It wasn't supposed to storm that night.
There were no clouds. No winds. No signs from the stars.
And yet—
BOOOOM!
The heavens split in half.
A spear of golden lightning tore through the sky, crashing down upon the heart of the Bloodcrest estate. The very earth trembled. Stone cracked. Birds dropped from the sky, dead before they hit the ground.
In that instant, all mana in the region vanished.
Not suppressed.
Erased.
High priests panicked. Archmages screamed. Even beasts deep in the forest howled in confusion.
Captain Elric Dawnveil, commander of the Royal Guard, stood atop the southern watchtower, hands tight on the pommel of her blade.
She felt it before she saw it.
Mana—gone.
The world—hollow.
Soldiers around her clutched their chests, blinking in confusion.
"Captain! I can't feel my mana! Is this… an invasion?!"
Elric narrowed her eyes toward the palace, heart pounding.
"No," she whispered. "This… this is something else entirely."
Her voice was calm, but even she felt a ripple of fear run down her spine.
At that exact moment—as if summoned by her dread—the first whisper slithered through the palace halls:
"He has come..."
The birthing chamber was unnaturally quiet.
Candlelight flickered across the walls, casting long, dancing shadows. The smell of incense mixed with blood hung heavy in the air.
Selene lay on the bed, drenched in sweat, her silver hair plastered to her skin. She gritted her teeth as pain tore through her body again.
Beside her, her husband Reyzen Bloodcrest, stood holding her hand. Even his calm presence couldn't mask the unease in his eyes.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The midwives froze. Not a soul moved.
The very air itself felt… paused.
And then—
Silence.
Not peaceful.
Not calm.
Dead.
Selene's lips parted to scream, but no sound escaped.
Reyzen's hand tightened. His golden eyes—normally sharp and fearless—widened slightly.
And then—
Whispers.
From nowhere.
From everywhere.
"He has come…"
"The heir to ruin…"
"A god among men... or the end of them?"
The candles blew out.
The doors slammed shut.
The windows sealed.
Still, a wind rushed through like a scream from the depths of another realm.
And then—
THUMP.
Not a baby's cry.
A deep, powerful heartbeat.
Everyone gasped.
A newborn opened his eyes.
Red. Burning. Watching.
Not confused.
Not crying.
But aware. Focused.
Too aware.
Selene stared at him in disbelief.
He didn't feel fragile.
He didn't feel human.
He felt… ancient.
Like a king born in the flesh of a child.
Selene held him close. Her arms shook.
She had expected pain, blood, and tears…
But not this.
No one dared speak.
Reyzen took a step forward and slowly extended his arms.
"I'll hold him," he said softly.
Selene hesitated… then gently passed Kaito into his hands.
And in that instant—
Everything changed.
---
The Nightmare Begins
The moment Reyzen cradled his son, his body froze.
He didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't breathe.
"Reyzen?" Selene's voice cracked. "R-Reyzen!"
No response.
Maids rushed in, panicking.
"Master Reyzen!"
Still nothing.
His gaze stayed locked ahead—eyes wide, body stiff. As if he were trapped in a vision.
Varion Greaves, head butler of the royal estate, watched from the doorway, a silver tray in his hand. When he saw Reyzen stiff and unblinking, his old hands trembled.
The tray shattered to the floor.
"My gods… He's… not moving."
His voice was barely a whisper.
He turned and barked, "Get help! Sound the silent alarm!"
But then—
Reyzen moved.
Just slightly.
His eyes blinked slowly, like waking from a deep, freezing sleep.
"Reyzen!" Selene cried.
"Master!" the maids yelled.
The voices reached him.
Echoing faintly… then louder… until he gasped and stumbled back to his senses.
Everyone froze—staring.
His shirt… was drenched in blood.
A deep, slashing wound carved across his chest—fresh, real, and bleeding fast.
Selene dropped to her knees, trembling.
"N-No… Reyzen… What happened?!"
Maids screamed.
One even fainted.
Another dropped a basin of towels as blood splattered across the marble.
One maid fell to her knees, whispering a prayer under her breath.
"Mother Luna… protect us…"
The wound on Reyzen's chest was deep—carved like a blade had torn through flesh. His shirt was soaked red.
"Selene's voice cracked as her eyes widened,
"REYZEN! NO—NO!"
"Selena collapsed to her knees, clutching Kaito like he was the only thing keeping her alive."
Mella, the head maid, not understanding what's happening.
"Her hands trembled, but she kept moving—head maid or not, this was beyond anything she'd ever faced."
But she rushed forward.
"Get the royal healer! Now!"
Captain Elric stormed into the room with her sword half-drawn, breath caught in her throat as she looked at the wound on the strongest man she had ever known.
"This… this can't be happening. That thing—whatever it is—we let it be born inside the kingdom…" she whispered.
Servants chattered in panic.
"Did the demon king reincarnate here?" "We're all going to die…!" "The Bloodcrest line is cursed!"
"ENOUGH!"
Reyzen's voice boomed through the room, silencing everyone.
He staggered forward but stood tall, blood still dripping from his chest.
He looked around—at the knights, the maids, the captain, and finally… at Selene.
Then his voice softened.
"He's our son."
The room fell dead quiet.
Reyzen looked down at the sleeping newborn cradled in Selene's arms—his red eyes now closed, peaceful.
"This child… Kaito… he didn't bring ruin. He brought change. And it's up to us how that change unfolds."
He knelt beside Selene, wincing from the pain, and cupped her cheek with trembling fingers.
"If we raise him with fear... if we treat him like a curse… then maybe he'll become one."
"But if we give him love, strength, and warmth…" he smiled faintly, his voice raw, "then he'll grow to be the greatest king the world has ever seen."
His golden eyes welled up. "He's not some monster, Selene. He inherited our blood. He's our son… no one else's."
Selene broke into sobs, clutching Reyzen tightly, her forehead pressed against his.
"But… your wound…" she whispered through tears.
He chuckled softly despite the pain.
"You think this is something to me?"
He pulled her close, his voice warm even through the storm still echoing outside.
"It's just a scratch to welcome our boy into the world."
"No one moved. Even the wind seemed to hush.
Swords were sheathed.
The crying stopped.
In the presence of something divine,
the only sound was the newborn's breath—
and a future being written."
Mella Vireen, the head maid, clutched the doorway with trembling hands, tears in her eyes.
She whispered to herself, "This child isn't a miracle… nor a curse… he's the beginning of something else entirely."
And she remembered the past —
One Night she overheard a conversation -
"Do you think our child will be cursed?" Selene had once whispered beneath the stars.
"Only if we raise him without love," Reyzen had said then.
And now, bleeding, he still stood by that answer.
And far above them…
In the sky that had once known peace…
The stars shifted.
Just slightly.
As if they, too, had acknowledged the arrival of something that should never have existed