Prologue

Ari Mars slightly grimaced when his wife, Lana, squeezed his hand while screaming. One of the women around her used a towel to wipe the beads of sweat off her face. 

"I can see the head. Keep pushing!" The other woman encouraged. 

Lana took a few successive short breaths before screaming again.

"You're doing well, darling." Ari complemented his wife, trying to hide his own apprehension. 

He had never seen his wife in so much pain. They had to rush the delivery. Time wasn't on their side. The grip on his hand tightened, and the pain brought his wandering mind to the present moment. Lana's cries doubled in intensity. Ari was worried, but what could he do? He couldn't tell his wife to be quiet. She also knew the predicament they were in. However, the priority was the baby. Once the baby arrives, they would figure the rest out.

"You're almost there. One last push!"

Ari looked at the woman who just talked. He had lost count of how many times she had repeated those two sentences to his wife. He suddenly heard footsteps approaching their direction.

"Come on, Toni. You need to get out now!" Ari said.

His words were accompanied by a long and loud yell. The next second, they all heard the baby crying.

"Here, he is!" The woman said as she wrapped him in a violet towel. 

"I want to hold him," Lana said in a soft voice.

The woman walked over and gave her the baby.

"Oh, Toni. You're so beautiful." Lana said, smiling.

Ari looked at his son, and a big smile appeared on his face. However, his serious expression quickly returned.

"We need to get moving." He said.

"But the miss just delivered. She is not in a state to…"

"I'm fine." Lana interrupted the woman. 

As Ari was helping his wife up, the door was blown away and two shadows appeared in the room. Ari drew his pistol and fired two shots at one of the shadows. It collapsed on the ground before disintegrating. The two reddish bullets that hit it rested on the ground. The other shadow attacked the closest woman to it. It grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground. In a matter of seconds, her skin dried up. When she landed lifelessly on the ground, she looked like an old lady. Ari fired again and took down the shadow. 

"Let's go!" He ordered.

Before they could take a step, a woman walked into the room. She wore a long white robe with a large hoody covering her long gray hair. Four shadows stood patiently behind her. 

"Solange Vega." Lana calmly said. 

"You have no right to say my name. Hand over the boy."

"That's not going to happen." Ari replied as he stood in front of his wife and son."

Solange slowly lifted her hand and motioned two fingers forward. Two shadows rushed toward Ari. The other woman by Lana's side intercepted one of the shadows as Ari fired his gun at the other one. After a brief altercation, the woman was killed. Her body was in the same state as her fallen comrade. Lana stepped forward, the baby still in her arms.

"Darling…"

"I will also fight."

Solange chuckled.

"Why do you think we waited until you delivered to make our move? You are in a weakened state."

Lana smiled.

"So even the great Solange Vega is scared of me."

"You will finally die, Lana," Solange said and motioned the remaining shadow forward.

A red aura appeared around Lana. The energy transformed into chains that flew from her body and wrapped around the shadows. Lana was breathing heavily.

"I didn't think you would be this weak. Giving birth to the boy must have taken quite a lot of energy. It's a shame. All your effort to bring him to this world is for naught."

"Why is the Vega family breaking the Pact? The first son of the seventh daughter or the first daughter of the seventh son will become a Traveler. We have all respected the Pact. Why are you doing this now?"

"The last traveler came from the Mars family. We cannot let the next traveler also be from your family. It must come from our Vega family."

"Fate has decided otherwise. Our son was born first. You must accept it."

"We write our own fate. Your son must die, so our unborn first daughter of the seventh son can take his place and become a Traveler. The Vega family must raise the next Traveler no matter what it takes."

"Then you leave me with no choice, Solange."

"What can you do in your state? And you know that excuse of a husband of yours is no match for me."

"I know the Vegas would try something. Do you really think I wouldn't prepare myself? You were doomed the moment you set foot in this room." Lana said as the pressure from her aura intensified. 

Numerous inscriptions appeared on the walls and on the floor. The room started changing. The walls and the floor vanished. The surroundings changed. It seemed like they were floating in a dark space with numerous dots of light.

"This… This is…"

"Yes, this is my Aura Field, Solange. The Silent Illusory Realm…"

"You're not the only one who has achieved Aura Field," Solange replied as she let her aura out.

"Negation!" Lana calmly said, still holding the baby in her arms. 

Solange's aura vanished instantly. 

"It can't be! That's impossible!"

"I don't have time to explain my Aura Field to you."

Ari loaded his gun and pointed it at Solange.

"Since your aura is temporarily out of the commission, I won't miss this opportunity."

"Wait, Ari." Lana stopped her husband.

The latter looked at her with a confused expression. His wife was looking at their son with a determined expression.

"What is it, Lana?"

"Our son will become a Traveler. But who knows the dangers waiting for him? I will protect him the best I can."

"Lana, what do you mean?"

She slowly punched a hole in the left side of her chest. The pressure emitted by her aura increased several folds.

"Aura Ignition! You're throwing your life away!" Solange said.

"Lana, why?"

"For our son."

Several chains made of her aura flew out and pierced the shadow as well as Solange who was rooted in place.

"I will use your souls to protect my son."

The chains pulled out a reddish ball of light from the shadow as well as a blueish one from Solange who immediately collapsed. Surprise, confusion, and incomprehension were forever etched on her face. 

"What are you planning to do with those?" Ari asked.

"I will give them to Toni."

"You can't! His soul is in its infancy. He will die."

"Don't worry. I will use my soul to protect him from the negative effect of theirs."

"Why are you going so far? We could have killed Solange without you doing that."

"I know. I just have the feeling that our son will face great dangers once he becomes a Traveler. I want to protect him. By binding these souls to him, I'm giving him chances."

"But you won't be there when he grows up."

"You will be there for him. I decided to protect him another way. But you will raise him and protect him until it's time."

"The Vega family will not stop."

"I know. That is why you must take Toni and leave the Mars family. Go hide in one of the territories the Vegas control."

"That's insane."

Lana shook her head.

"It will be the last place they will look for him."

Ari nodded.

"Don't tell him about the Pact, about him being a traveler. Let him live a normal life. Promise me that, Ari."

"I promise you, my love. I will seal away my aura so they won't be able to track me."

Lana smiled.

"I love you, Ari. Thank you for making me a mother."

Ari couldn't hold back his tears.

"I love you, Lana. I always will. And thank you for making me a father."