The next few days passed. Most days started with a run, sword training with Sir Dorian, or sparring with Lucian. Later, I studied with my tutor or joined Lady Elysia to learn about managing our lands.
Each day felt like the last, and as I moved through it all, I couldn't help but wonder just how much of me was still Lucas.
...
After the day's activities, Kael wandered through the garden, drawn to its quiet calm. The path ahead seemed to stretch on, offering a moment of respite from the bustle of the manor.
Sunlight peeked through the branches of the trees, creating shifting patterns on the ground. The sweet scent of blooming flowers filled the air, and the soft hum of bees, and the rustling of leaves all added to the garden's peaceful atmosphere. Benches lined the shades under the arches, Kael pressed on, feeling the pull of the garden's tranquility.
The last few days had been like a blur, almost like I was on autopilot. My mind felt foggy but in an oddly comforting way. My mind felt foggy, but it was a strangely comforting sensation. I had been adjusting to this life as Kael Veldris, going through the routines that had already been laid out for me.
Somewhere along the way, I stopped questioning it. I stopped wondering who I really was. If I was Lucas or Kael, or something in between. It didn't matter anymore. I was Kael. And for the most part, I acted like it, or at least, that's what I told myself.
My thoughts weren't even my own half the time—at least, not the ones that came without thinking.They were all the things Kael would think, the way he would handle situations, the way his family expected him to be.
But every so often, something small would slip through, an instinct, a thought that didn't quite match up with the person I was pretending to be. The morning runs, for example. It was my habit back on in my world. It was a way to clear my head and push through the fog. Now, as Kael, I find myself lacing up my shoes each morning without really thinking about it.
But my mind wasn't entirely at peace. I thought about how much I'd been like Kael lately, how easily I'd slipped into his habits, how his life had become mine.
I wasn't sure when it started, but sometimes, when I moved, spoke, or reacted, it felt as though the person I used to be—Lucas—was fading into the background, with Kael taking the lead in my every action. Even my reactions to things were becoming more automatic, more like Kael would do, more like Kael would think.
In the last few days, I couldn't remember when I'd last stopped to think about my past. I focused more on fitting into Kael's life—doing what was expected, acting in the way I was supposed to, and playing the role that had been set for me. Every motion, every word, every decision was guided by the expectations that had already been set for me.
It wasn't so much about choice anymore; it was about fitting into this life, stepping into Kael's shoes, and walking the path that had already been laid. But there were times when I couldn't help but wonder: who was I, really, behind all these actions? Was I still Lucas, or had I truly become Kael?
I glanced at my hands, clenched around the railing of a bench in the garden. I could almost feel Lucas trying to push through, but it wasn't the same. I didn't fight it anymore. Maybe I was becoming Kael. Or maybe Kael had always been part of me.
Either way, there was no going back now.
...
From what I could tell, this world had been shaped by forces far beyond human control. Mana twisted nature, history was soaked in blood, and power was everything.
The history I studied was incomplete and fragmented in ways that didn't feel accidental. There were events with vague information, there were speculations that mana was introduced somewhere in our history. There was no information about the world before the mana.
The maps that I had access to were limited, beyond the kingdoms the maps were almost blank with a few symbols or text that didn't have an explanation.
And then there was The Veil.
From what I could gather, The Veil had appeared a few centuries ago, or so I'd been told by my tutors. They spoke of it like a fairy tale, there was almost no information about it even less that was true. No one seemed to know exactly how or why it appeared.
From the little information I could gather, no one has managed to return from The Veil. However, some expeditions throughout the ages have tried to study it, and after the start of the expeditions, there was no more information about it.
My family, the Veldris, had long been tasked with protecting the borders.
Centuries ago, when the demon clans first emerged from the rift, the world was plunged into chaos. Wars broke out, and entire territories were lost to the demonic forces. Over time, the battles slowed, but the threat never fully disappeared. Now, the occasional skirmish with smaller demon clans or rogue groups kept us on edge.
I was unable to gather any information about the rift they emerged from.
Though the peace had lasted for some years, it was fragile. The Veldris family was tasked with guarding the borders, making sure the demon clans never made it too far into our lands. Even in times of peace, we were always ready for the next threat. The idea that it could all change in an instant, that we could lose everything we fought to protect, lingered in the back of my mind.
I once asked my father about the rifts, the veil, and the demons—all of it. He looked at me with pride in my curiosity, his expression shifting as if he were unsure about sharing the information.
"You're not ready for those answers yet, Kael," he'd said, his tone calm but firm. "Some things are best learned with time. Or when necessary."
It wasn't the first time I'd heard those words. And I was starting to realize it wouldn't be the last.
I tried asking Lucian about it once, figuring he'd have more answers than I did. He didn't outright dismiss me, but there was a look in his eyes, something unspoken like he knew more than he was willing to share. He didn't say much, though. Just enough to make me feel like he wasn't completely brushing me off.
When I asked Sir Dorian about it, he brushed me off with his usual calm indifference, as if the question hadn't even been worth his attention.
For now, though, all I could do was wait and listen. I had to trust that, eventually, the pieces would fall into place, and I would learn what I needed to know—when I was ready.
But for now, I still had questions... and I wasn't sure who I could ask.
The mysteries of this world... there was so much to explore, so much that I didn't understand. Each day felt like I was unearthing a new layer, only to find more questions beneath it.
Why was I here? Was there a reason I had been pulled into this life, into this world? Was there a way back?
But for now, I was left to walk the path ahead, the one I had been given until the answers came to me.
And maybe, just maybe, I would discover a way to return home or at least find the reason for my reincarnation.
But until then, I could only move forward, with no clear end in sight.