The white fire that burned on the palm of my hand was very different from what the twins showed their parents as soon as they returned with their blessing. In my case, the fire gave off neither heat nor more light than the one with which it shone; it seemed more of a hologram than anything else.

Since the surprised reactions of my parents and the elf priestess had been so noticeable, I didn't realize at the time that the oracle herself wasn't even blinking. She had stood stiffly observing the paranormal event that she herself had created.

"Oracle?" I asked.

"Ah! Ahem..." The oracle cleared her throat as she recovered from her surprise. "There was a blessing after all! All the gods together have given young Rendal a gift of health and fortune in his future!"

No one really understood what was happening or what the white fire that had appeared was about, but everyone applauded anyway though while looking at each other in bewilderment. For her part, the oracle was quick to put out the white fire with a small gesture from her hand.

"We'll have to talk later; my name is Filimina, but you can call me Fily."

The oracle, whose real name was Filimina, whispered those words in my ear to then address the rest of the crowd.

"Listen, everyone! I have decided to leave my position as an oracle and be the priestess of the village of Telize and her family. From what I have heard, they have never had a priest due to their small size. It cannot remain like this."

Fily declared those words before everyone's astonished gaze, especially her assistant, who couldn't close her mouth in surprise. I was the one who least understood what was happening, but the strange creature known as a visiare said she would talk to me again later.

That night, everyone celebrated the end of the ceremony, the loudest noises coming from Fily's joyous laughter and her former assistant's desperate pleas for her to reconsider.

I accompanied Vindel, who was drinking with the rest of the father, while he commented on how lucky they were to now have a representative of the gods in the village.

Telize, for her part, sang lullabies in front of the campfire for the sleepy Sefie, who lay in her lap.

After a night of camping outside the temple, we all prepared to return to our respective villages in the morning. In our case, we returned with one more member.

*****

It was a sunny morning of what in my past life was known as spring; the sun's rays crossed the leafy canopy of the tree behind me and brought me warmth and the worry of the lack of sunscreen in this world.

I would have loved to get up and breathe the fresh air, but unfortunately, I found myself trapped in the arms of a creature called a visiare. This creature believed she was a chair and her arms were an unreleasable seat belt.

According to Fily, it was her way of feeling the evolution of the "primordial magic" she had discovered in me three years ago at that ceremony.

Of course, I already knew it was an excuse; over time, I had discovered that visiare are fascinated by everything mystical and magical, and surely, due to the existence of my primordial magic, this creature with navy blue hair and long floppy ears loved to be glued to me, almost as much as she loved candy.

It wouldn't be such an awkward situation if my body hadn't already turned ten years old and my height compared to Fily's, which resembled that of a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl's, wasn't so different. That is, we looked like two children hugging in the eyes of others.

Of course, In those moments when I didn't want anyone to see me, Vindel approached with Sefie by the hand.

My little sister, now seven years old, puffed out her cheeks in a sign of envy and rushed against my stomach, leaving me breathless and causing Fily to laugh behind my back. Now, I found myself imprisoned from two directions.

"Oracle, I am honored that you have so much appreciation for my son, but I need to talk to him for a while," Vindel said with a smile and shook the improvised fishing rods that he carried on his shoulder to indicate his intention.

"I don't want to!" Fily exclaimed, hugging me tighter and burying her small face in my back. But, after a few seconds, she raised her head again. "Aaah! Alright! I am the oldest in the entire village, so I must set an example. You can take him early this time."

After looking at each other, the three of us couldn't help but laugh at those words. If there was anyone who needed to control their cravings in this village, it was her.

"What are they laughing at!?" This time, it was Fily who puffed out her cheeks. "And Vindel! I have already told you that I am not an oracle; now, I am a simple priestess."

"Excuse me, priestess," Vindel replied with a smile. "But for us who have known you as an oracle ever since we were little children, you will always be the oracle."

After talking for a few more minutes, we said goodbye to Fily, and our family of three headed towards the river near the village.

"Mom didn't want to come?" I asked once we had settled on the shore.

"No, she wanted to give me some time alone with you two," Vindel responded, preparing his rod and handing me the second one.

Sefie, for her part, observed a strange insect (for me) collecting pollen from a flower behind us.

"Something happened?"

"Do you remember the burning of the Hivere' village? Vindel asked". Hivere was the twins' last name, Delia the sister and Denle the brother. You only had six cycles completed, but knowing you, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

"Yes, of course; in the next cycle, they swore revenge at the ceremony and caused a spectacle that was difficult to forget."

"Hahaha, you're still a child, but your memory has always been impressive."

"Haha…"

"Well, as I was saying, about that burning... That was part of the skirmishes with the neighboring kingdom of Petros. Findelor, our home, and Petros have had a feud for years, but recently, it has just turned into a war."

"A war?!"

