Awakening

Reynolds stood outside his house, training despite no longer being an adventurer. Each of his movements were deft and fluid, breaking through the sound barrier with enough force to kill a fully armored knight.

While he might only be at the light red stage, he was a veteran B-class adventurer. His experience and thinking more than made up for his lack of speed and power, which were limited because of his core stage.

Alice, who has just placed Artha in her crib, walked towards the kitchen. She watched her husband training while cooking. Seeing him train like this reminded Alice of when they used to be adventurers, of the twin horns, and of her…

She shook her head and steeled herself. She knew what happened was because of her, but she has to be strong for Artha and Reynolds. As the mother of a girl barely over two years old, Alice had to be strong.

If she didn't teach Artha everything, then who would? Alice knew she couldn't trust Reynolds with teaching Artha anything. She once caught him teaching Artha to fight when she could barely walk!

Smiling to herself, Alice placed the food on a plate and walked outside towards Reynolds, who was still training in the front yard. Seeing Alice approaching, he smiled and wiped away at his sweat.

Alice handed the food to Reynolds and talked about Artha, whom they assumed was still sleeping in her crib. What the couple didn't know was that the little girl was once the strongest queen in her world, and was currently forming her mana core.

Suddenly, a terrible sound tore through the peaceful atmosphere.

Boom!

The terrible sound of an explosion echoed throughout the empty town known as Ashber. The Leywin's house suddenly blew up. Reynolds, who was sitting outside with Alice, quickly moved and shielded Alice.

The air pressure blasted a lot of shards at the former adventurer, ripping his shirt and injuring him. Once the explosion subsided, Reynolds let go of Alice, who stared at what used to be their house and stumbled.

"Are you okay?" Reynolds asked, looking at Alice with a frown.

"Art…" Alice muttered before suddenly bolting up and rushing towards the ruined house. "Artha!"

Those words sobered Reynolds, who quickly rushed towards the ruins of his house and looked for his daughter alongside her. He could hear Alice cry while looking around, so he augmented himself with mana and threw away the debris.

Suddenly, Reynolds crumbled to the ground and began laughing. Alice, hearing his cry-like laughter, walked over and sniffled while looking around. "R-Rey? Wh-What happened?"

Unable to form a reply, Reynolds pointed in front of him. Alice looked where Reynolds pointed and gasped before covering her mouth with her hands. Tears of joy and fear formed in Alice's eyes as she walked over.

"She's not even three years old…" Reynolds muttered in awe.

Artha, their little girl, was floating in the air in a meditative position. Her eyes were closed as she slowly descended to the ground. Once she landed, she stood up and smiled in pride. Jumping up, she opened her eyes and saw the surrounding scene, leaving her blank for a few moments.

'Who dares attack this little queen?!' Artha thought angrily.

"Artha!" Alice shouted, running and hugging her daughter tightly.

Artha let out a gasp as Alice forced the air out of her lungs. "Mama? What's wong? Don't cwy."

Artha breathed out her best attempt at sounding like a baby. Unfortunately, Alice didn't reply and sobbed while hugging her tightly. Reynolds, partially recovered, stood up and walked towards his family.

"What's wrong, mwama?" Artha patted her mother's back.

"Nothing… Nothing's wrong, honey." Alice whispered.

Placing a hand on Artha's shoulder, he smiled. "Congratulations on awakening, Artha."

"What in god's name?!" One of the Leywin's neighbors saw the scene and suddenly cried out.

"I think it's better if we get somewhere a little more sheltered." Reynolds laughed, earning a giggle from Artha and a laugh from Alice.

***

In the end, the Leywins had to split up. Alice and Artha would stay at an inn while Reynolds asked some old friends of his for help to rebuild their house. While hearing them talk, Artha noticed they didn't ask what happened to their house, which showcased how idiotic her father was.

During these days, Alice helped Artha with cultivating her core, since that's all she could do until Reynolds got back. The mana core formed from completely pure mana, but the blood and other parts of the body affected it, leading to impurities in the core.

The core starts with a black color, and with time and effort, it will become red, orange, yellow, silver, then white. While silver core mages are rare, no one is sure whether the white stage exists.

Regardless of its existence, it would take decades to reach it for a normal person to reach it, so it's still a long way away from Artha's grasp, but for now, she will train and eventually reach it.

***

Elsewhere, a tall man with sickly grey skin kneeled in front of another man with sickly grey skin, red eyes, and elk-like antlers. It was silent around them, but dozens of people stood around them.

"Cadell…" The man standing started, breaking the deathly silence that obscured everyone's ears. "Your progress has been less than ideal. Now that you've had time to think this through, do you really think using some lessers to find her is a suitable method?"

"No, High Sovereign." The kneeling man, now known as Cadell, lowered his head even lower.

"You will go to Dicathen with our newest spies and find Sylvia." The High Sovereign ordered.

"Your wish is my command, High Sovereign." Cadell kneeled even lower, pressing his forehead against the ground.

The High Sovereign turned around and walked away before pausing. "And are you aware of what to do if you find the girl?"

"Bring her to our side." Cadell answered.

"No." The High Sovereign stated with what seemed like an angry tone, making Cadell flinch. "There has been a changed of plan. If you find her, you will kill her."

Cadell kneeled again. "As you wish, High Sovereign."