Once upon a time,
The castle of Varenthis is drowning in celebrations. Countless nobles have visited bearing gifts, congratulating Emperor Aurelius. Reason being?
The sound of newborns reverberated in the castle. The empress has given birth to the future of the empire. In the throne room, the emperor and empress sat on their respective thrones. The emperor had a happy look on his face. But it was merely an act. People who have known him for a long time can easily see this. His eyes were cloudy. Only the empress knew the reason for this.
Officially, the Empress has given birth to two children. A boy and a girl, twins. But that's not actually what happened. The Empress only gave birth to the boy. The girl is actually the daughter of a concubine who passed away during birth.
Even if she was royal blood, why was she outed with the official heir? Politics are complicated. Especially for royalty. The Varenthion Empire is a carefully woven alliance between four major kingdoms. As such, the person who is supposed to rule over them and maintain peace should be exceptional in every single way. This matter is even more important in this era, as avatars will be chosen from each kingdom, most probably the respective heirs.
Therein lies the problem. The boy did not possess mana nerves or a core. It's an incredibly rare condition that happens every once in a hundred years. Although there were alternate methods to wielding power, such as spirit magic or martial aura, he would never be accepted as a suitable heir. Once this incident is revealed, different factions will be formed, pushing other relatives to take the throne after the emperor.
But thankfully, heaven has not abandoned them. The girl possessed mana and great potential. The emperor decided to raise her as an official heir, thereby keeping other factions at bay. He will raise her to be a perfect and an idealistic ruler. As for his son?
Aurelius did not hate him. Instead, he pitied him. This child was born in the worst era possible. He will face many challenges. The emperor decided that the boy would grow up in a peaceful environment, support his sister's rule, and live an ordinary life. But if there is any chance that the boy would achieve extraordinary strength, he will be considered a candidate for the throne.
The laughter and discussion died down as a figure slowly walked through the courtroom towards the newborns. A white haired, mature woman made her way towards the twins. The Varenthis oracle of that generation took one of the twins in her hand and examined carefully. She gave a pleased look. She raised the newborn for all to see.
"On this auspicious day, hope for the future has been born. Behold, the heir who carries the legacy of Varenthion and is blessed by heaven itself. Today, as God is my witness, I introduce to the world the woman who will one day lead us to glory,"….
Oracle's graceful voice, which reverberated in the ears of all who were present, died down as everyone turned their gaze towards the emperor. He took a deep breath and spoke in a proud tone,
"Reyna Aurelia Varenthion"
All who were present started applauding. Their faces were filled with laughter. Then, the oracle raised her hand and everybody fell silent. She laid Reyna carefully in the crib and took the other newborn into her hands. She examined him for a while. When she was done, she had an intriguing look on her face.
She raised the newborn into the air.
"In this fateful hour, a progenitor for the future has been born. Behold, the legacy of the Varenthion bloodline, blessed by the lonely maiden of fate. Today, as God as my witness, I introduce to the world, the man who will bring glory to our doorstep."
Oracle did not wait for the king's word this time. She heard the name of the child through the whispers of her goddess, her prime self.
"Arden Aurelius Varenthion"
.................................…
At the same time,
The wife of the patriarch of the Ignisborn clan gave birth to their child. But unlike Varenthis, the atmosphere was solemn. Of course, the nobles have gathered in the throne room to congratulate the patriarch and to attend the naming ceremony, but there was an issue.
The child was born weak and was barely hanging on to life. He did not cry. His breathing was gradually slowing down. Despite the attempts of the physicians, the newborn's life was slipping away.
My lord, forgive me. There is nothing more we could do. The physician said sorrowfully.
Seraphina was already unconscious. Theron had a sorrowful look on his face.
"Why are the heavens so cruel? My child did nothing wrong. Why should he pass away just after being born?"
His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps. Normally, this area is off-limits to everyone except for a few exceptions. One of them was the oracle of the Ignisborn kingdom.
"My lord. Your thoughts were correct. The young prince did nothing wrong. He is merely a victim of the whims of fate and heaven."
Oracle spoke tearfully.
"Lord, remember the wish he made from the Patron god of the clan. My lord asked for the chance to nurture the avatar of flames. Such a wish extracts a heavy price. The god warned that something precious to the lord will be lost and forgotten, even if the lord did not realize what it was."
"My lord, you are a king before a father. There is no point in considering the past. Bury your sadness and prepare for the future. That's the only advice I could give you."
With that, the oracle started walking away. Theron, drowning in grief, turned around to ask her something, but then suddenly his instincts flared up. Before he could respond, a sudden explosion engulfed the entire room, drowning it in a sea of flames.
Theron barely had enough time to create a flame barrier to save the physicians, Oracle, and Seraphina. There was nothing he could do about the newborn. The explosion originated from where he child was.
It was no ordinary explosion. Beautiful emerald color flames surrounded them, different from the white flames of the flame god and ordinary crimson flames. But that was not the most shocking part. Soldiers who rushed to ensure the safety of their lord gave a dumbfounded look, unable to understand what was happening.
Although the flames engulfed the entire room, one area remained untouched. Within that area, a newborn child could be seen crying in a perfectly healthy sound.
The oracle, who could not understand what was happening, suddenly stilled. She heard a whisper from the goddess. She picked up the child and raised him in the air. Theron and Seraphina had already agreed to name the child "Theon Ignisborn".
The oracle started speaking.
"In this fateless moment, A monarch against heaven has been born. Behold, the child who confronted fate with his will alone and emerged victorious. Today, as God as my witness, I introduce to the world, the man who shall seek victory over tragedy,
The goddess whispered in her ear, "Reforged by will".
"Theon Rivenhart Ignisborn".