The once clear skies of summer's noon darkened, blanketed by dense thunderclouds that resembled the furrowed brows of a wrathful god, it was as if the sun itself had ceased to exist.
RUMBLE!!
The heavens cried out, illuminating the dark earth beneath it with its flash of lightning that branched in the sky like the roots of an ancient tree.
And with said thunder...
"Argh!!"
Clank!
...A pregnant woman collapsed to her knees, breaking the dish that she carried.
"Milady!"
One of her maids ran to her side, and called for others to come to the corridors of the mansion.
"Urgh!"
The pregnant woman screamed again, her cries swallowed by the booming thunder.
"Help me pick her up, I think she's having contractions!"
The maids scurried and carefully scooped up their mistress, carrying her heavy frame to the nursery.
FAASSSSH!!
The heavens released a downpour of rain, revitalizing the parched earth below that had been dehydrated by the scorching sun, its plantations yearning for even a single drop.
"Arrgh!!"
The Baroness of house Lythan screamed even louder than before, as though she were being skewered by swords and spears.
"Her waters have broken! Hurry up!"
The maids hurriedly carried her into the nursery with panicked expressions.
//
Standing around a long, rectangular table were men clad in cheap-looking iron armour, and sheathed to their waists were swords of the same quality.
They all had anxious expressions, as though each of them had been forced to chew a raw, unpeeled lemon.
Dressing the entirety of the table was a piece of parchment, indicating a map of the Lythan Barony and the surrounding territories.
"Tell me, how long until they reach our city walls?"
Asked a man clad in armour that looked to be of a slightly better quality, he had a scalp of light brown hair and eyes that matched it, he looked to be in his late twenties.
This was Andreas Lythan, monarch of the fallen house of Lythan that was once known for raising impeccable swordsmen that allowed them to dominate the continent.
But... That was a hundred years ago, their proud history was nothing more than a myth now, their royal status relegated to that of a mere Baron at the outskirts of the Velranth Kingdom.
"My Baron, it will take three days by our estimation."
The Captain of the Knight order swallowed the lump stuck to his throat and responded.
"Damnit!!"
Bang!
"That fool! Such a reckless act, he knows that both our territories are struggling and yet he declares war?!"
Baron Andreas exclaimed, ramming his palm against the table, a bulging vein dividing his frontal lobe.
"Rumor has it that he is unable to cultivate his land... All of their crops were destroyed by swarms of locusts."
"That would also explain why we have been having an influx of immigrants from his territory."
The Baron's advisor explained, he was a man who had been serving Andreas from the moment he was capable of speech.
He was born to serve the Lythan family and knew nothing else.
"Sigh... So he covets my fertile land."
"Hunger is a frightening thing..."
Andreas took a deep breath and cooled his churning blood.
"Indeed my Baron. But look on the brightside, if we win this territorial dispute, we will have access to that trading route you've always wanted."
The advisor smiled cheerfully.
"Yes, I suppose that's true we ca — "
Bang! Faaash!!
[!!]
A servant from the mansion suddenly barged into the barracks, his entire frame drenched wet, as though he'd been dipped into the ocean several times.
"Huff... Huff..."
The boy breathed heavily and caught his breath, resting his palms on his knees.
"My Baron... Huff..."
"What's the matter boy? Speak."
The Baron grew weary, he knew that a servant would not interrupt their meeting unless it was deemed an issue far more pressing than that.
"Y-yes! It's Milady, she... Huff."
The boy could barely articulate himself.
"I said speak!!"
Andreas shouted, his anger masking his deep anxiety upon hearing the mention of his wife.
"She's giving birth!!"
The boy shouted with all that his lungs would permit.
"What?! That's not possible!"
Ta! Ta! Ta!
Andreas Lythan quickly ran out of the barracks, at an impressive speed that disregarded his heavy armour, like a loosened arrow.
[She's a month too early!!]
[No... Please don't lose the baby!]
Ta! Ta! Ta!
[That child is my hope... The hope of Lythan.]
Andreas grappled with his anxiety and continued running like a frenzied stallion.
//
Bang!
"Where is she?!"
Andreas kicked open the door of the nursery, his frame more drenched than the servant boy who delivered the message.
"..."
Glancing around the quiet room, she was met by his wife's warm smile as she laid on bloodied bed, cradling a tiny Human in her arms.
"... Come and see your son, Andreas."
She said, her voice like a sweet melody to his ears.
Fasssh...
The rain outside ceased, and the maids made way for Andreas, whose lips were quivering as though he'd burst into tears at any given moment.
"My... Son...?"
[I knew it... It's a boy after all...]
Step... Step...
