Elric led his son toward a place that lay behind the castle, a place Sever's feet had never touched.
...
Back when Sever was exploring the palace, the servants always got ahead of him to stop him from going there, using the excuse of magical mana beasts that ate children who didn't listen to their parents.
Because of Sever's mature mind, he found the story ridiculous, so he ignored the area he once wanted to explore.
But today was different. Sever remembered the time he had wanted to discover what lay beyond, and that excitement returned to him.
Once they arrived, a massive structure stood before them, built from solid rock and decorated with iron armor that had once been given to knights — now mounted at the gate like ornaments. Elric extended his hand to his son. Sever looked at his father, then grabbed his hand, and together they entered.
The moment they stepped inside, the space behind the gate revealed itself — a towering training hall filled with weapons and swords, arranged attractively from strongest to weakest.
The first thing that came to Sever's mind was how different this hall was from the one he used before. Everything here was manual. Nothing like the equipment back in the royal palace.
"Whoa—" Sever couldn't help himself.
Elric spoke in a sarcastic tone: "Don't be impressed, son... You just stepped through the gates of hell."
Sever turned toward his father. "What do you mean by that—"
DOOOOOSH!
Sever's feet left the ground. He was flying through the air from the kick he just received from his father. His weight floated like a feather in a storm. He crashed to the ground, gasping for breath.
Damn it... I should've expected that. Even that innocent expression was part of his plan.
Sever got up in pain, then rushed like an arrow toward Elric, using techniques from his previous life — but his body betrayed him.
His punches missed, and his kicks were off.
[Sever's POV]
Is this the fist of a former king? No... this is the fist of a kid trembling from the monster under his bed.
I heard a sound from my right. I blocked a punch my father aimed at me from that side — but the real shock was the kick I didn't even see coming, striking from below and sending me flying again.
I hit the ground and started punching my own body in frustration, cursing non-stop. "Damn body... like an eternal curse!"
Elric walked toward me, laughing mockingly. "Is my spoiled son that afraid of losing?"
I turned my head away from the humiliation he threw at me.
Suddenly, Elric threw his arm around me jokingly. "You'll grow up and get stronger... no need to rush. And stop shaking. I know you're this excited."
"Let go... I can't breathe—" I wasn't trembling from excitement. He was choking me.
Elric laughed and said: "Since you survived that fight, that means your real training begins now: Mana Release."
I couldn't believe what I just heard. I stared at Elric, a smile exploding across my face that I couldn't hide.
"Really? Do you know how long I've waited for this day?" I realized what I said out loud — words slipped from my throat that nearly exposed everything.
"What did you say?" Elric raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing. I think you heard the hum of drifting mana."
...
Sever and his father finished their conversation. Elric extended his hand again, but this time Sever dodged and jumped back.
His father laughed and told him they were heading to the rooftop to begin training.
"You won't kick me this time."
"If you don't listen, I'll do it before you can speak."
Sever swallowed and followed his father's instructions.
They climbed to the rooftop. The view was indescribable. From that height, they could see the entire Kingdom of Reinhold.
Elric asked his son, "Shall we begin?"
Even if Sever said no, Elric's answer would remain the same.
Sever relaxed and positioned himself as his father taught him.
"Now close your eyes and expand your lungs. Your first training is breath control and focus until you sense the mana around you."
Sever followed every word.
At first, he felt nothing. But he didn't lose hope. He kept trying until results showed.
It didn't take long before Sever felt the mana.
"I can feel it. It's warm... it's pulsing around and inside me."
"Excellent, Sever... Keep going."
Elric was surprised by Sever's speed. It was the first time he'd seen a boy this age adapt so quickly to training.
A short while passed. Elric gave his second instruction: "Now try directing it to other parts of your body."
Sever guided the mana just as instructed, and surprisingly, he succeeded on the first try.
"I did it, Father!"
"What? That's odd. I've never seen a kid your age pull that off."
"Maybe because I'm a genius."
"Save the talk for after training."
Sever chuckled softly. Elric was proud to have fathered such a smart, remarkable boy who surpassed expectations.
"Now we've reached the real deal, Sever. All you need to do is release your first burst of mana. You might faint due to your low capacity, but don't worry — your father will be right here to help."
Sever's eyes widened. For the first time, he felt someone truly understood him enough to help.
...
In Sever's past life, from childhood, he had been insulted and mistreated by those around him. His uncle and his uncle's wife treated him cruelly.
Sever built an emotional wall between himself and their household to avoid feeling sorrow or pity — until the day he escaped.
He built friendships, but most either died in battles and dungeons, or betrayed him.
On the day he was crowned during the Trial of the Crown, those who once hated him returned — not to insult him, but to praise him.
"We always believed you'd become king, Sever. We stand with you, King Sever."
He felt hollow. As if he'd lived a lie.
He didn't want praise. He wanted people who cared about him — not his title.
...
Back to the present.
Only one training remained for Sever: Mana Push.
He was nervous about the difficulty of the task, but confident he had what it took.
"Just this one left. Once I'm done, I'll move on to the Eight Elements Training," Sever thought.
He relaxed and adjusted his posture to improve his focus, gathering the mana around him through deep breathing — ready to push it out with all he had from the core within.
Time passed.
Sever didn't move an inch. He remained in the same pose for hours, like a corpse lying atop a cliff.
But Elric grew worried. He feared the training might be too harsh for someone Sever's age — but kept his faith, hoping for a miracle.
Time passed — and Elric's hope began to fade.
"Maybe I overestimated him... I thought he could do this in a single day with basic exercises," Elric whispered to himself.
He stood and approached Sever, who was still frozen in the same stance.
He called out to him, trying to break his focus — but Sever didn't respond.
"Hey, Sever. Training's over. Let's go enjoy our reward — some rest."
...
No response.
Elric nudged him gently.
"Don't joke with me... I hate heavy pranks."
Sever slumped sideways — off balance, no resistance.
Elric's heart started racing. Trying to calm himself, he told himself Sever had just overexerted himself like any kid would.
He used mana-sensing through his eyes to be sure.
"He probably just overdid it... kids his age do that, right?" Elric murmured, sweat dripping to the ground.
Then he froze.
Sever wasn't sleeping — he had passed out. His mana core was nearly empty.
"No... No, not now!"
Elric picked up his son, hands trembling, igniting burning mana through his legs to move faster — racing back to the castle before Sever's life slipped away.