Long after the laughter had faded and the guests had gone, the Everlong mansion became quiet beneath the soft glow of the moon. Servants were cleaning the hall, the fountains outside murmured faintly, and the smell of wine still lingered in the air.
Edward sat alone by the window, lost in thought, when the candle flame flickered unnaturally. A man came out of the shadows from the corner of the room without been noticed by guards, servants and even a mage of Edward Caliber .
"My lord sends his congratulations to his nephew," the man, Karin, how looked like a person made of ink, said, his voice a smooth, low murmur that held an icy tune. He moved with an assassin's agility.
As he said those words to Edward, how have been in shock due to sudden invasion of unknown entity became calm . Karin took out a small pouch and handed in to him which glow with a faint, ethereal light seeped through the opening. Mana crystals, Not raw ore, but refined, potent stones that shimmer with captured energies of different elements.
If the king has shown his generosity by presenting one fire mana crystal. Than this person has demonstrated their deep relation with each other with this gift.
Edward's stern face softened, the lines of worry easing around his eyes. "Karin. Tell Jonny I'm grateful for the gift and disappointed that he didn't came to visit himself."
Karin offered a slight, formal bow. "You know my lord's situation. After that incident, the royal knights turn every stone in the kingdom to hunt him. Cyrano's betrayal forced him to hiding, because of it, he cannot move freely."
Hearing this, Edward clenched his jaws , his hand tightening around the pouch until the crystals within started to produced crackling sound. "Damn Cyrano," he hissed, the words full of resentment. "That bastard cost Jonny his peace. If not for his treachery, he wouldn't be living like a fugitive in his own homeland."
A calm, steady voice cut through his anger. "Don't worry. Your brother isn't someone who can be caught easily."
Bella stood in the doorway; Kelvin cradled securely in her arms. She had entered as silently as the shadowy visitor himself as she felt someone's else presence in his room. Her words were not a hope, but a statement of fact, carrying a weight that settled the tense air in the room as she believed in jonnies capability.
Karin nodded once, a gesture of deep respect. "It is best I depart before I complicate matters further." With another bow, he stepped back into the deep shadows of the corner. He did not walk away; he simply marge with them, his form dissolving back into the darkness until nothing could be sensed.
The silence that followed was comfortable, filled only with the soft rhythm of Kelvin's breathing. Edward crossed the room, his anger forgotten as he looked down at his son. He reached out a single, careful finger and brushed it against the baby's soft cheek, a smile chasing the last of the anger from his features.
"Sleep well, my boy," he murmured, his voice a gentle rumble.
Together, the couple turned and retired for the night, with the promise of the future brighter than ever with kelvin in their embrace.
......…..
Two Months Later
Time flow like a river without anyone knowing its depth, Peace settled over the estate like a soft morning mist, soothing and quiet. Kelvin, after two months of nourishment of spells and mothers care, was rapidly transforming from a sleepy newborn into a vibrant, curious infant.
He had discovered the miracle of movement. No longer content to simply lie in his crib, he had begun to crawl, his tiny hands and knees pattering across the polished floors of the mansion. This new skill filled the quiet halls with a new music, as his sudden giggles of triumph when he reached a chair leg or his parents' laughter as they watched his expeditions. Bella and Edward would often find him staring in fascination at the intricate patterns woven into the carpets or trying to grasp the dust motes dancing in a shine of sunlight thinking of it as a child curiosity .
It was during this period of quiet growth that Edward, after many long, thoughtful discussions with Bella late into the night about life and other things while kelvin was asleep, he accepted Duke Emanual's offer. The path he chose was not going to be easy, he set forth on the arduous journey to become a spellbinder weapon refiner which at the moment, only some duke, and royal family could ask to craft for them, a title spoken in whispers across the continent, evoking both reverence and a thread of fear.
The distinction between Mana and a spellbinder weapon was not one of degree, but of kind. A mana blade, no matter how masterfully crafted, was an object, which obeyed the strength of its wielder's arm and how much mana it can infuse. It could shift its weight in mid-swing to confound an opponent, sharpen its own edge in response to threat, or quicken its strikes by harmonizing with the flow of its master's mana.
A spellbinder, however, was a completely different concept as it can be used to attack or defend with higher rank spell then wielders current rank. Forging such a marvel required more than skill and materials, it demand a piece of the refiners own will, with resonance of intent that was poured into the steel alongside the mana.
It was not an easy task to accomplish, And so, Edward buried himself in his forge. Sparks, like flocks of fiery sparrows, danced perpetually behind the closed door, casting fleeting orange lights into the dark. The air around the smithy hummed with concentrated energy, a tangible pressure that spoke of powerful magic being woven into unyielding metal.
While Edward wrestled with fire and steel, Bella devoted herself entirely to Kelvin. The boy's development was not merely fast; it was unnatural. At 5 months, he had already able to speak. The first time his sweet voice formed the word "Mommy," clear as a bell, Bella froze, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. When he later looked at Edward and said "Daddy," the big man had to set down his tools, his heart too happy to continue his work. They would often stop whatever they were doing just to listen to him, their pride a palpable force in the room.
But it was his growing curiosity that truly astonished them. Kelvin displayed a distinct and unwavering preference for books over the finely carved wooden toys that filled his room. Whenever Edward settled into his high-backed chair in the study to read through a smithing books or historical records, Kelvin would inevitably appear, crawling determinedly across the rug until he could pull himself upright on his father's leg. Edward, a mountain of a man whose hands could effortlessly shape metal, would chuckle, a low, warm sound, and lift his son into his lap.
"You don't even know the words, little one, so why are you into books at this age" he'd tease softly, watching as the boy's bright, intelligent eyes scanned the pages, tracing the lines of text as if following a path. Yet, it seemed the words did find an attraction in him. He absorbed them like a dry sponge, his mind capturing their shapes and sequences with a photographic clarity.
When Bella began her formal instruction about magic and its uses, sitting with him in the sunlit garden with a primer of simple runes and letters, he learned with a speed that was almost unsettling. There was no struggle, no repetition needed. The symbols, their sounds, and the rhythm of sentences clicked into place in his mind as if he were merely remembering something he had always known. His memory was flawless, his focus that of an adult mage rather than a babe.
This fascination found its ultimate love when Bella, to amuse him, wove a tiny, harmless rank 0 spell, causing a sphere of soft dark particle to float in the palm of her hand. Kelvin's laughter ceased, replaced by a look of utter captivation. He reached for it, his small fingers passing through it, and a shiver of delight plastered on his chubby face. he became more captivated, When she made a paper crane float and dance in the air like a real bird, his own fingertips seemed to itch with a desire to command the same power.
From that moment, he was completely hooked. Books offered the theory, the road to knowledge, but magic was the living, breathing journey to conquer this world. His world became a duality of quiet study and wondrous experimentation shown by others . The deep, resonant clangs from his father's forge and the shimmering, ethereal glow of his mother's magic became the twin lullabies that help him to sleep each night, each sound a promise of the extraordinary future that lay ahead.