The golden rays of the morning sun streamed through the windows of the Borin mansion, bathing the halls in warmth and joy.
Laughter echoed from the ballroom and cheerful music were heard through the air, and the scent of honeyed bread and smoked meat wafted into every corridor.
It was a day of celebration because it was no ordinary birthday but the tenth birthday of the Borin quintuplets.
—A day every noble in the region marked on their calendars. But one of them wasn't there yet.
***
In a quiet chamber on the third floor, tucked away from the noise and festivity, Adrian sat cross-legged in the middle of his bed, surrounded by towering stacks of books.
His glasses slid slightly down the bridge of his nose as his eyes devoured page after page of the heavy tome in his lap.
He was halfway through "Mana: A Foundational Study of Core Formation and Flow," when the door creaked open.
"Adrian?" came a soft voice.
He looked up to see Serena, his sister, peeking inside.
Her silver-blonde hair was tied up neatly, a pink ribbon securing it in place. Her smile was gentle, warm, and honest — one he had grown to recognize as the only truly sincere one among his siblings.
"They're about to begin the celebration," she said, stepping inside. "Mum and Dad are waiting for you in the ballroom."
Adrian smiled lightly and closed his book, careful to mark the page with a folded strip of leather.
"I see. Thanks for coming to get me."
Serena nodded and said with a small laugh. "You lost track of time again, didn't you?"
He chuckled in return, then gave a small, respectful bow. "Please let Mother and Father know I'll be down shortly. I must freshen up."
She nodded with a bright smile. "Alright. Don't take too long."
As she turned and gently closed the door, Adrian's expression shifted completely. He let out a long sigh and facepalmed.
"All this could've been avoided if there were just… watches," he muttered. "Or even a clock."
He looked at the antique hourglass on the shelf with contempt. "This world is hopelessly behind."
He moved around the room, picking up scattered books and organizing them.
In the ten years since his rebirth, Adrian had learned a lot.
This world, Thanad, was deeply entrenched in tradition and nobility. Technologically, it was stuck in a pre-industrial era. No electricity. No machines. No mass production. Firewood ovens, water wells, and candlelight were the norm.
But what it lacked in machines, it made up for in magic.
Magic governed life here. It healed wounds, lit homes, and defended cities. It was power, and those who wielded it stood atop the food chain.
And the key to accessing that power was the Awakening, a sacred ritual that a child could go through when they turned ten.
Through the Awakening, one's elemental affinity would be revealed. Fire, water, wind, earth, or rarer types like darkness, light, or lightning.
If none appeared, the child was branded a Dud, doomed to live powerless in a world that revered magic.
The pressure was immense. Every family anticipated the results, and children were groomed from birth for that single day.
"Finally," Adrian thought as he looked at himself in the mirror, brushing his shirt with his hands. "Today is the day I get my magic."
From the moment he realized the capability of this world, Adrian had been planning. Not just as a child, but as a former engineer.
He had theories and plans to create inventions that would revolutionize this world.
But...
"That'd be boring," he whispered to himself with a smirk. "I'd rather hurl fireballs and fight monsters."
He glanced at the stack of books on his bed. Titles like "Magic and You," "A Brief History of Affinities," and "Applications of Mana in Combat" lay in plain view.
He'd studied them all.
And today, he'll be able to put them all to practice and become a Mage.
***
When Adrian descended the grand staircase, the atmosphere below hit him like a wave.
Nobles, attendants, and servants filled the ballroom. Streamers and banners hung from the marble walls. A long banquet table was stacked with delicacies.
All eyes turned as he entered.
His four siblings stood near the center of the room, already dressed and impatient. Each of them wore fine clothing and shared their parents' refined features, but their expressions ranged from irritation to outright scorn.
All except Serena, who gave him a gentle wave.
"You're late," growled Fabian, the eldest of the five.
"You always think you're better than us, don't you?" muttered Diana, crossing her arms.
Even Julian, who rarely spoke, rolled his eyes.
But before Adrian could reply, their parents, Lord Cedric and Lady Mirenia, turned with proud smiles.
"There you are," Lord Cedric said warmly. "Always so focused. You truly are brilliant, Adrian."
"Yes," Lady Mirenia added, "Even the Baron from the east was impressed by your early reading skills. He said his son couldn't write his own name until he was six!"
Adrian bowed lightly. "Thank you, Mother, Father. Forgive my tardiness."
It was true, he had been reading and writing fluently by age two. Thanks to the fact that the world's language was just English. A discovery that had saved him from encountering difficulties.
Still, the praise he received from the nobles only made his siblings hate him more. Their status as a unit of prodigies had been eclipsed by the one who never spoke unless it was important.
The genius child.
And it was more annoying the way Adrian didn't seem to ever be bothered by the hate they directed towards him.
With Adrian finally present, everyone awaited the major moment of the night. And Lord Cedric didn't waste time to call for it:
"Bring it out!"
The crowd parted as the butler wheeled in a black case, laying it gently on the pedestal near the center of the ballroom.
He opened it slowly, reverently, revealing a crystalline orb, roughly the size of a melon. It glowed faintly, pulses of color swirling within.
It was the Awakening Orb.