Chương 6: Chapter 5

My frustration was immeasurable and my lack of progress an anchor around my chubby neck, dragging me down into the abyss! Lying on my back on the silky fur rug of some mountain beast, I flailed my limbs in discontent, my tiny white arms moving without rhyme or reason! It had been another two months, bringing me ever closer to the fateful one year anniversary of my birth. Not arrival in this world, since, you know, I had been awake in the womb for quite a while.

But I was almost one year old by my method of tracking such things. Honestly it was hard to tell since I couldn't really mark the days anywhere and I had no idea if this world followed a similar pattern in months. But that wasn't what mattered! Only magic mattered. Only Aether mattered! And, as of yet, I had not managed even a single grain of sand's worth of progress. I knew magic existed by now. I'd confirmed it when I had watched my mother cook.

She held the pan in one of her hands and then a faint white light would bloom on top. Within seconds there would be the sound of sizzling as she cooked something. She was using a magic pan! But I had no idea how. Why did it shine with a white light? Where was the magic coming from? Was she casting a spell? Was the pan enchanted? I knew nothing! And in my ignorance I continued to wallow.

"Is everything alright, my sweet boy?" asked my mother as she scooped me up off the rug and held me close. I quieted down, restraining my desire to continue flailing. My mother was an angel, and she didn't deserve that. My frustrations would need to find another outlet. As she rocked me back and forth, I let myself focus on other things than my utter failure to seize upon magic. Thankfully, the ever present Status and my burgeoning numbers gave me a small reprieve from the depths of sadness.

You have advanced the Tier of your Path! Path of Sneaking II (812/25) … You have advanced the Tier of your Path! Path of Sneaking VI (812/500) Reward: +2 Coordination, +3 Stamina You have advanced the Tier of your Path! Path of Hiding I (894/10) … You have advanced the Tier of your Path! Path of Hiding VI (894/500) Reward: +3 Coordination, +3 Mental You have advanced the Tier of your Path! Path of Stealth I (57/10) You have advanced the Tier of your Path!

Path of Stealth II (57/50) Reward: +1 Coordination, +1 Stamina, 4 Unallocated Stats While my Paths of Crawling and Linguistics - Helenian had continued to progress, they hadn't reached the next threshold just yet. Progress was much slower when my time was being divided between multiple Paths. The Unallocated Stats, as always, were pumped directly into my Talented Attribute, which I hoped was helping fuel my growth.

What I had learned through trial and error was that my Path of Sneaking rewarded me moving about undetected, while my Path of Hiding rewarded me for remaining unseen. The former required more controlled movement, which was kind of tiring if I was being honest. Hiding was much easier, especially since if I found a clever spot to hide, my mother would spend far longer looking for me, often resorting to getting my grandfather to root me out.

I still hadn't figured out how he did it, but he could always track me down instantly. Path of Stealth was a little different. For one, it wasn't a Basic Path. The Unallocated Stats as an early reward were a dead giveaway, along with the different breakpoints. As for progressing it, the Path of Stealth seemed to care about me accomplishing tasks that involved skullduggery without getting seen or caught. My favourite was absconding with my grandfather's pipe.

Find the baby was a great game when I could run off with Cornelius's favourite pipe before dinner. Though, the current score against the old codger's was not in my favour. It was like he had eyes in the back of his head. Of course, all my misbehaving and trickery had unlocked a new Path. A Path that was advancing at a decent clip, which left me with mixed feelings. Path Unlocked! Path of Deception (0/10) You have advanced the Tier of your Path!

Path of Deception IV (131/100) Reward: +4 Mental My mother put me back down, and I immediately rolled over and crawled towards one of the chairs arrayed near the fireplace. A small wooden fence had been erected around the roaring, fiery maw to prevent me from approaching. An unnecessary precaution, as I had no desire to be burned. Instead, I pulled myself up on the chair, standing and surveying my domain. My mother clapped, and I gave her a big gummy smile, with two teeth proudly on display. That's right, Mummy!

I thought, love your little chipmunk! She produced a small piece of bread from the bowl she was holding and held it to my lips. I gobbled down the sweet, nut-infused bread like it was the soul of a demon trying to kill me and I was an immortal hero. I would've killed for some fruit, but there wasn't much to be had in the mountains. Nuts and legumes, along with hardy vegetables, were the more common fare, coupled with some rare bread made with wheat from our stores and, of course, meat.

Chicken mostly, but I was pretty sure I had smelled bacon one morning. If I had, then the old codger hadn't been in a sharing mood. Even with simplistic food, it was still a step up from the milk drip I had suffered on for so long. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Outside, a cold wind was howling. The few windows and sturdy doors would occasionally rattle when a particularly strong gust would blow past.

Winter was upon us again and I was ready for my next big trick.

