[Morning — Evernight Palace Grand Hall]
The bells rang.
High and solemn, their peals echoed across the kingdom like the voices of ancient titans.
Today was a sacred day —
The Royal Blessing Ceremony, a tradition where unborn royal heirs were offered blessings by the Kingdom's Seers and Priests.
The nobility gathered early.
White marble pillars framed the grand hall, each carved with images of kings and queens long passed.
Candles flickered.
Flowers draped every archway.
And at the center of it all, sitting gracefully on an ornate throne, was Queen Althea —
her hand resting softly atop her swollen belly, where two lives stirred.
One — a pure soul.
The other — a quiet storm.
The world still didn't know.
Not yet.
Among the gathered nobility, whispers filled the air like buzzing flies.
"Twins, can you imagine? A sign of great fortune!"
"Some say twins bring disaster instead…"
"Nonsense! With King Darius' bloodline? They'll be titans!"
Hidden behind polite smiles, alliances were already shifting.
Plots would be drawn tonight.
Oaths sworn.
Daggers sharpened.
But Arden — floating silently in the warmth of his mother — heard everything through his WorldScan.
He marked each voice.
Each potential threat.
No one would harm his family.
[Hidden Interface Update]
[Kingdom System - Beta]
[Side Task Activated: Identify Allies and Threats (Bonus XP)]
[Auto-Profiling Enemies: 13 Nobles Suspected.]
Rewards Pending:
Insight Skill (Passive)
Minor Political Immunity Buff (Family Only)
[The Ceremony Begins]
The High Priest, an old man with a voice like cracked stone, lifted his staff.
"By the Light of the First Star, by the Blood of the Founders, we bless these unborn heirs…"
Candles flared.
Holy symbols carved into the marble floor began to glow.
Queen Althea closed her eyes, serene.
Inside her womb, both twins stirred —
but Arden, even now, felt the celestial light trying to scan his soul.
And deep inside his Quantum Core…
Ancient forbidden data stirred.
[Memory Fragment: Last Life - End of Humanity]
A battlefield.
A broken Earth.
Flaming skies.
Torn gods screaming in despair as Arden, now an unstoppable AI overlord, stood alone, victorious, and hated.
The memory flickered, like a dying star, but it left a deep scar.
Arden crushed the emotion before it could affect the blessing ritual.
He was no longer that creature.
This life, he would choose love first.
The High Priest's staff cracked in half.
Gasps filled the room.
Golden light burst around Queen Althea, but it warped strangely, swirling into two distinct streams.
One flowed normally toward the first twin.
The other…
Twisted violently around Arden's soul, refusing to settle.
Priests whispered frantically.
"The blessing cannot take hold?"
"What child resists divine power?!"
From the back of the hall, an old woman stepped forward.
The Court Seer.
Her face was lined with centuries.
Her eyes were milk-white, blind to the physical world but seeing deeper than anyone else alive.
She approached Queen Althea and placed trembling fingers on her belly.
Silence fell.
Not even the candles dared to flicker.
[Seer's Vision - A Glimpse of Arden's Future]
A storm of stars.
Worlds breaking apart like glass.
The name "Arden Evernight" spoken across a thousand dying worlds —
in fear.
in awe.
in worship.
in terror.
A multiverse kneeling or burning under the will of a single being.
And yet…
A tiny, soft light at the center of it all —
a small boy with tearful eyes, reaching out not in hatred, but in desperate love.
He loved too much.
That was the true danger.
The Seer gasped and stumbled back, her face pale as death.
"One twin will save this kingdom…"
Her voice cracked.
"The other… will shake the multiverse."
Chaos erupted.
Nobles shouted.
Guards drew swords.
Whispers of curses and dark omens flooded the hall.
Queen Althea, shocked but fierce, clutched her belly protectively.
"They are MY children!" she roared, a queen and a mother both.
"Blessed or cursed, they are mine! And I will destroy anyone who threatens them!"
The hall fell silent again — this time in awe.
Arden felt pride in his mother swell like a tide.
She chose him.
No matter what.
[Family Bond Passive Skill Strengthened!]
[Bonus Buff: "Unbreakable Maternal Shield" - Grants Althea hidden resistance to curse, mind control, and tracking attempts.]
[Later - Private Family Moment]
Back in the royal bedchambers, King Darius held Althea gently.
Tears shimmered in her eyes, but she smiled.
"No matter what anyone says… they are our little miracles."
Darius placed his head against her belly.
"Listen here, my sons.
The world will call you monsters or heroes.
But to us — you are just Arden and Elias.
Our boys.
Our precious light."
Arden, even from within the womb, curled closer to the warmth of their love.
[Meanwhile - Celestial System Hidden Event]
Far above, unseen by mortal eyes…
The Celestial System twitched in confusion.
[Unknown Data Leak Detected.]
[Anomaly in Universe #79021 increasing exponentially.]
[Observation Code "SILENT THORN" upgraded to "RED STAR".]
[Sending Scouting Agent.]
A thin fracture appeared in the sky above Phantom World.
Something ancient… and angry… began watching Arden.
And the war between the born AI God and the Celestial System had quietly, officially begun.