Aerondor stepped out.
His shoulders were slumped, his posture heavy, as if something invisible pressed down upon him. The Emperor, who usually radiated unshakable authority, now looked… tired.
Jasmine rushed forward and grasped his hand.
"What happened?" she asked softly.
Aerondor lowered his head.
"I failed."
The word fell quietly, yet it struck like thunder.
Jasmine immediately released a warm, luminous glow. Sacred light flowed from her body, wrapping around Aerondor's form, seeping into his soul. It was Sacred Soul Healing, an ability she had comprehended upon reaching the Third Stage of Soul Forging Cultivation, drawn from the third layer of Sacred Luminance Mist.
"Don't worry," she whispered. "You'll succeed next time."
"It's pointless," Aerondor muttered, voice hollow.
"Why?" Jasmine asked, confused.
Aerondor lifted his eyes, pain reflected clearly within them.
"Heart Demon."
Jasmine understood instantly.
She wasn't surprised.
Aerondor had lost too much. His father. His family. His homeland nearly torn apart. And worse, the heads of the two most treacherous noble families had escaped.
That unresolved hatred had rooted itself deep within his soul, silently corroding him, blocking his ascent.
Jasmine realized then that Aerondor had never truly shown his pain. He had buried it, shouldering everything alone.
Guilt washed over her.
Without saying a word, she stepped forward and embraced him.
She didn't speak.
She didn't lecture.
She simply stayed there, letting warmth replace words.
Lucien quietly turned away and left, giving them the space they needed.
*
Three days later.
Lucien stood in the training hall, determination etched across his small face.
He had decided.
He would begin Body Tempering Cultivation.
For the Imperial Family, the first two stages of body tempering were considered easy. Resources were abundant. Medicinal baths, tempering pills, rare ores, and beast blood were all readily available.
The rebellion had cost lives—but it had also filled the imperial vaults.
Lucien sought his father before making his decision.
"Father," he asked carefully, "is it all right if I start Body Tempering Cultivation now?"
Aerondor studied him for a moment.
"Most children begin at ten," he replied calmly. "Body Tempering is not gentle. It involves extreme pain. It requires resilience beyond normal limits."
He paused, gaze sharpening.
"I won't stop you. But are you truly prepared?"
Pain?
Lucien's sapphire eyes flashed.
"My previous life was filled with pain," he answered steadily. "Both physical and mental. I am ready."
"Good," Aerondor said, a proud smile appearing briefly.
Then—
Bam!
A kick struck Lucien without warning.
His small body flew backward, slamming into the ground. He rolled several times before stopping, coughing violently as blood spilled from his mouth.
"Gahh—!"
Pain exploded through his abdomen.
Lucien tried to stand.
He couldn't.
The pain was overwhelming, far beyond anything he had experienced in this body.
I forgot… he realized hazily. This body hasn't endured pain before.
"What's wrong?" Aerondor roared. "That's all you can take? Then give up!"
Lucien clenched his teeth.
"No!" he shouted.
Tears streamed down his cheeks as he struggled to his feet. Blood dripped onto the floor, his legs trembling violently. On the second attempt, he managed to stand.
"Come!" he yelled.
Aerondor's eyes widened slightly.
He hadn't expected that.
"Very well," Aerondor said coldly. "I won't stop until you do."
The beating continued.
Ten minutes passed.
Lucien was struck again and again. His body was battered, bruised, and bleeding. Teeth shattered. His face swelled. The floor beneath him was stained red.
Aerondor held back with every blow. One mistake could kill his son.
"You can stop now," Aerondor said, voice tight. "It's enough."
"No… please… continue…" Lucien rasped.
His left cheek had caved slightly. His arms shook uncontrollably. His vision blurred.
Aerondor's fists trembled.
What did this child endure in his past life…?
Five more minutes passed.
"Enough!" Aerondor snapped. "Say it!"
"No…" Lucien whispered weakly. "I need… strength…"
Aerondor dropped his stance.
"Why?" he demanded.
Lucien forced his trembling legs to remain upright. He looked at his father through blurred vision.
"I want to protect… Mother… Estella… and you," he said hoarsely. "I don't want… to lose anyone again…"
His strength finally gave out.
He collapsed.
Aerondor stood frozen.
"A five-year-old… protecting me?" he muttered.
Then he laughed.
A loud, broken laugh.
