"AGHHHH!"
A mother screamed desperately inside the bathtub of a relatively small shed. Clutching her hand tightly was her husband, and in front of her, the town doctor held a beautiful baby boy. After inspecting the wailing child for a few brief seconds, the doctor grabbed scissors and held them up to the umbilical cord.
Pausing, he turned toward the father.
"Would you like to do the honor, James?"
James was a nervous wreck. His free hand, the one not being used to comfort his heavy-breathing wife, was preventing his own vomit from spewing to the floor.
He waved and said sickly:
"No… I think I'm alright."
Laughing, the doctor cut the umbilical cord and gave the mother her child. James let go of her hand, gagging as the smell of blood and the strange mix of fluids crept into his nose.
"You guys were lucky," the doctor said, before bowing and exiting the bathroom.
The two new parents knew exactly what he was talking about. Their crying, beautiful baby boy was covered in blood. He had short black hair—the same as his father—and burning red eyes, the mark of the Helios bloodline.
Upon noticing his eyes, the parents smiled brightly and sang a little cheer.
"Our boy's a Scion!" Lily, the mother, shouted with excitement.
James seemed to forget about his disgust.
"Oh, bless Helios!" he cheered.
In this world, six Gods waged war through their Scions. Anyone born with their native God's blood gained magical powers, abilities, and status.
Leaning in, Lily kissed her newborn on his bloody forehead.
"Maybe you won't have to live such a crappy life after all,"
James bounced around the room, ecstatic, as if they had just won the lottery.
In a way, they had. It was a 1-in-100 chance to be born a Scion, and if you weren't lucky at birth, you were almost always forced to the kingdom's outskirts, where death was a ticking time bomb. Having a kid born with Helios's blood would undoubtedly allow this outskirt family to move closer to the Helios Kingdom's capital.
However, in this world, there was a thing called being too lucky.
Unbeknownst to the couple or the doctor, above the shed, a large, bright, four-pointed star shone in the night sky. It was dazzling, made of purple and blue hues. A beacon to all living beings, signaling that the world had been changed.
A prince had been born.
…
Hours passed.
At this time, the doctor had done his final checks on the newborn and left the shed. Lily was overwhelmingly tired, so she handed off her son to the father while she napped.
On an old rickety couch located in the dimly lit living room, James happily held his baby.
Lily and I were scared that we wouldn't be able to provide for you, but it seems you'll be able to live a blessed life after all…
His thoughts lingered as he realized something important.
Oh yeah, we haven't named you yet. Hmm, what should we call you?
He looked over to the bedroom, where his wife's snores filled the air.
I know your mother likes the name Aelius, but I was thinking something simpler, like Christian.
James pondered this for a long moment until a sudden knock from the front door startled him.
Who could it be…?
It was late, and walking around the kingdom's outskirts at night was a surefire way to be devoured by a Beast.
Nervously, he stood.
Bang!
A second knock woke up his newborn. Cries filled the living room, and soon Lily called out.
"What's going on?"
James hurriedly walked into the dark bedroom and handed off his wailing son to Lily. She looked at her husband, afraid, but he reassured her that everything would be alright.
"The doctor probably just forgot something."
Still, he grabbed a pitchfork and slowly approached the door. The knocking continued, harder and louder every time.
With every step, his heartbeat roared in his chest. He was a simple farmer, not some warrior. There was not an athletic bone or toned muscle in his body, so if it came down to a fight, he knew there was little hope of him coming out victorious.
His grip tightened around the pitchfork as he reached the door.
I have to, for my family!
Quickly, before he could talk himself out of it, he grasped the handle and ripped the door wide open.
Standing on his porch were four men. They were dressed in red robes, all bearing the Helios Kingdom Emblem—an orange sun with triangles resembling its rays.
Anyone who bore this emblem was a member of the Helios faction and had been born a Scion.
A sigh of relief escaped his lips, and he dropped the pitchfork by his side.
Strange… they must have already heard about Christian.
Being a man of the outskirts, James had no clue how the faction operated with Scions not born within the kingdom's city. So he came to this false conclusion rather confidently.
A long moment passed where no one said anything. The four men just stared at the farmer with cold expressions.
Feeling nervous again, James scratched at his neck and spoke:
"What can I do for you? Are you here to check out my bo—"
He never finished his sentence.
Metal flashed through the air, slicing through his neck. His body briefly stood upright, but thudded against the wood floor a second later.
Coldly, the men stepped over the bloody corpse and made their way into the house. They searched and rummaged through the living room until a startled scream gained their attention.
Standing in the bedroom doorway was a woman with long brown hair. Tears streamed down her face, and she tightly pressed her newborn against her chest.
The Scions wasted no time. Immediately, they hurried to the mother.
She tried to slam the door shut, but before she could, one of the men grabbed her wrist and forcefully yanked away her beautiful boy.
Yelling, she collapsed to the floor.
"No! You can't!"
In the man's arms, her son wailed profusely. Smirking, the man paused, turned, and slashed his sword through Lily's neck.
Her blood violently spewed.
Writhing in agony, she gasped for air and fell to her back. Then, as everything became dark and the threat of death became certain, she managed to say a few strained words.
"His… name… is… Aelius."
Lily died.
The Scions offered no reply to the corpse. They only scurried towards the exit, amused. With a flick of his wrist, the last Scion to step through the front door set the shed aflame.
"Prince secured. We're on our way to the Capital."