It All Started With Lightning

A New Beginning

William felt very lonely right now. The vulnerability of being in a baby's body in an unknown world and the fear and excitement of beginning a new life surrounded him. He knew he had to get rid of the thought of loneliness. He wanted to forget his past life bit by bit, but he could not control his mind. One of the three thoughts that came to his mind when he could not move in his cradle was his past life.

There was one person in particular that he always remembered. He wasn't even that upset about his family anymore, but when her face came to mind, he couldn't help but dream again. He still remembered Merve with her moon-like face. Despite such strange and unfortunate events, Merve was still the number one in his mind. Perhaps it was an illusion he felt from remembering the thought of unfinished business. Even if he was a baby in a cradle, every time he thought of Merve, the baby's face, the strange smile, and the drooling mouth that he could not speak showed how much he could regret it.

"Haha! Look, guys, my son will be a womanizer in the future, he's already starting to dream about women. Just like me!" Theo said the first thing that came to his mind when he saw his son's strange expression.

More than ten people had gathered around William's cradle, including his grandfather. All of these people had one thing in common. It was the way they dressed. Most of them wore long silk shirts with gold embroidery.

The familiar voice that William thought was his grandfather spoke.

"Ha! Look who is talking. You saw a woman in your life and married her. Are you an idiot? He is just like me." He said shamelessly.

"Come on, Dad, that nose, mouth, and eyebrows don't look like me, but who do they look like?"

"Hah! I'm his grandfather too."

"Okay enough, sure. We are gathered here for the birth of Theo's heir. Not to listen to your stupid father-son bickering." Another old voice cut them off with his words. William thought it was his other grandfather. (Mother's side)

He was awake from his dream now. He scanned the crowd with his glowing eyes. He recognized his father and his two grandfathers from their familiar voices. But he was surrounded by a few strangers he had never seen before.

Today, this crowd had gathered for a banquet hosted by Baron Theo. The birth of an heir was a great event. No one expected an heir from Theo, who was almost thirty. He had a daughter, but a son was an entirely different concept. The boy was the only way the small nobles here could continue to support their families. Unfortunately, due to the rules of the kingdom, titles could only be shared between father and son. Women also had rights, but it was almost impossible for them to inherit.

Theo's daughter turned eleven this year. She had proven herself smart enough at a young age to be accepted into the Royal Academy by passing a single exam. Most of the nobles dreamed of his lands, for Theo had no heir. The banquet they attended today depressed them inside.

This was especially true for the few nobles gathered around the long banquet table. The three of them drank wine in silence, watching the people gathered around the baby's head. One of them dared to show that he was angry. This man had long narrow eyes, a hawk's nose, and long black hair gathered at the back. His clothes were adorned with more extravagant gold than anyone else's. He couldn't help but talk to the people next to him.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

"How? I'm sure Theo will increase the guards from now on. And the old barons are here too," the man to his right asked.

"Don't worry about that. It's not even clear if that brat will do anything. So there is no need to hurry. We can even wait until the choice ceremony."

"True, but is it worth the risk to wait that long?" said the man on the left.

"It would be difficult if it were someone else's heir. But for Theo it is easy. Don't worry, just have fun." He said smiling and got up. He started to walk towards William.

When he reached the cradle, he congratulated Theo and the two former barons again. Looking into William's face, he could see the glint of intelligence in his eyes. But for now, he was determined to hold on until the choice ceremony.

Lying in his cradle, William had noticed the newcomer either. "Is there anything good in that eye, in that nose? This guy looks like the Gargamel you know," he thought. But he still could not speak. The cunning eyes stared at him long enough to make him tremble.

Everyone at the banquet left after a while, exchanging good wishes. Now Theo, his father, and his grandfathers brought three chairs and sat down beside William, who lay in his cradle by the fireplace. The trio discussed what kind of person William could be in the future. Theo kept saying that he wanted him to be a warrior like his father. His mother's father kept saying that he should be a mage, like his mother. None of this mattered to Theo's father. Even though he was a snobbish bastard, he was happy. He was his only grandson. After a while, he turned to Theo and asked.

