The First Step

Benedict lowered his head and dropped his eyes. I didn't know what to say either. For a while, all that could be heard in the room was the sound of the gentle breeze coming through from the slightly open window, moving the papers on the table and the pages of the books. Finally my father took a deep breath and said.

"Don't worry, son, if you want, let's think about it and put it on hold. What do you say?"

I stopped for a moment, I had to decide what to do, and I couldn't keep Benedic waiting. I didn't even want to imagine how they would react if I told them that I was from another world, that I had entered their children's bodies when my life in that world ended, that I knew nothing about this world. What if they were ruined, what if this world wasn't real and I would be killed for realizing it.

I know that last one sounds a bit absurd and far-fetched, but it's a good idea to be cautious at a time as I don't know the truth. Also, if I just say that I don't have past memories and I don't have an opinion, I could be misdiagnosed with a disease and that could have bad consequences in the future.

When you think about everything in this way. Maybe having a teacher would be an indirect way to learn about this world without worrying my new family. With all these complicated questions, I guess there was only one thing I had to do. Get to the truth. I could never accept this world without knowing the truth, and if it wasn't real, I had to find a way out of it.

I closed my eyes for a moment.

I heard an echoing voice saying, "So a fool took the first step on his journey." I was stunned and looked around. It wasn't my father's voice. No, wait. I felt like I'd heard that voice before, but I couldn't place it now. I thought nothing was happening.

"What happened, Gilbert? You had a sudden reaction"

''It doesn't matter. I just thought I heard a voice."

"Okay, son. As long as you're okay.''

''I think I've decided, Dad. You can call the teacher, I promise to become a master magia user.''

''Then I will get you the best tutor Aetherium Magia Academy has to offer. First you will be home schooled for a while. Then you can choose your own path according to your experience, son.''

''Thank you, father. It means a lot to me.''

Now that that was settled, I decided to leave the room. As I headed for the door, I heard a voice behind me.

"Gilbert!"

"Yes, Dad."

My father was looking at me with happy and determined eyes.

"Whatever path you want to take, whatever path you make your goal. I will always be behind you, so don't think you are alone. Never."

These words left me with nothing but a smile for no reason. Maybe these words was what I wanted to hear deep down

''Of course, as long as you're behind me, I'm sure there's nothing I can't accomplish, Dad.'' I said and left the room.

Although I was only a little far away, I could hear the sound of crying coming from inside. Maybe this was what it was like to be a family, to be a father. They seemed to be happy for me and I didn't know what to feel. Maybe they could be my real family in the near future. In that case, I always felt a sense of guilt, like I was doing them a injustice of some sort. How should I treat this world right now?

Can I blame myself for something I don't know? I didn't want to be a bad person. After all, they could be the reason I'm here right now somehow. Anyway, it would only be a waste of time and confusion to wrestle with questions I can't answer right now, so it's best to let it go for now.

I decided to go downstairs, thinking it would be a good idea to look at the bookshelves at the entrance. Wait a minute! Was I able to read the writing of this world and was I even attempting such a thing? I felt like I had missed a very important detail, so what was it. What was I going to do then, make an excuse and tell my parents that I had forgotten how to read and write? Then I would have to pretend to have amnesia. AAAAA! Another problem I have to solve.

Wait a second!? How did I read the names of the books on the bookshelf when I just went down to dinner? The moment this question struck me, I rushed downstairs as fast as I could.

"Careful, young sir! You'll fall!"

Lira's distant worried shout echoed throughout the house as my mother came out of the kitchen.

"Gilbert!"

"It's okay, mom. I'm fine."

"Careful, you idiot. I've only just won you."

Her sad voice was followed by tears.

"I'm sorry, mom. I just got a little excited."

"Oh, my God."

I rushed to the bookshelf.

Magia flow, Steam Machines, Magic and Technology, History and Atlas of Yir, Industrial Revolution. I could read. It was really incredible, but how. Maybe I was accessing the knowledge that this body had before me, or did it magically come to me. Anyway, it doesn't matter now.

