Three years had passed since Aerin Valcor had been reborn as Rimmer Valcor. In the grand, cold halls of the Valcor Estate, time was measured not by birthdays, but by breakthroughs. In this world, a child's worth was determined by how early they could sense the "Aether"—the raw energy that fueled cultivation.
Rimmer sat in the center of a lush, private garden, his small legs crossed in a perfect meditative lotus position. To any passing servant, he looked like a diligent child trying to mimic his elders. But internally, Rimmer was navigating a complex web of red light and pulsating veins.
[Mortal Vein Progress: 98/100]
[Condition: Near Breakthrough]
[Current Passive Infection: Elara Valcor (12%), Liora Valcor (4%), Seline Valcor (1%)]
Rimmer opened his eyes. They were no longer the dull, watery eyes of a newborn. They were a piercing, unnatural violet, framed by lashes that were too long for a boy and silver hair that shimmered like moonlight. The System had been busy. As he absorbed energy, it had begun to reconstruct his DNA, shedding the "ugly" genes of his past life. He was becoming a masterpiece of predatory beauty.
"Rimmer? Are you hiding again?"
A voice, light and melodic, drifted through the rosebushes. Rimmer didn't move. He knew that voice. It belonged to Liora, his second sister. She was eight years old, a bubbly girl who was often overlooked because she lacked the monstrous talent of their eldest sister, Seline.
Liora pushed through the flowers, her dress stained with dirt. When she saw Rimmer, she froze. Even though he was only three, there was an aura around him that made her heart flutter in a way she didn't understand. It wasn't the love a sister felt for a brother; it was a magnetic pull, a biological command to stay near him.
"You're so serious," Liora pouted, crouching down in front of him. She reached out to pinch his cheek. "Father is coming back from the capital today. Mother is frantic. She's been looking for you."
As her fingers touched his skin, the System chimed.
[Contact Established: Target 'Liora Valcor'.]
[Analysis: Target feels lonely and undervalued. Vulnerability: High.]
[Initiating 'Comfort Infection'.]
Rimmer leaned into her touch, a small, innocent smile playing on his lips. "I was just thinking about you, sister," he said, his voice soft and precocious.
Liora's face flushed deep red. "A-about me? Why?"
"Because you're the only one who plays with me," Rimmer whispered, reaching out to take her hand. His tiny fingers traced the lines of her palm. "Seline is always training. Mother is always worried. But you... you're kind."
[Target 'Liora Valcor' Emotional Resonance: 15%]
[Infection Seed planted. Growth rate: +0.5% per day.]
Liora felt a strange warmth spread from her hand up her arm, settling deep in her chest. She felt a sudden, fierce desire to protect this boy, to keep him all to herself. "I'll always stay with you, Rimmer. I don't care about training. I just want to be with you."
"Promise?" Rimmer asked, his violet eyes locking onto hers.
"I promise," she whispered, her gaze dazed.
Rimmer smirked internally. Liora was easy. She was the "emotional entry point" into the family. But she was just a bridge to the real prizes: his mother, Elara, and the icy prodigy, Seline.
Suddenly, a cold wind swept through the garden. The flowers seemed to wilt as a tall, slender figure approached. Seline Valcor, the eldest daughter. At fourteen, she was already a Foundation Seed level cultivator. Her beauty was like a blade—sharp, cold, and lethal. She wore the black-and-gold training robes of the Valcor family, her hand resting on the hilt of a practice rapier.
"Liora, stop bothering the runt," Seline said, her voice like ice hitting glass. "Father is at the gates. If he sees you rolling in the dirt like a peasant, he'll have the guards whip the tutors."
Liora jumped up, looking guilty. "We were just talking, Seline! Rimmer was—"
"Rimmer is three," Seline interrupted, her eyes scanning her brother with a mix of curiosity and disdain. She felt it too—that strange, magnetic pull—but her cultivation was strong enough to resist it for now. To her, it felt like a threat. "He should be in the nursery, not sitting in the dirt pretending to meditate. Look at him. He hasn't even sensed Aether yet. He's a disgrace to our name."
Rimmer stood up slowly. He was half her height, but he didn't look up at her with fear. He looked at her with a calm, predatory patience that made Seline's grip on her sword tighten.
"Sister Seline," Rimmer said smoothly. "You look tired. Your Aether flow is restricted in your left meridian. Perhaps you should focus on your breath instead of my dirt."
Seline's eyes widened. How could a three-year-old see her meridian flow? "How dare you—"
[Warning: Target 'Seline Valcor' showing Hostility.]
