As a one-year-old baby, there wasn’t much Lucius could do. His days passed in stillness, monitored constantly by personal guards, elite maids, and magical surveillance. His mother, Seraphina Velcren, rarely left his side. Her presence was a constant warmth — elegant, composed, and watchful.
But acting like a baby was harder than it seemed. Lucius had thoughts that moved faster than his small hands could grasp, and the limitations of his infant body felt like chains. His mind, sharp and aware, was trapped behind an innocent gaze, a coo, and a giggle. He often found himself stifling his frustration, hiding the intelligence that flickered behind his wide eyes. Yet, the world expected him to be nothing more than a child, so he played the part — giggling when tickled, nestling into his mother’s arms, and reaching for her kisses with tiny, deliberate gestures.
His father had visited only once since Lucius’s birth — not from lack of care, but because duty often called him far from home. Marcus Valerius, the Stormbreaker , carried himself with quiet strength. Golden-eyed and blonde-haired, he was the image of power honed through discipline.
Lucius remembered the visit clearly.
Marcus stood beside Seraphina, close, yet without ceremony. She leaned gently against his chest, and he let his hand rest lightly at her back. There were no grand declarations, only a moment of shared calm. Then Marcus bent down and picked Lucius up, holding him with practiced hands. The infant nestled into his father’s warmth, eyes half-closed, still and observant beneath the surface.
Without a word, Marcus pressed a kiss to Lucius’s forehead, then leaned to do the same to Seraphina’s temple. She closed her eyes briefly, her hand finding his chest. It was a small gesture, but real.
Before leaving, Marcus drew a small ring from within his cloak — a delicate band of gold inscribed with faint runes. He slipped it onto Lucius’s thumb.
“A gift,” he said simply, “for the strength that will one day surpass mine.”
Then, with a final look at the two of them, he turned and left — back to the borders of the empire where his name still commanded storms.
Lucius had inherited his father’s golden eyes, but from his mother came his dark hair and sharp features. The blend of Valerius light and Velcren shadow gave him an uncommon presence, even as a baby. In those quiet moments — when his parents stood beside each other, and he lay nestled between them — he felt the weight of legacy, but also something simpler. Something warm.
The system synchronisation had reached 80%, but its progress had slowed considerably. He wasn’t sure if it would help, but he began searching for a way to accelerate it.
With nothing else to occupy his time, he turned inward — toward mana.
The Mana Storm, still raging outside, filled the world with dense, unfiltered magical energy. From the conversations he overheard, the storm would last another two to three years. That meant opportunity.
He began to feel the mana.
It was subtle at first — a hum, a presence. But soon, it became something more. It responded to him. Surrounded by ambient magic, his body naturally began drawing it in. He could feel it open a vast ocean within him.
Both patriarchs had visited recently.
Tiberius Valerius and Cassian Velcren — titans of legacy and power. They confirmed what he had already suspected: his mana pool was unnaturally vast, far beyond even C - Rank mages.
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They claimed it was the result of being born during the storm.
They also agreed that the truth must be kept secret.
Security was heightened. Two Grandmasters (S-Ranks) were assigned to guard him personally. Even more wards sealed the nursery.
So, Lucius did not attempt anything ambitious.
Instead, he began with something simple.
Breathing.
He inhaled and exhaled slowly, consciously. As he did, he could feel faint traces of mana linger within his body — not rushing, not overwhelming, but settling. Strengthening him, gradually. It was warm. Calming. Peaceful.
Each time he practised, the comfort lulled him to sleep.
It became a habit.
His mother never took him outside the room. Not even once. The Mana Storm was simply too dangerous. Though the Valerius estate’s protective enchantments filtered out most of the storm’s power, it still wasn’t safe beyond the shielded halls.
So the days passed quietly.
In between naps and breathing, Lucius began to organise his thoughts — sketching out the foundation of his future. Money, at least, would never be a concern.
As a birth gift, his maternal grandfather, Cassian Velcren, had granted him a Velcren Heir’s Sigil Card — a direct line to the family’s treasury, with no spending limit. It caused an uproar.
Seraphina nearly launched into a full lecture, accusing her father of spoiling a child who couldn’t even walk yet.
Tiberius Valerius, never one to be overshadowed — especially not by a Velcren — responded in true Valerius fashion. He gifted Lucius a castle.
Not just any estate, but a fortress built on the western ridge of the family lands, carved from meteor crystal — a material so rare that entire duchies had once gone to war for a shard of it. The stone shimmered under moonlight with a quiet, celestial glow, humming faintly with ancient mana. It wasn’t just strong — it was impervious.
The fortress came fully stocked: its own sworn staff, a library of tomes, training grounds forged with spellsteel, and even a skyfield carved into the cliffside for aerial beasts.
Spellsteel was no ordinary metal.
It was a rare arcane alloy, forged in magically regulated forges under precise lunar alignments and imbued with stabilised mana during the smelting process. The result? A silvery, liquid-like metal that shimmered faintly with light even in total darkness.
Spellsteel was nearly indestructible, yet weighed less than half that of conventional metals. It resonated with mana, conducting magical energy like copper conducted lightning. Weapons made from it could cut through wards, and armour forged with it could withstand dragonfire or absorb the force of an arcane blast.
There were other gifts as well.
Land, artifacts, even a wyvern egg — none of which Lucius could use yet. But all of them were now his.
After a full year of waiting, Lucius felt a strange shift within himself. His system, dormant and silent for so long, suddenly came alive. It felt as though a distant connection had finally been made — a lock waiting for its key.
SYSTEM ONLINE
The notification echoed in his mind, and a rush of clarity surged through him. Lucius blinked, his small hands twitching as if in tune with some unseen force. His eyes widened in astonishment.
He had always known the system would awaken, but the scale of his power — now unlocked — was staggering. The synchronisation was complete. The floodgates of his potential had opened.
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STATUS: NOT AWAKENED
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NAME: Lucius Valerius Velcren
AGE: 1
RANK:----[ POTENTIAL_SSS-RANK ]
Level : 0
Exp : 0
Mana:30000/30000
█ ATTRIBUTES
- Strength: 10/100
- Agility: 10/100
- Vitality: 10/100
- Intelligence: 50/100
- Wisdom: 13/100
- Perception: 23/100
- Charm: 20
- Luck: 37
█ SKILLS
Mana Born – A rare gift granted to those born during the Mana Storm. The ability to absorb and control mana naturally, granting access to vast reserves of magical energy.
Origin (Dormant) – Attribute of Creation and Destruction
A latent, dual-aspect attribute that grants the potential to wield both True Light and True Darkness. At Level 0, this power is sealed. Only fragments can be sensed through meditation or under extreme emotional strain. Unlocking its full potential requires awakening, levelling up, and fulfilling certain unknown criteria.
True Light (Fragmented) – Seed of Purity
The nascent form of the primal force of Light. Currently Sealed.
True Darkness (Fragmented) – Seed of Void
A sliver of the primal shadow. Currently sealed.
█ ARTEFACTS
RING - Eye Of Storm -[?????]
█ SYSTEM SHOP
OFFLINE [Opens upon awakening]
█ SOUL SHARDS – [500]
Currency for the shop. 500 Soul Shards are a birth bonus. Additional Soul Shards can be obtained through slaying intelligent beasts or by converting 1000 EXP for each Soul Shard. Additional Info upon Awakening .