A lot of books caught my eye. I had no idea what I should read. Then my mom came up behind me.

"What are you looking for, honey?"

"Uh, well.. I wanted to study the history of this world."

"This world? That's what you're talking about?"

He reached for a book called History and Atlas of Yir and took it and handed it to me.

"Here you go. I've never seen you interested in history, but that's a good thing. If you have any questions, don't hesitate, okay? I am Cattleya Leon, your mother, one of the most respected history scholars in the world!"

I was suddenly surprised by her bragging. I guess she wanted to look cool in front of her child. She's a mom, after all. The first thing I realized when I picked up the book was that it was heavier than it looked. It was a thick book, but I didn't expect it to be so heavy. The history and atlas of Yir. So they called this world Yir, I guess. I can definitely say that it was an interesting name. I decided to go back to my room and spend the whole night with this book. After all, I had nothing else to do. I went up to my room and sat down at my desk, when suddenly Lira appeared.

"Do you have a request, young sir?"

"No, Lira, thank you."

"I..If..If you have a request, call me, sir."

"All right, I'll certainly do that."

And then suddenly she burst out of my room. Uh-huh. What a weirdo she was. Anyway, I need to stay focused. As soon as I opened the first page, I saw 6 countries. Zaipan, Arabaya and Aetherium were the 3 countries formed by the human race. In addition, there were also small independent dynasties formed by humans. I couldn't say the same about the other races: elves, dwarves and animal-human hybrids each lived in their own separate country. Each country had its own form of government, its own way of managing its economy, and each race had its own specialties and talents.

The dwarves of the kingdom of Landerzwerge were good at mining and woodcutting, the elves of the House of Elvenwoods were good at magic and trade, and the Pelesian hybrid race of humans and animals were good at war. It felt diverse from my old world. Of course, there were conflicts and wars between these races. The most recent one was the Great War, which ended two years ago. People still seem to be haven't recovered from this war. The book says In this war, firearms were invented and it began to question the effectiveness and necessity of magic on the battlefield. Wouldn't that be the end of magic users? Because this war had simply made magic users no different from ordinary soldiers.

When I looked up from the book, it was dark and someone had even left a candle on my desk. I was so focused that I didn't even see who brought the candle.

(Haaa.)

I yawned slightly, I was sleepy now. I think I should go to bed. I got up and went to bed, I was just getting under the blanket.

"Are you going to bed in those clothes, young master?" I heard a voice.

"Huaaa! How long have you been here? And will you stop scaring me?"

"I'm sorry sir, I just arrived. Your mother asked me to keep an eye on you from time to time. I just wanted to tell you that it would be a better idea if you slept in your nightgowns."

"You could have knocked on the door or something instead of sneaking into my room...Anyway, it doesn't matter now. Just tell me where my nightgowns are. I'll take care of it myself."

"In your closet, sir."

I stood up and grabbed my nightgowns and Lira turned around. I quickly changed my clothes.

"Uh...well. Sir, I need to take your clothes."

"You can come back now."

I walked over to Lira and handed her the clothes I had taken off, folded. She looked flushed.

"I didn't disturb you, did I, sir?"

"Thank you for being respectful and careful not to look."

He put my clothes in the closet and left the room. I went to bed and blew out the candle, wondering what awaited me tomorrow. There was so much more to discover in this world. What are the people like? How do they dress? What are their thoughts?

The more I thought about these questions, the more curious I became about this world. For some reason, I wanted to enjoy my life in this world, no matter what the truth was hidden behind it. After all, it was a world that most people dream about. Maybe this was my chance. A chance to make up for my mistakes and step into a better life. It would be nice if it all came to a beautiful conclusion.

Anyway, I'd better go to sleep. I can't help being excited about tomorrow, but I need to calm down. At times like this, counting sheep was good for me, or meditation. Anyway, I guess I have no choice but to calm down and relax.