As night fell and darkness spread across the world, a heavy silence settled over the king's grand castle. Deep within its towering walls, in a private meeting chamber reserved for matters of utmost importance, four figures sat gathered around a long polished table. There were the king and queen, and beside them, their own parents—the elder king and queen—each wearing expressions marked by concern.
They had come together to discuss a grave matter: the future of the newborn prince.
Only hours earlier, they had received a troubling report from the kingdom's finest physicians, and its contents had shaken the royal family deeply. These doctors, renowned across many lands for their unmatched skill and wisdom, served in the royal medical halls built beside the castle itself. The king had spared no expense in creating the finest place of healing in the realm, ensuring that the greatest healers were drawn to his kingdom with lavish salaries, unmatched comforts, and privileges that extended even to future generations of their families. It was through this care and generosity that he had secured the loyalty of the most brilliant medical minds in the land.
Yet even their expertise had brought news that left the royal family uncertain and afraid.
The report concerned something unusual—something deeply troubling—about the newborn prince, a revelation so serious that those gathered in the chamber found themselves at a loss, unsure of what must be done next.
What the physicians had discovered was deeply unsettling: embedded within the young prince's heart lay a mysterious stone unlike anything they had ever seen before. This strange object appeared to be continuously infusing the newborn with small amounts of mana, flowing steadily through his tiny body at all times. Though it caused no immediate harm and the child showed no signs of pain or weakness, the true danger lay in what remained unknown.
No one could say how this unnatural stone might affect the prince as he grew—whether it would alter his health, his childhood, or the course of his magical development in years to come. Its origins were a mystery, and its long-term effects impossible to predict.
It was for this reason that the royal family sat in such grave silence that night, carefully studying every page of the physicians' reports with intense focus and growing unease, searching desperately for answers where none could yet be found.
After finishing the reports, the family members exchanged weary glances before sinking back into their chairs with heavy sighs. The weight of uncertainty hung thickly in the chamber, pressing upon them all.
The king leaned back and gazed up at the ceiling, his face clouded with worry and fatigue. "What should we do now?" he asked quietly, his voice heavy with worry. "This matter troubles me greatly."
For several moments, no one answered. Silence filled the room until at last the king's father, the elder king, spoke in a calm and measured tone.
"The physicians' reports make one thing clear," he said. "For now, the stone is causing the prince no harm. In fact, it appears to be infusing him with only the faintest traces of mana—so small they are almost imperceptible. Yet those traces are continuously refining his body, purging impurities from within and strengthening him in ways we do not yet fully understand."
When he finished speaking, he too fell silent, allowing the meaning of his words to settle over the room.
The queen, cradling the thought close to her heart, looked toward her sleeping son with wonder shining in her eyes. A soft smile touched her lips as she said, "So my baby has become a body refiner from the moment of his birth… truly, that is a blessing granted by the gods."
At last, the prince's grandmother spoke, her voice gentle yet firm, tempering the queen's joy with sober truth.
"Do not rejoice too quickly," she said. "The continuous refinement of his body is not entirely good news. While the stone in the prince's heart is cleansing impurities from within him and making him stronger with every passing moment, such constant change may come at a cost. It could prevent him from having a normal childhood. If this matter is not handled wisely, the prince may grow apart from other children, unable to share in their ordinary lives, and may ultimately become isolated from his peers."
Her words cast a hush over the chamber.
Hearing this, the queen lowered her head, the brief spark of happiness fading from her face. In a quiet, regretful voice she replied, "You are right, Mother. I let my joy carry me away too quickly. This is not a matter that will be easy to bear."
Seeing the sorrow and uncertainty in the room, the king straightened in his chair and spoke with calm resolve, his voice steady enough to quiet the unease in every heart.
"There is no use in burdening ourselves with fear over matters beyond our control," he said, looking at each of them in turn. "What is written by destiny will unfold in its own time, whether we worry over it or not. Rather than lose ourselves in fear of the unknown, let us focus on what we can do. Let us give our little prince the happiest childhood possible, surround him with love, and stand beside him whenever he needs us. Whatever path lies ahead for him, he shall never have to walk it alone."
His words brought comfort to the chamber, easing the heaviness that had gripped them all night. One by one, the others nodded in agreement, their hearts strengthened by his wisdom. With no more left to say, the family rose from their seats and quietly departed the meeting room, each returning to their chambers in hopes of finding rest and a peaceful night's sleep before the coming dawn.
And the prince, unaware of the worries caused by the mysterious stone deep within his heart, slept as peacefully as ever beneath the gentle glow of the moonlight, resting in the comfort of his little cradle.