James's cry echoed through the vast hall.
The sound was small and weak—yet it made the air tremble.
The hall belonged to the House of Aurelion, one of the oldest noble families of the fantasy world. Dark stone pillars rose high into the ceiling, carved with ancient symbols that glowed faintly with mana. Crystal lamps flickered uneasily, reacting to the newborn's presence.
The midwife stepped back, her hands shaking.
"I… I have delivered hundreds of children," she whispered."But never… this."
James lay wrapped in black and silver cloth, his tiny body warm, his heartbeat strong. To everyone else, he was just a newborn noble child.
But to the world—
He was an irregularity.
Outside the palace, the wind howled suddenly. Clouds twisted unnaturally. Birds fell silent mid-flight. The ground beneath the capital city pulsed once, as if the land itself had taken a breath.
Inside James's mind, memories drifted.
Blood on marble.A gunshot.A smile full of betrayal.
Elena.
His newborn fingers curled tightly.
He did not understand words yet, but emotion remained.
Pain.Loss.Anger.
And beneath all of it… something vast slept.
A tall man stepped forward. His presence alone silenced the hall.
Lord Aldric Aurelion.
James's new father.
He was a man shaped by battle—broad shoulders, scarred hands, and eyes sharp enough to read lies instantly. He had faced monsters, rebels, and even angels during the war.
Yet when he looked at the child…
His breath stopped.
"The mana density…" Aldric murmured. "It's not dispersing."
A robed elder approached cautiously, staff trembling.
"My Lord," the elder said, voice low, "the child's mana is not flowing outward. It is… sealed inward."
Aldric frowned. "Is that dangerous?"
The elder hesitated.
"No one has ever survived such a seal."
At that moment, James opened his eyes.
For just a heartbeat—
Gold and black light reflected within them.
The runes carved into the pillars flared violently. Several guards fell to one knee, overwhelmed by pressure they couldn't understand.
Aldric instinctively stepped forward, placing his hand protectively over the child.
"Enough," he commanded.
The pressure vanished.
James closed his eyes again.
As if nothing had happened.
Silence filled the hall.
Far above the capital, beyond clouds and stars, the heavens reacted.
Angels paused in mid-flight.
A high angel turned slowly, his wings trembling.
"The Seal…" he whispered."It resonates."
Deep below the world, in the Abyss where light never reached, a demonic lord smiled.
"So…" the demon said softly, resting his chin on his clawed hand."You have returned."
Back in the palace, Lady Seraphina Aurelion, James's mother, finally reached out and touched her son's cheek.
Her expression softened.
"He's warm," she said quietly. "He's alive."
She didn't see the invisible mark flicker briefly across his chest.
An ancient symbol.
Broken.
Incomplete.
The elder bowed deeply.
"My Lord," he said, "this child will change many things."
Aldric looked down at James.
At his son.
Then he said calmly—
"Then we will raise him strong enough to survive it."
James slept peacefully in his arms.
But in the depth of his soul, something shifted.
Not awakening.
Not yet.
Just turning.
Listening.
Waiting.
And somewhere far beyond this world, beyond gods and demons, beyond memory itself…
A voice echoed again.
"Soon."
End of Chapter 3