Chapter 21 - awakening 2
[Sarephina’s POV]
After Evelyn arrived, she immediately asked what had happened.
I took a breath and replied, "After his awakening, he showed us the elements he received. But when he tried to manifest his second element, he coughed up blood and went unconscious. I placed him in his bed and called you."
My voice carried a worried tone I couldn’t fully hide.
Evelyn listened carefully without interrupting. When I finished, she nodded and walked straight to Gray’s bedside.
Amy was already there, sitting close to him with a tense, worried expression, her usual playful attitude completely gone.
Evelyn placed her hand over Gray’s chest, channeling healing mana. A faint glow spread through her fingers as she examined his condition.
After a moment, she spoke calmly.
"Don’t worry. His body simply couldn’t handle the sudden strain of his new power. It’s still too weak to properly support it."
She withdrew her hand and smiled slightly.
"I’ve stabilized him. He should wake up in about ten minutes."
Then she tilted her head slightly, studying him.
"But... this is unusual. What kind of power did he awaken that caused this reaction? Is his talent unstable?"
She paused, then added more softly, "Even so... he has more than one element. That alone is rare. There’s no need to worry about his future."
I exhaled slowly, some of the tension leaving my body.
"I see..."
Evelyn smiled again. "Once he wakes, we should ask him to demonstrate the elements properly. Then we can guide him so he doesn’t injure himself again."
I nodded. "Hm."
And then I simply stood there beside my son, waiting.
Time passed quietly.
Then—
Gray finally opened his eyes.
He blinked a few times, confused, before looking around the room.
"...What happened, Mom?" he asked.
Before I could answer, Amy quickly leaned forward.
She explained everything in a rushed but clear summary. Gray listened carefully, slowly piecing everything together.
Then he sighed softly.
"Oh... so that’s what happened."
He scratched his head slightly.
"I guess I underestimated the space element."
My eyes narrowed slightly at that.
"Space element?" Evelyn murmured, leaning forward with interest.
Gray looked thoughtful for a moment, as if deciding how to explain it.
Then he spoke.
"My first element is ice... and my second is darkness."
Evelyn nodded slowly. "That makes sense so far."
But then she frowned slightly. "If darkness caused the reaction, that’s strange... darkness affinity normally doesn’t harm its user."
Gray shook his head.
"It wasn’t darkness."
He paused.
Then continued.
"When I tried to use my third element... that’s when I got injured."
The room went silent.
Even Amy stopped moving.
Evelyn leaned in slightly. "And what is your third element?"
Gray looked at us.
Then answered simply.
"Space."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Evelyn blinked once.
"...Space?"
Her voice dropped slightly.
"That explains everything."
She exhaled and crossed her arms.
"Space affinity is one of the rarest and most unstable attributes in existence. It doesn’t just require mana—it distorts the environment itself. With your current body, forcing it to manifest would cause internal backlash."
She looked at Gray more seriously now.
"Until you reach at least F- rank, you should not attempt to use it again. It will only injure you further."
Gray nodded immediately. "Understood. Thank you, doctor."
Evelyn softened slightly at his polite tone.
"Don’t call me doctor," she said gently. "Call me Aunt Evelyn. I’ve known you since you were born."
Gray blinked. "...Alright. Thank you, Aunt Evelyn."
The moment he said it properly, Evelyn’s expression melted.
"Oh my, you’re such a polite child."
She reached out and gently ruffled his hair.
Gray didn’t resist.
He just sat there quietly, allowing it.
And for a brief moment, the room felt... warm.
Evelyn looked at Gray, then at me, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she was measuring something far beyond just talent.
Then she finally spoke.
"Sarephina... you’ve given birth to two little monsters. Their potential is unimaginable."
The word monsters made my chest tighten for a moment.
I didn’t like hearing my children described like that.
Even if it was meant as praise.
Even if it came from someone like Evelyn, who rarely exaggerated.
But I understood what she meant.
So I simply closed my eyes for a brief moment, exhaled slowly, and nodded.
My expression stayed calm—almost indifferent.
"...I see."
That was all I said out loud.
But inside, something warmer settled in my chest.
Pride.
A quiet, steady pride that I didn’t need to express in words.
Gray and Amy...
Both of them had been born into this world with something extraordinary. Talent that most people would never even witness in their lifetime. One had already begun to show terrifying potential in multiple affinities, and the other carried her own sharp brilliance.
It wasn’t something ordinary.
It wasn’t something safe either.
But they were my children.
And despite everything, despite the dangers that kind of power would attract...
I found myself genuinely happy.
Not because of their strength alone.
But because they had something to grow into.
Something to become.
[Gray’s POV]
After I lost consciousness and woke up again, I slowly opened my eyes and looked around in confusion.
My vision was still a little blurry at first, but I could clearly recognize the people in the room.
My sister was sitting beside me.
My mother was standing near the bed.
And there was also the doctor—Evelyn, the same one who had checked me when I first received those strange memories from my past life.
All of them were here.
That alone told me something serious had happened.
I pushed myself slightly up and asked, "What happened, Mom?"
Before she could answer, Amy quickly jumped in and explained everything in detail. She described how I had tried to manifest my space affinity, how my mana suddenly drained at an abnormal speed, and how my body had collapsed under the pressure.
