In a room inside the great castle where black iron walls rose to the sky, a delicate-looking woman smiled despite the sweat beading on her forehead. Though she was pale with fatigue, her smile had a divine glow.
She looked at the child in her arms, his body covered in blood. Although he had just come into the world, there was not a tear in his red eyes. Calmly looking around, he turned his eyes to the delicate woman.
"Oh?"
The delicate woman smiled and held out her finger. The baby reached out her hand and grasped it.
"How strong you are."
It had only been born for a few minutes, but it was very strong. She was not surprised, it was not her first birth and in this family such things were not so rare. She smiled and looked at her son, then looked up and addressed the servants who were preparing the room.
"Take him to the Cradle of the Dark Sword," she said as the door to the room opened and a woman in maid's clothes approached the delicate woman respectfully.
With a slight twist of her body, she gently took the baby. Bowing in respect to the woman, she left the room and took the baby to another area.
The woman on the bed looked after the maid, her smile gone, her expression cold.
"Let's see if it can survive among its siblings."
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The Ashborne have a long history. They were one of the most powerful of the nine families that led the formation of the Holy Alliance. They conquered all the islands in the eastern part of the Holy Alliance and settled there and made it their center. They had been in this region for nearly four hundred years and had become an absolute power.
Castle Dark Sword was one of the most influential of the islands held by the Ashborne Family. Its level of sophistication was such that there was an age difference compared to the rest of the continent.
The streets and houses of Castle Dark Sword were systematically organized. To protect the huge mansion in the center of the city, a 20-meter inner wall was built, separating this area from the rest of the city.
Castle Dark Sword was actually the name given to an island in the archipelago of the Sword Islands held by the Ashborne family. The castle was not built for defense, but to educate the next generation of the Ashborne Family.
Every Ashborne who came out of the womb spent the first five years of his or her life in the Castle Dark Sword and was raised by the Ashborne Family's most specialized breeding team.
The continent of Arcadia was huge, but inadequate for humans. From the barbarian tribes scattered in the east to the allied empires in the west, all kinds of large organizations were fighting for their influence on the Arcadia Continent. Humans and barbarians were only two of the races seeking to dominate the continent.
From the demons who had established their own kingdoms in the north of the continent, to the elves who dominated the forests not far from them, all kinds of races were ready to shed their blood to gain a foothold.
The Holy Alliance, of which the Ashborne Family was a part, was formed to end the conflicts within the human race.
The heavy gates of the Castle Dark Sword opened for the first time in several days. Carriages with black sun symbols depicting a solar eclipse entered. The guards checked the carriages and then led the rest out of the castle, except for the nanny and the baby in her arms.
This was the Dark Sword Cradle.
"I want you to prepare for the naming ceremony, we need to choose a name for the Seventh Young Master."
One of the guards stepped forward and said, "We have been waiting for you, everything is prepared. Please follow me." It was clear that this nanny was new to her job. The guards, who had extensive experience, were aware of the young master's arrival.
Everyone in the main line of the Ashborne Family had to earn their own name. It was a family tradition. There were thousands of swords with different names in a strange formation called the Dark Sword Garden. Babies born would try to connect with a sword from the Dark Sword Garden, and if they succeeded, they would take the name of the sword they connected with.
The nanny, with the baby in her arms, walked through the corridor so dark that it absorbed light, and entered the door of the room guarded by two guards. The room was divided in two by a pane of glass. There were hundreds of swords flying in the air inside the glass. Some looked quite demonic, others quite otherworldly.
Adjacent to the glass was a dark red bowl.
"Please pour the young master's blood into this bowl," the guard said.
The nanny joined her fingers together to form an Aura sword in her hand. Then she cut the finger of the little baby in her lap. The baby, whose eyes were closed, suddenly opened his eyes and stared at the nanny. He seemed displeased that his finger had been cut off.
The nanny poured his blood into the bowl, not caring about the baby in her arms.
"The swords drawn to your blood will argue among themselves and one of them will choose the young master. The sword will be named after the young master." As the guard spoke, the swords inside the glass began to move.
The baby in the nanny's lap turned his eyes curiously towards the sword garden. He had a stillness one would not expect from a baby.
"This is why there have only been three Vladimirs in history. The companion of our founding ancestor, Maveth la Ashborne, Vladimir chose only three men throughout history. They are our current family leader, our leader three generations ago, and the third young lord Vladimir." The guard was excited, two of these men had already proven themselves.
There was a belief that those chosen by the famous swords would succeed in the future. That was why the third young lord had dominated the succession battles. The first Vladimir, three generations ago, had built the Ashborne Family into a giant that even the imperial family could not control.
The current leader was considered the most powerful warrior in the Alliance. He led the Alliance in the war against the barbarian tribes and expanded the Alliance's territory by 10%. Everyone who took the name Vladimir led their generation.
So it was very important to have a good name.
The swords began to slow down as they moved violently. The guard and the nanny paid attention to the changes in the Sword Garden.
"The young master is unlike any baby I have ever seen. He can take the names Noble or Nigreos if not Vladimir." The guard's words caught in his throat as the commotion in the sword garden stopped. Frowning, he looked at the single sword in the air.
The sword looked like a normal sword, but there was rot on it. The hilt was of black iron. It was largely made of cold iron. It looked like a quality sword, but the name was a problem.
"Cain? There hasn't been a Cain in the bloodline for four hundred years."
The Fratricidal Sword, Cain.
Long ago, Henry la Ashborne, who had fallen behind his brothers in the succession contest and was about to lose the war because of his lack of talent, had assassinated one brother after another to end the war.
Although he won the succession battle, he was head of the family for only four years. Then he was killed by his own son and lost his seat.
The sword with which Henry killed his brothers was called Cain.
"Is that bad?" the nanny looked worriedly at the baby in her arms.
"Not really. It's just a name, after all. It is one's talent that determines one's future. What fate young master Cain will have will be determined by his talent."
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