Chapter 4 - Geography

  Six years have passed since my father returned from his long journey serving the kingdom. He has been home ever since, and those years have settled over me like calm snow. I am eight years old now. My days are filled with quiet routines, steady growth, and discoveries that slowly shape my understanding of this world that has become mine.

  Life has been peaceful. Not in the dull sense that implies boredom, but in the kind that provides space for thought and learning. I began to speak clearly around the age of three, and by four I could walk well enough to wander the estate grounds without falling over every other step. The moment I could express myself properly I told my parents and the staff that I wanted to learn to read. That simple admission led to a very long lesson plan that lasted half a year under the harsh yet patient tutelage of Margo, the head maid.

  Those months were painful. Her teaching style could only be compared to being smacked with a cold bucket of discipline every morning. I pretended to struggle with the fundamentals, even though my mind already had an adult foundation beneath it. At the same time, I had to learn entirely new symbols and patterns because the language of this world was not English in any form I recognized. Yet for some reason I could understand it the moment I stepped into this life. Reading it required real effort, but comprehension came naturally. That mystery still lingers in the back of my mind, but I accept it as one more oddity of reincarnation.

  Once I learned to read, the estate library opened its doors to me like a silent cathedral inviting worship. A child with access to more books than he could ever finish is a very dangerous creature. Or perhaps an unusually quiet one. I became the latter. Most mornings now begin with a small breakfast at the family table. Mother drinks warm herbal tea and organizes a mountain of parchment notes concerning the barony. Father reads correspondence from Duke Nox or glances over his training assignments. They speak to each other in measured voices and I listen without interrupting. These soft mornings anchor my days.

  After breakfast I am free to roam. My parents trust me enough to explore the estate as long as I stay within the grounds and remain visible to the staff. They are rarely home all day. Their duties take them to the nearby villages or to trade posts to negotiate shipments of grain, stone, wood, or ores. Every improvement within the territory requires their time and attention. In the years since I was a small toddler, Knighthelm has grown even more. The two villages under our banner have expanded and another has been added, giving the barony three villages in total. This means more workers, more hands to maintain the fields, and more miners to keep the stone and gem mines active.

  Trade has become the life blood that keeps our northern home thriving. Merchants travel from the south and east seeking our stone or enchanted gems. In return we receive goods that are harder to produce in the cold climate such as grain, livestock feed, certain fabrics, and refined metal that requires southern heat to forge. The changes are subtle when seen day by day, but the transformation over six years is startling when I look back.

  Margo has also spent the last year tutoring me on the political landscape of the continent. Her knowledge is impressive, and her ability to explain things to a child is even more impressive. She teaches me once a week for one hour. This schedule is too short for my liking, but she insists it is appropriate for someone my age. I suspect my eagerness worries her more than she admits.

  She began her lessons with the broadest structure of the human continent. Our family lives under the authority of Duke Nox, who controls one third of the continent. The remaining two thirds are governed by Duke Spires in the south and Duke Clementine in the west. Margo compared the continent to a large circular pie divided into three slices. The northern region is technically shared by all three, but the reality is far more flexible. As long as the northern territories pay their taxes and remain loyal to their respective liege, they are often left to their own management. This has created a cultural identity where northern people feel somewhat separate from the rest of the continent. The mountains contribute to that feeling. They rise like colossal stone guardians along the northern horizon. They are so immense that the tallest among them could swallow the tallest mountain from my previous world.

  A thick forest stretches across the foot of the mountain range. Travelers describe it as a labyrinth of ancient trees. Once you pass through the woods, the land opens to reveal gentle tundra plains, rolling hills covered in frost, and small lakes of ice fed water. Knighthelm sits in one of the few pockets where the cold relents enough to permit farming during the warmer seasons.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Learning about the three dukes has given me a clearer understanding of how power flows in this world. Duke Spires rules the south. His territory features warm coastlines, countless harbors, and a vast central plain that produces more grain than any other region. His people rely heavily on maritime travel and river trade. I imagine something similar to an expanded version of Italy, but with fewer cities and more countryside. Duke Spires is known for his political grace. Everyone respects his calm demeanor and his knack for smoothing relations between nobles. Yet his record is also marked by cold retribution. Anyone who betrays him or uses deceit to harm his region disappears entirely, often along with their family. His kindness does not extend to traitors.

