Man I had the most wild dream there was a system and I was a magical prince baby like those horrible light novels I can’t seem to get enough of.


    [OK Caius we really need to get you started on the basics of magic. Your tiny brain can''t support the weight of your mind without reinforcement. We needed to get this going hours ago. Thankfully you are about to be fed by Gwendolyn so we can take all of that energy and feed it to your core.]


    “Wait, wait! What do you mean my brain can''t support the weight of my mind? They are one and the same thing!”


    [No, you have the mind of Michael and the brain of a two hour old infant Caius. Seriously, were you mentally impaired as Michael? How could the mind of a thirty three year old fit in the brain of a newborn without destroying it?]


    “Magic, the answer to these questions is always magic.”


    [ Yeah the answer WILL be magic but we have to actually put in the work! It''s not going to automagically get done. Now seriously we need to get your core up and going or Michael is going to cease to exist and me along with it!]


    “OK! OK! What do I need to do?” A gentle hand lifted me from the bassinet, and the smell of lavender and something rich and creamy filled my tiny nostrils. Gwendolyn. My… nanny? Apparently. She was a blur of soft features and a warm smile that I couldn’t focus on.


    [When Gwendolyn feeds you, focus on the warmth in your chest. That’s your core. Visualize it, Caius. Feel it. Let it grow with the magic in the milk.]


    “Visualize it?” I thought, utterly panicking. “I can barely see straight!”


    [Just…feel it. It’s there. Trust me.]


    Gwendolyn brought me to her breast, and I instinctively began to nurse. It was… surprisingly pleasant, even with the weird disembodied voice in my head. As I suckled, a faint warmth did coalesce in my chest, a tiny ember glowing against a vast, empty canvas.


    [Good, good! Now, imagine that ember is a tiny seed. Imagine it sprouting roots, drawing in that delicious magic from the milk. Feel it grow, Caius. Feel it expand.]


    I tried. It was like trying to lift a mountain with a single finger. My head swam, and the warmth faltered.


    [Don’t strain yourself! Just a little at a time. Think of it like… like inflating a balloon. Slowly and steadily. You don’t want to pop it.]


    I concentrated again, focusing on the warmth, imagining the tiny seed sprouting, its roots reaching out. It was exhausting. My tiny muscles ached. But with each gulp of milk, the warmth grew, the ember brightened, and the imagined roots dug deeper and spread out.


    [“Excellent! You’re doing great! Just keep going. Don’t stop! This is crucial!”]


    The voice sounded more and more frantic, and that spurred me on. I kept visualizing, kept feeling, kept… growing. I could feel something happening within me, a nascent power bubbling to the surface. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at once.


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    Finally, Gwendolyn pulled me away, patting my back gently. I gurgled, half asleep, utterly drained.


    [“Okay, okay, that’s enough for now. You did it! You actually did it! I… I can’t believe a newborn managed to reach the early stage of Root & Vine. You have a natural affinity for mana, Caius. You hear me? A NATURAL AFFINITY! This changes EVERYTHING! I can use your life affinity to fix your brain!”]


    [Skill {Mana Affinity} acquired]


    I was too tired to care. The warmth in my chest was still there, a comforting presence. I was going to survive. And maybe, just maybe, this whole crazy situation wasn''t as bad as I thought.


    I drifted off to sleep as Gwendolyn started to lay me back down, the systems voice fading into the background, dreaming of glowing embers and magical milk. Even in a light novel, you had to start somewhere. And apparently, my starting point was breastfeeding-powered magical core development. Wonderful.


    I awoke to a different sort of warmth. Not the internal, simmering heat of my burgeoning magic, but the comforting warmth of…well, I assumed it was a blanket. Or at least, something soft and fuzzy that was keeping me nice and toasty.


    “Okay system I think we need to have a little chat. Or maybe an information dump.”


    [“I will tell you what I can. Ask away.”]


    “So lets start this off nice and easy, who and what are you?”


    [I am your system interface, think of me as a sapient AI from your previous world. Rather than a computer I’m more of a symbiotic soul. After the process of joining is completed we are, for better or worse, stuck with each other.]


    “That takes care of the what but not the who. Do you have a name or is it just ‘system’.”


    [Right now I don''t have a name but normally our partners give us a name shortly after being joined together.]


    “ Your partners? That would be me, correct?”


    [“That is correct.”]


    “ Alright what do you think about Jeeves?”


    [“You do know I can see your memories right? We’re partners, I''m not your butler.”]


    I internally winced. He did say he was my system interface if thats not a servant I don''t really know what is "Okay, okay, fair point. Jeeves is out. How about...Aether?"


    ["Aether is...acceptable. It implies a connection to the ethereal and magical, I think I like that."]


    "Alright then, Aether it is. So, Aether," I said, testing the name. "Now that we''re acquainted, what''s the deal with this world? You mentioned ''partners'' before. Are there others like us? What kind of world did I get reincarnated into?"


    Aether responded promptly. [“This world is known as Ilgartil. It is a world rich in mana, where beings of all kinds wield power beyond your previous comprehension. And yes, there are others like us – individuals paired with… well, what you would call a system. These pairings are exceedingly rare and almost unheard of from birth, considered blessings by some and curses by others. The benefits and drawbacks depend entirely on the individual and the system itself.”]


    "Blessings and curses, huh? Sounds about right for a light novel reincarnation." I thought . "So, magic world, system partners... what''s the power structure like? Are we talking about kingdoms and heroes, demon lords and chosen ones? Give me the rundown, Aether. I need to know what kind of tropes I''m dealing with."


    [“Heh, wouldn’t it be nice if I could tell you about the whole world without you having to go out there and interact with it and guide you down the perfect path to power? That would certainly help us out here.]


    "Interesting, the line of what you can tell me and what you can''t seems really odd. Like you can tell me that there are others like us out there and what my family thinks of me and what they are worried about but cant tell me anything about the wider world at all?"


    ["It''s more like I can interface with other peoples systems and glean some of their knowledge. The more they are aware of and the deeper parts of the system that they have unlocked in this world the more I can give you."] he sighed


    ["Look Caius, I WANT to give you more information I really do. But if the four people that you have analyzed are not aware of any heros, demon lords ,and or chosen ones then neither do I and it would be horribly irresponsible of me to tell you that there is or isn''t. If I lack information its better to say that I don''t know then making a guess."] He took a few moments before replying almost as if to calm himself down["Now do you have any other burning questions that you think I can answer or can we move on from this?"]


    "Yeah I do have a few more questions that I feel warrant at least a few words of explanation." I lay there staring up at the ceiling with a mural of some sort ( my eyes are still fuzzy at best) trying to organize my thoughts. "What is Root & Bone stage? You made it sound super important before I crashed."