One year old.
Ashen woke on his first birthday to find the nursery transformed. Colorful paper decorations hung from the ceiling, essence-powered lights cast gentle rainbow patterns on the walls, and an array of wrapped presents sat stacked near his crib.
Seraphina entered carrying a small cake with a single candle flickering on top, singing a birthday song in the language of this world. Behind her came Aldric, then Reikan, Elara, Kael, and Lyra—the entire family gathered for this celebration.
"Happy birthday, little one," Seraphina said, placing the cake on a low table. "One year old today. Can you believe it?"
Ashen looked at the assembled family, at the decorations, at the obvious effort that had gone into making this day special. Something in his chest tightened.
In his previous life, birthdays had been quiet affairs. A phone call from his mother that he'd answer while working, a small cake from the convenience store that he'd eat alone at his desk. No celebrations, no family gathered around, no sense of occasion.
This was different.
"Make a wish and blow out the candle!" Lyra encouraged, crouching down to his level. "Though I guess you're too little to blow, so we can help."
Ashen looked at the single flame, then up at his family's expectant faces. He took a breath and blew. The candle flickered but didn't go out—his one-year-old lungs weren't quite strong enough.
Aldric leaned down and blew gently, extinguishing the flame. "There. Your wish is granted."
If only you knew what I'd actually wish for. But freedom through overwhelming power isn't the kind of thing you put on a birthday wish.
The presents came next. Reikan had given him a set of wooden blocks carved with cultivation-related symbols—educational toys that were probably more sophisticated than a one-year-old should need. Elara presented a cloth book with large illustrations and textured pages designed to help with sensory development.
Kael's gift was a small wooden sword, scaled down for a toddler but crafted with surprising care. "Can't start training too early," he said with a grin. "Even if you just swing it around randomly for now."
Lyra had brought an assortment of interesting rocks, feathers, and dried plants from her forest expeditions. "So you can learn about the natural world. These are all safe to touch, by the way. I checked."
His parents gave him clothing that was far too nice for everyday wear—little formal outfits suitable for when he'd eventually need to attend official functions.
"Thank you," Ashen said clearly, knowing the words would mean something to them even if they couldn't comprehend how much this whole scene meant to him.
"He's so polite!" Seraphina beamed. "Already using proper manners at one year old."
"Language development is clearly advanced," Elara observed. "Most one-year-olds barely have five words. He's using at least twenty, with appropriate context."
"Does that concern you?" Aldric asked, the protective father always watching for potential problems.
"No. Just means he'll probably enjoy reading once he's old enough to learn. Some children are naturally verbal."
They spent the morning together, the whole family in one place without the usual distractions of territory management and individual responsibilities. Kael demonstrated "proper" sword technique with the wooden toy, which mostly involved him making exaggerated swooshing sounds. Lyra showed Ashen how the interesting rocks she'd brought could be sorted by color and texture. Elara read from the cloth book with appropriate enthusiasm for each page.
Even Reikan, usually so distant, sat nearby and watched with what might have been genuine interest.
Aldric and Seraphina observed it all with the satisfaction of parents seeing their children interact peacefully.
"This is nice," Seraphina said quietly to her husband. "All of us together like this. It doesn't happen often enough."
"We should do it more," Aldric agreed. "Though getting all five children in the same room without some crisis or obligation interfering is harder than coordinating military campaigns."
Lunch was served in the nursery rather than the formal dining hall—an informal family meal with everyone sitting on cushions on the floor. It was surprisingly casual for a ducal family, but that seemed to be the point. Today was about family, not formality.
"What was your first birthday like?" Kael asked their parents between bites.
Aldric considered. "I don't remember it, obviously. But according to my parents, it was a massive formal affair with half the northern nobility in attendance. Very different from this."
"I'm glad we're doing it differently," Seraphina said. "Children should be allowed to be children, at least in their early years. The politics and responsibility come soon enough."
"Was I like this at one year old?" Lyra asked. "All quiet and observant?"
"You?" Seraphina laughed. "You were a tiny whirlwind. Crawling everywhere at six months, trying to climb out of your crib by eight months, constantly getting into things you shouldn't. We had to put special locks on every cabinet."
"That sounds about right," Elara murmured. "Some things never change."
"Hey! I'm very responsible now!"
"You brought a dead rabbit into the nursery last month."
"That was educational!"
The banter continued, light and comfortable. Ashen watched it all, cataloguing family dynamics, storing away information about his siblings' childhood behaviors, building his understanding of these people who'd become his new family.
In the afternoon, Master Healer Celeste arrived for Ashen's one-year assessment. It was standard practice for noble children—quarterly check-ups through the first year, then annual examinations after that.
Seraphina took Ashen to the healer's wing where Celeste conducted a more thorough examination than previous ones.
"He's grown well," the healer announced, making notes in her ever-present journal. "Height and weight are both slightly above average for his age. Motor skills are developing excellently—he's crawling efficiently and showing signs of preparing to walk soon."
"And spiritually?" Aldric asked. He'd come along for this assessment, unusual for him but perhaps warranted given Ashen's birthday significance.
Celeste placed her hands on Ashen's chest again, essence flowing through him in that now-familiar diagnostic pattern. Her expression remained professionally neutral, but Ashen noticed her essence probe lingering slightly longer than before in certain areas.
The concealment is holding, he thought. But she's sensing something. Not what I actually am, but enough to know there's more here than appears on the surface.