  The western region belongs to Duke Clementine. This region is dominated by dry Savannah and endless flatlands. Almost the entire territory is dotted with herds of cattle and other large livestock. Meat from the west is a staple across the entire continent. Their cities are scattered and far apart, but their population is resilient. The main city also serves as the largest dwarven and gnomish settlement in the human lands. This attracts countless travelers who seek dwarven craftsmanship, gnomish enchantments, or advanced knowledge in metallurgy and engineering. If Duke Spires possesses political elegance, Duke Clementine commands respect through practicality and resource management.

  The eastern region, our home under Duke Nox, is very different. The terrain is mostly soft rolling hills and gentle grasslands. Forests cover large portions of the region, rich with game animals and valuable timber. The most important landmark in the east is the grand library located atop a floating spire. This library is renowned across the continent. It contains ancient magical texts that require both wealth and permission to access. Only nobles, scholars of significant renown, or military assets of high value may enter its upper floors.

  Although Duke Nox governs both the northern and eastern lands, he rarely interferes with the day to day management of the north. The northern lords, including my father, operate with a considerable degree of autonomy. They gather in a northern council to resolve matters such as trade routes, monster culling, or winter preparations.

  Beyond these three territories lies the center of the continent, where the Lascara Kingdom holds power under Emperor Walsh. The capital city is a massive medieval metropolis that dwarfs anything I have ever imagined. The largest marketplace in the human lands sits there along with the tallest wizard tower ever constructed. The tower stands a full mile high and functions as both a research institute and a defensive structure. People travel from all corners of the continent to study within its halls.

  This is the world I have been born into. And this summary covers only the human continent. Margo hinted that there are additional continents inhabited by other races with even larger landmasses and stranger climates. The scale of this world exceeds the Earth that I once knew.

  Her tutoring has been slow paced, since she limits my lessons to one hour a week. Even so, the knowledge I have gathered over the past year has been priceless. It helps me understand not only where I live but what expectations might eventually fall on my shoulders.

  Still, learning politics is not the only thing I have been doing.

  I have finally gained access to the library. At first I only skimmed the simpler books. Then I ventured into the magical reference section. There, I found the explanations I have been eager to read. Mana is the most fascinating discovery this world has offered me.

  Mana is everywhere. It flows through the air, hides in the soil, seeps from minerals, and pulses within living beings. Some books describe it as a cosmic breath that sustains the world. Others call it the language of creation. Every plant, stone, creature, and person contains mana in some measure.

  People with high mana compatibility become stronger as they grow older. Those who train with mana before their ascension ceremony gain more potential during the ritual. I have not undergone my introduction to ascension yet. The process begins at the age of ten. On that day a person places their hand on a stone of magical origin. A pillar of light erupts from the stone and wraps around the participant. After that moment their true system appears. The system grants a class, registers abilities, and reveals elemental affinities.

  I witnessed one of these festivals when I was younger. My mother carried me to the town square so I could watch the older children go through the ritual. She held me close while the first pillar of light erupted from the stone. It was bright enough to cast shadows across the entire square. The child inside it trembled as the light faded. Then their system window appeared before them. Their parents cried with pride. I could not see much, but the atmosphere was unforgettable.

  All of this information confirms one thing. If I want to reach the same heights as my father, who is a rare Tier Five, then I will need to train long before my tenth birthday. The idea excites me more than anything else.

  Father once said that only bonded beasts fight with the same spirit as their humans, but in the entire barony only he has achieved a bond. I have not asked him what creature he bonded with. I want to wait until I earn his trust enough for him to tell me on his own.

  There is still so much I do not know. The world is huge and full of mysteries. I have eight years behind me now and the real journey will begin at age ten.

  Yet for now, I sit quietly in the library, reading about mana while sunlight slips through frost glazed windows and books wait for my curious hands.

  My new life is beginning to take shape and I cannot wait to see where it leads.