As he slowly trotted over, his maids wiped his arms and dried his scalp with clean towels.
"Can you believe it Andre? This silly boy didn't cry when he was born, he gave us such a scare Fufu..."
"He'll grow up to be such a troublemaker."
The Baron's wife simply could not stop smiling and giggling.
"Here, please be careful with him."
She said, handing the fragile lifeform in her arms to her maid.
"..."
As the maid offered Andreas his son, the blanket in the skies dissipated and the sun was reborn, its light piercing through the windows, illuminating the child's frame.
"My son... How tiny you are."
Andreas shed a tear and cradled his heir.
"Grow strong my son, the future of our family rests upon your shoulders, succeed where I and our forefathers have failed."
He said, holding him up high.
"Your name is Aric Lythan!!"
He declared, and the child...
Giggle~
... Let out the most adorable laughter that warmed the hearts of all present, washing away all their troubles.
"Fufu... He must really love his name."
The family shared a heartwarming moment, and soon, Andreas departed for war with a newfound determination.
He not only fought for himself, but to pave the way for his son, Aric.
And in the end, he was triumphant, his heart filled with hope for a better future.
///
*Five Years Later.*
As is customary for all aristocrats and royal families, when a child turns five, a ceremony is held for them, one that determines the amount of Mana that is held by their vessel.
Not only that, this also determines the potential size of their Mana Pool, which is a projection, or rather, an estimation of the maximum amount of Mana one can bear in their lifetime.
This was done through a magic item known as the Aetheric Gauge, an item that looked like a large pearl boasting a light shade of azure blue.
"My son."
Andreas looked down at his nervous son and patted his shoulders.
"Do not be afraid."
He spoke with a warm smile.
"But Dad, what if I don't have enough Mana?"
The boy asked in a squeaky voice, hundreds of his father's guests gathered in the banquet hall awaiting the ceremony to commence.
"Don't worry my son... There hasn't been anyone in our family with enough Mana in a hundred years, I won't be upset."
Andreas smiled and encouraged his son.
"That's right Ari, don't feel so pressured, this is only a formality."
The boy's mother chimed in and patted his ash-brown scalp.
"I just have a feeling my son... That you are the one who will change our fate!"
Andreas grinned broadly and encouraged his son to look forward, at the spherical item placed on a pedestal a short distance away.
"Okay, Mom, Dad."
The boy smiled and finally got the courage to walk forward.
He was dressed in a white garment that closely resembled a suit, one that was tailor made for his tiny frame.
Step... Step...
The banquet hall was silent, only Aric's footsteps could be heard as all who were present had their eyes laid on him.
"Andreas! You put too much pressure on him."
The Baron's wife whispered, scolding her husband.
"Is that so? Haha... Well, you'll see."
He grinned confidently and watched his son's back as he made his way up the pedestal.
"Okay... I can do this!"
The boy slapped his round, rosey cheeks and took a deep breath.
"Please place your hand on the sphere Young Master. "
Said a man standing next to the device, he was dressed in a long robe, he was one of the very few who could discern its readings.
"Okay..."
The boy stretched out his tiny hand and...
Tap...
... Closed his muted hazel eyes, awaiting something special to happen.
But...
...
The banquet hall somehow became more silent than before. Not even a cricket could be heard, or the usually loud croaks from toads in the garden.
...
The boy opened his eyes and found that the man in the robe looked bewildered, as though he'd seen a ghost.
"Hehe..."
[I must be really strong!]
The boy giggled, that is until...
"Impossible! How is there no reaction?!"
"There wasn't a single light!!"
"This is unheard of!!"
"Is the device broken?!"
"What nonsense is this?!"
The crowd became restless as they struggled with comprehending what they had just witnessed.
"What..."
Aric was understandably confused by their reaction.
He then looked to his parents and saw that his mother was weeping, as though mourning his death.
"Mom... What's wrong?"
He whispered to himself under his trembling breath, the cowd was too loud anyway so his voice would have never reached his mother.
"Dad —"
[!!]
His father, Andreas had a strange expression on his face, one that the boy was far too young to comprehend.
Was it anger? Disappointment? Shock? Disbelief? Or perhaps a concoction of all of them?
"Dad, I..."
The boy was overcome by a strange feeling, one that should not be felt by one so young, one that he was also unfamiliar with.
The feeling of uselessness...
"..."
[This can't be...]
[Has our bloodline been cursed?!]
[No! I refuse to accept it!!]
[The house of Lythan will climb back to its rightful place!!]
Andreas audibly gnashed his teeth, turned his back and stormed away, leaving the chattering crowd and his son who was once his ray of hope.
But now, he was nothing more than a bitter reminder of their fall from sovereignty.