From the Future

Across the skies for hundreds of kilometers around, a rare and wondrous sight unfolded.

The silver and purple moonlight suddenly dimmed, and the night sky grew deeper and darker. The stars, which had seemed somewhat dull beneath the moonlight, now became exceptionally clear and bright.

The crowd in the square immediately erupted into commotion. Some people attending the Naming Ceremony for the first time could not help crying out in alarm at the strange phenomenon.

In contrast, atop the Cloud Obsidian Stone platform at the center of the square, the Twin Moons in the sky blazed brightly in an instant.

The Twin Moons' light, tightly focused by the Secret Art Ritual, gathered into a pillar of silver and purple radiance, shrouding both the platform and the people upon it in hazy light.

The dense moonlight, nearly mist-like, shimmered and flowed as it gradually seeped into the newborn's body, nourishing his flesh and soul.

At the same time, waves of inexplicable whispers echoed through the city beneath the night sky.

The voices were not loud, yet they lingered without end, as though all of Carlras were murmuring the same name.

"Anvis..."

The chief mage stepped forward, lifted the newborn from the round platform, and held the swaddled child high in the air for all eyes to behold.

His deep voice, carrying vibrating Mana, echoed throughout the entire square.

"Behold! Anvis, Your Excellency, the Child of Destiny of Carlras! Almighty Gods, grant him your blessings and protection! Bless him with vast knowledge and wisdom! Bless him with health and safety!"

Then, the duke likewise stepped to the front of the platform, smiling as he faced the countless reverent gazes. His voice, amplified by Magic, instantly spread across the entire square.

"Hereby, in the name of Duke Carlras, I declare that the celebration has officially begun! This year's taxes for every resident of Carlras shall be halved! Bread and ale shall be supplied free of charge without limit! All mines, farms, and estates shall be closed for three days! Now—for the Empire! For Carlras! For the newborn who has brought us all this, cheer!"

The crowd below instantly boiled over. Everyone raised their hands high and cheered the newborn's name in unison.

"Anvis! Anvis! Anvis!..."

At that moment, the Silver Moon was rising, while the Purple Moon was setting—

"Anvis?... Naming Ceremony?... Mine?!"

As the star of the evening, Xia Yuan felt his vision go dark the moment he heard that familiar name, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

The unlucky kid was actually me! Had I traveled back to become a descendant of Louis XVI before the French Revolution? I never should have guessed that match before I transmigrated! Numbly, he turned to look beside him, as if hoping to find something that could prove this was merely a false alarm.

Everything before his eyes was shrouded in luminous mist. Through the haze, he saw the duke, the Duchess, and Anvis's older brothers and sisters from his memories.

—Like a family portrait tinted purple against a white background, all neat and complete.

Below the platform, countless people with raised hands excitedly cheered Anvis's name.

An elderly man dressed as a mage held him in his arms as he stood before a glowing round platform. On either side of it, a group of mages in deep blue robes chanted strange incantations in harmony.

As the chanting continued, the mist formed by the two-colored moonlight became ever denser.

Xia Yuan's body continuously absorbed the luminous mist, like a thirsty traveler in the blazing desert suddenly discovering a clear, cool spring.

A comfortable, refreshing coolness spread through his entire body. His already Extremely High Magic aptitude rapidly rose once more.

If Xia Yuan still had his Panel, he would have noticed that all his attributes were increasing at this moment.

"Anvis... Olyvendi... No... sleepy..."

As he absorbed the moonlight like water, Xia Yuan somehow felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier. Before long, he could no longer hold on and slipped into sleep.

Just before his consciousness sank into darkness, he vaguely heard an astonished voice say, "He's still absorbing—"

If he had any choice, he truly did not want to board the Olyvendi Family's doomed ship at this time.

The era was about to change. The Empire's thousand-year-old noble house, representing the Old Nobles, would ultimately be drowned and devoured by the surging tide of the new age, becoming dust in the annals of history.

According to the background information, the decline of the Olyvendi Family began with an uprising by the Resistance Organization.

The eldest son, Raymond, personally led troops to suppress the Rebel Army within their territory, only to fall into an ambush and be captured instead.

A large number of new-generation troops of unknown origin had appeared among the Rebel Army: Magic Construct units.

Upon receiving the bad news, Duke Carlot flew into a rage and personally led a great army to subjugate them, only to be ambushed by the Rebel Army's Leader, also a Ninth Rank, who led his forces in a surprise attack.

The two sides clashed on the Anila Great Plains northwest of Carlas Province, in what later became known as—the Battle of Anila.

During this battle, the term Rebel Army appeared before the world for the first time.

The battle ended in a costly victory for the duke's side. After leaving behind a large number of corpses, the Rebel Army retreated northward and occupied multiple cities centered around Leila Fortress and Wind Valley City.

Afterward, the Empire's situation took a sharp turn for the worse. Rebellions broke out across all Four Great Provinces, and no one knew where the Rebel Army had found so much manpower.

At that time, many Minor Nobles stepped forward and formed an alliance in the name of jointly resisting the rebels, calling themselves the Glory Alliance. Many merchant guilds announced financial support for the alliance in exchange for protection.

Throughout this process, some families closely tied to the Olyvendi Family were targeted by unknown forces and rapidly declined.

One Count and three Viscounts brought their respective families to join the Glory Alliance, while the remaining few great families relocated their entire clans to the Kingdom Federation. The upper echelons of Carlras underwent a massive reshuffle.

When Anvis had first learned this history, he had felt nothing about it. But now, recalling it once again, only silence remained in his heart.

Though historical records were not false, they merely selectively documented some of the facts while "unintentionally" omitting other crucial details.

For example, the forces that had supported the Rebel Army from behind the scenes.

For the next half year, Xia Yuan remained asleep. During that time, a large number of memory fragments emerged, completely filling in Little Anvis's life memories up to the eve of his coming-of-age ceremony.

Half a year later, when he woke once more, he finally saw that familiar gold-framed Floor Mirror.

Through the mirror, Xia Yuan saw his current situation.

The beautiful Duchess held him in her arms as she stood before the gold-framed Floor Mirror. She gazed tenderly at her young son with a gentle smile, her amethyst-like eyes brimming with love.

Xia Yuan quietly examined his new body, his clear azure eyes shifting slightly.

Though he had seen it many times in the memories, this was the first time he had seen his own appearance in reality.

Xia Yuan?

Anvis? He stared at the reflection with complicated feelings, recalling scene after scene from the memories. After a moment of silence, he slowly reached out his soft, pale little hand, just as he had in the scene from the first memory Fragment.

The reflection moved in sync with him. Under the smiling gaze of the golden-haired woman, the two infants, one inside and one outside the mirror, gradually drew closer.

At last, separated by the transparent Crystal, their two little hands gently overlapped.

In that instant, the world seemed to freeze—

Did it matter? The tiny figure in the mirror suddenly smiled.

I will live on, no matter what!

Listening to the Duchess gently speak that name by his ear, Xia Yuan grinned and silently greeted the self in the mirror.

"Hello, Anvis—" Anvis.