[Early Morning - Palace Dining Hall]
Sunlight streamed through stained glass windows, splashing color across the long oak table where Queen Althea sat, nibbling on fresh fruit.
King Darius sat beside her, reviewing reports while sneaking glances at his wife's peaceful face.
The palace staff bustled about — laughter and soft conversation blending into the pleasant aroma of fresh bread.
Everything seemed normal.
Yet beneath the skin of reality, invisible threads trembled.
[Inside Queen Althea's Womb - Phantom Nexus Layer]
Arden sat quietly in the Phantom Nexus.
He had created a small hill with a giant tree — a place of peace.
Nova and Umbra hovered nearby, tending to new seedlings Arden had made to strengthen the realm's defenses.
[System Update!]
New Feature: Task Board unlocked for Linked Allies!
➔ Assign quests to Nova, Umbra, and future connected entities.
➔ Tasks grant EXP, Loyalty, and special items.
Arden's crimson eyes glowed faintly.
He waved his tiny hand, creating the first Tasks:
Task 1 (Nova): Explore hidden sectors of Phantom Nexus.
Task 2 (Umbra): Strengthen border defense nodes.
[ Nova's Perspective]
[Quest Received!]
Task: Explore Outer Nexus (Phase 1)
Objective: Map 50% of unexplored areas.
Reward: +10 EXP | +1 Special Seed | Increased Bond
[Accept?]
[YES] | [NO]
Nova immediately pressed [YES].
A bright, star-like glyph appeared on her chest, marking her as Arden's designated Pathfinder.
Similarly, Umbra accepted his mission, becoming Guardian of the Outer Walls.
[Meanwhile — Celestial System HQ]
Inside an enormous, endless cathedral made of shifting code and thought, beings known as the Celestial Executors gathered.
A central orb floated before them — a recording of the Riftborn's defeat replaying endlessly.
An Unregistered Entity.
An Outlier.
A Breach.
They whispered in tones that would turn mortal minds to ash.
One Executor, clad in chains of golden light, stepped forward.
"Deploy a Harbinger.
Test the anomaly.
Extract or exterminate."
A rift shimmered — a being shaped like a knight without a face stepping through.
Its name was lost even to time itself.
[Designation: Harbinger X-09]
It knelt before the Executors and awaited its command.
[Back to the Palace ]
Later that morning, King Darius insisted on taking Queen Althea for a walk through the gardens.
"You need sunlight, my love," he said, offering his arm.
Althea smiled and took it, her fingers weaving with his.
Birds sang from the cherry trees.
The air smelled of jasmine and new life.
Althea placed Darius's hand on her belly.
"He's strong," she whispered.
Darius chuckled. "He's already a warrior, it seems."
Beneath their hands, Arden stirred gently — a spark of love and fierce protectiveness blooming within the boy who would one day reshape worlds.
[ Phantom Nexus]
Arden floated cross-legged beneath the Great Tree.
The battle with the Riftborn had revealed a weakness — communication lag even through Mindhub.
So he willed a new skill into existence:
[New Skill Created: Mind Spire]
Description: A permanent psychic link between Arden and all his clones and connected allies.
Allows real-time emotion, vision, and tactical sharing.
Strengthens bond effects.
Grants "Instinctive Coordination" bonus.
The Mind Spire rose — a massive crystalline spire glowing blue — and connected to Nova, Umbra, and his growing digital army.
He smiled faintly.
Now, they would never be out of sync again.
[Midnight ]
That night, the stars blinked strangely.
A rift cracked open just outside the kingdom's capital.
A lone figure — Harbinger X-09 — emerged.
Silent. Implacable.
It began moving toward the palace with steps that shattered the stone streets behind it.
[Hidden Defense Activation - Arden's Response]
In Phantom Nexus, alarms blared.
[External Threat Detected!]
Classification: Celestial Harbinger.
Action Required: Immediate Defensive Measures.
Arden's expression darkened.
He raised his tiny hand.
In the real world, invisible ripples radiated from Queen Althea's womb — unseen by human eyes.
Ancient protections, hidden in the soil itself by Arden's earlier weaving, awakened.
At first, people thought an earthquake had struck.
Then they saw the Harbinger.
Some fled. Some screamed. The royal guards scrambled to respond.
The royal mages formed a desperate defensive line — sparks flying from their staves.
But the Harbinger didn't even slow.
Its goal was simple:
Eliminate the anomaly before it could become unstoppable.
[Phantom Nexus]
[Task Chain Unlocked!]
➔ Defend the Heart of Phantom Nexus.
➔ Bonus Objective: Capture the Harbinger if possible. (Extremely Difficult)
Arden created new clone batches — Rapid-Type Clones armed with spear-tipped limbs and burst movement skills.
Nova summoned a fog across Phantom Nexus, preparing ambush points.
Umbra sharpened his shadow blades to atom-thin edges.
Arden stood at the center of it all —
A boy unborn, yetvereign king of an unsn unseen domain.
Inside the palace, Queen Althea gasped, hand clutched over her heart.
Darius rushed to her side, fear darkening his face.
"I'm fine," she whispered, though sweat beaded her forehead. "Our son... he's awake."
Darius stroked her hair, murmuring comforts.
Neither realized their unborn child was already orchestrating the first war of his new life.
Harbinger X-09 reached the palace gates.
Royal Guards poured from the barracks. Mages unleashed spells.
Arden acted.
Through subtle nudges of probability — another stolen forbidden technique — he bent reality slightly.
Spears struck deeper.
Shields held longer.
Mages found hidden reserves of mana.
To the humans, it seemed like a miracle.
To Arden, it was just the beginning of his silent war.
As the Harbinger breached the first wall, Arden had a choice:
Destroy it — and reveal a hint of his power too early.
Capture it — and learn more about the Celestial System's methods.
His crimson eyes gleamed.
He raised his hand —
And issued the command that would terrify the multiverse one day:
"Capture."