Solaris Void was, in his own very professional and unbiased opinion, an extremely normal child.
He slept.
He cried.
He ate.
He threw tantrums (internally).
He hid under beds when scared.
Normal.
The only tiny difference was that when Solaris cried, the temperature of the room dropped by three degrees, the mana density spiked, and at least one servant somewhere in the manor fainted for reasons no one could scientifically explain.
But that was clearly coincidence.
---
At one year old, Solaris had already mastered walking.
Which, according to him, was not impressive at all.
I simply analyzed the balance of this vessel, adjusted muscle output, and optimized center of gravity, he thought seriously while waddling across the carpet.
Totally normal.
Lady Isolde, however, watched her son cross the room without falling once and felt her heart tighten.
"Dear…," she whispered to her husband later that night. "At his age… shouldn't he fall more?"
Lord Alistair cleared his throat. "He… inherited my balance."
Inside, Alistair was screaming.
WHY IS MY ONE-YEAR-OLD WALKING LIKE A TRAINED KNIGHT?
Solaris, meanwhile, tripped deliberately and sat down hard on the floor.
"Owaa!" he cried, very convincingly.
Both parents froze.
Solaris peeked through his fingers.
Good. Crisis avoided. Ordinary children fall. I am ordinary.
---
The Spoon Incident
__
Solaris decided independence was necessary.
Not because of pride.
Because being fed by someone felt… embarrassing.
I was once worshipped by entire realities, he thought while sitting in a high chair.
Being spoon-fed was unacceptable.
"I… eat self," Solaris declared.
The room froze
Servants gasped.
Isolde hesitated. "Are you sure, dear?"
Solaris nodded solemnly.
"Big boy."
Lord Alistair turned away.
My son… he wants to grow up already…
Solaris immediately dropped the spoon.
It rolled.
Everyone stared.
Solaris stared at it too.
"…I meant later."
He picked it up, missed his mouth, and smeared food across his cheek.
Silence.
Solaris beamed.
YES. THIS IS IT. MAXIMUM NORMALITY.
Isolde laughed softly, eyes misty.
The servants collectively decided this child was a blessing.
The familiar decided this child was terrifying.
"Finish your meal," Isolde said gently, "and I'll take you to the library."
Solaris froze.
Library .
Books.
Knowledge .
"…All?" he asked.
"Yes."
Solaris ate like his life depended on it.
Which, technically, it did.
---
The Grand library of Voidcrest
---
Some time later,
Sitting quietly in Lady Isolde's arms, Solaris entered the Grand Library Hall of House Void for the very first time.
The moment they crossed the entrance—
His small body went completely still.
The hall was enormous.
No—
Far too enormous.
Towering bookshelves stretched endlessly upward like the walls of an ancient forgotten city, disappearing into a ceiling so high that Solaris's neck began to ache just from trying to look at it. Warm sunlight poured through massive arched windows, painting the endless shelves in a dim golden glow.
The air felt heavy.
Ancient.
As if countless years of accumulated knowledge were silently resting within those walls.
And at the very center of the hall—
Above a gigantic golden magic circle—
A massive book floated silently in the air.
Around it, countless smaller books slowly revolved like stars orbiting a sun.
Solaris stared at the sight with wide eyes.
Completely amazed.
But strangely—
Not because of the scenery.
Not because of the floating books.
Not even because of the magical phenomenon itself.
No.
What truly caught Solaris's attention…
Was the knowledge hidden inside those books.
It felt—
Strangely familiar.
As if every single book in that hall had been silently waiting for him—
For a very, very long time.
Noticeably, Solaris's casual, ordinary curiosity was slowly turning into something far more serious.
But Lady Isolde still hadn't noticed that change in him yet.
She continued walking around the library hall casually, showing him different parts of the place without paying much attention to his expression.
Then Solaris looked toward the giant floating book and asked softly in his tiny voice,
"Mother… what are those books?"
Lady Isolde followed his gaze.
"Oh, those?"
She walked a little closer to the enormous book floating above the golden magic circle.
"That's the Grand Book of Astira."
A faint smile appeared on her face as she explained,
"In the entire kingdom, only two or three households are allowed to keep a full collection of these books. Even the royal family has one."
Then she looked back at Solaris and gave a small playful smile.
"Mostly because it makes the household look important in front of other kingdoms."
She waved her hand casually after saying that.
"I tried reading them a few times, but honestly… they're pretty boring."
Her voice sounded completely uninterested.
"It's just old stories and records about Astira."
"Heroes, Saints, Demon Kings… things like that."
Then she shrugged lightly.
"Nothing that special."
She was speaking casually—
But inside her arms, something was quietly changing.
Solaris's confusion… no—
His hunger for knowledge—
Was now clearly visible on his face.
"Demon King…?" he murmured softly.
Then another word.
"Saint…?"
And finally—
"Hero…?"
His calm cyan-blue eyes slowly began to change, a faint yellow tint appearing within them.
Then Solaris slowly reached his tiny hand toward the floating book.
And the moment he did—
The mana surrounding the Grand Book reacted.
Instantly.
The golden mana flowing around the massive book suddenly distorted.
Its entire property changed.
The warm golden glow darkened—
Turning completely black in an instant.
The atmosphere inside the library shifted heavily.
Lady Isolde's eyes widened.
"…What?"
Her voice came out almost unconsciously.
Then she quickly looked down at Solaris.
