Time moved quietly. 

It didn’t announce itself or ask for permission. It simply passed, day after day, until the things I once struggled with became a routine. 

One and a half years passed. I was older now, taller, and stronger. 

The buzz that once vibrated through my body was no more; it stopped the moment I gained true control over my eidra.

Training had become a central part of my life. Mother would train me to the brink every day, and Dad helped too when he was free. 

Training with Mom was precise and exhausting. That was to be expected from a former soldier, as she was always so brutal in her methods.

No matter how much control I gained, however, it still felt like the bare minimum. 

Wind no longer resisted me. Fire obeyed me without flaring out of control. Water moved where I guided it, smooth and precise. Earth was the most difficult element to master; my control over it wasn't yet complete, merely balanced.

I always feel a shiver run through me when I think about what I have: four elements. To me, it felt normal, as if people like me should exist, and that was the part that truly unsettled me. 

I was barely five years old, and this sense of normality I felt was confusing. Perhaps it was because I had been reborn, but even then, having a core from birth and controlling four elements was strange. No one should have this much power.

I wondered why I had it. On Earth, strength came with scars and loss. Here, strength came quietly, measured in days instead of battles.

I walked aimlessly in the backyard, which had been transformed into a training area. 

There was no training today. 

Mom told me to rest, and Dad was out in the fields again, harvesting crops as usual. I sat down on the cold grass, feeling it damp my clothes slightly. I ran a hand through my hair as I watched the sky move over my head. 

I began to wonder if this world was preparing me for something, as if I had been born here for a specific purpose. Perhaps it was merely waiting. Whatever the reason, I wasn't ready to face anything yet.

I had only been able to reach the fourth layer of the second phase, moving up a single layer since the time I absorbed the Emberjaw’s beast core. My progress was slow, and I knew Mom was doing this on purpose. She didn't want me to attract any attention yet.

My gaze wandered over the sky stretching above me. 

I sighed, letting myself relish the peacefulness of the moment. I sat there listening to the chirp of the birds, the soft susurrus of the leaves, and the warmth of the sun. It all felt good, perhaps too good. I rested there for a while, but for some reason, I didn’t quite feel peaceful.

"Kairon!" Mother’s voice rang in my ears. "Come in, food’s ready."

I exhaled and walked over to the house. The aroma of freshly cooked food dominated my nostrils as I entered. My stomach growled softly. The wooden floor beneath my feet gave low creaks as I strode forward. Warm sunlight filtered in from the open windows. I sat at the table as Mom served the food, placing my plate in front of me with a soft thud.

The front door opened, and a loud groan followed. Dad was home, and he seemed exhausted. He plopped down at the dinner table, sighing dramatically. "I am beat," he said, his voice strained.

"Farming isn’t that hard, Dad," I teased, smirking at him.

He narrowed his eyes. "How about you go and harvest them?" he huffed.

Before I could say anything, Mom spoke up. "Alright, you two. Eat your food," she ordered and sat in her chair.

Dad and I nodded as we began to eat. Silence followed quickly. It wasn't heavy, just comforting. It is moments like these that I wish wouldn't end. As I was eating, I caught Mom looking at me a little too closely. "Uh... what’s wrong, Mom?" I asked, swallowing the food I was munching on.

Her eyes narrowed, and she leaned closer. "You..." she trailed off.

I swallowed slowly.

"...You’re definitely my son," she blurted out.

"Huh?" Dad and I replied in unison.

She shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. "No, I mean, he looks as cute as me, no?" The smile turned smug.

Dad let out a short laugh. "You’re only realizing that now?"

"Well," Mom said lightly, reaching over to ruffle my hair, "he’s going to grow up handsome."

Heat rushed to my face. My heart fluttered at the praise. The conversation drifted after that, settling into small, ordinary things. Dad talked about the fields, Mom complained about the stubborn weeds near the fence, and I listened, half present and half lost in my thoughts.

When the plates were cleared and the kitchen quieted again, Dad headed outside to check on the crops. Mom followed shortly after, muttering something about hanging the laundry before the sun dipped too low.

I stayed behind. 

The house felt different when I was alone. It wasn't lonely, just still. It was the kind of stillness that made thoughts louder. I sat on the couch for a moment, listening to the faint creak of wooden beams and the distant sounds of the village beyond our walls. My gaze drifted toward the window, sunlight spilling across the floor in lazy patterns.

This place was peaceful and safe, and yet my chest felt tight. 

Ever since I came to this world, that feeling hadn't gone away. This tightness in my chest was almost the same as the pinches I felt before dying on Earth. 

Every time I realized my existence was an anomaly, it hit me again. Four elements and a core from birth were things that shouldn't happen, things that didn't exist in the records Mom used to read to me.