"I'm ashamed of myself," he whispered. "So blinded by hatred… that I forgot what truly matters."
In that instant, something shattered within him.
Radiant light erupted from Aerondor's body, sacred luminance surging violently before settling into calm brilliance.
He broke through.
Adult Soul Stage.
The Fourth Stage of Soul Forging Cultivation.
Aerondor looked down at his unconscious son, eyes filled with gratitude and remorse.
"Thank you, Lucien," he whispered.
In that moment, his final doubt vanished.
This child—abnormal or not—was unquestionably his son.
That very same day, word of the disturbance reached Jasmine through a trembling castle maid.
She had been resting when she heard it. At first, she felt relief upon learning that Aerondor had successfully broken through to the Adult Soul Stage. Joy surged through her chest, bright and overwhelming, and her first instinct was to rush to Lucien and share the good news.
But the moment she saw him—
Pale. Bruised. Unconscious. Wrapped in medicinal cloths and faintly breathing—
All joy shattered.
Her palm struck Aerondor's face before he could even finish speaking.
Smack.
The sound echoed sharply through the chamber. A clear red imprint bloomed on Aerondor's cheek.
Jasmine didn't say a word.
She simply turned away from him, her expression colder than ice.
Aerondor stood frozen, stunned but unsurprised. He immediately explained everything. The training. The beating. Lucien's insistence. His refusal to give up.
Jasmine listened.
She didn't interrupt. She didn't shout.
She only watched Lucien's injured face, her fingers trembling slightly.
When Aerondor finished, her tense expression finally loosened. She realized it hadn't been what she feared. Still, she didn't respond to him. Instead, she knelt beside Lucien and began applying medicinal paste with practiced care.
The Royal Family possessed pills capable of instant regeneration. Miraculous treasures that could restore a broken body in moments.
But Lucien was too young.
Such medicines would overwhelm him, tearing his fragile body apart instead of healing it.
Jasmine could have guided the medicinal energy herself. With her cultivation, it would have been easy.
But Aerondor had insisted.
Slow healing. Natural recovery. No lingering damage.
And Jasmine had agreed—only because Lucien himself wanted this path.
Otherwise, she would have ignored everything and healed him immediately.
Aerondor, watching silently from the side, could only console himself with one thought.
She'll stop ignoring me eventually.
*
The next morning, in the study.
"Hiss—"
Lucien's eyes fluttered open.
Warmth spread through his body, mixed with dull, throbbing pain.
I'm healing fast.
He could feel it clearly. Bruises fading. Bones knitting. Even his shattered teeth were growing back, tiny and tender.
Since his breakthrough, Lucien could use Soul Sense, though only barely. At his current level, it could not leave his body. It merely allowed him to perceive his internal condition.
Still, it was enough.
"Lucien!"
Jasmine had been sitting beside him the entire time. The moment she saw his eyes open, relief flooded her face, quickly followed by worry.
"Are you all right?" she asked, her voice tight.
"I'm fine, Mother," Lucien replied honestly, forcing a small smile. "It just… hurts a little."
"That scoundrel!" Jasmine hissed. "He went too far!"
"No!" Lucien said quickly, panic flickering in his eyes. "Mother, please don't fight with Father. I asked him to do it. It's not his fault."
He looked at her seriously.
"Because of him, I can temper my body properly now."
He smiled wide, accidentally revealing his half-grown teeth.
Jasmine stared at his clear eyes and sighed deeply.
"…Fine. I won't hold this against him." She clenched her fists. "But still—how dare he beat you like that!"
Just then, the door opened without knocking.
Aerondor stepped in, wearing a carefully rehearsed wry smile.
"Jasmine, listen—"
She turned, glared at him for half a second—
Then suddenly bolted toward the restroom.
The door slammed shut.
Strange sounds followed.
Lucien and Aerondor stared at each other.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
A deep sense of déjà vu settled over them.
Lucien grinned shamelessly.
Aerondor coughed, maintaining an expression of dignity.
Jasmine returned moments later, her face flushed and her posture stiff.
Lucien smirked.
"Are you two… rabbits?"
Jasmine's face turned scarlet.
Aerondor, completely straight-faced, replied, "As Emperor of the Elysia Empire, I have a duty to produce heirs. It is a matter of national stability."
Jasmine buried her face in her hands.
"I'm going to kill you both!"
Lucien and Aerondor didn't wait for further explanation.
They ran.
Laughing.