Vladimir looked around in disbelief, fully aware that the world had come to a complete stop before his very eyes.

Curious, he reached out a hand toward his Aunt Sylphie’s face, which was frozen close to his when the system suddenly appeared in front of him.

[Young Vladimir, be careful of your words.]

“What?” Vladimir replied, his expression blank and confused.

[I mean becareful with your words like mentioning my existence] – the system explained.

Vladimir’s eyes lit up with realization. He nodded and followed the system’s instructions, asking what he should say instead.

The system began outlining the limits, like what he was allowed to reveal and what he must avoid.

As Vladimir listened closely, he occasionally asked for clarification, wanting to ensure he didn’t accidentally cross any lines.

After the system’s tireless explanation, it finally let out a sigh of relief.

The explanation alone had taken nearly half an hour on its own.

Once the floating panel vanished, as if it had never been there the time resumed its normal flow.

Vladimir remained frozen in place until a hand tapped his shoulder. Snapping out of his daze, he looked up slightly and met Aunt Phelia’s scrutinizing gaze.

“Little guy, did you hear me?” she asked again, placing her warm hand gently on his forehead.

Feeling that everything seemed normal and there were no signs of illness or discomfort, so she relaxed slightly.

“Don’t worry, Aunt Phelia, I’m actually fine,” Vladimir responded with a reassuring smile.

“The reason I’m muscular is because I train every day when Mother isn’t watching. Solely because I

want to become a lumberjack, just like Dad.”

Phelia nodded after hearing his response, since it sounds reasonable, and she found nothing strange about it.

However, the woman standing behind her did not share the same reaction.

“What did you just say!” Aeloria growled as she took a stepped forward beside Vladimir and grabbed his ear.

“Didn’t I tell you to enjoy your life as a child and leave the job of providing for you and your sister to me? Why don’t you ever listen!” she scolded, tugging on his ear with growing frustration.

Feeling his right ear being pulled, Vladimir did not feel any real pain. But deep inside, an instinct screamed at him to react, that is to pretend he was hurting.

“Ouch, Mom, that hurts. It’s just that, I... I... feel kind of...” he muttered, trailing off as he looked down, avoiding his mother’s face.

This response was exactly as the system had instructed him. It was not only believable but also foolproof.

More importantly, it aligned perfectly with his goal, to find a way to help and support his mother.

When the system observed his expression, it can see that it was genuine. This was a plan that young Vladimir had formed even before him the system had activated.

So what his young host expressiong that was showing right now was not made up.

Seeing his downcast eyes and saddened look, Aeloria felt a wave of guilt. She gently pulled him into her embrace.

Vladimir’s face rested against her chest, nestled between the softness, and in that comforting warmth, his sadness quietly faded away.

“Oh, I’m very sorry for what your mother just did, alright. Honey,” Aeloria said gently, ruffling his hair with care.

Just then, a soft cough broke the moment. Aeloria turned her head and saw Phelia standing nearby.

“Ah, sorry Phelia. I just got a little angry for a moment,” she said, slightly embarrassed.

Phelia simply waved her hand with a smile, “Don’t worry about it. Now, let me finish checking on him. I wasn’t done after all.”

Aeloria stepped back, releasing him from her embrace letting Phelia’s to lead. As the warm feeling faded, Vladimir felt unexpectedly refreshed.

Phelia then proceeded to examine him. After a thorough check, she found no issues.

His complexion looked healthy, and there were no signs of abnormalities.

“You told me this young fella began to float, and that there was some kind of barrier surrounding him, right? Maybe you were hallucinating or just under a lot of stress,” Phelia said calmly.

“Because if you look at it carefully, he looks completely fine to me.” as she pointed with his eyes towards Vladimir.

Aeloria, hearing this, quickly refuted with a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

“But I really felt it. Even Seraphina was there, crying as she watched her big brother floating.”

“Hmmm,” Phelia murmured, straightening her posture.

She looked down at Vladimir, her eyes meeting his innocent gaze.

“I have no idea what exactly is happening with Vladimir,” she admitted, her tone thoughtful.

“But what I can tell you is that he’s completely fine. He’s not under any curse or suffering from any kind of ailment. So, you don’t need to trouble yourself over it.”

Aeloria nodded upon hearing Phelia’s words, as she a sigh of relief. This was exactly what she needed to hear.

“Let me check again,” Phelia said softly, reaching out her hand toward Vladimir’s.

A faint glow began to gather at her fingertips. It was subtle, like moonlight reflecting over still water.

As she closed her eyes, the air around them shifted slightly, filled with a gentle hum of mana.

Her hand hovered over his skin, and for a moment, nothing happened.

But then, a thin trail of green mist rose from his palm, coiling around her fingers like smoke drawn to flame.

It invaded inside his hand and she felt a feeling that made her awe and surprise, “This-this…” she stutter.

Aeloria, noticing the change in Phelia’s expression, and the subtle trembling of her closed eyes and the sweat beginning to form on her face, felt a chill run through her.

Her heart tightened with anxiety, a growing sense of unease settling in her chest as she watched.

“Phelia, what happened is Vladimir in a bad health. Is he suffering from a weird disease? But didnt you say that he is fine?” she growned panic as she shiver from where she stood.

“This-this…” Phelia was still in her own world trying to process things.

“This-this.. What!” Aeloria panicked, as she spoke a bit loud.

Hearing her shout she finnaly broke out from her daze, as she finished her sentence.

“This is mana. I can feel mana, you have mana” She poke loudly, as she looked at Vladimir hungrily.

Vladimir was sweating as he looked at her hungry gaze, so he just nods his head at her words.

Seeing his reaction, Phelia realized that this little guy must have known it as well.

“So you actually know, then why did you hide it?” Phelia grumbled, gripping his wrist.

“Hide? Hide what?... Are you talking about the mana that only extraordinary people have?” Aeloria asked, his expression genuinely dumbfounded.

Phelia glanced behind her and nodded vigorously. “Yes, your son has mana. Do you know what this means?” she exclaimed, walking toward Aeloria.

She extended both hands and grabbed Aeloria’s shoulders, shaking her wildly.

“This means he can attend the academy and pursue the great path!” Phelia said rapidly, almost breathless with excitement.

Aeloria, shaken so intensely, felt her head spin. Phelia finally stopped and let go as Aeloria took a deep breath, gasping for a good mouthful of air.

“Are you saying that my son has the qualification to attend the academy?” she asked, narrowing her eyes, unsure how to react to the sudden revelation.

“Yes,” Phelia replied firmly.

“As long as a person has awakened mana, it doesn’t matter whether they’re a commoner, a beggar, or of any other status, they will be accepted into the academy to learn. Just like me.”

She paused, her tone turning a little wistful. “But my talent wasn’t good enough, so I was eventually expelled. Still, I feel that Vladimir is different.”

“Oh yeah, little fella, how old are you now?” Phelia asked, turning to look at Vladimir.

“Uhh, 12… I’m 12 years old currently,” Vladimir answered.

“That’s good, that’s good. When you turn 15, you can try to enroll in the academy and become a mage,” Phelia said with a nod.

Vladimir paused for a moment, as he was deep in thought, not knowing how to respond.

The only thing he truly wanted was to help his mother, leaving his hometown to attend the academy had never been part of his plan

Seeing his hesistant look she added, “Vladimir think about this carefully, this Village is clearly so outdated in compare to the place below the mountains. Their are things that made me think that I’m in another world, if you want to know they also have those word known as devices called cellphones. Its like a small box, filled with games, videos, and more. Not only that they also have…”