Chapter 3: The First Gift
The palace was silent beneath the starlit sky, the obsidian towers of Starfire Palace shimmering under the celestial dance above. The air was thick with a rare, electrifying tension. It had been seven days since Phoenix Bennith Nightshade was born. In that short time, not only had the Sacred Cradle awakened, but the mana veins of the Dragon and Vampire Continents had begun shifting — slowly, subtly, like ancient rivers changing course. The land, the sky, even the elements were beginning to respond to the infant.
But this day was unlike the rest. This day marked the beginning of a rite as old as Arcania itself — the bestowal of his First Gift.
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Within the Sanctum of Genesis, a chamber hidden beneath the palace and accessible only to the Imperial Lineage, a radiant circle of ancient runes pulsed with life. Rudeus Bennith, Dragon Emperor, and Rose Nightshade, Vampire Empress, stood side by side. Their presence alone kept the volatile energies within the sanctum from consuming the space.
In Rose's arms lay Phoenix, wrapped in deep violet silks woven from moon-thread, his tiny eyes reflecting a hue too profound for language — somewhere between molten gold and bleeding crimson.
"Elira, begin the invocation," Rose said softly.
Elira, the eldest daughter, stepped forward, a scroll in her hands — one inscribed with the Prophecy of the Seven Moons, a document unearthed by the Elves five thousand years ago but understood only now.
She unrolled the parchment and began chanting in Drak-Tongue, the language of true dragons — a tongue so old it cracked the stone around them and made the air tremble.
"Born of flame and midnight bloom, By cradle stirred and fate presumed, Let gifts divine in essence bloom, To crown the king the stars consumed."
As she spoke, golden glyphs rose from the floor and enveloped Phoenix in a spiral of ancient magic.
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The Ritual of First Gift was not merely ceremonial. It was a test — one no royal child had undergone since the Age of Divine Flame.
Here, the child would draw from the Pillar of Soulfire, a living conduit of the world's core mana. Only those born under a convergence of power — dragon blood, vampire essence, celestial alignment — could attempt it.
Rudeus stepped forward. He raised his hand toward the center of the sanctum. From the stone floor erupted a spiraling tower of white-blue fire, ethereal and unnerving. This was the Soulfire, a fragment of the original flame used by the First Flame Dragon to ignite the stars.
"Place him," said Rudeus.
Rose gently floated Phoenix onto a small crystal pedestal before the flame.
The Soulfire reacted instantly. It arched, coiled, then plunged into Phoenix's body — not to burn him, but to test the essence of his being.
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What happened next silenced the entire continent.
The Soulfire reversed. Instead of engulfing Phoenix, it was drawn into him. The flames were consumed like breath into lungs, vanishing into the infant without a scream, without a mark.
The glyphs of the room exploded in brilliance, and the walls shook violently.
In a single heartbeat, Phoenix's body glowed like a miniature star. His crying stopped. His arms reached out toward nothing… then grabbed hold of something invisible.
A circle of celestial energy formed above his head.
"A halo?" Elira gasped. "That's… impossible."
It was not just a halo. It was a Crown of Arcane Genesis — a phenomenon prophesied by the World Tree itself. A sign of one who would not only rule, but remake the world.
The Soulfire was gone. It now lived within Phoenix. A silent pulse echoed through the world.
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Across Arcania, effects were immediate:
In the Elven Continent, the World Tree bloomed three years early.
On the Witch Continent, Empress Elsa dropped her goblet mid-ritual and murmured, "The flame has awakened."
In the Demon Continent, the Sin of Pride fell to one knee, sweat on his brow.
In the skies above, the stars shifted subtly, realigning around a new central point.
The world didn't just witness the rise of a sovereign. It witnessed the birth of a source. A being that radiated mana instead of drawing it.
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Back in the Sanctum of Genesis, Rose had tears in her eyes.
"No one… no one has ever absorbed the Soulfire. Not even you," she whispered to Rudeus.
The Dragon Emperor stared in stunned silence. "I barely survived touching it. But our son… devoured it."
Phoenix, meanwhile, had fallen back asleep, a faint smile on his lips.
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The ancient seal of the sanctum cracked.
The spirits of old kings and queens—echoes stored in the flame—manifested. Transparent, glowing figures bowed before the crib.
"Phoenix Bennith Nightshade," they intoned in unison, "you are now the Heir of the Prime Flame, bearer of the First Gift."
Elira fell to one knee. "We serve the future Sovereign."
Each sister followed, even the proud and wild Nareen. Rudeus and Rose exchanged glances.
"It begins," Rose said. "The long path to the throne of all creation."