There was only one being, almost like me: an Elf born with a core. I remembered how my Mom told me about this Elf, how they were abducted by the kingdoms and used as a weapon centuries ago. 

It was a shame that there wasn't any more information on them. I couldn't find anything in the books, not even their name. There were just fragments and whispers.

Those whispers and the Varneth beings I’ve read of were all I had. 

The book that mentioned the Varneth only recorded their names and nothing more. It was as if they were being kept a secret, or perhaps other books existed that I hadn't found yet. I did try asking Mom and Dad about it, but they also knew nothing of them, which was frustrating.

I exhaled a sigh and went out. 

My gaze drifted over the village folks as I walked by. Some greeted me while others went on about their day. I kept walking until I was a good distance away from the village, not far enough to get lost, but not close enough to hear the noise. I sat beneath a lone tree where I could see the river that flowed near the farmlands.

No matter where I went, it was always so peaceful, but I felt no peace. 

Inside, I was confused, determined, and conflicted all at once. I could control the water, the wind, the fire, and even the earth, yet I didn't want to. I wanted to stay hidden.

The river flowed on, unaware of my thoughts. Its surface shimmered under the sunlight, moving freely and effortlessly, which was nothing like the storm twisting inside me. I watched it for a long while, resisting the familiar pull in my core. One thought was enough to make it bend to my will. One careless moment and the calm would shatter.

So I did nothing. I clenched my hands into the grass beneath me instead, grounding myself in something real and ordinary. If I could pretend long enough, acting like I was just another child sitting beneath a tree, then maybe the world wouldn't notice me yet. 

Mom said power attracts eyes. Eyes bring questions. And questions lead to things you can’t take back.

I exhaled slowly, letting the breeze brush past my face without answering it. I didn’t move the water, and I didn’t shape the earth. 

I let the elements exist without me, even though every part of me knew they were waiting. For now, staying unnoticed was my choice. I wasn't ready for the world to look back at me. I was terrified. It wasn't the world that scared me; I was scared that I might lose my parents in this world as well, just like back on Earth. 

I was scared of repeating the life I lived before.

I couldn't help but smile to myself as I remembered the words of my comrades from Earth. "Commander, in your next life, live happily." I mouthed my thoughts, my words fading away. 

I chuckled, but a single tear escaped my eye. I looked down at the white flower, my hands clasped around it, and I pulled it out. My eyes were locked on the white flower. "I am living happily, my soldiers," I trailed off.

The smile remained as another tear trickled down my cheek and fell onto the flower. "So where are you all?" I looked at the sky. "Why aren’t you all here with me? You all deserve happy lives, too, brats." I laughed at that. 

Brats, huh? That was ironic, considering the body I was in. I glanced down at my body, small and childish.

It's getting lonely in this world, my soldiers...

"Kairon?" A familiar voice called out. My gaze followed the sound and saw my mother standing there, holding a basket full of vegetables and fruits. I kept my gaze on her, my mouth hung open slightly. And then, I smiled. Maybe I wasn't as lonely as I thought.

She approached me with steps that were slow and light. "What are you doing here?" she asked, standing beside me.

I smiled widely and pointed at the river. "It’s so pretty!" I wasn't acting; it was genuine this time.

Mom glanced at the river and then at me. She returned the smile and sat beside me. I leaned my head against her arm. Her other hand patted my head as we both gazed at the river. "Yeah, it is," she replied softly.

Dried leaves fell around us as the wind brushed past them. Mom and I sat there for a while, pointing at every beautiful thing we saw. I enjoyed every moment of it. I chuckled heartily. I grinned like a normal person, and I loved it.

The world was starting to get darker as the sun started to dip further into the horizon. Mom and I walked back to our house while the sunset cast an orange glow everywhere. The river gleamed beautifully, and leaves flew in the air as the wind picked up ever so slightly. 

Mom was singing a lullaby out loud, and I listened while humming along happily.

"River wide, river free, Carry the light back to me. 

Sun dips low, painting skies, whispering secrets where it lies. 

Moments soft, the world in glow, let our gentle spirits flow. 

River wide, river free, Carry the light back to me. 

Stars will shimmer, moonlight gleam, Guide us softly through this stream. 

Every leaf and gentle breeze, Sings a song of simple ease. 

River wide, river free, Carry the light back to me. 

Golden light upon the stream, Filling moments like a dream. 

Hands held close, hearts entwined, Peace and warmth are ours to find. 

River wide, river free, Carry the light back to me."

This was the lullaby she'd sing for me every day, and I love it.

It always made something within me blossom. I glanced at her; she was humming now, holding my hand in hers while carrying the basket in her other arm.