A week later...
That night rain fell gently over Manachy , a neutral noble household , soft enough to be mistaken for mercy.
Lanterns burned along the stone path leading to the magnificent mansion, their flames swaying as servants hurried back and forth. Inside the towering estate, cries of labor echoed through silk-draped halls—sharp, raw, alive.
A child was being born.
Lady Sabrina clenched the sheets as another cry tore from her throat. Sweat dampened her hair, her fingers digging into the mattress as if holding onto the world itself.
"Stay with us, my lady," the midwife urged. "Just a little more."
And then— Haaaahhaa
A cry, small but fierce, pierced the room.
Life announced itself without hesitation.
"It's a girl," the midwife said, relief flooding her voice. "Healthy… strong."
The infant's cry filled the chamber, defiant and bright. Sabrina's breath shook as the child was placed into her arms. She stared down at her daughter, eyes trembling—not with exhaustion, but with something closer to awe.
"My little one…" she whispered. Still couldn't take her eyes off the newly born.
Outside the mansion walls, unseen and unheard, another destiny arrived.
At the front gate of the magnificent estate, where the guards stood sheltered beneath stone arches, the rain suddenly stopped.
Not gradually.
Instantly.
The air stilled, heavy and unnatural. One of the guards frowned, lifting his torch higher.
"Did you feel that?" he muttered.
Before his companion could answer, something appeared.
A woven basket sat quietly before the gate.
No sound.
No disturbance.
No footsteps leading away.
Just a basket, untouched by rain.
The guards froze.
"Was that there a moment ago?" one asked.
Slowly, cautiously, they approached. The basket was simple—old, but carefully made. Inside, wrapped in dark cloth, was an infant.
A boy.
He did not cry.
He simply stared up at the world with eyes too calm for a newborn, unblinking as torchlight reflected faintly within them.
Tucked beside him was a folded letter and a jade pendent, with a ruby attached.
One guard swallowed hard. "This… this is no abandoned child."
Replied almost immediately " we're definitely on the same page" his colleague said inaudibly.
Hands trembling, he picked up the letter and slowly unfolded it.
There was no seal. No emblem. Just words written with deliberate care.
"His name is Ragna.
He was born under fire and blood,
but must be raised where chains do not reach him.
Do not search for his father.
Do not speak of his origin.
When the world begins to burn,
he will know who he is."
The guard's breath hitched.
"What do we do?" the other whispered.
Before an answer could be given, the mansion doors behind them burst open.
A servant ran out into the rain-soaked courtyard, panic in his voice.
"Call the physician! Lady Sabrina—Lady Sabrina has collapsed!"
The guards exchanged a look.
The basket.
The letter.
The timing.
Fate did not whisper that night.
It demanded attention.
"What a ridiculous night " one of the guards sigh
Glares at him" what did you say? " The servant asked
Nothing, I was just ...
Interrupts him" then get going dummy! ... This is not a time to mess around " he instructed, as they both dashed out of the courtyard
"What a pain ... They know nothing but eating and gossiping " turns to the basket" what do we have here?"
———————
Moments later, inside the noble mansion, Sabrina lay pale against silk pillows, her daughter sleeping quietly beside her. The room smelled of incense and iron. Her strength wavered, breath shallow, eyes struggling to remain open.
Then the doors creaked.
"Your Grace…" a guard said hesitantly, stepping forward. "T- Th- There is… something you must see." He stutters.
Sluggishly" what is it?"
He revealed the basket.
The boy did not cry as he was brought closer. His gaze shifted—slowly, deliberately—until it settled on Sabrina.
The moment their eyes met, her breath caught.
Something inside her ached.
Not fear.
Recognition.
"Another child?" the midwife whispered in shock. "On the same night? ... What a strange coincidence''
Sabrina reached out without thinking. Her fingers brushed the infant's cheek.
Warm.
Real.
Alive.
" This familiar feeling'' turns to her daughter" the cheeks feels similar, soft , refreshing."
She smiles.
"What is his name?" she asked softly.
The guard hesitated, then handed her the letter.
She read it once.
Then again.
Her hands trembled—not with uncertainty, but resolve.
"…Ragna," she murmured.
Outside, thunder rolled across the skies of Manachy, distant yet ominous—as if the world itself acknowledged the choice being made.
Sabrina pulled the infant closer, drawing him beside her newborn daughter.
"Very well," she said quietly, her voice steady despite the weight pressing upon her heart.
"Then you will be raised here ... I'll treat you like I'll treat my child, besides you were brought to me on the same night" she smiles with warmth
"I don't know why, but you remind me of my annoying friend. You kinda look like her, except you chin is a bit narrow, regardless, I know you're going to be one handsome of a man"
Lady Sabrina, then proceeded to pet Ragna some more.
The boy blinked once, then yawns.
And far away— At the capital city of Hizosshu where life continued like nothing happened a week ago , except for the families that lost a member, the city felt more lively—Laiman gulps down a complete bottle of liquor in a go.
" Am just drinking away, sitting alone beneath a tree where I once had friends gathered around" bows his head and cries" what is this pain? ... I should've died alongside them. why did I survive that disaster ,only to discover that I can't use my field dimension anymore. Am completely useless now!" He gulps down more.
Unaware that his one of his sons had just been placed into the arms of an empress.
Unaware that destiny had already begun to move. That very son, to whom he lost his field dimension to, was now sleeping graciously next to an empress while he was drowning away in sorrow.
A few meters away from the already drunk laiman, a figure hidden within the covers of the shadows watched.
" So you've neglected the search, the consequences will be disastrous, I assure you laiman" the voice trailed in the wind.