The thunder, a drumbeat of cosmic judgment, rattled the very foundations of the Crown Estate.
Rain lashed against the ancient glass panes, blurring the opulent landscape into a watercolor of despair.
But the storm outside was a mere whisper compared to the maelstrom that raged within the grand salon, where the Crown family stood, suspended between impossible fear and unbelievable relief.
Seraphina's raw, guttural sobs were the first sound to truly break the all-encompassing silence left by the vanished woman.
She clutched Elias, a fragile, miraculous bundle, against her chest as if he might dissipate like mist if she loosened her grip.
Her face, tear-streaked and pale, contorted between a mother's profound gratitude and a terrifying, uncomprehending bewilderment.
"Elias… my Elias," she choked out, her voice a broken whisper, her hands trembling as they stroked his tiny, perfect head.
He stirred against her, a small, sleepy whimper, completely unaware of the cataclysm that had just transpired around him.
Akane, still holding Sara tightly, felt the faint, comforting thrum of the blessing emanating from her niece. It was a tangible warmth, a soft pulse against her palm, utterly different from Elias's sudden, vibrant health.
Her gaze swept from the empty space where the woman had stood, to Seraphina's face, then to Sara, her own heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs.
"What… what was that?" she whispered, her voice rough with disbelief. "Who was she? What did she do?" Her practical mind, usually quick to categorize and analyze, found no framework for this.
Regaining her composure with a visible effort, held Sara closer. She said "She… she simply vanished." Her voice was steady, though a tremor betrayed her fear. "No doors, no windows. Just gone."
"Gone, yes," Siara cut in, her voice sharp, cutting through the stunned silence. "Butwhat was she? And what did she do?" Her eyes locked onto Sara, the faint glow a mesmerizing, unsettling sight.
Aevin Crown, his imposing frame usually a bastion of unshakeable authority, stumbled back, leaning heavily against a velvet-clad wall. His face, usually a mask of stoic wisdom, was ashen, his eyes wide and unfocused.
The patriarch's visible collapse sent a ripple of fresh terror through the lesser family members and retainers now surging forward, their faces a mixture of fear and awe.
Akane stared at the empty space where the woman had been, her mind racing, searching for any scrap of precedent. There was none. Nothing in the ancient texts, the forbidden lore, or the whispered legends of Eldrathis even hinted at such a being.
The thunder crashed again, a final, emphatic pronouncement. The Crown family, usually so secure in their power and lineage, found themselves adrift in an ocean of the unknown, the fragile glow around Sara, and the vibrant life radiating from Elias, the only beacons in a terrifying, newly dawned age.
The questions remained, hanging heavy in the air, unanswered, but the immediate, primal need for protection and survival had already begun to assert itself. The storm outside raged on, but the true tempest had just begun within the walls of the Crown Estate.
"She healed Elias," Seraphina whispered, her voice fragile, almost a prayer. "She brought him back." She looked up, her gaze pleading with her mother. "And Sara... what did she do to Sara?"
Akane looked down at the child, the warmth of the aura a comforting paradox against the chill in the air. "It felt like a blessing, Seraphina. Not a healing, but… an infusion. A protection." The whisper again, "New age is coming," pricked at her. "Sigrid! Secure the estate! Double the guard on all perimeters. No one in, no one out without my explicit order."
Sigrid, ever efficient, barked orders in a low, crisp tone, sending the dazed guards scrambling. "At once, Lady Akane."
"A blessing?" Aevin pushed himself to his feet, a flicker of his old authority returning, though his eyes still held a haunted look. "Or a mark? A target?"
Seraphina, her tears finally slowing, looked down at Elias, conviction hardening her fragile features. "I don't care who she was. She gave me back my son. Whatever comes from this, whatever this 'blessing' or 'new age' means... I will face it. For Elias. For Sara."
Aevin closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, a flicker of his old steel returning, though tempered by a new, stark fear. "Indeed. For Elias. For Sara. For the Crown family. We stand at the precipice, my family. Our world has been irrevocably altered. We must adapt, or be swept away by this new current."
He looked at Akane, a silent plea for her practical resolve. "Akane, arrange the children to be moved to the most secure inner chambers. Absolutely no one, not even the most trusted servants, are to enter without express permission. Sigrid, double the perimeter guards. Lilia, ensure the family is accounted for and calm any... rumors. We will speak again, once the immediate shock has passed. But know this," he paused, his gaze sweeping over them all one last time, "World, as we knew it, is truly gone. We must now prepare for whatever has come to take its place."
His gaze fell upon the children, then to the empty space. And with paused he said "Did anyone hear… a sound? A word?
Akane hesitated, then met her husband's gaze. "A whisper. 'The world is changing. A new age is coming. This world will not be the same one'." The words hung in the air, heavy and foreboding.
Siara exhaled slowly, her tension palpable. "A new age. And our children, touched by… by her as it begins."
Siara looked from her father to her sister, then to her mother. "We have to protect them, no matter what. And we have to find answers. No matter the cost."
She paused, her gaze distant, as if already calculating the impossible task ahead. "But where do we even begin? Scholars, mages, oracles... has anyone in recorded history ever encountered anything like this?"
She ran a hand through her hair. "This is not some local sorcery, Father. This was… something else entirely. Something beyond our understanding."
"Precisely," Akane agreed, her gaze hardening. "Which means we are completely exposed. We know nothing of her, her intentions, or the implications of her visit. Seraphina, bring Elias to my chambers. Lilia, ensure the nursery is prepared for Sara. Get her out of this draft." She looked at Siara. "Siara, instruct the household to prepare for an extended lockdown. No word of this leaves these walls."
Seraphina, though still visibly shaken, began to move, clutching Elias tightly. Lilia gently guided her. "Come, my Lady. The little master needs warmth."
Aevin watched his family disperse, his formidable will clashing with the incomprehensible events. "We need answers, Akane. And we need to protect our family from… from whatever 'new age' this woman spoke of."
He looked out at the storm-lashed night, the thunder rumbling like a distant, angry god. "The world may be changing, but the Crown family will endure."
His words were meant to inspire, but in the echo of the empty hall, they sounded like a desperate plea against an encroachable tide.
The storm outside raged, a mirror to the tempest brewing within the ancient walls of the Crown Estate.