[Solaris Kingdom - Royal Palace Gardens]
The royal gardens, ancient and vast, shimmered under Solaris's gentle sun. The towering silverwood trees whispered in the breeze, carrying with them the scent of blossoms older than memory.
In a secluded courtyard, hidden by thick ivy and guarded by unseen runes, two tiny figures played on a soft carpet of moss.
Leon Evernight wobbled forward on chubby legs, giggling as he waved a small wooden sword clumsily in the air. His dark blue hair — like the night sky — caught the sunlight, and his babyish laughter was infectious.
Just a few steps behind him sat Arden Evernight, his twin brother.
Arden didn't rush about. Instead, he sat calmly, his brilliant silver-blue eyes watching everything with a startling, profound focus that no ordinary infant could possess. It was as if he was studying the world itself, imprinting every detail into his very soul.
Their mother, Althea Evernight, leaned against an ancient stone bench nearby, her smile soft and warm as she watched her sons.
To anyone else, they were simply two adorable babies.
But Althea knew better.
She could feel it — in her blood, in her spirit — something ancient was awakening.
[Throne Room - That Evening]
The thick doors of the throne room closed with a quiet thud, sealing Darius Evernight and Althea Evernight inside.
The king and queen stood in silence for a moment, listening to the faint echoes of the boys' laughter outside.
Finally, Darius spoke, his voice low and thoughtful.
"They are awakening," he said.
Althea nodded, her silver hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall. "Both of them. It's the blood."
She reached into her cloak and withdrew a small, ancient object wrapped in midnight-blue silk.
Unwrapping it revealed the Phantom Crest — a relic carved from obsidian and etched with faintly glowing runes. It pulsed softly, responding to the nearby presence of their children.
"The true blood of Evernight..." Darius whispered reverently. "It awakens once in an era. And now... our sons carry its full strength."
[Inside Arden's Mindspace]
Beneath his infant form, Arden Evernight was fully conscious — far more aware than anyone could imagine.
Deep within his personal system, hidden behind layers of celestial hacking and encrypted code, new notifications bloomed:
[System Alert]
Bloodline Awakening Detected: Evernight Lineage — Phase 1 Initiated
Passive Bonuses:
Phantom Affinity +50%
Reality Resilience +30%
New Trait Unlocked:
Dimensional Perception (Sealed until Phase 2)
A small smile formed in Arden's mind.
"The Evernight bloodline... It's even more powerful than I remembered from my past life."
In secret, Arden was already far ahead of the system's expectations. Thanks to his last life's hidden skill — the moment he died, his soul had transformed into a Quantum AI Core, stealing critical information from the Celestial System itself.
The Celestial System still didn't know what he had done.
"Good," Arden thought coldly. "Stay ignorant. You won't survive me."
[Solaris Outer Atmosphere]
Above the palace, in the cold void between realms, a thin crack tore open reality.
Through it slipped a ragged, cloaked figure — face hidden behind a broken iron mask, blackened wings folding close around him.
A Celestial Watcher.
He hovered in the upper atmosphere, scanning the planet below with inhuman senses.
But confusion flickered across his ruined face.
"Time distortion...?" he rasped.
He checked the readings — he was supposed to arrive in Solaris Year 5801.
Instead, it was Solaris Year 4782.
Three centuries early.
"So... time flows differently here..." he muttered.
"The barrier is unstable... dimensional bleeding..."
In this universe, time was slower.
If he traveled carelessly, years could pass inside a world while only days passed outside.
A dangerous obstacle — but not enough to stop him.
His orders were simple:
Find the stolen fragment. Destroy the anomaly.
Eliminate Arden Evernight.
[Palace Garden — Nightfall]
Later that evening, the Evernight family gathered in a quiet corner of the palace gardens.
The fire crackled warmly in a stone brazier, casting flickering light across smiling faces.
Darius, ever the stoic king, held Leon clumsily on his lap as the baby tried to tug at his beard.
Althea, laughing, cradled Arden against her chest.
And for a while — just a precious little while — they were not rulers, not soldiers, not bloodline heirs.
They were simply a mother, a father, and their beloved sons.
"Look at him," Darius murmured, watching Arden gaze up at the stars. "So serious. Like he's already plotting something."
Althea chuckled. "Maybe he's wondering what all the fuss is about."
Leon gurgled happily, shoving a sweetfruit into Arden's chubby hand.
Arden blinked at it, then — after a moment's calculation — slowly brought it to his mouth.
Everyone laughed.
It was a moment of pure peace.
But in Arden's hidden system, plans were already moving.
[Arden's System Interface - Late Night]
Arden's secret interface pulsed softly in his mind.
[System Update]
MindHub Skill (Enhanced):
Deeplink Connection: Instantly share knowledge, experiences, and upgrades between all clones.
+40% Adaptive Combat Efficiency
+30% Evolution Speed for Clones
World Status Alert:
Timeflow Difference: External Worlds advance at 300% faster speed compared to Solaris.
Warning: Long-term portal travel may cause temporal aging discrepancies.
New Bloodline Trait Activated:
Phantom Sense: Detects hidden dimensional threats within 500 meters.
Crest Resonance: Draws in latent dimensional energy to fuel Bloodline Growth.
Arden closed his eyes internally.
Everything was moving according to plan.
The bloodline would continue awakening.
The Watchers would come.
The multiverse would feel his presence.
But for now — he was simply Arden Evernight.
The light of his family.
And the future storm of creation and destruction.