Aleric's new world came in fragments.The first thing he understood: he was a baby. Completely, utterly helpless. He couldn't control his limbs.Could barely open his eyes for more than a few seconds before exhaustion dragged him back to sleep.It was torture.But mind was intact. He remembered everything. Westmont High, Handprint, the fall and But he was trapped in an infant's body that wouldn't obey him.It was like the incarnation story he had read. Who would have thought it would have happened to him.Coincidentally, the baby, him, had the same name he had in his past life. Aleric, the name that stung to him like a curse.Days passed, maybe weeks, he could barely keep counts. He was treated like a child… which that was exactly what he was. Slowly, his control improved. He could keep his eyes open longer. Track movement. Focus on the people around him.His new mother was beautiful. Long dark hair. Kind eyes. She wore flowing robes that shimmered with an inner light. No, not shim

The capital city of Valdris was a monster.Aleric had seen drawings, heard descriptions, but nothing prepared him for the reality. Stone buildings rose four, five, six stories high. Streets paved with actual cobblestones, not dirt. Shops with glass windows displaying goods from across the kingdom.And the people. Thousands of them. More people than Aleric had seen in his entire fourteen years combined."Stay close," Enzo said, one hand on Aleric's shoulder as they navigated the crowded streets. Helena walked on his other side, clutching her purse nervously.They'd arrived three days early. The ceremony required registration, medical examination, and fitting for ceremonial robes.Their inn was modest. Clean but cheap. Other noble families stayed in actual mansions owned by relatives in the capital. The Swore family had no such connections."It's fine," Aleric said when he saw his mother's embarrassed face. "I don't need luxury. I need focus."The next day, they went to the Registration

The mouth of the Hollowed Cave yawned open like a throat waiting to swallow them whole. Aleric stood with nine other trainees at the entrance, the stench of rot and damp stone thick in the air. His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword. The blade was standard issue, nothing special, but it was his lifeline now.Captain Brock stood at the front of the group, arms crossed over his scarred chest. His voice cut through the nervous chatter like a blade through silk."Listen up. This isn't training anymore. Inside that cave, you live or you die. No one's coming to save you if you screw up. Stay in formation, watch your flanks, and don't do anything stupid."Brock's eyes swept over the group and lingered on Aleric for half a second longer than the rest. Aleric felt the weight of that stare. Everyone here knew he was Classless. Everyone here thought he was dead weight.A trainee named Gareth, a stocky guy with a Tier 1 Warrior class, snorted and muttered loud enough for everyone to h