too," she added, opening the door.
"Some Classes require it much sooner than others. But don't choose it yet—eat first. We'll discuss it in the afternoon."
Peter nodded, taking a seat at the dining table.
...To be continued