In a universe where everyone is born with two strong desires, the desire to evolve and to procreate. Even the late Duke Jonathan Roseblade, Matthew's father, had been 107 years old when his twin children were born, despite having married Ellen at the age of 50 as a Semi-high human. Knowing this, Helen and Phrera, driven by a shared desire for a large family, had tried exceptionally hard not to evolve, even the slightest amount, during the three centuries-long war. Their plan was to have six children before embarking on their own evolutionary journey.
However, fate had a cruel twist for Helen. Despite her conscious efforts to avoid it, her relentless exercising of mana and constant use of her powerful Dryad abilities in managing the duchy during the war unknowingly met the conditions for her own evolution. To her devastation, she ascended into a Dryany, an evolutionary stage equivalent to a High Human. This was a bitter blow, as she had desperately wanted to bear all six children before any personal evolution. Thankfully, Phrera, with his unique draconic nature and perhaps a different path to power, had not evolved, making their chances of conception still much better than if both had ascended.
The wedding ceremony, grand as it was, barely concluded before Helen, with a determined glint in her eye, dragged a bewildered but willing Phrera to their designated "baby making factory room" to get started. But because of her unexpected evolution into a Dryany, what should have been a joyful, relatively swift process stretched into a monumental effort. It took them a full century to conceive and welcome all six of their children into the world.
In their first twenty-five years, they were blessed with twin dragon daughters, whom they lovingly named Lyra and Selene. The second twenty-five years brought another set of twins, this time dryad sons, Rowan and Ashen, their vibrant green hues a gentle echo of their mother's lineage. In the third quarter-century, a human son arrived, a poignant tribute named Jonathan after his late grandfather. Then, in their fourth and final twenty-five-year period, a true miracle occurred: their sixth child, Annabeth, a Drakosylvan—a rare hybrid, born from the union of Dryad and Dragon, with a minuscule 5% success rate. Her birth completed their family, a beacon of hope and new life.
One could argue that, given Helen's unexpected evolution into a Dryany, the birth of these six children might have taken a century and a half, stretching even further beyond the norm. However, the Roseblade family possessed a peculiar and undeniable blessing: a strong genetic predisposition for birthing twins. It was a well-known trait that most children born into the Roseblade lineage arrived as twins, and a curious custom saw them mostly marrying other twins. This genetic fortune was evident even in the previous generation: the late Duke Jonathan had a twin brother, also named Matthew, who tragically died at age five saving Jonathan from a venomous snake bite. Similarly, the coma-ridden former Duchess Ellen had a twin sister, Helen, who perished in a stampede during a night stroll. It was this blessed twin genetics that allowed Helen and Phrera to welcome all six of their children within a single century, a remarkable feat when compared to Matthew, Astrid, Lie, and Elara, who, despite their profound love, had not even become pregnant yet due to the severe impact of their higher evolution on fertility.
The Velmunth Kingdom, despite its humble designation as merely a "Kingdom" in name, commanded a unique and formidable power. It boasted the highest number of Heroes, Braves, and Brave Heroes in the world, a concentration of individual might that made it the third strongest nation globally, rivaling the combined military and political influence of the four holy continents. The Draconia Empire and the Novaryon Empire perpetually contended for first and second place in overall power every hundred years, but in terms of heroic individuals, Velmunth stood supreme.
However, this immense heroic strength came with a critical vulnerability: the land on which the Velmunth Kingdom was established was largely unsuitable for plant and livestock cultivation. This made them reliant on external support. Recognizing this, the four holy continents generously provided economic aid in the form of trade, offering discounts so steep they "should never exist." This invaluable assistance came with a singular, long-standing condition, established well before the global organization of The Hunters was even formed: the holy continents, already engaged in worldwide religious expansion, would be permitted to set up holy houses across the entirety of the Tensen Continent, and, crucially, their main branches would be set up within the Velmunth Kingdom itself, specifically in the Roseblade Duchy and its vassal states. Even the Nova Empire, the stronghold of the Church of Creation—known for its racist doctrines and its worship of the Dragon God—made no further demands, a surprising concession given the Velmunth Kingdom's mixed-race population. Anyone unaware of the intricate political undercurrents driving this arrangement, and the highly specific choice of location, would have perceived it as a wholly benevolent and wholesome act of inter-continental cooperation. The truth, however, was far more complex and calculating.
Unknown to most, the very bedrock of the Velmunth Kingdom was laid with secret funding from the five supercontinents. Leading this covert initiative was the Novaryon Empire from the Azure Blue Continent, acting directly on the commands of its progenitor, King James Novaryon. The ultimate purpose was to nurture a future where the Velmunth Kingdom would yield a child with the ability to kill an Absolute Immortal, a being whose existence inherently defied the established laws of the Dragon God and the universe itself. Curiously, the Novaryon Empire harbored minimal concern for the child's individual fate, finding relevance only in its direct connection to their revered first king.
Conversely, the four holy continents were profoundly invested in this predestined offspring. This child was prophesied to be the Main Character, literally wielding the power of Plot Armor, and destined to become the most formidable "MC" across all of time and space, born specifically into the Roseblade Duchy. This cosmic conspiracy unfolded through a vast, long-drawn-out plan, meticulously executed to maintain an facade of normalcy. It involved various factions – some yearning for liberation, some seeking to master cosmic forces, and others driven by malevolent ambitions – all converging on the Tensen Continent. As part of this elaborate scheme, they even orchestrated the Velmunth Kingdom's ascent to become the world's third most powerful nation.
As the War of Judgment and Order stretched across three centuries, a carefully orchestrated movement unfolded among the world's most powerful religious figures. The highest authorities of the four main religions—each a personage of imperial stature—began an unexpected global pilgrimage. Their chosen starting point was the Tensen Continent, a key strategic location.
Back in the Roseblade Duchy, Helen and Phrera, now at its helm, grappled with immense worry for Matthew and the ongoing conflict. They sought comfort in faith, regularly visiting religious houses and offering earnest prayers. Their visible emotional vulnerability did not escape the notice of these powerful religious leaders. After two years, rather than sending envoys, these eminent figures personally engaged Helen and Phrera. They provided guidance and support, subtly maneuvering to gain their trust and ensure the duchy's cooperation in their deeper plans. Yet, this intricate dance for influence took an unforeseen turn when the Prime Conduit of The Faith of the Cosmic Weave held a secluded meeting with the Pope of The Church of The Way. The specifics of their discussion remained a closely guarded secret, but its immediate outcome was the complete disengagement of the Cosmic Weavers. Their fervent interest in the prophesied child evaporated, and the "MC" was never again mentioned by their order.