"Spiritual development is... progressing nicely," Celeste finally said. "His essence pathways continue to form ahead of schedule. Capacity is expanding appropriately. Everything is quite healthy."
"You hesitated," Aldric noted. "Is something wrong?"
"Not wrong, no. Just... interesting." Celeste withdrew her hands. "Your youngest has what we call 'deep potential.' It's difficult to explain to non-healers, but essentially, his spiritual foundation has more layers than typical children his age. Think of it like a building with a particularly robust underground structure—you can't see it from the outside, but it allows for much taller construction later."
"Is that concerning?"
"Not at all. It's actually quite fortunate. Children with deep potential tend to have easier breakthroughs during cultivation and can support more advanced techniques once they begin training." Celeste smiled. "You should be proud, Duke. Your youngest shows excellent promise."
"As long as he's healthy, that's what matters," Aldric said, though Ashen could detect the satisfaction in his father's voice.
After the examination, they returned to find the family gathered in one of the castle's private gardens. Someone had set up a small play area with soft grass and various toys scattered about.
"There's the birthday boy!" Kael called out. "Come on, time to practice walking. You've been crawling for months now. Let's see if you can take some steps."
Seraphina set Ashen down on the grass. He'd been capable of walking for at least two weeks but had been waiting for the right moment to demonstrate it. A birthday celebration with the whole family present seemed appropriately significant.
He pulled himself up using a nearby bench, wobbling for effect but maintaining balance more easily than a typical one-year-old would. The family watched with encouraging attention.
"That's it," Seraphina said gently. "You can do it. Just a few steps."
Ashen let go of the bench and took one careful step forward. Then another. Then a third before sitting down deliberately on the grass.
The family erupted in applause and encouragement.
"He walked! Did everyone see that?" Lyra was practically bouncing with excitement. "Three whole steps!"
"At exactly one year old," Elara noted. "That's right on schedule for walking development. Good timing, little brother."
Ashen looked up at their proud, happy faces and felt that tightness in his chest again. They were so pleased with such a simple achievement, celebrating a milestone that billions of humans reached without fanfare.
But for them, for this family, it mattered. He mattered.
"Should we try again?" Aldric crouched down several feet away and held out his hands. "Walk to Papa?"
Ashen pushed himself up, wobbled again for show, and took five steps this time before reaching his father's outstretched hands. Aldric caught him with a proud smile and lifted him up.
"Well done, son. Very well done."
The rest of the afternoon passed in pleasant leisure. Ashen "practiced" walking more, always stopping after just a few steps to maintain the appearance of a skill being newly learned. His siblings took turns playing with him, each in their own way.
Reikan helped him stack blocks, occasionally making observations about balance and structural integrity that were probably too advanced for the audience but showed he was at least engaged. Elara read more stories, testing his vocabulary by asking him to identify pictures. Kael played at sword fighting with the wooden toy, teaching "technique" that was mostly just supervised whacking. Lyra showed him how to identify different plants she'd brought, explaining which ones were safe and which were poisonous with an enthusiasm that made Seraphina nervous.
As evening approached and his siblings gradually returned to their own responsibilities, Ashen found himself alone with his parents in the garden. The sun was setting, painting the sky in brilliant colors, and the air had that perfect temperature that wasn't too hot or cold.
"One year," Seraphina said softly, holding Ashen in her lap. "It feels like just yesterday we were welcoming you into the world. And also like you've always been here."
"He's grown so much," Aldric agreed, sitting beside them. "Walking already, speaking clearly, showing every sign of healthy development."
"Do you think he'll be happy?" Seraphina asked suddenly. "Growing up in this family, with all the expectations that come with being a duke's son?"
"I think," Aldric said slowly, "that he'll find his own path. Whatever that is, we'll support him. That's all we can do—provide opportunities and love, then let them become whoever they're meant to be."
Ashen leaned against his mother's chest, listening to her heartbeat. The same heartbeat he'd heard in the womb, constant and reassuring.
These people had given him something he'd never had in his previous life—a real family. Not perfect, not without complications, but genuine. They loved him not for what he could do or what he might achieve, but simply because he existed.
And he was deceiving them every single day.
The weight of that deception felt heavier on this day of celebration and family togetherness. But it was necessary. Revealing the truth would only endanger them and limit his ability to protect them from threats they couldn't see coming.
This is what love looks like for someone like me, he thought. Carrying the burden alone so they don't have to. Lying to protect. Growing stronger in secret to keep them safe.
They'll never know how much danger they're actually in. They'll never know their youngest son isn't who they think he is. And if I do this right, they'll never need to know.
Because I'll be strong enough to handle everything before it touches them.
The system pulsed once, as if acknowledging his thoughts.
[PRIMORDIAL AMPLIFICATION SYSTEM]
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No techniques detected.
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Still waiting. Still patient.
Four more years until awakening. Four more years of childhood, of observation, of building the foundation that would support everything to come.
He could do this. He would do this.
For them. For himself. For the freedom that only absolute power could bring.
"Happy birthday, Ashen," Seraphina whispered, kissing the top of his head. "My sweet, special boy."
If only you knew how special. But maybe it's better that you don't.
The sun set completely, stars emerging one by one in the darkening sky. Aldric carried Ashen back to the nursery, Seraphina walking beside them, the family together at the end of a day of celebration.
One year down. Fifty-nine more months until awakening.
The journey continued, one careful step at a time.