[Chapter-3 of Volume-1] THE PRICE OF A TOUCH

Chapter 3: The Price of a Touch

The passage of time is a strange thing when your mind is decades older than the hands you use to eat. For three years, I lived as a ghost in my own home—a "Silent Observer" navigating the gilded halls of the Astellion manor. On the surface, my life was the picture of noble tranquillity: gardening in the sun-drenched patches with my mother, Elowen, or tracing the jagged landmarks of Syle from our high balconies with my father, Bastian.

But beneath that mask of peace, I was fighting a war for my very existence.

The “Soul-Ache” was a relentless, invisible predator. Without Aethel to regulate the friction between my massive soul and this tiny, mortal vessel, the pressure often became unbearable. It hit me without warning—severe attacks that felt like my veins were being threaded with liquid fire. I spent countless days bedridden, blood flowing from my mouth, ears, and eyes for hours until I was pale and trembling. I only survived by clenching my teeth and retreating into the deep meditation techniques of a "Spectre," anchoring my consciousness to the promise I had made to protect this family.

Then, the morning of my third birthday arrived, and with it, a sound I had hungered for through a thousand days of silence.

<NOTICE: CORE SYSTEM INITIALIZED.>

<NOTICE: BIOMETRIC SYNCHRONIZATION: 42% ... STABLE.>

<ASSISTANT: AETHEL: GREETINGS, MASTER CAELUM VON ASTELLION. HAPPY BIRTHDAY.>

The voice was cold, mechanical, and perfect. At three years old, I had finally gained enough motor control to walk, read, and even swing a practice sword with a rookie’s clumsy enthusiasm.

"Happy Birthday, Caelum!" my parents and sister cheered in unison as I entered the hall.

"Wow, my little brother is big now!" Liana beamed, ruffling my hair.

My father looked at me with a complicated mixture of pride and solemnity. "As the third son of this estate, Caelum, your path will be your own. Due to the system of primogeniture, you are free from the burdens of the title".

Primogeniture? I queried internally.

<ASSISTANT: AETHEL: IT IS A RULE OF INHERITANCE WHERE THE ELDEST CHILD RECEIVES THE ENTIRETY OF THE ESTATE TO ENSURE PROPERTY STAYS WITHIN THE FAMILY LINE.>

I understood. I was a spare—a noble with a name but no land. To some, it would be a slight; to me, it was the freedom I needed to live the beautiful life I craved.

The celebration was grander than anything I could have imagined. The highlight was finally meeting my older brothers. Leonhard, the eldest, had returned from managing the southern territories, and Cassian, the second son, was home on vacation from the Royal Academy.

The moment Leonhard stepped into the room, I felt it—an intimidating, heavy aura that radiated off him like heat from a furnace. It was so thick it nearly triggered a Soul-Ache spike, but Aethel worked quickly behind the scenes to dampen the pressure.

"Happy Birthday, little brother," Leonhard said, his voice as deep as the earth. Beside him, Cassian offered a more energetic grin.

The gifts they presented were treasures fit for high-ranking nobles. My father handed me an (A+)-Rank sword, a stunning mithril-titanium alloy shaped like a two-handed katana—a weapon that hummed with potential. My mother followed with S-Rank enchanted boots, custom-styled to grant me speed and stamina while protecting my legs from the impact of any jump.

My brothers, unsure of what a toddler truly wanted, pooled their resources to give me thirty-five gold coins. "Buy something that makes you happy," Cassian said sheepishly.

[Late Night: After the Party]

After Party, at midnight, I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the gold coins and my new sword, too wired to sleep. The door creaked open. Mizu, our dedicated maid and my self-appointed guardian, stepped in with her hands on her hips.

"Master Caelum! Why are you still awake?" she hissed, though her eyes were soft.

"I was just... thinking, Mizu," I said, trying to look innocent.

"Children who don't sleep don't grow, and if you don't grow, you won't be able to lift that heavy sword your father gave you!" she began, her scolding picking up speed. "Blah, blah, 'the brain needs rest,' blah, blah, 'the spirits of sleep will be offended.' Do you want to be shorter than your sister forever?"

"No, Mizu," I sighed, suppressed a smile. "I'm going to sleep now."

"Good! Or I'll have to tell Lady Elowen that her birthday boy is being a rebel," she teased, tucking the covers around me before slipping out

But it felt like heaven. I found myself wishing I could relive these moments a hundred times over.

[The Next Morning]

The following morning was perfect. In the garden, Leonhard and Cassian were engaged in a fierce duel, the rhythmic clashing of steel echoing through the estate. My parents sat nearby, drinking tea and watching the boys.

