novelraw Chapter 10 : From Cradle to Three
Chapter 10 : From Cradle to Three
Time doesn’t stop, even for babies.
I went from gurgles to crawling, from crawling to walking, and all the while my HUD never stopped flickering. Every tiny thing I did, every accidental spark, every stumble, was recorded.
To everyone else, I was just a growing child.
But to me, every day was training.
One Year OldSelene leaned over my crib one night, conjuring a small flame at her fingertip to light a candle. My baby body should’ve just giggled at the trick. Instead, I reached for it, clumsy fingers twitching with focus.
The HUD flickered:
[New Skill Available: Flicker Light.]
[0/100 continuous uses.]
I waved my hand, and a tiny spark fizzled uselessly in the air. Selene laughed, kissing my cheek. “Oh, Rooga, already copying me?”
She didn’t realize. To me, that was the first cast.
I’d learned to stand without wobbling. Each time I balanced for more than a minute, the HUD pulsed.
[Balance – Unlocked.]
[Condition to evolve: Maintain stability under hostile pressure.]
Hostile pressure? What kind of baby training program was this?!
Still, I practiced. Standing longer. Walking straighter. My “playtime” was really footwork training.
Two Years OldWords came next. Not fast, not perfect, but clear. Thanks to [Language Comprehension], every sound I mimicked was logged.
When I called Selene “Mama,” she burst into tears. When I called Darius “Papa,” his hand trembled on my head. Elara cheered like I’d won a tournament.
But the HUD wasn’t impressed.
[Language Comprehension – Beginner, 62%]
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[Condition to evolve: Hold conversations with 100 different people.]
Social grinding. Great.
Meanwhile, magic training continued.
I chilled my milk when it was too hot.
I sparked light when the room was too dark.
Sometimes it fizzled. Sometimes it hurt. But the bar kept climbing.
[Flicker Light – 76/100 continuous uses.]
Selene thought I was just a curious toddler. She didn’t see me sweating under the blanket at night, repeating the spell until my head throbbed.
Three Years OldBy the time I turned three, I wasn’t just “a bright child.” I was already pushing magic past what children—or even apprentices—should be capable of.
Selene praised me. Elara adored me. Darius frowned but said nothing.
And my HUD pulsed brighter than ever:
[Flicker Light – 99/100 continuous uses.]
One more cast. One more spark.
I didn’t know it yet, but that last step would change everything.
It was supposed to be just another practice.
I sat cross-legged on the floor, little hands cupped as I coaxed mana into my palm. Sparks fizzled weakly between my fingers, harmless things that danced for a second before fading.
The HUD pulsed.
[Flicker Light – 99/100 continuous uses.]
One more. Just one more.
I grinned—well, as much as a three-year-old could—and focused. Mana gathered. A spark lit.
And then—
[Skill Evolution Complete.]
[Flicker Light → Violent Spark.]
The world exploded.
A crack like thunder tore through the room. Heat blasted outward in a flash of white.
My little body flew backward, smacking against the floor as the walls blackened, the window shattered, and half the furniture vanished into smoke and ash.
I coughed, blinking through tears as flames licked up the side of the room. My hands trembled, glowing faintly with leftover mana.
The HUD blinked again:
[New Skill: Violent Spark – Acquired.]
[Warning: User’s body is not optimized for sustained use.]
And then, something new appeared—lines of text that made my tiny heart pound.
[Violent Spark – Capable of Evolution.]
[Next Form: Vermillion Spark.]
[Requirement: Acquire skill – Great Fireball.]
Great Fireball. My mind buzzed. So skills could evolve again—into things stronger, deadlier, unimaginable.
The door slammed open.
“Rooga!”
Selene’s voice cracked as she rushed in, eyes wide with horror at the smoke and destruction. She dropped to her knees, grabbing me before the flames touched my skin.
Her hands trembled as she hugged me tight, tears dripping onto my hair. “No… not at this age… how…?” Her breath shuddered. “You’ve already… evolved a skill…”
I blinked up at her, dazed, my body still buzzing from the discharge.
Selene buried her face in my hair, whispering over and over. “You’ll be hunted if they see this… you’ll be feared… but you’re my son. My miracle. My little Rooga.”
Her tears burned hotter than the sparks.
And for the first time since my rebirth, I understood—my cheat wasn’t just progress. It was danger.
Danger I couldn’t yet control.