"Mum, Mum, Mum," I said, trying to get her attention. I could've been more concise, but I was a baby, and babies weren't supposed to talk in full sentences. I wasn't about to turn to her, all serious like, with a bucktooth smile and tiny pudgy arms, and say ' Hello, dear Mother, please pay attention to me as I take my first steps. Ta-da!' Not doing so though had continued to progress my Path of Deception. I didn't know how I felt about that to be honest. My repetition, however, was enough to grab her attention.

"Yes, darling, Mummy's here." I flashed a big grin and took a wobbling step towards her, then another. My mother crouched down, holding her arms out wide as she smiled at me, her shining mane of dark hair framing her heart-shaped face. I didn't know if this world had different beauty standards, but when I called my mother an angel, I meant in beauty as well as temperament.

"That's it! You're doing so good! Come to Mummy!" I kept my big grin on my face. How could I not? I might have the memories of another life, but I had the body, hormones, and changing neural connections of a baby. I was as much Sebastian as I was the boy I had been in my first life, and every day the past became less relevant. While I might never forget about the person I had previously been, I was growing into being Sebastian. And my mother was proud of me!

I stumbled the last few steps and fell into her arms with a giggle. She lifted me up and twirled me around which set me to laughing as the world blurred by and the wind continued to howl. In our warm house we were safe and we were happy.

"You did so good! You walked all the way to Mummy!"

"What's this now?" Cornelius asked as he stepped into the room. I grinned at the old man, waiting for my mother to explain.

"He just walked from the chair all the way over to me on his own," answered my mother, though she never looked over at the old man. At this moment she only had eyes for me! I was the bestest boy! I thought, Ha, suck it old man!

"Did he now? Ahead of schedule again. Maybe you're right. Maybe he is just special," Cornelius commented. Damn straight, and don't you forget it! I proclaimed mentally.

"Any word?" asked my mother, a hint of worry edging into her voice. I looked up at her, trying not to let her concerns bleed into me. My baby senses were telling me something was wrong, and that made me want to cry. I didn't though. I wasn't going to bawl, at least… not yet.

"Nothing yet. They should have arrived by now. The Warden was sure that the Rift had gone undiscovered for quite some time. If it's already broken open… then they may have been ambushed on the road, or gone directly towards the site rather than stopping in here to restock and prepare. With the weather turning on them like this… I don't envy the ones who took on this job," Cornelius replied. The old man reached into his pocket and pulled out his favourite pipe.

Putting it to his lips, I watched it light on its own, the small flame visible only by the glow of the pipe as smoke puffed out like a tiny chimney. My mother stepped away with me still held tightly in her arms.

"I told you I don't like you smoking around Sebastian, father," she admonished.

"Sorry, Penny," replied my grandfather, tamping out the pipe and tucking it away.

"Old habit when I'm feeling a little stressed." I didn't care that the old man smoked. I was still focused on what he'd done with the pipe. That had been magic again! I was sure of it! Teach me your ways, old wise one! Of course, I couldn't say anything like that. The moment I did the jig would be up. He'd have me laid out on a table searching for signs of demonic possession in an instant! Not that I thought he'd find any. In all the months since I had woken up here, not once had I felt a hint of the demon again.

It was just me in this body, at least as far as I could tell.

"It's fine, father. I know you don't like it when things don't go to plan. Surprised you're worrying about some Adventurers though. We should've just left the Society after what happened."

"And done what?" Cornelius griped.

"I still needed to provide for you. My name as a teacher was tarnished from Helenica to the Deeping Gorge. No one with coin to pay for my services was willing to cross the Helenian nobility. I wasn't about to take on Society jobs and risk leaving you without either parent. This was the best I could manage. It was only supposed to be for a few years anyway… but it seems they still haven't forgotten the... incident. Or perhaps it's me they've forgotten. So, up here we remain."

I watched as the old man's shoulders slumped in defeat, folding in on himself like a collapsing black hole. My mother, angel at heart, swept closer to her father and pulled him into a one armed hug as she held me with the other. My little hand went questing.

"I'm not complaining father. You saved me from a fate worse than death. I just worry about you. Up here there isn't a lot for you to do," stated my mother.

"It's fine, Penny. Just an old man's complaints." My mother graced us with a gentle smile which seemed to bring life back to the old man.

"How about I make something extra tasty for dinner? Your favourite perhaps? Pork and gravy with buttered vegetables?"

"I'd like that. What about Sebastian?" Cornelius asked. Yeah, what about me? I thought.

"Can he stay out here with you? Perhaps you could read something to him," suggested my mother as she placed me down on the fur rug before sweeping out of the room like a cook turned royalty. Or perhaps royalty turned cook in this case.

"What am I to do with you?" asked the grumpy old bastard. I pulled his pipe out of my thick layer of clothes and held it up to him like I was making an offering. I wasn't, of course. I was gloating! Look at me old man, I got your pipe again! Ha! Cornelius reached down, gently taking the pipe from me. He glanced at the kitchen door before eyeballing me.

"You're a sneaky little shit," he whispered quietly, though the smile on his lips betrayed him. Six more steps appeared on my Path of Stealth with the successful theft! You have no idea, old man! I thought, Now teach me magic already!