One month has passed since Ashen's birth.
The nursery had become his entire world, bounded by walls painted in gentle colors and windows that showed him glimpses of a larger realm he couldn't yet explore. His infant body was growing stronger day by day, but progress felt glacially slow to someone with an adult mind trapped inside.
Still, he was learning.
The Silverion estate operated on predictable rhythms that Ashen had quickly catalogued. Mornings brought Seraphina for feeding and gentle conversation, often accompanied by Elara with reports. Afternoons featured various visitors—servants, tutors for his older siblings, occasionally minor nobles paying respects. Evenings belonged to Aldric, who made time almost every day to spend an hour with his youngest son.
Today was different, though. Today marked the first time Ashen would leave the nursery.
"Are you sure it's safe?" Seraphina asked, wrapping Ashen in a thick blanket despite the warm weather. "He's only a month old."
"The healers confirmed he's developing ahead of schedule," Aldric replied, adjusting his formal robes. "Besides, he should see more of his home than just one room. Build familiarity with the estate."
"He won't remember this."
"You'd be surprised what children remember. And even if he doesn't consciously recall it, exposure helps development."
I'll remember everything, Father. That's kind of the problem.
Seraphina relented, though she kept Ashen firmly in her arms as they left the nursery for the first time. The hallway beyond was wider than he'd expected, with high ceilings supported by carved wooden beams. Essence crystals provided lighting even during the day, their soft glow mixing with natural sunlight from tall windows.
Servants they passed bowed respectfully, some pausing to admire the young master. Ashen tried to look appropriately baby-like—curious but not overly focused—while actually memorizing the layout of each corridor they traversed.
The estate was massive. Not quite a castle in the medieval European sense, but definitely a fortified manor that could house hundreds of people and withstand a siege. Stone walls were reinforced with essence-infused materials that probably made them tougher than steel. Defensive enchantments hummed at the edges of his awareness, too subtle for most to notice but present nonetheless.
"Where are we going?" Seraphina asked as Aldric led them down a staircase to the ground floor.
"The training yard. Kael is sparring with the guards today. I thought Ashen might enjoy watching."
"He's one month old. He can barely track movement."
"Humor me."
They emerged into bright sunlight that made Ashen squint. The training yard was an open space perhaps a hundred meters across, with packed earth underfoot and various training equipment scattered around the perimeter. Wooden posts for striking practice, weapon racks, targets for ranged attacks.
And in the center, his brother Kael was fighting three guards simultaneously.
Ashen watched with genuine fascination as Kael moved. His second brother was fast, probably D-Rank cultivation based on the speed and power he displayed, wielding a practice sword with the kind of fluid efficiency that came from years of training. The three guards were clearly skilled themselves, coordinating their attacks to box him in.
Kael slipped through their formation like water through fingers.
A feint left drew one guard's commitment. Kael pivoted right instead, his wooden blade catching the second guard's ribs with a crack that made the man wheeze. The third guard tried to capitalize on the opening, but Kael was already moving, his sword deflecting the incoming strike and his foot sweeping the guard's legs out from under him.
"Good!" Aldric called out. "But you exposed your left side during that last exchange. Against an opponent with better reaction time, you'd have taken a hit."
Kael paused, breathing hard but grinning. "I was counting on them being slower than me."
"Bad habit. Never assume you're faster. Assume your opponent is better than you and plan accordingly."
"Yes, Father." Kael noticed Seraphina and Ashen standing beside Aldric. "Oh! Brought the baby to watch?"
"Thought he should see what proper training looks like."
Kael approached, his practice sword still in hand. He was sweating from exertion, dark hair plastered to his forehead, but his grin was genuine. "What do you think, little brother? Impressive, right?"
Ashen made a gurgling sound that could be interpreted as approval. Internally, he was analyzing what he'd seen.
D-Rank cultivation. Probably D-Rank Advanced based on his speed and strength. Sword technique mastery around B-Rank or A-Rank—his forms are clean but not perfect. He's relying on physical attributes to compensate for minor technical flaws. Against the guards who are probably E-Rank, he has an overwhelming advantage. But Father's right about the defensive gaps. Against a peer-level opponent, those openings would be exploited.
