There was an inconspicuous house in the middle of a small forest where a 21-year-old man lived.

He was the kind of person that loved being by himself.

The youth's name was Alex. He had immense wealth and also built himself a beautiful home to live in leisurely for the rest of his life.

For his hobbies, he watched animes, read mangas, and perused light as well as web novels.

Alex quite liked the direction that his life had taken so far. The path he had set on had allowed him to amass enough money to live on for a lifetime.

Unfortunately, however, some things never go the way one had initially planned.

His birthday was coming up soon. But, who would have thought, though, that on that specific day, that tragedy was going to strike?

It was just like any other day for Alex, as he was, as per usual, been reading while all of this took place. Sadly, he had no idea what fate had in store for him.

All of a sudden, an undetected meteor had already entered through the Earth's atmosphere, had changed its course.

The large fiery mass had crash-landed into that very same forest. An explosion, unlike any other, had ever witnessed, happened right after.

Fire blazed and engulfed all the trees in its path as it made its way towards the lone house within the woods.

It was not until Alex breathed in a horrible, burning scent, that he finally realized that his beloved home was up in flames. To make matters worse, every single exit was already blocked. There was no way he'd be able to leave now.

Alex only watched helplessly as the fire eventually surrounded him.

As his body started to burn, he cried out from the unbearable pain.

He had thought that being burned alive would have meant a quick death. However, this was not what he expected at all!

"Why does this hurt so much?! Why must I suffer so slowly?!" Alex thought to himself. Screams no longer left his mouth, and his voice eventually faded into nothingness.

The fire that took Alex's life was quite unusual. Typically, a human like him wouldn't have been able to persist this long while still under the mercy of this blazing inferno.

It took an excruciatingly long while before Alex's consciousness finally started to wither away.

"So, this is the end, huh...?" The young man thought for the last time before he could no longer see anything. What awaited him was only darkness and boundless void.

At about the same time he died, in a completely different world, a baby was born.

A tired-looking woman with beautiful features was breathing quite heavily as she looked at her baby with caring and loving eyes, "My baby boy... you... your name will be Feuer Flake, the first son of the Flake noble house...!"

After she declared as such, the woman, who could no longer keep herself awake, fell into a deep sleep. She was understandably exhausted from giving birth.

Just as soon as the woman slept, a handsome man that seemed to be about 30-years old entered the room.

The stoic man's face looked indifferent as his eyes swept across everyone that was inside the room.

Scared out of their wits, the maids who had helped the woman who just gave birth not long ago, immediately left.

As soon as the last one went out the door, the previously cold expression that was present on the man's face disappeared.

He revealed an expression that was now the complete opposite of what it was earlier. His face now looked warm as he gazed tenderly at his wife and son.

The man had watched over them silently for a few hours.

Despite only looking after them for a short amount of time, the man who had been completely drained of his energy earlier now felt refreshed as he made his way back to his study.

[...]

A few years had passed, and the baby boy was now seven years old.

Today was the day where every kid that belonged to his clan, which was one of the 'Four Noble Clans' of the 'Auroria Kingdom', tested themselves to see if they were qualified to either become a cultivator or a magician.

In this world, there are two paths: the path of Cultivation and the path of Magic.

One specialized in strengthening the body, while the other focused on enhancing the spirit.

So far, no one had been able to pursue both paths. Once a person chose a specialization, they wouldn't be able to change it once again.

"Luar, you've great affinity with Magic!" One of the Elders of the clan said as they gave a slight smile.

Having talent towards Magic is rarer than Cultivation.

Usually, an experienced magician would have the advantage against a cultivator, mainly because of their long-distance spells; however, when it came to close combat, a cultivator would've easily defeated a magician.

More and more kids of the Flake clan were being tested. Most of them, as expected, had a talent for Cultivation.

The reason why a magician was rarer than a cultivator was that it relied heavily on strengthening the spirit, which involved securing control over one or more elements.

Silence enveloped the crowd as everyone's eyes trained on Feuer.

His father, who was currently the clan leader, the Elders, and the awakened children watched Feuer as he made his way towards the stone.

He touched the smooth surface and waited.... and waited...

... and waited...

... but nothing happened.

Nothing at all!

The entire room fell into a nervous silence.

It's exceptionally uncommon, but whenever the testing stone showed no reaction, it merely signified that the person did not have the gift to become a cultivator or a magician.

Some kids laughed at Feuer's misfortune, but their parents quickly stopped them.

What if the clan leader punishes them?

With him here, no one dared to do anything.

Despite that, they still laughed secretly and kept it hidden inside their hearts. That Feuer, the very kid who was remarkably excited about his awakening, was now standing as stiff as a board.

His mind drew a complete blank.

Although his father hid his disappointment within his usual cold expression, Feuer had, unfortunately, still noticed it. With a blank expression, the young boy went back to his bedroom and just laid lifelessly on his bed.

Though only seven years of age, Feuer was considered far more mature than most children. He understood that even if his status as the clan leader's son would not be brought into question, there was no chance in hell that he'd ever become an accomplished person all on his own. His peers and the rest of the clan would have viewed him in great disdain.

Feuer contemplated how this would inevitably bring shame to his father and his clan.

With his young mind already made up, he took the knife he used to eat with that very morning and slashed at his throat.

The knife was still near his neck when he felt a shock spread throughout his body. A soul that was lying in wait inside the young boy had awakened.

"Where am I?" He asked, with his young and immature voice just before he blacked out. Consequently, the substantial burden of his soul's sudden awakening had made him lose consciousness.