Sunlight filtered through the tall windows of the Ardenthal manor, scattering across polished marble floors and ancient tapestries that told stories of dragons, heroes, and gods.
Sho lay in a cradle carved from silverwood, staring up at a floating mobile that shimmered faintly with magic. His tiny fingers reached for it — and for the first time, a spark of light flickered between them.
"Ah!"
A warm pulse spread through his small body, like energy waking up for the first time.
At first, Sho thought he was imagining it. But the faint glow around his hand — shifting between silver and pale blue — was very real.
He waved his arm again, and the glow formed little rings of light that danced above his palm before fading away.
Then came hurried footsteps.
"Lirien! Come quickly!"
Darius's deep voice thundered through the hall. He burst into the nursery, looking both proud and panicked. "The boy—he just—he cast something!"
Lirien entered moments later, her presence calm as always. Her silver hair shimmered as she leaned over the cradle, her emerald eyes soft with both wonder and disbelief.
"Oh dear... that's definitely mana. But… it feels strange."
"Strange?" Darius frowned. "What kind of element is that supposed to be? It's not fire, wind, or light."
Lirien reached her hand out, letting a small flow of her magic brush against Sho's.
A soft hum filled the air, and the room felt momentarily lighter—like gravity itself had loosened its grip.
Her eyes widened.
"This… isn't any known element," she whispered. "It's stable, but it doesn't match the six affinities. It's something entirely new."
Darius's brows furrowed. "New magic? Impossible. Every affinity's been documented for centuries."
Lirien smiled faintly. "Then perhaps our son is simply making history a little early."
Sho, of course, had no idea what they were talking about. He just waved his hand again—
and a small sphere of pure light formed above his palm, rotating like a tiny moon before gently dissolving into glowing particles.
Lirien and Darius stared, stunned.
Then—
Pop!
The mobile above the cradle shimmered and vanished in a harmless burst of white dust. Sho squealed in delight, clapping his tiny hands.
Darius sighed, covering his face. "That mobile cost fifty gold, Lirien."
"Correction," she said with a soft laugh. "Our son's magic is priceless."
As their laughter filled the room, Sho blinked up at them, his little chest rising with excitement.
He didn't understand what this strange energy was, but he could feel it responding to his thoughts — gentle, calm, and alive.
It wasn't fire, wind, or light.
It was something… entirely his own.
And though he couldn't speak, a thought echoed faintly in his newborn mind:
I did it. My first magic.