Leonard burst into laughter so suddenly like there's no cares in the world. His body arched as he couldn't seem to control it. Despite his unusual outburst, his laughter was still a pleasant sound to the ears. He appeared to be a flawlessly crafted human, leaving me curious about what had triggered such mirth in him.

  However, in the blink of an eye, his laughter ceased as if some invisible force had clamped his mouth shut. His complexion began to shift from jovial to a shade of purple; his struggle was evident.

  "If you're curious, that's a silencing spell," the kid chimed in once again, taking a step closer to me.

  He seemed to have an uncanny ability to read my thoughts. "I see," I replied briefly.

  "Are you worried about him? Leonard won't easily die," the boy remarked.

  "No, I'm not."

  "Then are you afraid? Your eyes seem a bit unsettled."

  "No, I'm not," I reiterated, then continued, "The thing is, what you did isn't something that normally happens where I come from."

  He stared at me in silence, as if considering my words, before speaking again. "That's good."

  When the boy flicked his fingers, the silence spell broke, and Leonard gasped for air, exclaiming, "Arwin, you're too much!"

  "You're not allowed to laugh, Leonard. It's annoying."

  'Why do I feel like this kid is superior to Sir Leonard? Nevertheless, they seem close. And this child looks exactly like the man who saved us. Is he his little brother?'

  "But Arwin, why did you shrink?" Leonard asked as he reached out to lift him into the air, but his hand stopped in mid-air.

  "I won't allow you to touch me. Stop that annoying smirk of yours before I grill you alive," the child warned, a ball of fire suddenly appearing atop his pointing finger.

  "Aww, but this is such a rare sight to see," Leonard replied shamelessly while still trying to reach him. They were so engrossed in their exchange that it seemed they had forgotten my presence entirely.

  "Err, excuse me, but what do you mean by Zarani will wake up after 6 months? Why so long?" I interjected, breaking their intense exchange. The two of them stopped abruptly and turned to me with serious expressions. The little boy named Arwin stared down at Zarani with knitted brows and began to speak.

  "This girl's soul is not stable."

  "Huh?" I looked at him, utterly puzzled.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  Suddenly, a dust of bluish particles, glowing with a gentle light, surrounded us, forming different images that seemed to illustrate Arwin's words. It was like watching the fairest pixie dust dance in the wind—enchanting and captivating.

  "The soul and our mana are intertwined. Mana is the source of all sorts of life and power in the world. Humans, chosen or loved by mana, have a tremendous amount of it attached to their soul. You can say the soul is the medium filled with such sacred power and a magnet to attract universal mana. However, if a body has no ounce of mana, they will die."

  "In this girl's case, her soul is damaged, which means the flow of her mana is affected too. It leaks to the outside world and dissipates. In addition to that, the core of her power was partially sealed. That means, to live, she can only use two types of mana, either from the universal mana, which is hard to attract, or from people of the same type as her. The latter solution is easier to accomplish than the former."

  After he explained, the pixie particles disappeared.

  I was deep in thought: 'That's why Mom and Dad replenish her mana every month. No, they've been doing it since we were born.'

  "Why is her soul unstable?" I asked.

  "She has memories of her previous life... Her past life and the present didn't blend well. She was confused. Usually, when humans die, they forget their memories of their previous life if they are reincarnated. This helps stabilize the soul. However, in some cases, if the soul strongly wishes to remember its past life, certain conditions must be met. In her case, one of those conditions was sealing her power."

  Arwin's statement hit me like a hot arrow. 'Then, what about me? Why do I have memories of my past life? Did I have some conditions too? But nothing like that seemed happened to me.'

  "Who are you? Why do you know this?" I asked, noting that he didn't speak like a typical child.

  "It's better if you don't know me, for now. But this time, they called me by the name Arwin Friezz Silverfrost."

  He extended his small, jade-colored hand as if offering a handshake. 'Huh? Did he hear us talking earlier?'

  I took his hand and shook it lightly. "I'm Nazari... they only called me that way, and my twin is named Zarani."

  In this world, only aristocrats have surnames; as a mere commoner, I was just known by my given name.

  I'm still worried about Zarani's condition; what if she won't open her eyes? "Is there no other way to heal Zarani sooner?"

  Arwin tapped the air, summoning purple-pinkish-colored insignia that appeared on Zarani's chest, adorned with mysterious characters that moved in mesmerizing circles.

  "I've already used half of my mana to break her seal and stabilize her," Arwin explained. "Now, it's her turn to play her part after experiencing the rewind of her life. We can only wait for her to recover."

  I held Zarani's hand tightly, reassured by Arwin's sincerity. If she was only physically injured, she'd awaken soon, just as I had.

  "Zarani, I'll wait for you, even if it takes a year."

  "You are truly unique, Nazari. Usually, children are driven by curiosity and whine when things don't go their way, but you didn't. You know when to ask and where the limits are," Leonard spoke up suddenly.

  'Then don't treat me like a normal kid,' I thought. Nevertheless, I still kneeled and bowed before the two of them.

  "This little one is immensely grateful for what you've done. Thank you so much for saving Zarani and me. I will never forget this, and I promise to repay you someday."

  I can't express how grateful I am to them, especially to the handsome man whose name I don't know yet.

  "Huh?" I asked as I was suddenly lifted into the air. Leonard held me aloft like S*mba in 'The L*on K*ng.'

  "Never kneel down or bow to anyone. If you want to express your gratitude, just say it. Arwin and I won't allow a soon-to-be member of the family to bow his head in front of anyone."

  "Huh?" I asked again, struggling to comprehend what he meant. "Sir Leo..."

  "Just Leo," he corrected with a friendly smile.

  "Then, Leo, I'd like to meet your brother who helped us." I wanted to ask where he was, but Leonard suddenly cackled. In the blink of an eye, I found myself defying gravity, hurtling towards Arwin. With a puff of smoke and a mysterious transformation, the child turned into the beautiful man I had been looking for.

  'So, Arwin and he are the same person. That explains why they both carry the same aura.'

  I promptly landed on his arm, and he carried me as if I were his own son.

  "Nazari, don't let that scoundrel touch you. I won't allow it."

  "Huh?!"

  "Hey, brother, Nazari is just too cute; don't be so possessive," Leonard complained while attempting to reach me, but he couldn't due to the invisible shield Arwin had cast.

  I was stunned by this sudden revelation. Had that elegant man vanished into thin air, or had he been a product of my despair-fueled imagination? These two were bickering like immature children. Worse yet, I found myself more comfortable in Arwin's arms than Leonard's. Their conversation was beyond my comprehension, given my limited human knowledge.

  "Nazari..." he softly called.

  "Hmm?"

  "From today onward, I bestow upon you my blessed name, Silverfrost. You shall be known as Nazari Eames Silverfrost," Arwin declared, sealing it with a kiss on my forehead. Simultaneously, a gentle light enveloped us, casting a mystical warmth.

  .

  .

  .

  "Can someone please explain what is happening?"