"Well, as I was saying, about that burning... That was part of the skirmishes with the neighboring kingdom of Petros. Findelor, our home, and Petros have had a feud for years, but recently, it has just turned into a war."

"An erelio arrived in the village with the news that all men fit for war must prepare... In a week, we march to the lectur's camp."

Erelio is the name given to the messengers of feudal lords, a lectur in this case, which is a noble title similar to that of a baron in my previous world. The difference is that there are no lecturs without lands.

"So soon…"

"That's what wars are like, I heard; the enemy army is already close to the border; it's almost a gift from Eferida that they discovered it so far in advance."

"I've always wanted to be a soldier, but I don't know if I like seeing my family go to war and be left behind."

"Hahaha, I know, son, but you're still very young. And honestly, I want this war to end before you are an adult; I will help take care of that. You, meanwhile, must take care of your sister and your mother; you are going to be the man of the house."

"Don't worry, Dad, they'll be safe with me," I said, gathering my hand into a fist and placing it on my chest.

"I have no doubt; you are the terror of the batenkas after all! Hahaha.

"Haha… that's an old story now."

"That reminds me, there is something I want to give you when we get back... But hey, now the important thing is to spend that time together your mother wanted. Whoever catches the most fish wins!"

"Me too!" exclaimed Sefie while jumping to hang from our father's head.

"Ugh! Cutie, you're still too little! And, agh! Be careful with Daddy's neck!"

*****

An icy breeze caressed my face; the moon was already high, and the sound of the trees moving to the wind was the only thing that could be heard.

My steps directed me towards the top of a small hill. Under the same tree in whose shadow I was resting this morning, the little visiare was waiting while sitting. Her eyes, which looked like two other small moons under the one seen above her head, opened wide, and she looked carefully at what I was carrying in my hand.

"I was worried you were late to our love getaway, but look at you, arriving with something so dangerous... Where did you get it from?"

"First of all, it is not a "love getaway"; these are classes where you teach me how to use that supposed "primordial magic" that you want me to keep a secret. Don't say things that someone could misinterpret." When I arrived next to the visiare, I showed her what I was carrying, a longsword in a black sheath decorated with gold. "Secondly, I have no idea where Vindel got it from. Apparently, it's been in our family for generations... I just hope my ancestors didn't steal it from some noble."

"Don't worry, boy, that noble family no longer exists."

"What are you talking about?"

"Because of that symbol that looks like a sun, that sphere with seven lines around it engraved in the center of the guard, see? It is common knowledge for us visiare. According to our records, it is part of the emblem of the imperial family of the first humans. This empire covered the entire continent but disappeared more than a thousand years ago... Mmm,  if it's still in one piece and not completely eroded, that would explain it. In fact, it would mean the sword is a lost technology, so to speak."

"Imperial family… lost technology…"

"Exactly, so, will you show it to me or not? If it's an ancient artifact, I wouldn't be surprised if it could summon a dragon if you shake it hard enough."

(Yes, just like elves and other fantasy creatures, there are dragons in this world too.)

"Well, I brought the sword to ask you about that. According to Vindel, no one in our family had been able to unsheath it... But it worked for me on the first try; Vindel was shocked and tried to do it, too, but to no avail."

"Hoo... Let me try, too!"

Fily took the sword with difficulty (I must say that it was quite heavy) and tried to free it from its sheath but to no avail. Tired, she returned it to me.

It was then my turn, and I unsheathed it without any problems. The blade was of shimmering silver with various intricate engravings on it. It really seemed to be an item of great value.

"… I'm going to leave it hidden, in case I run into any visiare who could think I've stolen it…"

"Hahaha, it wouldn't be theirs either, and it would be difficult as well; I think my grandfather is one of the few visiare left from that time; we don't live as long as the elves..." Fily paused, put two fingers on her chin, and meditated in that position for a few seconds. "Now that I think about it, my grandfather used to tell us that a silver-haired clan once dominated humanity..."

After a few minutes of awkward silence, we started the usual training.

The secret of what Fily calls "primordial magic" is already heavy enough; the visiare does not know if I was born with it or if it was given to me gradually by all the gods in the ceremony since, in its essence, primordial magic is a combination of the power of all of them.

Of course, this magic is unprecedented, and Fily wants me to keep it a secret for my safety, at least while I have a child's body. At the same time, she insisted on guiding me in the use of magic, which in this world is nothing other than the manifestation of the power of the gods.

It is worth mentioning that Fily is the only (person? visiare?…) that knows I retain the memories of my past life. She needed to know everything about me as my magic teacher and also to investigate the origin of this primordial magic.

Of course, she took an oath not to tell anyone, although it's not that she cared much. Other people with that same experience were already mentioned in the visiare records. Also, she is more than two hundred years old. Even counting my two lives together, I was still a child to her... Although it is true that she has recently begun to make some adult "jokes."

Now, it looks like we're going to have to deal with a third secret, but for tonight, we decided to leave it aside.