"What a pleasant sound of weapons clashing," Bastian said, puffing out his chest with pride. "It reminds me of my youth."

Elowen let out a slight laugh, but her eyes held a bit of disappointment. "See who’s talking. The man who lost his entire childhood and early adulthood to wars and dungeons. Are you really trying to brag about that in front of our children?”.

Bastian made a goofy, proud expression, completely missing her point. "Huh? Are you just jealous that the boys take after me?".

That was the final straw. Elowen’s brow twitched. She had spent years worrying about Bastian while he was away at war, and seeing him brag about "losing his youth" to violence while her children were listening was more than she could stomach.

With a flick of her finger, she conjured a swirling Wind Barrier, trapping Bastian inside a translucent dome of air.

"El! Hey!" Bastian yelped, his voice muffled by the wind.

"If you're so fond of 'warrior pride,' you can spend the next hour in there reflecting on why children shouldn't hear such things," she said firmly. To add insult to injury, she reached across the table and began eating all of his favorite snacks while maintaining the barrier. She even handed a few to the servants and ordered the head chef not to make his favourites for three days.

While the family bickered, Liana pulled me aside. She had recently been baptized and was eager to show off her progress.

"See, Cael! I've been practicing," she said, her emerald eyes bright with focus.

She closed her eyes and began the melodic incantation: “O, Spirit of the Hearth and spark of the sun, dance upon my breath until the dark is undone. Gather, flicker, and glow—a tiny star for me to know. Ignis Parva!”.

A small, steady flame blossomed on her fingertip. It was beautiful. In my childish curiosity—and perhaps a lingering habit from my past life—I reached out to touch it, wanting to know if the warmth was real.

The moment my skin brushed the flame, the world turned cold.

<ACTION LOG: CORE SKILL [NADIR] HAS BEEN SPONTANEOUSLY ACTIVATED.>

<PROCESSING: ELEMENTAL DATA ACQUISITION SUCCESSFUL.>

<SYSTEM UPDATE: FIRE-ELEMENT MAGIC HAS BEEN ARCHIVED. [LEVEL UP REQUIRED].>

<CRITICAL ALERT: SOUL-ACHE THRESHOLD EXCEEDED.>

My heart hammered against my ribs with a violent, erratic rhythm.

<ASSISTANT AETHEL: CAELUM, BEWARE…>

<ERROR: UNEXPECTED GLITCH DETECTED IN CORE SYSTEM... RESOLVING.>

It was too late. A panic attack seized my lungs as blood began to pour from my mouth, ears, and eyes. A searing heat erupted on my neck. I looked down to see a terrifying sight: a glowing, gold-colored crack spider-webbing across the skin of my throat.

<SYSTEM ERROR: UNEXPECTED MANA-GLITCH IN FRONTAL LOBE.>

<INITIATING EMERGENCY RESOLUTION... ERROR PERSISTS.>

Pure, unstable energy began leaking from the fracture. The grass beneath my feet scorched to ash, and the waves of heat were so intense they began to burn Liana, who stood frozen in horror.

"Mother! Father! Someone help us!" Liana screamed, her voice breaking as she tried to shake me back to my senses.

"Liana… stay away…" I wheezed, my vision fading into a dark red haze. "You’re… hurting yourself…".

"No! I'm not going anywhere!" she sobbed, clutching my hand despite the heat. Then she said "Tell me what's happening!"

I tried to force a smile to make it look like a prank with a final mask of "I'm alright," but my strength vanished. The world tilted, and the last thing I heard was the frantic beat of my own failing heart.

<WARNING: BIOMETRIC FAILURE IMMINENT.>

<HEART RATE: 40 BPM ... 32 BPM ...>

I collapsed into the scorched grass, the light of my third birthday fading into a cold, silent void.

“THIS CHAPTER SETS THE STAGEFOR THE MEDICAL MYSTERY OF ‘GREAT-EXHAUSTION”. CAELUM’S DESIRE FOR A ‘BEAUTIFUL LIFE’ HAS JUST BEEN SHATTERED BY THE VERY POWER THAT MAKES HIM UNIQUE.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE: READY FOR CHAPTER-4? WE WILL EXPLORE THE AFTERMATH OF THIS COLLAPSE AND CAELUM’S SECRET STUDY OF THE “7 PILLARS” IN THE NOBLE’S LIBRARY.

Chapter-3 of Volume-1 {Finished}

--ShinzoLordShadow