Plan B for Beefy was in full effect, watching Olivia swing her stick like a sword, as if to chop an invisible enemy into pieces. She looked to be what? 10? 9? Yet she looked like she could bench press me, past me! OK, a small exaggeration, but her muscles rippled out of her arms, yet seemed hidden by any clothes, mostly because they were always too big. I was getting Named this week. During the agonising wait and training time, until the Naming day, I have learnt more about it, by using my small, eavesdropping ears to hear every detail around me. Apparently there were Gods, or a God, or deities or whatever that controlled the world, and that a baby at the age of 2 will have the world gather around , and grant them a name, except I believe there is more than that, because of one wandering trader: he said that the name you get gives you gifts. Be it faster muscle regeneration, higher strength or even being more beautiful, every name gave a gift, and proved it by a long list of examples. And when looking at it like that, I could see where he was getting that. Otto was my biggest example and experiment. He always used 8, no more no less, pieces of cloth to wrap his figure in. Such as, 2 for the shirt, 1 for the hood, 1 for the scarf, 2 for the leggings and 2 for the shoes. That was how many he used to make a figure a few months back, before I used my first spell, and he seems to only use 8, because when I saw him use more or less, it didn't look as good.

Speaking of spells, I wasn't worried about them exploding, that was an exaggeration on my part, and a way to get me from not using any damaging spells in the house, or any spells at all. And in the last few months only 4 times have I gotten the chance to go outside. All were in the summer, which made it hot outside, which it seems I couldn't handle well, be it the sun or the heat (I think the sun; my room is always warm), which meant barely any spell practice. But on the plus side, I managed, a month in, to Magic Breathe during sleeping. Which sped up my progress in increasing my mana by a lot. 6 months ago, the candle spell drained almost all my mana, last time I checked, being around 2 months ago, I could cast 20 before I ran out. But I feel I'm not taking something into consideration. Re-reading my book, it states the amount of mana it should take, using some arbitrary symbol and value I can't discern, but it states that mana usage and casting time decreases with practice. Well, it says that in a roundabout way, stating how long it would take for those to happen to each spell, but that means that spells themselves could improve, maybe with the thing in the head? I also learnt that the longer you wait after a spell, the more mana it takes to activate, before peaking around a day later. Which might come in useful later.

The Wave passed again and this time, things didn't quiet down so fast as it did last time, because this time I could feel the fear after the Wave happened. Why? The goblins didn't seem hard to kill, and none infiltrated the village, as far as I know, which means it didn't come near us. I hope nothing happens before I get named. What happens if I get a name like Zeus? Would I be able to cast lightning strikes continously? What about Poseidon? What about being named after superheroes?

As I contemplated and thought about what name I wanted to receive and Olivia kept swinging the stick around, someone knocked at the door. Mother came out into the living room and opened it. On the other side stood a woman 2 heads taller than Mother, with broad but not overly large shoulders, clad in plate armour and chain mail, a sword to her side.

Olivia stopped swinging the stick and dipped her head towards the woman.

"Good afternoon, nice to see you Miss Ouned. Small Ouned. Smaller Ouned. Tiny Ouned." she nodded to everyone, including me.

"Hello Master Ensis." said Olivia.

"Good afternoon Miss Ensis, what brings you here?"

"You getting Tiny Ouned Named in a week, yes?"

Mother nodded.

"Well, I came to warn you that it might take longer than other times, and that you might be asked to leave, due to less priests being available."

She sounded very serious, like the type that could impersonate a grave.

"What? Why?" Mother asked.

Miss Ensis, or whoever, stood quietly for a bit. Then:

"I shouldn't tell you this, but since Small Ouned is my student, I shall say. The Wave this year is abnormally large, and deadlier. Magic Knights have been dispatched to this area, Origo's Royal corp. 4th division."

Olivia's eyes shone brightly, almost enough to blind me, when the words 'Magic Knight" were said by her master. Magic Knight meant nothing to me, but they seem impressive.

"They'll arrive in 2 weeks, and so your Naming, Tiny Ouned," she turned to me "Might be delayed."

She left soon after, refusing some food from Mother. Olivia just went back to swinging her stick. And it was back to waiting again, which I was having none of. I dont know why, but the fact my Naming was being delayed, the fact I had to wait even longer for something exciting, made me boil inside. My face was stone as I sent into my room, Olivia waving after me. The door closed behind me and I climbed into my crib.

...

...

...

THIS WAS BULLSHIT! I get reincarnated, I get shown magic and surrounded by knights and monsters and then, again and again, I get stopped from doing anything related to fantasy! I barely get to practise my spells, my family always around and me not wanting to potentially get killed, I can't work out because my body will collapse and now I cannot get my magical blessing because some goblins decided to attack. A voice at the back of my mind was telling me I was overreacting and throwing a hiss fit. and to that voice I say 'Fuck off!' 2 years, I'm a week away from 2 years of being in this world and I haven't even seen the night sky, let alone cast any interesting spells! I have been trying inside the house for a while, but everytime I was about to complete a spell, someone came to check on me, everytime I tried, even if it hurt me, to build muscle, someone barged in and found me. Did this world not want me to use anything it had?!

