Shinya's — no, Lucien's — baby body jolted awake as if dunked in ice water. His lungs burned, his tiny limbs flailing as he gasped for breath.
The glowing crystal beneath him dimmed slightly, but the air around him still crackled with stray mana.
Then, with a soft ping, a translucent system window popped up in the air above him.
[??? has forcibly used 30 limit break points to evolve your body.]
[You have 30 limit break points left.]
[??? has used 30 limit break points to evolve your mana core.]
[You have 0 limit break points left.]
A second window followed:
[Name: Lucien Valthon]
[Level: 10]
[Race: Pseudo Human]
[Age: 0]
[Class: (All Master)]
[Titles: Reincarnator, Fragment of ???]
…
Stats:
Mana: 10,000
Dexterity: 5,000
Divinity: 5,000
Intelligence: 5,500
Stamina: 5,000
Perception: 5,000
Strength: 5,000
Charm: 1,500
Demonic Energy: 5,000
Spiritual Energy: 5,000
…
Lucien blinked rapidly, his tiny eyes darting between the strange floating screens and the unfamiliar chamber around him. His body began to radiate light — faint at first, then blinding, spilling mana into the room like a flood.
"What… now?" His father — the King, a tall man with cold golden eyes — asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he stood back from the glowing cradle.
A robed figure to his left, the court mage, grimaced and stepped closer. "Your Majesty…" he began hesitantly, sweat beading his brow despite the cold, magical wind swirling through the chamber.
"The seal isn't working. His mana core has increased tremendously — beyond the limit of what a human can have. And…" He swallowed, glancing nervously at the glowing child. "His mana has increased severalfold. Right now, he has enough mana to drown the entire capital in it if it runs wild."
The King's eyes narrowed into slits, his fists clenching as the radiant mana forced cracks into the marble floor.
The Mage added quickly, bowing low. "I… I think, for Your Majesty's and the kingdom's safety… it would be better to take him somewhere far from people. Until he can properly control his power. We can even send one of the mages here to look after and teach him."
The King didn't respond immediately. His piercing gaze fixed on the infant in the cradle — his son, his heir, glowing with untamed power roaring to run wild.
"…Tch. A monster from birth, I don't know whether it's a blessing or a curse but he'll be of use to strengthening this kingdom." the King finally muttered under his breath. "You'd better pray he doesn't destroy us before he learns to crawl."
He turned sharply on his heel, his regal cloak whipping behind him as he stalked out of the chamber.
The Mage lingered, staring down at Lucien, who now stared up at him with unnerving awareness for a newborn. Their eyes locked — one pair wide and golden, the other clouded with fear.
The air thrummed with mana one last time before Lucien's body finally went still, his light fading into a quiet glow, as the Mage began chanting containment spells around the cradle.
Thunder cracked over the spires of Valthon Palace, , the ancient stones of its towers groaning under the weight of swirling magic.
Below, in the lower halls, servants hurried along the torchlit corridors, whispering behind cupped hands:
"The Third Prince… born with his mana core already formed?"
"And awakened? Impossible…"
"They say he glowed like a god."
News spread like wildfire, and with it came fear — and ambition.
Meanwhile, in another palace, A young man sat casually on a wide velvet couch, one leg crossed, a goblet of red wine in hand. His chestnut hair glimmered under the firelight, his golden eyes half-lidded yet sharp as a dagger. He was the crown prince of the Valthon empire and Lucien's first brother, Lucas Valthon.
Before him, a knight kneeled in full armor head bowed.
"So," the Crown Prince murmured, swirling the wine lazily, "A little brother born tonight, with more mana than even the court mage has seen in his lifetime. A monster in a crib."
The knight said nothing.
The Crown Prince smiled faintly, though his gaze turned ice-cold.
"How amusing," he continued. "It seems fate has delivered me a rival in swaddling cloth. Tell the others… to watch carefully. Every move the King makes, every servant that so much as glances at that child. Report directly to me. And send the shadow troop to protect him."
"Yes, Your Highness," the knight replied at once, then vanished into the shadows of the room.
The Crown Prince set his goblet down, his smile widening just slightly.
"At last, someone I could call my equal. I can't wait to see what has install for me when he matures." he thought.
Meanwhile, back in the sealed chamber where Lucien lay, the air still crackled faintly with residual mana.
The mage — his robes frayed and his voice hoarse from hours of chanting containment spells — slumped onto a chair nearby, wiping his brow.
"It seems nothing can seal his power. I did all I could your highness." he croaked to the tall figure standing in the doorway.
But it was not the King who stood there.
A tall woman, draped in an elegant black gown and veil, stepped forward. Her emerald eyes gleamed lovingly as she approached the cradle.
She said nothing at first. She only stared down at the newborn, her expression unreadable.
Then, with gloved hands, she gently reached into the cradle and brushed a lock of silver hair from Lucien's tiny forehead.
"…So much power," she whispered. "And yet so fragile."
Her gaze flicked to the mage.
"Prepare the carriage," she ordered coldly. "Tonight. He is leaving the palace with me."
The mage blinked, startled.
"But, Your Majesty— surely the King—"
"The King," she cut in icily, "has given me authority over this matter. I will not see my son turned into a weapon before he can even walk. Now do as I say."
The mage hesitated, then bowed low and scurried off.
Lucien, still glowing faintly in his swaddling cloth, stared up at the Queen with eerie calm, his grey eyes unblinking.
She allowed herself the faintest, most bitter of smiles.
"You will live," she murmured. "Even if no everyone wants you dead."
By the time the first rays of sunlight crept over the horizon, a black carriage flanked by two mages was already speeding out of the city gates, its wheels throwing up dust as it raced down the roads.
Inside, wrapped tightly in his mother's arms, Lucien lay quietly, his golden eyes still shining faintly as he stared at the world outside the window.
"I somehow survived that all ordeal somehow. Who ever that voice was I'm thankful for sending me to this I swear I'll help the protagonist save it from the demon's and evil god's." Just as he finished the thought, a system message popped up.
[Notice: ??? Has sent you three quests]
[Quest 1: I can't die until I take over this reality. SSS rank.]
[Quest 2: This world is mine. EX RANK.]
"Wha-what the hell?" "I thought I'd be the main character." He thought.