Today is my birthday, and I still had my morning training with my father.

  “You keep surprising me every day, Maki. Your skill with twin swords has already surpassed Alejo’s, and you’re close to forming the final pillar to complete your cube,” my father's smile was as infectious as ever.

  I’ve practiced daily until exhaustion. That’s accelerated the formation of my cube—at this rate, I should complete it in about a month.

  “Thank you, Father.” I didn’t know how to respond to his praise. It’s hard to accept compliments about my talent, especially since all of my skill comes from the experience I accumulated in my past life.

  “Don’t be so shy, son. Show a bit more energy. You’re turning eight today, and after almost a year, you’ll get to see your brothers again.”

  My brothers, huh? Sers is in his first year at one of the top academies in the Marquisate, while Ritmo—who finished the academy last year—spent a year in Count Weri’s city for theoretical and practical tutoring in that territory. He got that opportunity thanks to becoming close friends with the Count’s second son.

  “Yes, I’m really happy to see them again after a year.” They both treated me very well during my childhood. I love them just as much as the rest of my family.

  Sers is the spitting image of my father—both with messy brown hair, green eyes, and muscular builds. Ritmo, on the other hand, has my mother’s hair and the same green eyes as Sers. My hair has a reddish tone from my paternal grandfather, whom I haven’t met yet. He’s still alive, but my family avoids talking about him.

  “Go take a shower and get ready for breakfast, boy. We won’t be able to eat with you this morning, but we’ll all be together for lunch.”

  Everyone wanted to finish their responsibilities as early as possible so we could catch up and spend lunch together.

  I said goodbye to my father and headed to my room. After a relaxing shower, I changed into my birthday clothes and sat down to meditate. I had read in a book about the benefits of a healthy mind—it helps speed up learning and control nerves in desperate situations.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  Who could be at my door? Everyone should be busy until an hour before lunch.

  Before I could get up, someone opened the door—it was my brother Sers.

  “Hey! How’s my favorite little brother?” Not only does his appearance resemble our father’s, but his energetic attitude is just as similar.

  “Hey Sers, it’s been a while. I’m doing fine, I think. I thought you’d arrive later. How about you?”

  “What’s with that cold response? No hugs? Nothing?” I saw his grin widen as he teased me—Sers always loves making fun of how ‘cold’ I can be sometimes.

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Sorry, Sers. I missed you too.” I got up and gave my older brother a big hug.

  We talked about how his life at school had been going. As always, he focused on the silly things—jokes, funny situations, and his friends. I wanted to hear more about his academic life, but listening to his daily adventures was comforting—it showed how much he was enjoying his final year.

  “It’s almost time. We need to hurry.” We had lost track of time while talking. If we hadn’t looked at the wall clock, we might’ve been late for lunch. In this world, a day lasts 26 hours—two more than in my old world.

  Sers ran off to change into his clothes for the party, and I made my way to the main dining table for the celebration.

  When I arrived, I saw four people already seated. I recognized all of their faces—except for one I hadn’t seen in nearly a year.

  “Hello everyone, sorry I’m late. I was talking with Sers and lost track of time.” I began with an apology before taking my seat.

  My brother was the first to speak, as if the four of them had coordinated for this moment. “Hey Maki, it’s been a while. I see your rapid growth isn’t just physical.”

  Sers is a physical fighter who uses an axe, while Ritmo chose the path of a mage like our mother. He’s always been praised for his sensitivity to mana.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Hey Ritmo, how have you been? Was the trip long?” I purposely avoided his comment about my growth. After talking with Sers for hours, I realized how many stories we’d missed in a year. Today, I want to laugh, enjoy myself, and have fun with my family—I’ll avoid talking about my growth or training as much as possible.

  Ritmo didn’t press the topic, and we kept exchanging questions and answers. Soon our parents and grandmother joined the conversation. Sers came back shortly after, and lunch began.

  We chatted for hours afterward. The main room was lively—I can’t remember the last time I laughed, got excited, and learned so much all in one day.

  The conversation centered around us three siblings—our daily lives, funny stories from Sers, and Ritmo sharing his learnings from the Count’s city without being boring.

  Eventually, Ritmo couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked, “Maki, how did you progress your cube formation so fast? You’re a step away from completing it, right? If I couldn’t feel a single trace of mana in your body, I’d think you already had a completed cube.”

  Sers stared at me in surprise. His laid-back nature probably kept him from noticing my cube’s development.