As she spoke, pieces of memory returned clearly.
Right... I forced it.
I tried to use space energy directly without properly controlling it.
No wonder my body overloaded.
When Amy finished explaining, I let out a small sigh and rubbed my forehead.
"I see... so that’s what happened."
I looked at my mother and added quickly, "I’ll be more careful next time when using that element."
My tone was honest. I really meant it.
Space wasn’t something I could treat casually anymore.
It wasn’t like ice or darkness where I could experiment freely.
Space reacted to everything—mana flow, intent, even emotion. If I wasn’t careful, I could easily injure myself again... or worse.
While I was thinking that, another thought surfaced in my mind.
My status screen.
The last time I checked it, I was too excited to properly analyze everything.
This was the perfect time to review it carefully.
Just as I was about to focus, Evelyn’s voice cut in.
"Before that," she said calmly, "I need to confirm your elements properly. What exactly did you awaken?"
Her tone was professional, but there was a clear curiosity underneath it.
I could tell she wasn’t just asking as a doctor.
She was interested.
Very interested.
I hesitated for a moment.
She’s more curious about my element than my condition...
But I didn’t mind.
It was better to be direct.
So I stopped thinking and simply said it in my mind.
"Status."
[ STATUS WINDOW ]
NAME: GRAY STARLIGHT
AGE: 8
RANK: G- (BEGINNER)
Bloodline: [Unawakened]
Physique: [Unawakened]
CLASS: NONE
TALENT: SS+
[Attributes]
Strength: G-
Agility: G-
Endurance: G-
Mana: G
Mana Capacity: G
Will: G
Charm: S
Intelligence: C+
Luck: ???(random)
Newly awakened affinities:
ICE AFFINITY - ENHANCED THE COLD RESISTANCE, CREATED ICE AND CONTROLLED THEM AT WILL {CONTROL OVER ICE GROW AS INCREASED ONCE OWN RANKS}
DARKNESS AFFINITY - ALLOW USER TO LIVE AMONG THE DARKNESS AND USE IT FOR THEIR ADVANTAGE {CONTROL OVER DARKNESS GROW AS INCREASED ONCE OWN RANKS}
SPACE AFFINITY - HAVE THE POWER TO MANIPULATE THEIR VERY ENVIRONMENT, GRANTING THEM VARIOUS ABILITIES SUCH AS TELEPORTATION,DISTANCE MANIPULATION,GRAVITY CONTROL ONE CAN SENSE FLUCTUATION IN SPACE AND CONTROL SPACE TO HELP YOUR WILL {CONTROL OVER SPACE AFFINITY GROW AS ONCE INCREASES THEIR RANK}
Skills:
NONE
MASTERY:
SWORDMANSHIP BIGINER MASTERY (81%)
—————-
Most of my stats were in the G- range—something I had already expected.
But what stood out was my Mana and Mana Capacity.
Both were still low.
I figured it was due to my current body and lack of proper growth, even with SS+ talent. Still, having three affinities—Ice, Darkness, and Space—was already abnormal for someone at my stage.
In this world, there was no system that actively hunted users of darkness affinity. It was rare, yes, but not forbidden. Some even learned to use it properly without suffering any corruption or mental backlash like in the novels I used to read.
That was... a relief.
At least I didn’t have to worry about something like that.
After confirming everything, I began explaining my situation to them one by one.
First, I told them about my Ice affinity.
Then about Darkness.
When I mentioned Darkness, the doctor—Evelyn—narrowed her eyes slightly.
"So the earlier incident... wasn’t caused by darkness?"
I shook my head. "No. That wasn’t it."
Then I continued.
"It happened when I tried to use my third affinity."
That immediately caught their attention.
Evelyn leaned forward slightly. "Third affinity?"
I nodded.
"Space."
For a moment, the room went silent.
Then Evelyn’s expression shifted—genuine surprise flashing across her face.
"...Ah. That explains everything."
She straightened up, crossing her arms as she began to analyze the situation calmly.
"Space affinity is extremely rare and extremely unstable, especially for someone in your condition."
Her gaze turned serious.
"With your current body, you simply cannot handle it. The mana strain it creates is far beyond what a G-ranked vessel can endure."
She pointed slightly toward me.
"You’re lucky it didn’t damage your core permanently."
Then her tone softened slightly.
"Until you reach at least F -rank, you must not attempt to use it again. Only then will your body be strong enough to withstand even basic spatial manipulation."
I nodded immediately.
"Thank you, doctor."
She sighed.
"Don’t call me doctor. Call me Aunt Evelyn."
I blinked. "Aunt Evelyn?"
She smiled faintly.
"I’ve known you since you were born. Your mother and I are old friends."
I glanced at my mother for confirmation, then back at her.
"...Alright. Thank you, Aunt Evelyn. I’ll follow your advice."
As soon as I said it properly, her expression softened.
The strict, analytical doctor-like presence faded instantly.
She reached out and gently ruffled my hair.
"Oh, you’re such a polite child," she said warmly. "As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters."
I didn’t resist.
I just let it happen quietly.
It felt... strangely comfortable.
Like being treated not as some rare anomaly...
But simply as a child.