At Six months old, Ashen had reached several developmental milestones that his parents celebrated with the enthusiasm of people who'd done this four times before but still found joy in each small achievement.
He could sit up on his own now, though he still wobbled occasionally for effect. Rolling over was easy—he'd actually been capable of it since month four but had delayed the reveal to seem appropriately timed. His hands could grasp objects with reasonable precision, and he'd started reaching for things that interested him.
But the most significant change was happening in his vocal development.
Ashen had been carefully listening to conversations for six months now, absorbing the language of this world. It was similar to English in some ways but with different grammatical structures and a vocabulary that included terms for cultivation concepts that had no equivalent in his previous life.
He understood it perfectly. Speaking it was a different matter—his infant vocal cords weren't designed for complex speech yet. But simple words were becoming possible.
The question was when to start using them.
Starting too early would mark him as exceptional, possibly suspiciously so. Starting too late would seem delayed. The sweet spot for first words, based on what he'd heard Mira and Seraphina discussing about his siblings, was somewhere between six and twelve months.
Ashen decided six months was appropriate. Early enough to seem bright, not so early as to seem impossible.
He was in the nursery with his mother, who was reading to him from a children's book about cultivation basics. The illustrations were simple but informative—figures demonstrating meditation poses, diagrams of essence flow through the body, depictions of various elemental affinities.
"This is fire essence," Seraphina explained, pointing to a picture of flames. "It's warm and powerful, good for offense. Your brother Kael has fire affinity, which is why he's so aggressive in combat."
Ashen looked at the picture, then up at his mother's face. He opened his mouth, carefully formed the sound, and spoke his first word in this world.
"Mama."
Seraphina froze, her finger still on the page. For a moment she just stared at him, eyes wide.
Then she dropped the book and scooped him up, holding him tight.
"Aldric!" she called out, voice cracking with emotion. "Aldric, come here right now!"
Heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway. The door burst open and Aldric entered, hand on his sword hilt, clearly expecting danger.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong! Ashen just spoke! He said 'mama'!"
Aldric's battle-ready stance relaxed immediately. He crossed the room in three quick strides, looking down at his youngest son with an expression Ashen had rarely seen on the stern Duke's face.
"He spoke?"
"Say it again, sweetheart," Seraphina urged, turning Ashen to face his father. "Say 'mama' for papa too."
Ashen considered making them wait, then decided that would be needlessly cruel. He looked directly at Aldric.
"Papa."
Aldric sucked in a breath. His hand came up to rest on Ashen's head, the calloused palm gentle despite its size.
"Both words," he said quietly. "On the same day. That's..."
"Exceptional," Seraphina finished. "Master Celeste said he was developing ahead of schedule, but I didn't expect this."
"Six months old." Aldric's tactical mind was clearly working. "Earlier than any of the others. Elara didn't speak until nine months, and she was considered precocious."
"Should we be concerned?"
"No." Aldric shook his head. "Gifted, yes. Concerning, no. Some children simply develop faster. As long as we're careful about managing expectations and not letting word spread too widely, it should be fine."
Good. They're framing it as exceptional-but-not-impossible. That's exactly what I need.
Over the next few days, Ashen gradually expanded his vocabulary. He added "yes," "no," "more," and "up"—all simple words that babies would naturally learn first. He made sure to mispronounce things occasionally, to struggle with harder sounds, to seem appropriately childish in his speech patterns.
But his understanding of language far exceeded what he revealed, and he carefully tracked every conversation that happened in his presence.
Like the one happening now between Reikan and Aldric in the Duke's office. Ashen had been brought along because Seraphina needed to attend to urgent duchy business and Mira was ill. He sat in a cushioned chair, playing with a carved wooden toy, appearing oblivious to the serious discussion happening nearby.
"The Emperor has requested our presence at the capital next spring," Reikan was saying, reviewing what looked like an official summons. "All five great houses are being called to attend a summit."
"Timing is suspicious," Aldric replied. "The last summit was only three years ago. This feels rushed."
"The letter mentions 'matters of imperial security.' Could be the monster surges in the eastern provinces. Could be political maneuvering."
"Or both." Aldric tapped his fingers on his desk. "What's our position on the eastern situation?"
"Officially neutral. We have no territorial interests there, and House Crimson is handling the defense adequately."
"Adequately isn't the same as successfully. If the eastern provinces fall, the monsters will push west. Eventually they'll reach our borders."
"You're suggesting we offer military support?"
"I'm suggesting we make it clear we're willing to contribute if the Emperor requests it formally. Shows loyalty without appearing weak or aggressive."
Reikan nodded, making notes. "I'll draft the appropriate language for our response. What about family attendance? Will you bring the Duchess?"
"Probably. You'll come as heir, obviously. Elara should attend as well—she handles our diplomatic communications. Kael..." Aldric paused. "Kael tends to create incidents at formal events. Maybe leave him here with the military."
"And Lyra?"
"Lyra will do whatever Lyra wants regardless of our plans. But she's useful at gathering informal intelligence, so I won't discourage her if she wants to come."
"What about Ashen?" Reikan asked. "He'll be almost a year old by then."
Aldric glanced at his youngest son, who was now chewing on the wooden toy with apparent fascination. "Too young to travel that distance, and too young to benefit from the experience. We'll leave him here with trusted staff."
