Zayden's first month in the Golden Empire ended not with silence, but with ceremony.
The palace awoke before dawn. Bells rang in measured harmony, their echoes rolling across the capital like a tide. Servants hurried through corridors draped in fresh silk, while cultivators activated ancient formations hidden deep within the imperial grounds.
Today was the Crown Prince's Naming Rite.
Zayden lay in his cradle, dressed in ceremonial robes that were much too heavy for him. Golden threads made complex patterns on the fabric, lines meant to bless, protect, and bind.
Binding rituals this early? Zayden noted coolly. No. These are recognition arrays. They test as much as they celebrate.
His parents would not risk more than that.
Still, he remained alert.
The system hummed quietly in the background, passive but watchful.
The Hall of Ascendant Light stood at the centre of the palace, older than the Golden Empire itself. Its ceiling was open to the sky, where clouds parted in a perfect circle, and sunlight poured down like a spotlight.
Nobles filled the outer rings of the hall, ranked meticulously by bloodline and contribution. Beyond them stood envoys from the sect, military commanders, and spiritual dignitaries from across the empire.
Every one of them had come to see the emperor's heir.
Zayden felt thousands of gazes settle on him.
So this is what pressure feels like in this world.
Emperor Tiberius stood at the centre of the dais, clad in imperial regalia. Empress Selene stood beside him, radiant and composed, holding Zayden in her arms.
"The Naming Rite begins," announced the High Ritualist.
A low hum filled the hall as the formation under the dais came to life. Lines of light spread out, weaving through the air like moving script.
Zayden felt the formation touch him.
Gently.
Imperial Recognition Array detected.
Function: Lineage confirmation, fate resonance, auspice measurement
Threat Level: Low
Good.
A beam of golden light shone down, wrapping Zayden in warmth. The crowd gasped as symbols appeared in the air above him, old characters for fortune, strength, and long life.
Murmurs erupted.
"Three auspice signs…"
"No, four!"
"This has never happened before…"
The High Ritualist's voice trembled. "Heaven acknowledges the prince."
Zayden remained calm.
Acknowledgement is not destiny, he reminded himself. Only opportunity.
The light slowly faded.
Tiberius raised his hand, silencing the hall.
"By the will of Heaven and the authority of the Golden Empire," he declared, voice carrying effortlessly, "my son is hereby named."
A pause.
"Zayden Aurum."
The name rang out, clear and strong.
Golden light flared once more, brief but intense, before vanishing entirely.
Notice: Name Recognition complete.
Identity Anchor strengthened.
Soul stability increased.
Zayden felt something settle into place.
So names have power here.
Interesting.
The rite should have ended there.
It didn't.
The sky darkened slightly.
Clouds shifted unnaturally, spiralling inward.
A ripple of unease spread through the hall.
The High Ritualist stiffened. "Your Majesty… the array is still active."
Tiberius frowned. "I gave no such command."
Zayden felt it then, a presence.
Ancient.
Vast.
It was neither hostile nor friendly.
The system reacted.
Warning: High-level fate interference detected.
Source: Unknown (Non-mortal)
Recommendation: Do not resist
Heaven? Zayden wondered. Or something wearing its face?
A second beam of light descended, paler, sharper.
It did not envelop Zayden.
It measured him.
For a terrifying moment, Zayden felt exposed, his soul, his memories, the fact that he did not belong.
He locked his thoughts down, compressing them behind layers of calm.
I am Zayden Aurum, he asserted. Crown Prince of the Golden Empire.
The pressure lingered.
Then, it withdrew.
The clouds dispersed.
The array shut down with a final hum.
Silence reigned.
The High Ritualist dropped to one knee. "A… a Heavenly Glance," he whispered. "The prince has been… observed."
The hall erupted.
"A Heavenly Glance?!"
"That only happens to fated individuals!"
"Monsters are born under such signs…"
Tiberius's expression was unreadable.
Selene tightened her hold on Zayden, her heart pounding.
Zayden himself felt only cold clarity.
So I'm on someone's radar now.
That was… inconvenient.
Later, deep within the inner palace, Emperor Tiberius stood before an ancient mirror etched with seals. Its surface rippled, revealing the faint outline of a robed figure.
"You felt it too," Tiberius said.
"Yes," the figure replied. "Whatever glanced at your son was not bound to this empire."
"Can it see him clearly?"
"Unlikely. But it knows of him now."
Tiberius clenched his fist. "Then we accelerate the plan."
The figure hesitated. "He is still a child."
"He is my heir," Tiberius said flatly. "And this world devours the unprepared."
That night, Zayden slept beneath layers of protective formations.
For the first time since his rebirth, he dreamed.
Not of Earth.
But he dreamed of a wide golden path stretching into endless darkness. Its start was bright, but its end was hidden.
And somewhere far away, something ancient had opened its eyes.
The Golden Empire celebrated the birth of its future.
But fate had already taken notice.