They say the arrival of some is always announced by a mighty sign. Some descend by thunder and cracks of lightning, some come by deafening roars capable of shattering the heavens, others come by songs written by fate, others with a great deal of pain, some by light, some by fire. Some bring blessings, but others bring curses. But his descent was not marked by any ceremony, but only a deep silence, almost as if the world had lost all sound. True, there was motion and energy, but everything was so still that it seemed as if sound itself had disappeared.
Everspring City
Humans, one among myriads of creatures that spanned the verse, creatures of virtue and vice, noble yet the most disgraceful kind, but also cruel. Though they were not the greatest among the creatures that roamed the lands and seas, they were truly a remarkable species. They had carved their place on the vast central continent in the Ancient Emerald World, a feat that none would have thought could be accomplished by such a species. Among the many organizations in the central continent, the Golden Emerald Empire could be rivalled by few in terms of grandeur, power, and resources. Everspring City was just one among many large cities; however, it served as a key border point to the empire, as it bordered two equally dreadful regions.
The first was the Mist Fall Mountains, a dangerous forest that surrounded a chain of composite mountains, which encircled each other in perfect concentric circles. The mountains were always shrouded in a thin layer of ghostly white mist, which would, from time to time, seep into the forest surrounding it. The other region was not a natural area, but rather an opposing self-ruling country. Though called the Purple Theocracy, its size was almost similar to that of the Golden Emerald Empire.
The streets of the city were bustling with activity as people moved to and fro, each minding their own personal business. The sun was already sending its fiery gaze to the west as it slowly sank into the horizon, painting the sky into various shades of orange, purple, and red. Several lanterns had already been set ablaze to ward off the darkness that was slowly creeping in, devouring the distant shades of light blue and darkening them into a deeper shade. A bone-chilling breeze blew slowly from the direction of the forest, beckoning in a sombre note of twilight.
The city lord's mansion was a beehive of activity as maids moved to and fro, each hurrying to complete the tasks that they had been assigned. Outside the central house, a man was pacing about, concern and worry deeply etched on his face as he shot glances at the main house from time to time.
He was heavily built, with long black hair tied neatly on his head, an extremely charming face, and a short noble beard which he liked to stroke on normal days. But today was no normal day. It was the day his second child would come into the world, though it was a bit early, as a delivery by seven months was always considered precarious.
Din Son, a brave general of the Golden Emerald Empire, was a man who had faced off against monsters and beasts, tasted the bitter bread of defeat, and been forged in the furnace of war, hence had an extremely stalwart and resilient heart. Yet throughout all his life, he had never known such dread as he felt today.
It wasn't his first time being a father, as heaven had already blessed him with a beautiful flower in the form of a daughter. Though his wife's early delivery was slightly heart-wrenching, it wasn't supposed to give him such a deep sense of dread and foreboding. Yet he could do nothing and just pace about anxiously like a cat on hot bricks.
Inside the main house, the place was a sight of barely controllable chaos as maids and assistants moved about, everyone anxious at the early arrival of the young lord. After all, most children born early were usually extremely sensitive and needed the utmost care.
The center of this chaos was a beautiful woman. Her face was pale and strained as she clenched her jaws, bearing the extreme pain which seemed to be tearing her apart. At her sides, two maids held her hands as they told her encouraging words to at least ease her pain.
On the edge of the delivery bed, an old woman who gave off an imposing presence was looking grimly as she called out orders. Drops of perspiration could be seen on her wrinkled forehead as, deep within her clear, inquisitive eyes, a shadow of doubt flashed as uncertainty gripped her heart.
Suddenly, with a mighty push, the visitor arrived, and at that moment, it seemed as if the world itself had lost all sound. Due to the silence that followed that moment, even the anxious Din stopped as he stared unblinkingly at the main house, fear and worry gripping his heart.
The old woman's eyes showed a flicker of hope as she looked at the new soul in the house.
"May I see my little one?" the woman whose face had turned pale due to pain and exhaustion said in a small voice filled with relief, breaking the silence which seemed to have occupied the house for eternity.
The tiny bundle was brought to her chest by the old woman as the mother looked at her hazily. The woman gently hugged the child, who was silent, as she felt his tiny body's warmth.
All around, the maids had stopped in their tracks as a solemn expression took form on their faces.
The child did not cry.