"Where is Valynn? Why did she not come?"

Theo sighed, "As if you didn't know, Dad, her exams are coming up. In her letters she talks about studying all the time and that she wants to pass the royal exam. That's why we never told her she had a brother. So right now she knows nothing," he said, raising his hands.

"This is what happens when you send her off so early!" he snapped. "She hasn't even had a childhood yet, but you sent her early just because she was a genius."

"But father, you know the teacher in Duke Merlon's city. He even said that my daughter was a genius, and he was afraid that delaying her would only set her back. What could I do in such a situation? After all, she's my daughter too, and I want her to be happy.

"Anyway, whatever you want, I won't interfere anymore. But I'm going to take care of that brat, just so you know. By the way, did you see Baron Seth's face?"

Theo stood up angrily. "Do you think I don't see that bastard? He's planning something for sure. But I don't think he'll do anything until choice day."

"You're right, he won't do anything until then, but we can't be sure. You will increase the guards. Me and your mother will be living next door now."

"Dad, it's so bad there, it needs repairs."

"I've already done that, I've talked to some masons."

"Whatever you want," Theo said.

His father-in-law must have had enough of their conversation because he got up and said goodbye to them.

"We are leaving, we will come back on the day of the choice. Boy, take care of the brat." He said and patted him on the shoulder.

The banquet was over. William was still in his cradle, listening to their conversation. When he heard them speak of war and magic in words he could understand, he knew that he was truly born in a fantasy world. This made him very happy. "Damn this body, I can neither speak nor move. I should have started learning magic and martial arts long ago. He started to cry and blamed "Agu-Gugu".

Theo thought he was hungry, so he took the cradle to Sophia.

When Sophia took him in her arms, she became the happiest woman in the world again. The two looked at him for a long time in Sophia's arms. William had admitted that they were his parents now. But he felt a little shy as he saw a huge twin peak in front of him. The baby's cheeks(face) were flushed.

"Are you embarrassed? Honey, look, our child is embarrassed." She started giggling.

"Hehe. Brat, don't be shy. She is your mother." Theo joined in the fun.

Eventually, William succumbed to hunger and began drinking milk from Sophia's little tap. He sucked the milk dry as if he hadn't eaten in years.

Almost half an hour later, "How can a brat suck so much?" said Sophia.

"Heh heh. Whose son?"

"Damn, a baby is still a baby, of course, I suck. Since there is magic in this world, I need to absorb so much that my body can grow quickly. I want to understand what kind of place this world is as soon as possible. He reproached.

He also added, 'Don't worry, when I become very strong, I'll see you too.

...

William was now almost a year old. The days were very boring and depressing for him. Being wrapped up in a blanket began to suffocate him after a while. Because he was constantly breastfed, his mother's milk ran out after three months, and they found two new mothers. Even as a baby, he had conquered the great peaks by sucking. Thanks to this extreme consumption, his body began to grow earlier. He started walking when he was only seven months old and could now understand almost everything that was spoken. But he still had some difficulty speaking. His tongue could not turn for most words. It was funny to Theo and Sophia when he got angry when William couldn't explain what he wanted.

By nine months, he was able to speak fully and with his little body, he could walk everywhere with no problem.

When he was ten months old, he began to get bored with the stories he listened to in the arms of his elders. They kept telling stories about extremely powerful people, extremely sad people, but he couldn't even understand how powerful these people were. One day, as he listened to the story of the Fire King and the Ice Princess in his grandfather's lap, he realized that he was obsessed with it. He wanted to read the books in his father's study, but he was illiterate. That's why he said it right to his grandfather's face.

"Grandpa, I want to learn to read and write."

