Steam curled gently from the porcelain bowl, carrying the faint scent of herbs and honey.Lina, the head maid of the bedchamber, held it with both hands and bowed slightly."It's ready, my lady."
Elisabeth accepted the bowl with care, her fingers trembling faintly from the warmth. The golden surface rippled like liquid sunlight — the elixir Raphael had personally provided. Within it shimmered a faint light, the kind that whispered of purity and power.
"Thank you, Lina," Elisabeth said softly, setting the bowl on the table beside the cradle.
The maid nodded and stepped back. She had served Elisabeth since girlhood and understood the gravity of her expression — the mix of hope and unease that only a mother could wear.
Elisabeth's gaze softened as she turned toward the crib.Klaus lay fast asleep, his silver hair scattered like moonlight across the pillow. His small chest rose and fell with quiet rhythm. Even asleep, his presence carried something unexplainable — a stillness that felt almost… ancient.
Lina's voice broke the silence. "Will he take it, my lady? Infants seldom enjoy medicine, no matter how mild."
Elisabeth smiled faintly. "I remember you saying the same when I was a child."
Lina chuckled. "Indeed. You once refused your tonic and hid under the dining table until The Beast Emp— I mean the Duke found you. He was furious."
"Oh heavens, don't remind me," Elisabeth said, shaking her head, a faint laugh slipping past her lips. "If Klaus grows up like that, I'll have my hands full."
The brief laughter eased the tension in the room — but only for a moment. As her eyes returned to the bowl, the warmth in her smile cooled into resolve.
"This elixir… Raphael said it contains light essence strong enough to purge shadow within the body," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else.
Lina inclined her head. "The young master is fortunate. Few outside the royal archives would even glimpse such a thing."
"Fortunate, yes," Elisabeth whispered. "But I cannot afford to be careless."
Her fingers brushed Klaus's forehead as she spoke, tracing the faint shimmer of his skin. For all his innocence, she could sense something quietly stirring within him — something neither wholly light nor dark. And she would protect him, whatever that meant.
As if in answer to her thoughts, Klaus's eyelids fluttered.He blinked awake, tiny fingers curling in the air, his blue eyes reflecting the room's soft glow.
"Did you sleep well?" she asked tenderly, smiling as she lifted him into her arms.
A faint sound escaped his lips — not quite a word, but filled with surprising clarity.
She laughed softly. "Today you'll do something important for Mother, all right?"
Lina handed her a small wooden spoon, carved smooth as ivory. Elisabeth dipped it into the shimmering elixir.
"Just a little," she whispered, raising the spoon to his lips. "You must drink it all."
Klaus's small mouth opened obediently. The taste hit him instantly — sharp, metallic bitterness layered beneath faint sweetness. His tongue recoiled, but his mind didn't.
'Light essence,' he recognized immediately, a flicker of excitement stirring within him. 'Perfect.'
Elisabeth watched his face carefully, bracing for tears. "It's bitter, isn't it?"
But instead of crying, Klaus merely frowned… and reached out with both hands.
"Huh?" Elisabeth blinked. "He—he wants more?"
Lina stepped closer, wide-eyed. "It seems so, my lady. He's… asking for it?"
Uncertain yet amused, Elisabeth scooped another spoonful and offered it again. Klaus swallowed eagerly, his brow twitching at the taste but his expression otherwise calm.
"Ooh…" Elisabeth breathed in astonishment. "You clever little thing. You understand, don't you?"
Lina nodded, eyes glinting with disbelief. "He's enduring it for your sake, my lady. Look at that resolve!"
Klaus's small hands patted Elisabeth's arm impatiently — a silent request: More.
"Ah, you truly are my son," she murmured with pride, tears of affection threatening to spill. "Strong, just like your father once was."
Klaus ignored their voices, focusing inward as warmth began to flood his veins. The elixir's light spread through his fragile body like fire beneath ice. His mana circuits flared awake, sluggish pathways stirring for the first time since his birth.
'The concentration is perfect,' he thought. 'Not too much… not too weak.'
The light pushed through his meridians, sweeping away the faint traces of darkness that lingered there — remnants of the constitution Raphael had warned about. It was like breathing for the first time after years beneath water.
When the final spoonful vanished, Klaus gave a small burp. Elisabeth and Lina exchanged a laugh, their tension dissolving at the sight.
"Let him rest," Lina said quietly.
"Yes," Elisabeth agreed, brushing a kiss against her son's forehead. "You've done enough for one day, my brave boy."
They lingered for a moment longer before leaving the room, closing the door behind them with care.
Silence returned.
Klaus opened his eyes almost instantly. The dim light of the lamps reflected in his pupils as he turned inward, sensing the river of energy still coursing through him.
'They won't return for a while,' he mused. 'Good. Then I'll use this moment well.'
Settling back, he began circulating the Ten Eyes Mantra — a technique so ancient its origins blurred across lifetimes. His breathing slowed. The warmth from the elixir intertwined with his will, washing away the last shadow of weakness.
'I can feel it,' he thought, a faint smile tugging at his lips. 'The darkness fading… the light settling in.'
His heartbeat steadied. Power pulsed faintly beneath his skin.
And as the first wave of pure energy merged with his consciousness, the infant who was once a mage from another life let out a quiet laugh — not of joy, but of certainty.
'This is only the beginning.'