This ominous whisper seemed to emerge from nowhere as they looked at their lady with pity. But, to their surprise, they saw the child's body move under the embrace of its mother. The movement was tiny and subtle, but it was a clear indication that the child breathed.
"IT'S A BOY!!!!!"
A sudden cry from an unknown maid rent the air, sounding louder than a war chant, as a clamour broke out amidst sounds of jubilation. The infant, sensing all this noise, opened its tightly shut eyes and, for the first time, laid eyes on this world.
The child's clear, deep black eyes were met by a pair of gentle, soft, motherly eyes that seemed to be edged with tears as the woman looked at her child with a joy so abundant that not even words could describe.
Din, on hearing the cry of the maid, almost leaped through the sky with happiness. His face trailed a grin akin to that of a madman as he grabbed the nearest person close to him, who was his brother, and gave him a long, extremely tight hug as his eyes were on the point of tears.
He immediately rushed into the house, leaving his other relatives who were present in a daze.
That was Din Son, the leader of the Son Clan, openly acting in such a manner. If word was to get out, truly the entire city would be shocked to the core.
Everspring City was governed by the Son Clan, and although it was just a recent clan which didn't have a long history and was relatively small, its greatest advantage was Din Son, who was also the current patriarch.
Din was a man of monstrous cultivation talent, a battle genius, and, on top of that, a man with an eye for opportunity. Though most of his peers had left him behind, it was all due to the fact that they had backing and substantial influence; hence, they garnered a wide range of resources.
Though Din had been greatly rewarded by the emperor and was made one of the four main generals and had a city for himself, this was only a recent achievement. It had only been three short years after the bloody civil war, and the empire was stabilizing.
Overall, Din was highly loved and respected by the people who lived in Everspring City and was known to be a kind and fair city lord.
Din broke into the main house with a bright smile on his face as he looked at the duo of mother and son. In that moment, his love exploded as he gazed at them affectionately. He slowly walked closer as Tian Hu returned his gaze.
"Do you want to hold him?" she asked with a small, melodic voice.
He nodded slightly.
She handed the child to him before resting her back against the bed. Din looked at the infant with emotions surging in his heart.
The infant, sensing the shift, opened its eyes and looked at the weary brown face that was looking at him with emotionally honest eyes.
The infant had feathery dark hair, a pair of deep black, inquisitive eyes, and beautiful rosy-brown skin. Truly, this was his son, Din thought to himself as he looked at the tiny eyes examining him as if he were a foreign object.
He gave a small chuckle as he thought about how he had met the love of his life.
Din wasn't originally from the central continent but came from the southern isles together with his two brothers. They had been orphaned and forced to flee the little coastal town due to the attack of an overlord sea beast. Hence, they ended up in the central continent.
After months of wandering through rough terrain, they were taken in by a solitary cultivator who taught them how to cultivate. Din apparently had monstrous talent and, with some effort, he and his brothers managed to fend for themselves.
It was through them wandering about that they came to meet the current emperor, who by then was an exiled child. The emperor had been with Tian Hu. They then all went into various adventures, challenging ruins and secret realms, gaining the inheritances of various masters and slaying thousands, both beasts and humans.
Their relationship gradually evolved from stranger to comrade, to friend, to partner, and finally to its current position as them being husband and wife.
All this reminiscing felt as if it had culminated into one single point, and that point was current, in his arms, looking at him curiously.
He felt tears welling up in his eyes as he looked at his firstborn and only son, and a wave of gladness and vigor seemed to enter into his body. His earlier worries were all washed away as the storm in his heart slowly calmed down.
Tian looked at her husband with weary but happy eyes. The delivery had taken a lot out of her, but she felt happy inwardly as her husband came and sat down beside her before he engulfed the both of them in a warm, gentle embrace.
For a moment, the chaos which had erupted on the outside as maids hurriedly carried the news of the birth of the young master throughout the city at speeds capable of rivalling sound, and the relatives were an even happier bunch as everyone joked and laughed outside the main house without restraint. The pressure which had been on all of them seemed as if it had faded away as they all let out sighs of relief and muttered their thanks to the heavens. After all, the Son Clan had finally been blessed with a male descendant to carry forth the bloodline.
However, all these things were not important to the trio which sat inside the main house, feeling the warmth and safety from each other. Both parents looked at the child in their arms as the child looked back, curious at what these two creatures were. Their thoughts and emotions moving about in their hearts and brains as they stared at the blessing in their arms with love and affection.
"We name you Ari."