A summit at the capital. That's interesting. I don't remember this being mentioned in the novel, but the novel didn't cover the protagonist's early childhood in detail. Events were happening in this world regardless of whether the protagonist was involved yet. Eastern monster surges, though. That could be connected to the gradual weakening of reality barriers that eventually allows cosmic entities through. Or it could just be natural monster migration patterns. Either way, information is valuable.
Ashen continued to play innocently while absorbing every detail of the conversation. His adult mind catalogued political positions, family dynamics, strategic concerns—all useful data for understanding how this world's power structures operated.
That evening, Seraphina brought him to the family dining hall for the first time. It was a massive room with a table that could easily seat thirty people, though tonight only the immediate family was present.
Ashen sat in a specially designed high chair at the table's end, between his parents. Reikan, Elara, Kael, and Lyra occupied seats along the sides.
"This is new," Kael observed, gesturing at Ashen with his fork. "Since when do we bring infants to dinner?"
"Since this particular infant started speaking," Seraphina replied, spooning mashed vegetables into Ashen's mouth. "I thought it would be good for him to see how family meals work."
"Does he understand what's happening?" Elara asked.
"He understands more than you'd think. Watch." Seraphina looked at Ashen. "Can you say hello to your siblings?"
Ashen made a show of looking around the table, then pointed at Kael. "Kael!"
His brother's eyebrows shot up. "He knows my name?"
"He knows all your names. We've been practicing." Seraphina beamed with motherly pride. "Show them, sweetheart. Who's that?"
Ashen pointed at each sibling in turn. "Rei. Lara. Lyra."
Reikan's expression remained neutral, but there was a flicker of interest in his eyes. Elara looked genuinely impressed. Lyra clapped her hands in delight.
"Oh, he's so smart! Say my name again!"
"Lyra," Ashen repeated obediently, keeping his pronunciation slightly imperfect to maintain the illusion of age-appropriate development.
The family dinner continued with pleasant conversation. Ashen mostly listened, occasionally contributing a simple word or two when directly addressed. He was careful to seem engaged but not unnaturally perceptive, interested but not comprehending complex topics.
Kael was talking about his training regimen. "I'm close to breaking through to D-Rank Peak. Should happen within the month."
"That's excellent progress," Aldric said approvingly. "You'll be the youngest in the family to reach D-Peak at twenty-five."
"Actually, Father, you reached D-Peak at twenty-three," Elara corrected gently.
"Did I? Time blurs together after a while."
"I remember because Mother mentions it whenever someone gets competitive about advancement rates."
Seraphina laughed. "I do not mention it that often."
"You mentioned it three times last week."
"That's because Kael was being insufferable about his progress."
"I wasn't being insufferable!" Kael protested. "I was being appropriately proud of my achievements!"
The easy banter continued, and Ashen found himself observing family dynamics he'd never experienced in his previous life. These people genuinely enjoyed each other's company, even when they disagreed or teased. There was warmth here, a foundation of mutual care that transcended their different personalities and priorities.
After dinner, Aldric carried Ashen back to the nursery personally. It was a quiet walk through dimly lit corridors, just father and son.
"You're developing remarkably well," Aldric said softly. "Six months old and already speaking clearly enough to be understood. Your mother is thrilled, and honestly, so am I."
Ashen looked up at his father's face, illuminated by passing essence crystals.
"But I want you to know something," Aldric continued. "Being gifted is wonderful, but it's also a burden. People will have expectations. They'll compare you to your siblings, to other noble children, to historical prodigies. Some will be jealous, others will try to use your talents for their own purposes."
He adjusted Ashen in his arms.
"I can't protect you from all of that. But I can promise you this: in this family, you're valued for who you are, not what you can do. Your worth isn't measured by your cultivation speed or your achievements. We love you because you're ours."
Something in Ashen's chest tightened at those words. His father was trying, in his own serious way, to make sure his youngest son didn't feel the weight of expectations too heavily.
If only he knew the expectations I've placed on myself dwarf anything anyone else could impose.
"Papa," Ashen said simply, resting his small head against his father's chest.
Aldric's arms tightened slightly around him. "Yes, son. I'm here. And I always will be."
Back in the nursery, after being put to bed, Ashen lay awake thinking about the evening. The family dinner, the conversations, his father's attempt to shield him from external pressure.
These people cared about him. Really cared, not in some abstract duty-bound way, but genuinely.
And he was lying to them every single day.
Not maliciously. Not without reason. But still lying—about his true understanding, his hidden capabilities, his long-term plans.
It was necessary. Revealing the truth would only endanger them and limit his own growth. But that didn't make the deception feel any less... heavy.
This is the price of power, he thought. The isolation that comes from being different, from seeing threats others can't see, from preparing for battles that won't come for decades. I chose this path. I knew it would be lonely.
But I didn't expect it to hurt quite like this.
The system pulsed once.
[PRIMORDIAL AMPLIFICATION SYSTEM]
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No techniques detected.
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Still waiting. Still dormant. Still patient.
Like him.
Ashen closed his eyes and let sleep claim him, wrapped in blankets that smelled like home and surrounded by people who loved him.
Six months down. Fifty-four more until awakening.
The journey continued, one careful step at a time.