His grandfather was surprised. He knew that even in the largest noble families, children had to be at least four years old to learn to read and write. For several months, William gave him little surprises. It was clear that the grandson was a very bright boy. But he didn't know if it was too early for reading and writing at that age. He thought he should ask Theo. Theo talked to Sophia and they agreed.

When he entered his eleventh month, they were finally able to find him a teacher. William was surprised to see a man he thought was at least seventy years old who looked like he was dying. The old man's beard reached down to his waist. He was weak and hunchbacked. Theo introduced him.

"William, this teacher is Zimo, someone who has taught many nobles before. From now on, you will do what he says. He will teach you manners, Argos reading and writing, mathematics, and poetry. Do not forget! Whatever he says! Okay?" Theo spoke with some intimidation.

Theo had convinced Zimo after a long struggle. At first, he thought he was being made fun of when they said that the person he had to teach was a baby who was not yet one year old and had fired Theno's butler, Hurim. But then Zimo's eyes lit up when Theo himself came and said that his son could already talk and walk and now wanted to read the books himself. "I may have found a genius." He thought and agreed.

A teacher's greatest achievement had to do with how high the people he taught had risen. When this child became a great person in the future, he could be proud: 'I was his teacher!'

William bowed like a noble to Zimo, who looked like he was about to die before him. "Sir," he said.

Zimo could already feel his blood boiling for this boy. A respectful student is a teacher's dream.

But when classes began, he was a bit disappointed. Like any other student, he learned to read and write at the same pace. He was no different from the others. 'It doesn't matter,' he thought. A lot of young people will have done this by the time they are two years old. 'Then we'll see if he's talented in other areas.' He said inwardly.

William, on the other hand, was happy with his situation. He was already gifted with language in his previous life. Apart from his native language, Turkish, he learned English as well as his native language and had to give up German halfway through for financial reasons. If you asked him now, he probably wouldn't remember anything about German, but he was still in good enough shape to write an article in Turkish and English.

So he wasn't in a hurry. If he was going to live in this world now. He wanted to learn everything, including the language of this world. Right now, he only knew the place that was their territory and the name of the kingdom they belonged to. They were currently living in the Jade Tiger Region, a border town of the Jade Wind Kingdom. Naming seemed so easy in this world. It was so named because the closest part of the Black Forest next to their hometown was the Jade Tiger territory. They called his father Jade Tiger Baron. Although it may seem like a very heavy name, they were considered extremely poor by other nobles. That was because the town was constantly attacked by the Jade Tigers, after whom the town was named. He learned that these monsters were magical creatures. Even though he knew that his family was strong, when his strength was compared to the overall strength of the town, he was truly glad that they had survived to this day. His father was a powerful warrior, and his mother was an average mage.

Normally, the borders of a kingdom would be invaded by other kingdoms, but the situation in the town where he lived was different. The barons of the past had suffered greatly from the constant attacks on the town. Some had even died. There had even been times when the town had been completely wiped out. But according to William, it didn't matter if he was in this town as long as he wasn't dead. He didn't know the powers of creatures (monsters, magic beasts, etc.) or the abilities of humans yet, so he decided not to worry about such things. For now, he needed to live a comfortable life and grow up as fast as possible. As a priority, he had chosen the books in his father's study. There were many books. He was sure that these books would help him learn more about this world.

The days of studying with his teacher flew by. Tomorrow was the day he would finally turn one, and it was time for him to choose, as he heard his father and grandfather talking. He could understand that this so-called choice day was a tradition. He saw a prepared table. There were many things on the table. There were toy swords, wooden books, toys (normal toys), and sweets that the children would love. He probably realized that this was a test of his personality. It wasn't this choice that interested him. He was looking forward to the warrior talent test that would be held after this choice. It meant that if it happened as he hoped, he would gain the power to walk freely in this world without fear. The greatest lesson he ever learned was that power is superior to anything else in this world.

Finally, that day had come.

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