She saw it clearly—
The change in his eyes.
The change in his expression.
But strangely—
She didn't react immediately.
With a slow, deep breath, Lady Isolde tried to calm herself.
But inside—
Fear and confusion were beginning to rise.
Her eyes remained fixed on Solaris as she quietly murmured to herself,
"…Those eyes… that presence…"
A brief pause.
"…I've seen them before."
Her expression slowly darkened.
"Within his father…"
Her fingers tightened slightly around Solaris.
"…The Void Beast.?!"
Then her thoughts became more serious.
"No… this is bad."
"He's only one year old…!"
A hint of worry appeared in her eyes.
"If this continues, it could become dangerous for his body…"
She immediately tried to calm herself.
"I need to calm him down quickly."
Then—
Forcing a gentle smile onto her face, she spoke hesitantly,
"Solaris… my sweet little honey…"
"These books are just old history books. There's nothing special here."
Then suddenly, as if she had thought of something, her expression brightened with a genuine playful smile.
"Ohh—I know!"
She closed one eye playfully and smiled at him.
"Do you want to see Mama's personal collection?"
Her voice became noticeably more excited.
"Mama's favorite books."
Solaris mumbled quietly at first,
"...Mama's favorite books?"
Then he looked up at her and asked for clarification,
"Are they… exciting ones?"
Lady Isolde smiled proudly.
"Very funny and exciting ones."
Slowly—
The yellow tint in Solaris's eyes faded away, returning once again to their usual calm cyan-blue color.
He pointed toward the gigantic floating book behind them.
"Better than that one?"
Lady Isolde placed a hand on her chest confidently.
"You won't regret it."
Solaris immediately raised a tiny thumbs-up.
"Deal."
Lady Isolde laughed softly and returned the gesture.
"Deal."
---
Two hours later—
Deep within the back section of the library existed another hidden area connected to the Grand Library Hall.
And compared to the front section—
This place was even larger.
Far larger.
This was Lady Isolde's personal book collection—
The place where she kept all of her favorite books.
At the center of the hall, Solaris sat quietly on Lady Isolde's lap beside a table, casually flipping through the pages of a book with his tiny hands.
Then—
A small laugh echoed through the hall.
It was Solaris.
He wiped the tiny tear forming at the corner of his right eye while trying to stop laughing.
Then he looked up at his mother excitedly.
"Mother, look—this monkey-tail boy is so funny! Hahaha…"
Lady Isolde smiled warmly and nodded.
"Yeah, isn't he?"
Then she pointed at the illustration in the book.
"And honey, this tail boy's name is Go—"
Before she could finish—
Knock. Knock.
A maid's voice came from outside the door.
Polite.
Respectful.
"Lady Isolde… it is time."
She paused briefly before continuing,
"Reading for this long is harmful for young Master Solaris…"
Then she added in a slightly more helpless tone,
"…and for you as well, My Lady."
Lady Isolde instantly puffed her cheeks like a stubborn child.
"Pffft… Hmph!!"
"I don't want to leave yet."
Outside the door, the maid let out a tired sigh.
"My Lady…"
Her voice carried clear annoyance now.
"Please leave the hall immediately."
A short pause.
"Or I will personally drag you out."
Lady Isolde looked genuinely wronged.
"Hmph…! That's not fair…"
The maid answered immediately,
"My Lady, young Master Solaris is still sitting on your lap."
Then she added firmly,
"Please behave properly."
Lady Isolde looked down at Solaris—
Only to find him staring back at her with a surprised and confused expression.
Seeing that, she immediately cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Kaff! Kaff! Ahem…"
Then she straightened her posture slightly.
"So, honey… I guess that's enough reading for today."
But the very next second—
She tightly hugged Solaris dramatically with watery eyes.
"I know this is painful…"
Her voice sounded overly emotional.
"But we must leave…"
Outside the door, the maid's voice immediately echoed again.
"Lady. Isolde."
This time—
Her tone carried a clear warning.
Lady Isolde clicked her tongue lightly.
"Yeah, yeah… we're leaving already, you rude maid."
Then, while walking past the maid near the doorway—
Lady Isolde suddenly pulled down the skin under one eye with her finger and stuck out her tongue childishly.
"Bleeh~!"
The maid froze for a second.
Then slowly—
She let out a long, exhausted sigh.
---
Lady Isolde walked calmly along the long stone gallery, carrying Solaris in her arms.
Meanwhile, Solaris was still thinking about what had happened earlier—
About the Grand Book of Astira.
Even now…
He could still vaguely feel that strange sensation from before.
Solaris frowned slightly in confusion.
"What… happened to me back then?"
For a brief moment, his gaze lowered.
"It felt like that book knew what I really was…"
Then he quickly shook his head.
"No. No."
"Thinking about the past is dangerous."
His tiny hands clenched slightly.
"I'm just a normal boy."
"Nothing more. Nothing less."
A moment later, his thoughts shifted elsewhere.
"…Though it's pretty obvious Mother is a complete bookworm."
He glanced up at Lady Isolde for a second.
"...And I'm her son."
Then Solaris nodded to himself confidently, as if he had just solved one of history's greatest mysteries.
"So yeah…"
"It's completely normal for me to inherit that same bookworm nature."
Satisfied with his conclusion, Solaris relaxed again in Lady Isolde's arms.
"This is normal," he repeated firmly in his mind.
"I am a normal boy…"
"…who just happens to really, really like books."