He remembered being sick. That was always the first thing that came back to him when he let his mind go quiet — the past life, the weak body, the bed he could not leave. His biggest dream in those years had been a small one: to have a healthy body, and to become a martial artist.
It seemed he had gotten his wish.
The young man stood inside the number one academy in the empire, amazed at how huge the place was. Alongside his new classmates, one of them stepped forward and challenged him to a fight, wanting to see his true power for himself.
During the battle Louis showed that he was clearly superior. He told his opponent, plainly, that he was far too weak.
In this new life he had finally gotten the strong, healthy body he had always dreamed of having. On top of that, he could combine theory and strength to calculate the outcome of any battle before it happened. With all of these powers, he believed he would finally achieve his dreams.
He was very mistaken.
His body was taken over by a strange energy, and the boy entered a state of uncontrollable rage. Someone shouted an explanation over the noise — that all of this was happening because of a curse he carried. A desperate girl screamed for Louis not to give in to it.
When he regained consciousness he was frightened, and he wondered what he had just done.
The boy wondered then whether, even in this life, he was destined to lose to fate once again.
A voice called him a monster and told him to simply give up fighting. The voice went on, saying that he had the same destiny as that hero from the past. At that moment the boy's heart began to pulse with a very sinister energy.
But Louis refused to accept this, and said he would not surrender to a cruel fate. He shouted that if this was his destiny, then he would destroy it with his own two hands.
Year 594. The Candria Arcanist Academy.
Arriving at the academy, the boy was impressed by how incredible the place was. There, thirteen years old and small among the crowd, he noticed the enormous number of candidates gathered at the gates.
Suddenly someone started shouting his name, and he turned to see who it was. His parents came running, complaining that the boy was too fast and telling him not to leave them behind. His mother asked whether he had brought his identification and the hair dye, so that he would not draw attention.
She got worried and said she had heard that some students end up getting taken out for any reason at all. But his father, Julian, said that magic was the only way to solve the boy's problem. Besides, this was the only academy in the northern empire that accepted commoners in the entrance exam. Candria Academy was truly the best choice they could have made at that moment.
The institution had been founded by the royal family, and it was one of the ten best academies in the empire. There the strongest grand masters in the empire taught their students everything they knew. In the last ten years several non-noble guardians had emerged from academies like this one, and most of those powerful warriors had graduated from this very educational institution.
With this, Julian was sure that this was the perfect environment for Louis to learn about magic. The boy's mother agreed, and Louis said he needed to become a grand master no matter what. Then the young man revealed that he wanted to get stronger in order to gain possession of the church orphanage. His mother, Lucille, was completely surprised by her son's determination.
She felt guilty for not being able to heal him. But Julian comforted her, saying that she already did so much. Louis then told his mother that he was only alive because of her, and that he was very grateful for everything.
The boy remembered his past life, where not even his parents liked him. Despite everything, he never lost his passion for martial arts and continued his studies. With that he became a scholar, and his research contributed to the fighting industry. But a man stole his thesis and accused him of plagiarism, saying that a sick person did not deserve glory. In the end even his parents abandoned him. On his deathbed he wished for a family that would love him. He also wanted to have his own life — and it seemed his wish had finally come true.
Years before that, a young nun had stood worrying about taking in a child. The infant lay there confused; by rights he was supposed to be gone. The woman feared he would bring disaster. But she decided that the baby was innocent, and that she could not abandon him. So she named him Louis Cygnus. Now the boy had a family that loved him, and a healthy body to live fully.
Back at the gates, a noble shoved his mother and yelled for the commoner to get out of his way. Louis and Julian rushed to help Lucille, who had fallen to the ground from the man's push. The noble then mocked the boy's dream, saying that a commoner could never become a grand master. Disgusted, he said that he had touched a filthy commoner and hoped his luck had not run out.
Hearing this, Louis filled with rage and got ready to attack the nobles. But Julian grabbed his son's arm to stop him from doing something reckless. His father told him to focus on the exam, which was the most important thing at that moment. His mother also reminded him of his promise not to cause trouble, and asked him to hang in there.
At his parents' request the boy calmed down, but he was still very frustrated with the situation. He then apologized to his mother, and she comforted him with a touch on his shoulder. The nobles walked away, calling them trash and saying they were going to get their registration numbers.
Suddenly the crowd stirred and shouted for everyone to make way for a so-called Lord Cain. Then Cain Aurank appeared, the heir of the Aurank family, and everyone was impressed by his noble appearance. Cain looked in Louis's direction with an air of superiority, which irritated him. With a determined look, the young man promised that he would show his worth to all those nobles. But he turned to his mother and reassured her, saying that he would pass the exam no matter what.
The boy stated with absolute certainty that he would become a grand master and surpass everyone. He was determined to learn magic, to show his power to those who had humiliated him. In this new life he would become the strongest, so that he could protect the ones he loved. The boy looked at his family's picture and vowed to protect everything that was precious to him.