Regression.

  It is the term used to address the trope in which the main character wakes up in their past body after dying or failing in whatever task they set out to do, effectively giving them a second chance.

  Such a thing happening to anyone was simply impossible in real life. After all, there was a reason why it was mostly used by novelists, not professionals like archmages or scientists.

  However, Sylvia knew that such a term was what would best describe her current situation.

  Instead of being on the torture table, her consciousness was transported into her younger self.

  Although all of this could have been Keith casting very powerful illusion magic on her, Sylvia didn't care. After all—

  "M- Mom!"

  —The one she missed the most was right in front of her.

  Sylvia then dashed towards her mother, Melissia, and embraced her tightly, as if she didn't want to let go of her ever again.

  "M- Mom... I miss you!"

  She buried her face into her mother chest, sobbing and crying like there was no tomorrow.

  After a while, Sylvia's emotions calmed down, and she turned her gaze up to face the figure who she had been holding onto.

  Golden hair with blue eyes much like hers, and white feathery wings that protruded out of her back. Her mother looked just like how she remembered her to be.

  "Have you calmed down, little Syl?", Melissia spoke with a familiar gentle voice, snapping Sylvia out of her thoughts.

  Staring at her for a few seconds, Sylvia lets out a bright smile and then embraced her tightly again.

  "I'm okay now, mom"

  Perhaps it was because she used too much of her mental power to endure the torture earlier, or maybe it was due to her consciousness suddenly being transported in a younger body. Or perhaps it was a mix of both.

  Whatever the case was, Sylvia felt tired, awfully so.

  And thus, she slowly drifted asleep in the embrace of her mother, feeling the warmth that she missed so much.

  ...

  Sylvia was sitting in a carriage with her mother, deep in her own thoughts.

  'So I really regressed, huh? To my 10th birthday at that...'

  Even now, she still couldn't believe that such a thing happened to her.

  At first, she thought that this was just an extremely potent illusion Keith conjured up to torture her.

  However, during the last 3 months, she had asked her mother several personal questions that even her father didn't know, let alone Keith.

  'Well... I'm not supposed to know that he's my father... not now...'

  However, that was not important, as her mother had correctly answered each and every of her questions, effectively confirming that Sylvia had indeed regressed.

  As such, she spent the last few months enjoying her time with her mother. Well, she wasn't exactly doing just that either, as she made preparations to prevent her mother's death, which was... today.

  She didn't actually need to prepare much to prevent her death. Thus, she mostly spent time playing with her mother in the last 3 months.

  Pausing her thoughts there, Sylvia looked at the white snake that was coiling around her right hand. Its name was Leil, and it was her childhood pet.

  'Now that I think about it, it doesn't sound right to give a 10 years old kid a snake as a pet'

  However, she soon decided to not think about it, as giving her a pet snake was the least weirdest thing her mother had done.

  "Are you enjoying yourself, young miss Sylvia?"

  Sylvia's gaze turned from the snake to outside the carriage's window to face the source of the voice, Keith.

  She felt... complicated when looking at him. After all, the warm smile he was giving right now was vastly different to the crazed smile he had while he was torturing her.

  '... But I guess he had always been crazy'

  After all, Keith was the one who always took Sylvia, who was as young as 6 at the time, to the torture chambers for her to... observe the other Serpente knights extract information from criminals.

  Despite being punished many times by her mother, Keith could always find another way to secretly sneak Sylvia in.

  'This is the things you'll have to do one day', he used to say. 'You're the one that will succeed our goddess Melissia!'

  In retrospect, she should have told her mother about all of this. However, she was too young at the time. Thus, she thought that torturing people like the Serpente knights did was normal.

  "Young miss, are you alright?", Keith's concerned voice suddenly snapped Sylvia out of her thoughts.

  "I'm fine, thanks for worrying about me", she said in a polite tone.

  Keith smile warmly at her response. "I'm glad you're fine. You'll have to be healthy to succeed our Goddes—"

  GULP—!

  He gulped a mouthful of saliva when he felt Melissia's glare. "I- I mean our captain's daughter have to be in good health to protect the Empire in the future!"

  "Oh look, Nick's calling me. Guess I have to go now!", he continued.

  He then hurriedly rushed to the back of the escorts.

  Sylvia inwardly shook her head at this and looked at Leil again.

  'If you weren't the reason why mom died, Leil...', she thought as she petted the snake. '...You would have been much cuter'

  Pausing her thoughts there, she then moved towards her mother for a hug.

  "You're really clingy lately", Melissia said as she planted a kiss on Sylvia's cheeks. "I thought my little Syl is too grown up to pay attention to her old and wrinkly mother like this"

  Looking at the Angel who was the exact opposite of what she had just claimed herself to be, Sylvia smiled and hugged her tight.

  "Nuh uh, even if you become old and ugly like grandpa Semier, I will always protect you!"

  "You're lucky your grandpa isn't here...", Melissia chuckled as she pinched Sylvia's cheeks. "...But I guess I'll have to count on you to keep me safe, my little knight in shinning armor"

  "Don't worry mom, I will"

  ...

  Eventually, their carriage arrived at Gerodd city, where the coming-of-age ceremony would be held.

  "Little Syl, we have to walk from here"

  'Warm...', Sylvia thought as she held her mother's hand.

  Although she had been experiencing her mother's warmth for the past 3 months now, she never grew tired of it. As such, Sylvia was still savoring the sensation that she missed so much even when they arrived before the Altar.

  Flick—!

  "Ow!", Sylvia lets out a yelp of pain as her mother lightly flicked her forehead.

  "We're here, Syl", Melissia chuckled.

  Hearing this, she finally woke up from her thoughts and looked around the venue where the coming-of-age ceremony was held.

  Since the Adrancus dukedom's population was mostly consisted of humans, dwarves, and of course, dragons, there were three separate venues for the coming-of-age ceremony.

  To her left was the venue for humans, containing Holy orbs.

  To her right was the dwarven venue, containing the Hammers of zeal.

  And directly in front of her was the dragon's venue, housing the Altar of origin.

  Since the number of dragons her age, and the number of dragons in general, was low, she didn't have to wait long for her turn.

  Walking up to the altar with her mother following right behind her, Sylvia placed both of her hand onto its rocky surface and—

  =====

  Name: Sylvia Salvant / Estellare

  Race: Dragon (Part-angel)

  Rank: G+

  Strength: G+

  Agility: G+

  Stamina: G

  Intelligent: G+

  Mana capacity: F+

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  Profession: Ice mage (Lv.0)

  --

  Affinities:

  [Perfect - Ice magic]

  [Extreme - Star magic]

  [High - Water magic]

  [Low - Lightning magic]

  [Low - Time magic]

  [Low - Space magic]

  --

  Skills:

  [SS - Authorities]

  The user can infuse Mana into her throat to let out a voice that carries certain .

  [S - Magic Eyes of emotions]