Phew, that felt good. I stretched and felt frustration leak out from me. I looked at the ceiling, and decided something. This time I will try, risk everything I have built up to now, and try to use a spell. I drew the star, the circle, wrote the words and charged it. It was complete, and I was about to cast it when the door suddenly began to open. Yeet!

Mother looked at me pretending to try and sleep, and kissed me a goodnight, walking backwards to the door, before waving and closing it. Sweat dropped down my forehead. I looked up above the door, to a shining magic circle, lightly glowing red. I didn't even know you could do that! It was useful to know that I can throw my spells, maybe I could use it to shoot around corners. I pushed mana into it, except I forgot I couldn't, doing it out of instinct. But I felt something reach out of me into the air, before dispersing. Huh, I wonder what that was? However a bigger question was: how would I get the disk down? I quickly created another circle, casting the spell this time, no one interrupting me. The small flame danced above the tip of my finger, and I flicked it towards the other circle. It fizzled out before it reached it.

I got out of my crib, and stopped to draw the spell. I cast it then flicked it upwards. The flame hit the spell formation, and bounced off of it, only lightly damaging the construct, which began leaking mana. I paled. If anyone were to come in, the mana would be too visible. I panicked, what if someone comes in, what would happen, would I be executed, exiled as a demon child? But then I remembered something, and laughed, slapping my forehead at the realisation soon afterwards. I muffled my giggles with my hand. Why would anyone come in my room? I was already asleep. How did I not think of something so simple? I could just practice at night! Though not with the candle spell. In spite of that, I cast it again and flicked it to the spell formation hanging in the air, finally breaking it apart and making it quickly break apart. Cold sweat asailed my back, realising that I could have set off the spell wrong and set the house on fire. But it didn't do that, maybe thats not how it worked? I didn't test it again.

The question as to why I haven't thought of this before was answered, I needed sleep. This meant that I couldn't practise at night much, and when I did I would lose time spent working on plan B. That meant I had to plan it so that one day I practised magic, while the other I watched Olivia, and couldn't do both. I mean, I could, but that would definitely lead to my body slowly breaking and tiring, not even insane people would try to continously put their minds to 2 things at once costing them half their sleep time.

...

I was awoken by my Mother placing me down, jolting me awake. Reincarnation damn, was I tired! My body felt like it was on another planet, my mind was cloudy. I sat there Mana Breathing, as I did practically the entire time I wasn't practising magic this past week. I hated myself, truly.I hated that I decided my fantasies were more important than me living, because right now I felt like I was dying. I was so tired I fell asleep again, because I woke up inside the church and made to stand by Mother. I yawned, before looking around. The church was small, though I have never been in a church before. There were seats to each side, 3 rows long,a walkway in the middle leading to a stage with what I think is an altar.

Above it was a painting of a woman, blonde hair flowing down her shoulders as she held something shining blue in her hands. Behind her were other figures I couldn't describe, as a woman walked before us. She bowed.

"Good afternoon, Mrs Ouned."

Mother replicated the gesture.

"Good afternoon Sister."

I almost slapped myself after realising she meant a priestess and not a sibling, I forgot thats what they are called. The priestess turned towards me.

"Excited to be Named, Tiny Ouned?" she smiled. I did the baby thing, smiling and giggling excitedly, taking most of my energy.

Mother picked me up, following after the priestess who was walking towards the altar. I couldn't see it before but before the altar there was a pool of liquid, calmly reflecting everything. My mother unclothed me, and then the priestess grabbed me, putting me on my back into the liquid. I floated there, looking at the ceiling as the priestess began to pray. Then the ceiling just went away, and so did everything else. Nothing was there, just a calm void. Then a ripple bloomed out of me, and the void opened. The ripple bounced back and light shone through, then the ripple arrived back to me and I was enveloped. The whole world seemed to fold and twist, before being absorbed into me, filling me, even the light was taken in and there was nothing.

Stars appeared around me, and before me it stood. A blue marble, shining. My past home before me. It began to shine brighter and brighter, before it enveloped me. No, it didn't envelop me, I took it in. Then I heard my name. I was back in the church, the liquid calm. The priestess shakily stood up, and Mother clothed me again, holding me. She looked expectantly at the priestess.

The priestess looked around dazed and back at Mother, before focusing.

"Tiny Ouned h-has been Named-"

"Arret Sibro." I spoke.

Arret, terra backwards, Earth. Sibro, orbis backwards, meaning the world, orbit, round, circle etc. Arret Sibro, terra orbis. Earth World.

The home I was once part of. Mother looked at me in surprise, bewilderment and maybe joy? She looked back at the dazed priestess, and then back to me. I looked up at the mural of the deities, looking. Arret Sibro, feeling the name filled me with power.