"He's watching," Kael observed. "Actually focusing on me. That's unusual for a baby, isn't it?"
"He does that," Seraphina said. "Watches everything with those golden eyes. Sometimes I wonder what he's thinking."
I'm thinking your sword grip is slightly off during overhead strikes, and your footwork leaves you overextended during aggressive advances. But I'm a month old, so I'll keep that to myself.
"Want to hold him?" Seraphina offered.
Kael looked uncertain. "I'm all sweaty and gross. Don't want to make him uncomfortable."
"You're his brother. He should get used to you."
Reluctantly, Kael sheathed his practice sword and held out his arms. Seraphina transferred Ashen carefully, and suddenly he was being held by someone who smelled like exertion and sword oil instead of his mother's familiar scent.
"Hey there, Ashen," Kael said awkwardly. "I'm not really the gentle type, so if I do this wrong, just cry or something and Mother will rescue you."
Ashen looked up at his brother's face. Kael was younger than Reikan and Elara, probably mid-twenties, with the kind of earnest energy that suggested he approached life head-on without much subtlety. Not stupid—his combat showed tactical thinking—but definitely more instinct than planning.
"You're going to be a warrior, right?" Kael continued. "I can tell. You've got Father's eyes. All the Silverion warriors have those eyes. Reikan got Mother's coloring, but you and me and Father, we're cut from the same cloth."
Sorry to disappoint, but I have no intention of being a straightforward warrior. Much better to be the strategist nobody sees coming.
"Leave him alone, Kael," Elara's voice came from the yard's entrance. She approached carrying what looked like administrative documents. "You're going to confuse the poor child with your warrior nonsense."
"It's not nonsense! Warriors are important!"
"I didn't say they weren't. I said your particular brand of 'charge first, think later' philosophy is nonsense."
"I think plenty! I'm very tactical!"
"You got hit three times during that sparring match because you were showing off."
Kael looked offended. "I was not showing off."
"You absolutely were." Elara reached out to ruffle Ashen's sparse hair. "Don't listen to him, little brother. You can be whatever you want. Warrior, scholar, administrator, merchant. The world needs all types."
"The world needs warriors first," Kael countered. "Everything else requires peace to function, and peace requires strength."
"And strength requires resources, which requires administration. See? Circular logic benefits no one."
Ashen watched the sibling banter with interest. Kael and Elara clearly had fundamental disagreements about priorities, but there wasn't real hostility in their argument. This was comfortable sparring, verbal instead of physical, the kind of thing siblings did when they'd grown up together.
"Children," Aldric interjected mildly. "You're both right, and you're both missing the point. Strength without wisdom is just violence. Wisdom without strength is just philosophy. Both matter."
"That's what I said," both Kael and Elara responded simultaneously, then glared at each other.
Seraphina laughed, the sound warm and genuine. "Ashen, your siblings are idiots. Lovable idiots, but idiots nonetheless."
"We're right here, Mother."
"I know. That's why I'm telling him now, while he can't understand the words but can absorb the general sentiment."
I understand perfectly, and I agree with your assessment.
Movement caught Ashen's attention. Near the edge of the training yard, partially hidden by shadows, he spotted his eldest brother Reikan observing the scene. The heir to the duchy stood quietly, expression neutral, watching his family interact without joining in.
There was something lonely about it, standing apart like that. Or maybe not lonely—maybe just... separate. Different.
Reikan noticed Ashen looking at him and offered a small nod of acknowledgment before turning and walking away.
Interesting. He positions himself as observer rather than participant. Watching the family dynamics but not engaging. Either he's naturally solitary, or he's deliberately maintaining distance as the heir. Probably both.
"Shall we continue the tour?" Aldric asked, reclaiming Ashen from Kael's arms. "I want to show him the gardens before the afternoon sun gets too intense."
The gardens were on the estate's eastern side, carefully maintained by a team of gardeners who'd clearly been doing this for generations. Not just decorative plants, though those existed in abundance, but practical cultivation as well. Herbs used for medicine and alchemy grew in neat rows. Essence-rich flowers that helped with meditation were clustered near benches designed for that purpose. Even some low-grade spirit fruits that could marginally enhance cultivation when consumed regularly.
