In a small town on the side of a short mountain, the sun’s rays beat down at noon just like any other town. The morning had been cool due to the shade provided by the mountain, but the air quickly warmed up after the sun passed the peak of the mountain.

Regardless of the outside temperature, occasional puffs of cold air kept the Avantus house comfortable. Inside a second-floor bedroom, Wolter Avantus continuously maintained the degree of cool air being directed at Lieve Avantus’ upper body.

A few feet away from him, standing at a table brought specially for the event, a midwife cleaned the newborn body of Andric Avantus, the latest addition to the Avantus family. Unlike Wolter, who freely used his magic to comfort his wife, the midwife manually cleaned the baby with damp cloths.

Once the most basic confirmations of the baby’s health were made, and it was clean, the midwife handed Andric over to Lieve. Wolter stopped his bursts of air, and he huddled with his wife, close to his child.

Meanwhile, as Wolter and Lieve basked in the glory of their newest family member, the brain of the infant pulsed with rapid thoughts. He had no perception of his surroundings, but he could feel a special type of pain inside him. It wasn’t the type of pain that a dose of medicine could cure, or that a warm hug could relieve.

Every few seconds, Andric had a conscious thought. Then, as quickly as it came, he lost all sense of reality. No memories were formed, and he soon woke up to an identical pain. He repeated the cycle an endless amount of time, neither knowing when it began or when it would end.

Around him, though, Wolter and Lieve and no idea anything strange was happening inside the mind of their baby. They sat in chairs in their home, while Lieve held Andric and fed him.

“His hair is so bright, I wonder when it’s going to get darker, like yours,” Lieve spoke and played with the thin hair on Andric’s head. It waved in all directions and could hardly be seen.

“He already has my eyes; he should have your hair,” Wolter said, and Lieve looked up at his gray-blue eyes. She then looked down and saw Andric’s eyes, which had a similar gray but light blue color in them.

Her own eyes, hazel in color, were seen as plain and uninteresting. At least Wolter had enviable eyes, she thought when thinking about what traits their child would have. Her near-black hair hadn’t even a single circle in it. She wanted Andric to be born with magnificent features, and neither her hair or eyes fit the bill.

In Gallus Town, where the Avantus family lived, brown eyes and black hair were the most common features among the population. Wolter, on the other hand, with his gray-blue eyes and wavy, dark-blond hair, was a rarity. He didn’t even use magic to adjust his appearance, which would certainly be possible for many magicians.

Infinite possibilities existed with magic, but sometimes certain things just needed to be left to nature. Andric’s hair would later darken to his mother’s shade, and the painful radiations inside his head settled down. Eventually, the unique existence known as Andric Avantus gained consciousness in his new world.