[Counter-Measure: 'Alpha Resonance' activated.]
The air around Rimmer suddenly thickened. The ambient energy in the garden began to swirl toward him, forming a visible vortex of red-tinted mana.
"What... what is this?" Liora gasped, falling back.
Rimmer ignored them. The 98/100 progress bar in his mind finally hit the limit.
[Mortal Vein Shattered.]
[Foundation Level 1 Reached.]
[Aether Core: Formed.]
A shockwave of energy erupted from Rimmer's small body, blowing back the rose petals and forcing Seline to step back to maintain her balance. The silver hair on Rimmer's head glowed, and for a split second, the shadow of a much older, much more dangerous man appeared behind him.
Seline gasped, her heart hammering. He reached Foundation Level? At three? Even the greatest geniuses of the Saint Empire didn't reach Foundation until they were at least six or seven.
At that moment, Elara Valcor appeared at the edge of the garden, her face pale. She had felt the surge of energy. She saw Rimmer standing in the center of the storm, his eyes glowing with power.
"Rimmer!" she cried out, rushing forward.
But she didn't pick him up like a child. She stopped a foot away, her breath hitching. The "Infection" in her had grown significantly over the last three years. She no longer saw him as just her son; she saw him as the fulfillment of every desire she had ever been denied. Her husband, Boras, was cold and distant. But Rimmer... Rimmer was hers.
"Mother," Rimmer said, his voice returning to its sweet, boyish tone. He stumbled slightly, acting exhausted. "I... I think I found the light you told me about."
Elara let out a sob of mixed relief and pride, catching him in her arms. She pressed his head against her chest, her heart racing. "My genius... my beautiful boy. You did it. You're a cultivator."
As she held him, Rimmer breathed in her scent. The System was screaming with notifications.
[Target 'Elara Valcor' Infection Level: 20%]
[New Trait Unlocked: 'Mother's Obsession'.]
[Description: Elara will now prioritize the Host's well-being above all laws, including her loyalty to the Valcor House.]
Rimmer looked over Elara's shoulder at Seline. The eldest sister was still standing there, her rapier trembling. Her disdain had turned into something else—fear mixed with an unwilling fascination.
One down, two to go, Rimmer thought.
"The Master is here!" a servant shouted from the distance.
The heavy thud of armored boots announced the arrival of Boras Valcor. He entered the garden, his cape billowing behind him. He looked at the scorched earth around Rimmer and then at the boy in Elara's arms.
"Explain this," Boras commanded.
"He has reached the Foundation Level, Boras," Elara said, her voice uncharacteristically firm. She stood up, shielding Rimmer with her body. "He is three years old. He has surpassed every record in the history of this province."
Boras stared at Rimmer. The boy didn't flinch. Instead, Rimmer gave his father a polite, shallow bow—the kind one gives to an equal, not a superior.
Boras's eyes narrowed. "A freakish talent. Or a curse." He stepped closer, his heavy hand landing on Rimmer's head. He squeezed, checking the density of the boy's Aether Core. "Very well. He stays in the main estate. But if he is to be a Valcor, he must learn that power is for taking, not just for show. From tomorrow, he begins the 'Trial of the Iron Blood'."
Elara gasped. "He's only three! The Iron Blood trials are for teenagers!"
"He is a Foundation Level cultivator," Boras snapped. "Age is irrelevant."
Boras turned to leave, but Rimmer's voice stopped him.
"Father?"
Boras looked back. "What?"
"When I complete the trial," Rimmer said, a dark glint in his eyes. "I want a reward. I want my own wing of the estate. And I want my sisters and Mother to be my personal attendants during my recovery."
Boras laughed, a dry, harsh sound. "Ambition. Good. If you survive, you can have whatever you want. But if you fail, you die."
As Boras walked away, Rimmer felt the hands of his sisters and mother close around him. Liora was hugging his waist, Elara was stroking his hair, and even Seline had moved closer, her hand resting hesitantly on his shoulder.
He was surrounded by their scents, their emotions, and their growing infections.
The Academy was years away. The Saint Level was a distant peak. But here, in the heart of the Valcor Estate, the King had already begun to claim his harem.
[System Notification: Harem Management Interface - Beta Version Unlocked.]
[Current Slot 1: Elara Valcor (Status: Bound by Blood & Obsession)]
[Current Slot 2: Liora Valcor (Status: Bound by Promise)]
[Current Slot 3: Seline Valcor (Status: Potential - Hunt in Progress)]
Rimmer smiled into his mother's neck. The Iron Blood Trial? He would turn it into a slaughterhouse.