Time Skip: 8 Years Later
Eight long years have passed since I was thrust into this world, reborn into a life brimming with potential and drenched in secrecy.
I am almost nine years old now. But to say I'm just a child would be a grievous understatement.
The system, my constant companion, is silent most of the time, yet always watching, always guiding.
It has been with me since the day I opened my new eyes.
It was the first voice I heard.
And now...
[Quest : Reach Novice Rank Swordsman before the age of Ten - 97% Completed]
"Huh? I already completed most of the quest?"
[Yes, Host. You are surprisingly fast.]
A quiet chuckle escaped me as I stared at the semi-transparent blue panel floating before my eyes.
Even in my childish voice, I could sense the weight behind my amusement.
"I guess this body had a lot more potential than my previous one."
Indeed.
My previous life was painfully ordinary—average talent, average strength, average everything.
But this body... this body was molded by bloodlines so ancient and powerful that even in infancy, I could feel mana humming in my veins.
I awakened mana at just six months old.
A fact that, if discovered, would cause uncontrollable chaos.
No one, not even the greatest geniuses among the Twelve Families, had awakened that early.
Normally, children awaken their mana at age ten. Some rare cases at nine or eight if they're remarkably gifted.
But six months?
Unheard of. Impossible.
Or so they think.
Fortunately, the system shielded me from prying eyes. Every fluctuation, every mana ripple I made as a baby was buried beneath a perfectly mundane surface. Even now, it kept a subtle mana barrier around me whenever I trained, rendering my presence as neutral as a stone in the woods.
At age five, I began training in secret.
A wooden sword, a clearing behind the estate, and countless whispered instructions from the system.
Now, three and half years later, my strikes were no longer childish flails.
Each swing cut the air with growing precision.
My footing had stabilized.
My mana control was still flawed, but improving.
My body looked youthful, of course, but I was already taller than most boys my age, my limbs lean and coiled with strength earned through sweat.
My appearance was unmistakably... Morgan.
Abyssal black hair that gleamed like the void under moonlight, and eyes as red as freshly spilled blood—traits inherited directly from the Morgan bloodline.
No one questioned it.
To them, I was the son of the missing prodigy and the grandson of the Southern Blade Monarch.
To them, I was noble.
But they had no idea what I was becoming.
*******
Over the years, I uncovered more about the world and my family.
My mother, Elira, was still the same warm, suffocating presence. She cared too much. Loved too strongly. Every scraped knee, every yawn, every blink—I swear she tried to be there for all of them.
But under that motherly affection burned a terrifying power.
She reached Early Grandmaster Rank before turning thirty.
That kind of growth was almost unheard of. She could flatten elite knights with a flick of her wrist if she ever felt like it.
But she never bragged.
"Strength means nothing if it can't protect what matters," she'd say, tousling my hair every night.
I learned that my father Valen von Dravenhart was once considered the brightest star in the Morgan family. The youngest of seven sons, he ascended to Mid Grandmaster Rank before the age of thirty.
That kind of monstrous growth terrified the other branches of the family.
And then, he disappeared.
Before I was born.
Some say he died. Others think he abandoned everything.
But whispers float around rumors that he was hunted, betrayed, or left for some hidden purpose.
What I know is this: his disappearance fractured the Morgan household.
The current Patriarch, my grandfather, is a man of myth and steel.
Albrecht von Dravenhart.
The Southern Conqueror.
The Blade That Does Not Break.
A name that held sway over the entire southern region of Aetherion.
From the flaming cliffs of Narsorak to the sapphire shores of Velmora, his banners fly with absolute authority.
Seven sons he had, each bearing titles and territories under him.
Now that one is missing, the remaining six circle the Patriarch's throne like vultures around an aging lion.
The war for succession hasn't exploded yet. But cracks are forming. Hidden skirmishes, quiet betrayals, shifting alliances.
Thankfully, my mother declared our neutrality publicly. "We have no interest in the fight for succession," she said before the council.
Grandfather approved. Perhaps out of fondness. Or perhaps because he sees something in me.
Regardless, we're out of the struggle for now.
But peace is fragile.
****
At the Evening
The sky had turned a mellow orange as the sun dipped behind the far hills. After another exhausting training session in the woods, I returned to the estate.
My muscles ached.
Sweat clung to my back.
My wooden sword had lost another chip at the edge.
I quietly slipped in through the back, hiding the blade beneath a loose floorboard in my room.
The system hummed softly in acknowledgment.
[Physical growth: +0.2% | Muscle fiber enhancement proceeding smoothly.]
Then, I heard the voice.
"Cael! Dinner!"
Ah yes.
Mother.
She poked her head into my room moments later, her aurburn hair tied in a casual braid, her green eyes glowing with maternal fire.
"You're all dusty again. What were you doing this time?"
I gave her a rehearsed smile. "Reading in the garden."
She raised a brow, glanced at the sweat sticking to my shirt, then sighed. "Next time, read in the shade. You'll get a heat stroke."
She walked over and ruffled my hair—not gently. Like a lion shaking its cub.
I winced. "Ow... gentle, please."
"No can do. You're too cute when you squirm."
She pulled me into a tight hug. Too tight. My ribs almost cracked.
"Mom... can't breathe."
"You'll survive. You're a Morgan, after all."
After a moment, she released me and pulled me toward the dining hall.
We sat by the window where the night breeze slipped through the curtains. Candles flickered between dishes of roast boar, spiced greens, and warm bread.
"You've been quieter lately," she said between bites. "Is everything alright?"
I nodded, chewing. "Just... thinking a lot."
She tilted her head, amused. "You're eight. Kids your age think about candy and ponies. Not politics."
I offered a dry smile.
"Well, I'm not normal."
She stopped, staring.
Then she chuckled, her voice light, but her eyes sharp. "That... you're not."
There was a pause. A weight that neither of us acknowledged. Then she reached out, wiping crumbs off my cheek.
"If anything ever bothers you, you'll tell me, right?"
I hesitated.
"Of course."
Lies. Sweet, necessary lies.
How could I tell her that I was training with mana? That I'd already started using techniques her own students wouldn't grasp until 13 or 14? That the system was grooming me into something not even the Morgan bloodline could anticipate?
She'd worry. She'd cry. And she might force me to stop.
So I said nothing.
We finished dinner in silence.
Later that night, I stood by the window in my room, watching the stars.
[Quest : Reach Novice Rank Swordsman before 10 – 98.7% Completed]
1.3% percent more.
Soon, I would break through.
And when I do...
I will no longer be just a child playing with wooden swords.
I will be seen a future threat. A shadow beneath the legacy of Valen von Morgan.
A name that, one day, the Twelve Families will remember.
Even if it means painting the world in blood.
--------------
A/N:-
Hello dear readers! 👋😊
Some of you might be thinking, "The pacing is a bit slow right now..."
And you're right but trust me, it's intentional! 🌱✨
The early chapters are focused on world-building 🌍 and letting our MC Caelum adjust to his mysterious new life, his family, and the secrets of the world around him. 🧠🗺️
There's a storm coming 🌩️, and once the foundation is laid, the story will pick up fasttt! ⚔️🔥
You'll see intense growth, battles, rivals, hidden legacies, and much more! 💥🕶️
Thank you so much for reading Caelum's Oddesey:Reincarnated as a Genius Swordsman. 🙏💖
Your support means everything please consider leaving a review, dropping a comment, or adding it to your collection! ⭐📘
It motivates me more than you know 🥹💪
Let's build something amazing together. See you in the next chapter! 🖤🗡️