"Your mother loves these gardens," Aldric said quietly, walking slowly along the main path. "She comes here every morning before the rest of the estate wakes up. Says it helps her center herself for the day ahead."
They passed a fountain where water flowed in patterns that seemed to defy gravity, maintained by enchantments carved into the basin. Small essence fish swam in the water, their scales glimmering with captured sunlight.
"I know what you're thinking," Aldric continued, though of course Ashen had said nothing. "Why is the Duke walking around gardens with a baby instead of handling territory business? Why waste time on something that seems frivolous?"
I wasn't thinking that, but now I'm curious what your answer is.
"Because being a father matters more than being a Duke. The duchy will survive without my constant attention. But you? You're only a baby once. I missed too much with your older siblings, always busy with campaigns and politics. I won't make the same mistake with you."
Something in Aldric's voice suggested genuine regret. Ashen wondered what had happened with his older siblings, what moments his father had missed that he now wished he could reclaim.
He's trying to be better. That's... actually admirable. Most people don't acknowledge their mistakes, let alone actively work to avoid repeating them.
They spent another hour in the gardens before returning to the castle proper. By then, Ashen's infant body was exhausted from all the new stimuli—his brain could process everything, but his physical form needed rest after such extended activity.
Back in the nursery, Seraphina fed him while humming softly. Her voice was pleasant, carrying a tune he didn't recognize but found soothing anyway.
"You had a big day," she murmured. "Seeing the training yard, meeting your brother during practice, exploring the gardens. I hope it wasn't too overwhelming."
Overwhelming? No. Informative? Absolutely. I learned the estate's layout, observed Kael's combat capabilities, witnessed the family dynamics, and confirmed that my siblings have distinct personalities and priorities that will shape how I interact with them going forward. That's valuable intelligence I couldn't have gathered from the nursery alone.
After feeding, Ashen was placed back in his crib. Seraphina stayed nearby, working on some embroidery while he was supposed to nap.
He closed his eyes but didn't sleep immediately, processing everything he'd learned today.
The Silverion family was complex in ways he hadn't fully appreciated from just listening to conversations. Reikan was distant, focused on his role as heir. Kael was straightforward and combat-oriented. Elara was intellectual and administrative. He hadn't really interacted with Lyra yet, but from what he'd heard, she was the free spirit who followed her own path without much concern for others' expectations.
And his parents, Aldric and Seraphina, were trying to balance their duties as Duke and Duchess with their roles as parents. Not perfectly—no one did anything perfectly—but they were making genuine effort.
This is a good family. Complicated, like all families, but fundamentally good. They love each other even when they disagree. Support each other even when they don't understand each other's choices. That's rare. Worth protecting.
And it means I need to be careful. If I disrupt these dynamics with my hidden nature, I could damage something precious. Better to observe, learn, and adapt. Become part of the family naturally rather than trying to force a particular role. I have five years before awakening. That's plenty of time to establish myself as just another Silverion child with his own quirks and interests.
By the time I'm powerful enough to draw attention, I'll have built enough goodwill and family bonds that they'll support me rather than question me. That's the long game. The patient approach. Exactly what I need to do.
In his consciousness, the system pulsed once. Ashen focused on it, wondering if it had something to report.
[PRIMORDIAL AMPLIFICATION SYSTEM]
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No techniques detected.
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Same message as before. Simple, minimal, purely functional.
Of course. I'm a month-old baby. I haven't learned any techniques yet. The system has nothing to amplify or track. That'll change eventually. Years from now, when I start learning combat forms and cultivation methods, the system will become actively useful. Until then, it's just... waiting. Like me.
Waiting and watching and learning. Building the foundation for everything that comes next.
Ashen finally let himself drift into actual sleep, his infant body's needs overriding his active mind.
Outside the nursery window, the sun was setting over the northern mountains, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. Guards patrolled the walls. Servants finished their daily tasks. The estate settled into evening routines that had been followed for generations.
And in his crib, the youngest Silverion son slept peacefully, dreaming formless baby dreams that his adult consciousness couldn't quite shape into coherent narratives.
One month down.
Fifty-nine more until awakening.
Then the real journey would begin.
But for now, observation and patience were enough.
For now, he was just a baby learning about his new world.
And that was perfectly fine.