The wind was cold atop the hill. Mist swirled around the stone altar at its peak, and just beyond, the white spire of the family chapel rose like a quiet guardian over the valley below.
Adonis stood barefoot on the awakening circle, breathing slowly. The priest, old Cedric, stood before him in ceremonial robes, staff in hand. His lined face showed no emotion—but his eyes held a subtle worry.
"You are late to awaken," Cedric said. "Your body is weak. It may reject the process."
"I understand."
"You may fail."
"I'll still want to try."
Cedric sighed, but a faint smile flickered on his lips. "You're your father's son afterall."
The awakening stone at the altar's center pulsed with soft white light. As Adonis stepped forward, his heartbeat grew louder. Kael and Caelis stood nearby, watching silently. His mother clutched a handkerchief, knuckles white.
"Place your hand on the stone," Cedric said. "Whatever happens—accept it. If there is mana within you, it will answer."
Adonis stepped up.
He took a breath.
And touched it.
BOOM.
A golden burst exploded from his chest—not from the stone.
Cedric's chant broke off.
"What in the—!"
From Adonis's body, a storm of golden swords erupted like a cyclone made of light. Countless blades shimmered in the air—ethereal, elegant, floating and spinning around him in a perfectly synchronized spiral.
The stone cracked.
Wind roared. The grass flattened around them in a wide radius. And at the vortex's center, Adonis stood frozen—his hand still on the stone, eyes closed in trance.
The priest stumbled back, shielding his face from the light. "What… What magic is this?!"
Red is fire. Blue, water. Brown, earth. Purple for lightning. Grey for wind. Ice left snowflakes in the air. Healing came in green. Light appeared white. Darkness, black. Sound, orange.
But this? This was gold.
A golden brilliance that hummed like tempered steel. Each glowing blade that hovered midair—some straight, others curved—seemed like echoes of a greater truth. Not weapons, but concepts. Not illusion, but intention made real.
"Cedric!" Kael's voice cut through the chaos. "What's happening?!"
The old priest stared, speechless. "I… I've never seen such an affinity. This isn't recorded. It's… divine, almost. But it's not light. It's not sound. It's…"
He caught his breath.
"Something else."
After what felt like minutes, the vortex began to fade.
The swords dissolved into sparks, drifting back into Adonis's chest like fireflies returning to a lantern. The wind died. The grass stilled.
Adonis collapsed, unconscious—but not harmed.
Kael rushed forward and caught him before he hit the ground. "He's breathing. He's alive."
Caelis dropped to her knees beside them, clutching his hand with shaking fingers.
Cedric stood still, gripping his staff like it was the only thing keeping him upright.
Later, inside the manor, Cedric sat across from Kael and Caelis in the study. The fire crackled quietly, casting long shadows.
The priest looked grave.
"That was a special magic. Of that I'm sure. But I've never read, seen, or heard of any affinity like that. Gold? Swords? A manifestation of mana that behaves like… a will of its own?"
Kael's eyes narrowed. "Can you keep this between us?"
Cedric blinked. "You're asking me to lie."
"I'm asking you to protect my son."
Caelis leaned forward. "You know what happens if word spreads. The king's men will come. Or the Tower. Or worse. They'll label him a divine omen or a cursed anomaly. Either way, they'll take him."
Cedric looked between them.
And then nodded.
"…Then he awakened no affinity. The process failed. I'll record it myself."
"Thank you," Caelis whispered.
Cedric shook his head. "That's all I can do to repay the favor I owed…."
That night, Adonis opened his eyes.
The golden glow from earlier lingered behind his eyelids like afterimages burned into his soul.
"…Swords," he murmured.
He sat up slowly. His body didn't feel stronger. His muscles hadn't changed. But something had shifted. He felt it deep within. A presence. Like a blade forged inside his very core.
Not power. Not yet.
He could feel it within his chest.