  “You’re right, I can sense his cube nearly finished. How did you do it, Maki?” Both of them looked at me, clearly confused and curious.

  “I told you, son—after the tenth pillar, it becomes impossible to hide,” my mother warned me when my tenth pillar started forming. People could easily spot the cube forming in my chest.

  “And that’s not all—Maki’s weapon talent is on another level. I can confidently say: Maki is among the top three weapon fighters in the two villages—purely in terms of skill,” my father added. His words dropped like a bomb, and I could see my brothers’ curiosity grow even more.

  “I wish I had a complicated and well-founded explanation for you, but I don’t. According to my parents and grandma, I have talent with the FUV, and I’ve been training hard every single day.” I didn’t know how to explain it—because I didn’t have the answer.

  “Just talent and effort?” Sers was the first to question my response.

  Ritmo gave it more thought. “Sers, it’s not that simple. At the academy, you’ve surely seen people with exceptional talent and others with less. Some work twice as hard to reach their goals. If you combine both, you get what the academies and society call geniuses—outstanding individuals who surpass peers and even older folks.”

  “Maki, are you a genius?” Sers seemed to grasp the point quickly—probably something you see daily in a prestigious academy.

  “Me? A genius? I don’t know. I haven’t tested my skills directly against kids my age, and honestly, I’ve never considered myself a genius.” I can’t see myself that way when my sword skill comes from a past life. I had talent and worked hard back then, too, but I never thought of myself as a genius.

  Ritmo turned to our grandmother, probably the wisest person in the room. “Grandma Rita, do you think Maki is a genius?”

  My brothers waited for her answer, watching her closely, and my parents seemed lost in thought as well.

  “I can’t outright say: Maki is a genius. I’ve seen his magnificent sword skill and witnessed the absurd growth of his cube. All this time, I’ve thought of Maki as a prodigy.” Grandma touched her chin, seriously pondering her response.

  “What’s the difference between a prodigy and a genius?” I asked. I had never considered there was a difference—I always assumed they meant the same thing.

  “They’re both incredibly talented people. A prodigy exceeds limits through effort and dedication. A genius is born already surpassing natural limits,” my mother gave a clear, simple explanation—just like she always does.

  “Can you give me an example, Mother?” Sers never hesitates to ask questions. We all understood the difference in our own way, but a good example would solidify the idea.

  “An example? Hmm…” My mother took a few seconds to think.

  “Let’s say the limit of a skill, like magic control, is one hundred. Some talented people, with little or no effort, can quickly grasp the skill. Others have to work twice as hard to reach that same level—but they get there. A prodigy might reach and even surpass that 100% through hard work and dedication. But a genius? A genius is born already able to control it beyond that 100%.”

  Her example was so clear it made me realize just how big the difference is between these types of people.

  If I had to categorize them:

  No talent & no effort < Talent & no effort <= No talent & effort < Talent & effort (prodigies) <= Geniuses.

  “Celes’ example is perfect. I just want to add—talents come in all sizes. Someone might be considered talented in a small town, but be insignificant in a royal or imperial capital. I’m not sure I can say this for certain: Prodigies aren't necessarily better or worse than geniuses,” Grandma’s comment made me think even more. I know I’m better than 99% of the people in this village with a sword… but am I considered talented in this world?

  “Don’t overthink it, son. You’re very talented. I can say this confidently: you’re a prodigy,” I must’ve been deep in thought—my father’s words pulled me back.

  “Your grandma and we have lived through thousands of experiences and met thousands of people. I can also say: I’ve never seen talent like yours in anyone before.”

  “Thank you. I’ll try to improve every day.” I couldn’t think of a more heartfelt response than a simple “thank you.” I really need to get better at responding to compliments…

  They hadn’t placed any expectations on me, but I could already see the spark in their eyes—they were curious to see what my future would hold. The weight of that invisible backpack kept growing.

  “A prodigy in our family—not bad. Still, Maki, even if you’re talented, you won’t be stronger than your big brother,” Sers was the quickest to accept everything and joked to lighten the mood.

  “For my part, I can’t wait to see how far you’ll go, Maki. It’s comforting to know about your talents—don’t feel pressured. But hey, maybe everyone’s future depends on you.” He said it with a laugh, which triggered a chain reaction—everyone began to smile.

  We kept talking until dinner time, then went for a walk and returned to our garden table to continue chatting under the cool summer breeze. We ended up talking late into the night. Today was a wonderful day. Thank you all for this birthday.