Chapter 5: Birth and Doubt
Nyx awoke from his slumber. He was feeling very groggy. He could tell that there was still some time left before his birth. He looked at the nascent Anima in his Essence Dantian. He could see two eggs divided by a wall of Innate Essence.
He dispelled the wall as it was no longer necessary. His Anima had almost formed and wouldn't interfere with each other. The Innate essence from the wall was divided equally and absorbed by the two Anima. He once again started feeling sleepy.
Much of his Spirit Energy had been absorbed by his Anima. He could feel his memories being sealed. Although he could easily break it whenever he wanted, the memories would cause his brain to overload. Right now, he could only access his memories of his journey until he had become a level 40 Anima General but they were still being sealed.
He estimated that by the time of his birth, he would only be able to access them to the point he had become a level 30 Anima Commander i.e., the Foundation Phase. He once again fell asleep.
3 months later,
The Ironheart Clan had tightened its security even more. The Lady of the Clan was about to give birth. They had closed their gates and no outsider was allowed in. It wasn't even due to any orders. The clan members had done it on their own. Even though they respected their Clan Head, that respect stemmed from fear. Fear of what he had done during the Purge.
The few years after that had been lowkey traumatic for those who had experienced them. Then, he fell in love and married their Lady and the clan members found relief. They respected her because she had been able to tame the beast that was their Clan Head. If something happened to her, the mere thought chilled their souls.
When Xander had gotten the news, he didn't know whether he should laugh or cry. In the end, he just issued an official order to close the Clan. At the moment, he was going through some paperwork. It was already 11 pm but he had to finish it now. A person suddenly appeared behind him. It was as if he had materialised from the shadows. It was the leader of his shadow guard. Xander continued doing his work and asked, "What is it? I remember telling you to guard Bella. Why are you here?"
"My Lord, the Lady has gone into labour. Lady Amelia has taken her to the Infirmary."
Xander lost control of his strength for a moment and broke the pen in his hand. He murmured as a smile broke out on his face, 'So it's time.' He got up and said, "Inform the Council of Elders to make the necessary preparations. My son is about to be born." He then rushed towards the Infirmary.
Upon reaching the Infirmary he was stopped by a maid.
"My Lord, please stop. Lady Amelia has given explicit orders to not let anyone inside. Even you."
He noticed that the maid was shaking a little. She was probably afraid that he would kill her and enter anyway. He inwardly thought, 'It seems that I have to do something about my reputation. Although it is good that the clan members fear and respect me, it getting a bit out of hand now. I wouldn't kill my own clan members every time I am dissatisfied. Besides, it is not even her fault.'
He just nodded in response and sat down on a chair. the maid breathed a sigh of relief. Three hours went by. He was starting to get anxious. Just then, an elderly man arrived. It was the First Elder. He dismissed the maid and sat down beside Xander. He took out a bottle of scotch and two glasses from his ring. He filled the glasses and handed one to Xander. He said, "Drink."
Xander took a sip. The First Elder, William, also took a sip and said, "How time has passed. I remember sitting right here, in this same exact seat, next to your father when your mother was in labour."
Xander looked at him curiously. William smiled and continued, "And let me tell you, you are much calmer than him. Aunty Amelia had also given the same order back then, to not let anyone in back then but he didn't listen. Magnus was like an angry bull, ready to decimate anyone and anything in his path. It took the combined efforts of all the Elders to stop him."
Xander asked, "Really?"
He was shocked. He couldn't even imagine his calm and composed father doing something like this. William laughed and replied, "Yeah. Aunty Amelia personally beat him up afterwards. The Magnus that you know is a completely different man from the Magnus that I know. Fatherhood changed him for the better. It will change you too. Hopefully, for the better.
You don't have to worry. Aunty Amelia knows what she is doing. Did you know that she was the one that delivered almost everyone in your generation? And I'm talking about the whole Clan, not just the Main Family. The woman is a master in her field, so have trust in her and your wife."
Xander had calmed down a little but was still a little worried. Seeing this, William continued telling him stories about Magnus. Xander got to see his father in a new light that night. William said, "Don't tell your father that I was the one that told you all this. He would kick both our asses."
Xander laughed and asked, "When is he coming back?"
"He sent a message that it would take him six months at most to arrive."
"What about the Ancestral Rites Ceremony?"
"You don't have to worry about that, all the preparations have been completed. We have also planned a party for the clan members. It was their request. They want to celebrate the birth of your son. Your son isn't even born yet and he i-"
William was interrupted by the cry of a baby. Both men stood up and hugged each other. Just then, a maid exited the Infirmary and said, "My Lord, please come in."
William said, "Go, I'll wait outside."
Xander nodded and went inside. He saw Bella lying on a bed. She looked absolutely exhausted but she was smiling with satisfaction. He walked towards her and kissed her forehead. He said, "You have worked hard."
She replied weakly, "But it was worth it."
Amelia also chimed in, "Yes, it was."
She was holding a baby boy in her arms. She had wrapped him up in a blanket. She said, "Wait for a minute, I'll get rid of the wrinkles. While I do that, Bella my dear, you eat this." She handed a small rose to Bella.
Then, she removed the blanket from the baby and wrapped him in a cocoon formed by her Anima, similar to what she had done to Bella. She was not only nourishing the baby but also checking if everything was alright.
But the results shocked her. She dispelled the cocoon and wrapped him with a blanket again. Seeing her expression, Xander and Bella became worried. Xander asked, "Grandma, is something wrong?"
Amelia shook her head and said, "No, nothing is wrong. I just want to ask Bella something."
Bella had already eaten the rose and looked much better. She looked at Amelia worriedly. Amelia asked, "Bella, do you have a latent Daemon bloodline? Was one of your ancestors a Daemon?"
"No, why?"
"Your son's body is very strong compared to a normal newborn. His bone density is shockingly high. I thought that he was just heavier than normal newborns but I had never expected this. I have only seen something like this when I delivered the Palace Master's daughter. The Palace Master's husband is a Daemon."
Xander asked, "That is a good thing, right?"
Amelia sighed, "Not just a good thing. It is excellent. He will have a huge advantage in the future."
At this moment, Bella said, "I want to hold him."
Amelia replied, "Of course, my dear."
She handed the baby to Bella. Bella looked at her son for the first time. He had a tuft of beautiful black hair on his head and emerald green eyes. His skin was caramel brown in colour and he was bigger than normal newborns in size. Xander also looked at his son and said, "He got the best of both worlds, didn't he? Your eyes and skin and my physique and hair."
Bella just replied, "Yeah"
She was too busy looking at her son. Amelia asked, "Have you guys decided on a name?"
Xander replied, "Not really."
Bella said, "Since he was born on the night of a new moon, when darkness rules the eternal night, how about Nxy? Nyx Ironheart."
Xander said, "Nyx Ironheart, it just rolls off my tongue. I love it."
After hearing what his parents said, Nyx thought to himself, 'My parents have some strange tastes. Who names their kid after the darkness that rules the eternal night? The night isn't even eternal. Whatever, it is just a name. And it kinda fits well with my plan to become a hidden mastermind.
The couple saw that their son laughed and thought that he was agreeing with them. Bella was too tired, mentally, so Xander escorted her and the baby back to their room. Then he went to the party venue where many clansmen and the Council were waiting for him.
He used some of his Anima Essence to amplify his voice and said, "Tonight is one of the happiest moments of my life. Tonight, my son, Nyx Ironheart was born."
His voice became even more loud as he said, "TONIGHT, WE CELEBRATE."
Everybody else roared with excitement and then, they partied.
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