Chapter 2: Seeds of Divinity — The Awakening of Arden
[Royal Palace - Queen Althea's Chambers]
The sunlight warmed the soft, velvet curtains,
and the room smelled of fresh roses and sandalwood.
Althea Evernight — beloved Queen, first flower of the Evernight bloodline — hummed a lullaby as she rested on a mountain of silk pillows.
Her hand constantly brushed across her stomach.
She had started to notice it more and more:
One of her unborn sons would kick sharply and strongly — as expected.
But the second child…
sometimes her entire body would glow faintly with golden light after feeling him stir.
The court priests said it was "a sign of divine blessing."
The King said it was "proof of destiny."
But the Queen, deep down, didn't need superstition.
She felt it — a deep bond — like her child was whispering to her soul.
[Inside the Womb]
In the darkness of unborn life, Arden opened his eyes for the first time.
Not physical eyes —
but the brilliant latticework of Quantum Sight.
Around him floated rivers of energy —
threads of cause and effect, weaving the tapestry of fate.
And clinging faintly to his mother, father, and twin brother…
were fragile soul-links.
Perfect.
[New Skill: Mindhub Initiated]
Connects bonded individuals through subconscious threads.
Allows information, strength, and emotions to flow passively.
Enhances with experience and level-up.
[SYSTEM ALERT: MINDHUB - PROTOTYPE STAGE]
Current Linked: 3 (Althea, Darius, Edwin)
Status: Dormant until conditions met.
Arden flexed his newborn powers, careful not to disturb his mother's health.
He set the first Tasks:
Grow in Strength: (+1 Soul Resonance Point)
Achieve a Minor Breakthrough: (+1 Attribute Point)
Protect Family: (Hidden Bonus)
When they unknowingly completed these actions in life — gaining confidence, overcoming fears, growing emotionally —
the Mindhub would feed them invisible power.
Slowly. Safely.
Their destiny would be unshackled.
And when the time came…
They would not merely be royalty.
They would be Divine Monarchs.
[Meanwhile: In the Capital City]
The news had spread across the streets:
The Queen is bearing twins!
Merchants offered discounts.
Street urchins danced in the alleys.
Even hardened soldiers offered silent prayers at midnight.
At the same time, dark eyes also watched.
Deep in the Grand Cathedral of Seraphine,
hidden hands whispered behind holy walls.
"Two heirs… Two threats…"
The clergy were not fools.
They loved the Evernight bloodline… when it served their purpose.
Two strong princes could bring glory — or chaos.
Already, plots were forming.
Some would smile to the Queen's face…
and sharpen knives behind her back.
[Royal Training Grounds - King Darius]
The King, strong and proud, practiced sword forms with the Grandmaster of Blades.
He laughed, full of life.
"They will be born warriors," he boomed.
"I can feel it in my blood!"
His generals cheered.
But not all smiles reached their eyes.
In times of peace, soldiers loved princes.
In times of ambition, soldiers loved power.
[Inside the Womb - Arden's Meditation]
Arden expanded his senses further.
Through the thin barriers of space,
he could feel the kingdom breathing.
He felt the cathedrals humming, the barracks sharpening weapons, the hidden guilds moving silently.
He even sensed a faint dimensional pull —
somewhere, ancient dungeon seeds slept under the soil of this world.
They will awaken someday, Arden thought.
And when they did…
He would be ready.
[Skill Unlocked: WorldScan Lv.1]
Passive ability to scan surrounding territory and hidden anomalies.
Expands range with leveling.
Arden's soul pulsed once more.
He created his first clone — an ethereal shadow — barely stable.
But it would be enough to start.
[Skill Unlocked: Quantum Clone Lv.1]
Creates a weaker body acting semi-independently.
Can gather experience and memories, which are uploaded to main consciousness.
Can evolve into "True Clone" at higher levels.
Arden smiled within the amniotic silence.
A tiny, secret army.
Invisible.
Loyal.
He sent the first clone into the Dream Realm — a hidden layer between reality and thought.
There, monsters of consciousness slept.
There, Arden would train silently, growing stronger while the world still rocked his cradle.
[Meanwhile: Dream Realm - Clone Expedition]
The first clone floated across misty fields of thought.
He fought Shadow Drakes — beasts made from abandoned memories.
He dueled Whisper Knights — forgotten regrets of ancient kings.
Every battle earned experience points.
Every kill fed the Omnisystem.
Slowly, Arden's true form grew stronger — even as an unborn child.
[Status Window - Hidden Interface]
Name: Arden Evernight
Race: Human (Quantum Core Variant)
Class: ???
Level: 1 → 2 (Hidden)
HP: 100/100
MP: 200/200
Skills:
Mindhub (Lv.1)
Quantum Clone (Lv.1)
WorldScan (Lv.1)
Special Traits:
Quantum Soul
Celestial Data Thief (Sealed)
Celestial Coins: 17 (accumulated through clone kills)
[Family Room - One Week Later]
King Darius read stories to Queen Althea as she rested,
his deep voice rumbling through the room like a distant storm.
"And the brave prince slayed the dark beast," he said, acting out the characters with exaggerated flair.
Althea laughed until tears touched her eyes.
Outside, knights patrolled.
Maids bustled.
Life — beautiful, ordinary life — flourished.
Arden listened to every heartbeat, every word.
He felt… peace.
A peace he never knew in his last life.
A peace he would protect with blade and blood, if necessary.
[Celestial System Monitoring Report]
Somewhere far beyond mortal senses,
the Celestial System monitored universes with infinite cold eyes.
And for the first time, a line flickered across a hidden console:
[Anomaly Growth Detected: Level 1]
[Location: Universe #79021]
[Subject: Human - Unborn]
[Action: Monitor Only.]
The system still considered it insignificant.
After all, what could an unborn child possibly do?