Yama Ga Leon
The river was merciless as always.
I stood on the bank with my arms crossed, watching the dark waters churn. One by one, the children were pulled out by the servants — coughing, crying, spitting up river water. Most of them were unconscious, small bodies limp and pale. The servants worked quickly, pressing on their tiny chests in steady rhythm until murky water gushed from their mouths. Some vomited it in violent bursts. Others simply let it trickle out as they gasped back to life.
It was the same every year. The Null River tested the weak from the strong. Fear of death had no place in the Yama clan.
My healthy son — the first twin — was among the early ones rescued. He came out right after the race ended, just like the stronger children. His small chest rose and fell once the water was cleared. He would live. He would thrive. Pride warmed my chest as I looked at him. This one carried the blood of a true successor.
But then my eyes narrowed.
The second twin — the weak-looking boy — was still missing.
He had been the first to jump into the river, yet he was the last to surface. Far later than anyone else. When the servants finally dragged him out, his tiny body was covered in thick river mud, caked deep into his hair and skin. He looked half-dead, lips blue, face ghostly pale. The servants immediately laid him down and began pumping his chest.
Water poured out of him in a steady stream, more than most of the others. He didn't cough or cry at first. He just lay there, utterly still, as if the river had nearly claimed him completely.
"So… he reached the very end of the river," I muttered under my breath. A slow smile crept across my face. "Almost on the brink of death."
Interesting. Very interesting.
Most children panicked and turned back early. A few strong ones made it halfway. But this frail boy had pushed all the way to the edge. In a body that looked like it would break with a strong wind, he had refused to give up.
The servants carried all the surviving children toward the ancient tomb at the edge of the grounds. A massive marble wall stood there like a silent sentinel, etched with runes older than the kingdom itself. It was the Stone of Choosing — the second part of the naming ceremony.
"Place their hands on it," I ordered, my voice calm but firm.
The servants obeyed without question. They lifted the healthy twin first and pressed his small palm against the cold marble.
A soft glow appeared.
] Blessing of Death Eye: Can see whoever is dead or alive. [
] Blessing of Arram: Can evolve in the brink of death. [
Gasps rippled through the gathered clan members. Congratulations erupted immediately.
"Lord Leon! Two blessings at once — and such powerful ones!"
"The healthy twin is truly blessed! He will surely lead the combat branch one day!"
"Congratulations, my lord! The blood of the main family runs strong in him!"
Pride should have filled me. These were excellent blessings — rare and useful. Death Eye could detect life and death with a glance. Arram's blessing allowed growth through near-death experiences. Any clan head would be overjoyed.
But my gaze wasn't on the first twin.
It kept drifting to the second boy.
He lay sleeping peacefully in a servant's arms, still covered in dried mud, his small chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. He looked even smaller and more fragile next to his brother. Yet something about him tugged at my attention.
He had jumped first.
He had stayed in the river the longest.
He had come out last, coated in the mud of the river's deepest parts.
And now he slept as if the ordeal had been nothing more than a long nap.
The clan members were still congratulating me loudly, but I barely heard them. My eyes stayed fixed on that weak-looking twin.
What blessings would the Stone of Choosing reveal for him?
I felt a strange flicker of curiosity — something I hadn't felt in years when looking at this second son.
"Next," I said quietly, nodding toward the servant holding the muddy boy. "Bring the other twin."
Yama Ga Leon
Many boys of the clan stepped forward one after another. Blessings of varying strength appeared on the marble wall, each one drawing murmurs of approval or mild disappointment from the gathered elders.
The son of the clan elder performed especially well.
] 56 Hands: Able to perform five or six tasks simultaneously with only two hands. [
Impressive. Versatile. The kind of blessing that would serve the crafting branch perfectly. The elder beamed with pride as congratulations rained down on him.
But my attention kept drifting back to the second twin.
The weak-looking boy had finally woken up. His small face was still pale, mud dried in streaks across his skin, yet his eyes were calm — far too calm for an infant who had nearly drowned.
A servant carried him to the stone pillar.
"Next," I said.
Yamiyo's POV
The world felt heavy and distant as the servant placed me in front of the massive marble wall. My tiny body still ached from the river, lungs burning faintly with every shallow breath. But inside my chest, the Hogyoku pulsed steadily, warm and quiet, as if it had been working silently while I was unconscious.
I knew what was coming. In my previous life, this ceremony had been humiliating. A weak blessing that barely did anything. A quiet confirmation that I was worthless to the clan.
Not this time.
The servant gently pressed my small palm against the cold stone.
A brilliant light flared across the marble surface.
] 5 Parimal Dragon's Eye: Able to see anything and everything. [
] The One Who Defies: Nothing can happen to him without his own acknowledgement. [
] The One Governor: He is the lord of himself. [
] The Revolutionary: Miracles happen when he does it. [
] The Soul Lord: His soul kept evolving. [
The entire clan fell deathly silent.
I could feel the shock rippling through the crowd like a physical wave. Mouths hung open. Eyes widened. Even my father's usual stern expression cracked for a split second.
No one spoke. No one congratulated. They just stared at the glowing words as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
There was more.
Something hidden beneath the surface — blessings that only I could see, glowing faintly in a deeper layer of the stone that no one else seemed to notice.
] The Regression: Get everything back when you enter the labyrinth. [
] Gate to Shinigami: Able to go to the Shinigami world. [
I could read them clearly, the letters sharp and unmistakable in my mind. But from the confused whispers around me, it was obvious the others couldn't see these last two lines at all.
Finally, someone broke the silence — an elder, voice shaky with disbelief.
"What… what are those last two blessings?"
Another voice cut in quickly, louder and filled with excitement.
"Who cares about the last two? A dragon has been born in our clan today!"
The murmurs exploded all at once.
"Five blessings… no, six? And all of them monstrous!"
"Dragon's Eye? The One Who Defies? This… this is impossible for a newborn!"
"Lord Leon! Your second son… he's a genius! No — he's a monster!"
I kept my small face neutral, but inside, a quiet storm raged. These blessings were beyond anything I had expected. The Hogyoku had clearly responded to my desire to change fate, pushing my potential to ridiculous heights even from this fragile starting point.
My father's gaze burned into me. For the first time in both my lives, Yama Ga Leon was looking at me — really looking — with something far more intense than mere disappointment.
Shock. Curiosity. And maybe, just maybe, the faintest spark of pride.
But I didn't care about their congratulations or their stunned faces.