Inside the domain.
Mana flowed like unseen tides across the land Daniel had shaped—through forests heavy with latent power, across plains that shimmered faintly beneath the artificial sky, and deep into the caverns below where Lilith's core pulsed steadily, fed by the demon monarch's heart.
The three eggs rested at the center of a stone platform, suspended slightly above the ground, wrapped in gentle streams of energy.
They were no longer fading.
They were ready.
Daniel stood before them, Armor dismissed, his presence calm but attentive. Eseren hovered nearby, barely containing herself, eyes sparkling like a child on the verge of opening gifts she'd dreamed of for years.
"They're really going to hatch?" she asked, voice hushed, as if afraid to scare them.
Lilith's voice echoed softly through the domain.
The first and second eggs have reached the threshold. External stimulation will trigger emergence.
Daniel nodded and placed his palm near the crimson-gold egg first.
The moment his aura brushed it—
Crack.
A thin fracture spread across the shell, glowing with molten light. Heat radiated outward, not painful, but warm—comforting.
Eseren gasped. "Daniel—look!"
The egg split open.
Fire did not burst outward.
Instead, it folded inward, collapsing into itself as a small, scaled form pushed through. A tiny dragon cub emerged, wings still folded tightly against its body, crimson scales edged with faint gold runes that shimmered as if etched by magic itself.
Its eyes opened.
Deep, intelligent amber.
The cub looked around once—then locked onto Daniel.
A soft, rumbling sound escaped its throat.
Not a roar.
A purr.
The dragon wobbled forward and pressed its forehead against Daniel's chest.
Eseren froze.
"…It's bonding," she whispered.
Lilith confirmed gently. Warlock Dragon. Name recognition required.
Daniel exhaled slowly.
"Zenn," he said.
The dragon cub chirped softly, wings fluttering clumsily, then climbed higher, curling against Daniel's shoulder with possessive intent. When Eseren took a step closer, Zenn hissed faintly—not aggressive, but protective.
Daniel raised a finger, calm but firm.
"It's fine."
Zenn hesitated… then relaxed, allowing Eseren closer while keeping one eye on her.
Eseren's heart melted instantly.
"Oh no," she said weakly. "He's adorable."
Zenn puffed up proudly.
The second egg trembled.
The obsidian shell cracked with a sharp sound, fragments falling away to reveal a small wolf pup—sleek black fur streaked with silver, eyes bright and alert. Unlike Zenn, the pup immediately leapt forward, tail wagging furiously.
It skidded to a stop in front of Eseren and sniffed her boots.
Then barked.
Once.
Eseren squealed.
"IT'S A BABY!"
The wolf pup jumped up, paws landing clumsily against her legs as it yipped happily. Eseren dropped to her knees instantly, laughing as she buried her hands in its fur.
"You're so fluffy—how are you this fluffy?!"
The pup wagged harder.
Lilith spoke again. Heaven-Level Wolf Hound. Alpha-class lineage.
Eseren didn't care.
"I'm calling him Silver," she announced.
The pup barked again, as if approving the name, then promptly flopped onto his back for belly rubs.
Daniel watched the scene quietly.
Zenn tightened his grip on Daniel's shoulder, glaring at Silver as if measuring a rival. Silver noticed, growled playfully, then bounced back to Eseren's side.
The third egg remained still.
Pale white. Larger than before. Its surface pulsed slowly, greedily absorbing ambient mana.
Daniel frowned.
"Lilith?"
The Ant Queen requires significantly more energy, she replied. Her evolution path is… demanding.
Daniel's gaze drifted inward.
To Vorrath.
The void entity stirred faintly, bloated with stolen essence—mana harvested from countless demonic beasts and the remains of Locust himself. It was power, raw and violent, stored without purpose.
Until now.
"What if we feed it?" Daniel asked.
Lilith hesitated.
Master… that quantity of mana may force mutation. The result would be unpredictable.
Daniel did not look away from the egg.
"Everything powerful is unpredictable."
Eseren glanced over, concern flickering briefly across her excitement. "Daniel… are you sure?"
He nodded once.
"Do it."
Lilith fell silent.
Then—Very well.
Vorrath opened.
Darkness spilled forth, controlled, measured—but immense. Streams of demonic mana poured into the egg, flooding it beyond normal thresholds.
The egg expanded.
Cracks did not form.
Instead, the shell thickened, runes appearing across its surface—ancient, complex, far beyond the others. The ground beneath it cracked as the egg grew to nearly twice its original size and formed root like veins that attached it to the domain, wow Lilith said, master the veins are absorbing energy from the domain but not too much, just enough to keep its strength up, my estimations tell me she will wake up with in 2 weeks, but don't worry in the mean time I will keep talking to her in order to create a bond in our family .
The mana density spiked violently.
Zenn hissed, wings spreading instinctively.
Silver backed closer to Eseren, fur bristling.
Daniel stood firm.
The flow stopped.
The egg pulsed once… twice… then fell still.
Lilith spoke carefully. Incubation has begun. This evolution will take time.
Daniel exhaled slowly. "How long?"
Unknown.
Eseren swallowed. "That doesn't sound reassuring."
Lilith added, But it is alive. And stable.
Daniel nodded.
"Then we wait."
Time passed differently within the domain.
Eseren sat in the grass, Silver curled happily in her lap while Zenn perched on her shoulder now, far more accepting of her presence. She laughed as the dragon nipped gently at her hair, clearly fascinated by its texture.
"Hey! Don't eat that—it's not food!"
Zenn chirped innocently.
Daniel returned with something else.
Armor.
He held it out to her.
It was light-gray with black reinforcement plates, sleek and flexible, crafted to allow maximum movement. The joints were layered rather than rigid, designed for jumping, flipping, and rapid repositioning. The material shimmered faintly, hard as steel yet light as cloth.
"Try it," Daniel said.
Eseren blinked. "For me?"
"It matches your style."
She slipped it on.
It fit perfectly.
No adjustments needed.
She jumped experimentally—then laughed as she landed without sound.
"This is amazing," she said, eyes shining. "I feel like I can fly!"
Zenn flapped his wings excitedly.
Eseren froze, then grinned wildly.
"…Daniel."
"No."
"Daniel."
"No."
"I could ride him someday," she said quickly, words tumbling out. "Imagine it—me in the sky, shooting arrows while Zenn dives—"
"No," Daniel repeated, flat.
Zenn chirped enthusiastically.
Silver barked.
Eseren laughed harder, spinning in place as she imagined it anyway—wind rushing past her, Blaze Bang singing, enemies below never even seeing death come.
She hugged Silver tightly.
"I'm going to be unstoppable," she whispered.
Daniel watched her.
For the first time, it wasn't just power growing around him—but bonds.
Lilith's voice echoed softly, almost fondly.
This is how empires begin, Master.
Daniel looked at the incubating egg one last time.
"…Then we'll build it carefully."
Somewhere within the domain, the third egg pulsed.
And something ancient dreamed.