As the capsule’s top panel slid open with a quiet hiss, both Adrian and Seraphina peered inside, expecting to find so kind of artifact or lost treasure. But what they saw sent a cold shock down their spines.
Nestled within a thin, padded lining lay a child—a baby girl, no older than a few months.
Her tiny fra was still, wrapped in delicate, flowing white fabric that looked untouched by ti.
Her skin was eerily pale, not the soft fairness of a newborn but a stark whiteness, like untouched snow. It was as if her entire body were a blank canvas, waiting to be painted with life.
And then there was her hair—an ethereal white, pure and unblemished, cascading around her in soft strands.
It was so pristine that it almost seed unnatural, devoid of any pignt, like freshly fallen snow under the moonlight.
Seraphina gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "A baby…?" Her voice trembled with disbelief. "How could she have been inside this capsule?"
Adrian's mind raced. The runes, the layers of protection—who would go to such lengths to seal away a child? And more importantly… why?
Without hesitation, he activated his Appraisal skill. A golden flicker crossed his vision as he focused on the infant before him.
But what appeared in his vision made his blood run cold.
Na: ???
Race: ???
Class: ???
Nothing.
His Appraisal had never failed before. Even when used against Seraphina, it yielded so kind of information.
But now, there was nothing—just an endless row of question marks, as if the system itself couldn't comprehend what it was seeing.
Adrian clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. "What the hell is she…?" he muttered.
Seraphina remained frozen, her expression caught between awe and dread. But then, her sharp gaze narrowed, and she reached out, pressing her fingers gently against the baby's neck.
A mont later, she pulled back, her face going pale.
"Adrian," she whispered, "she's not breathing."
A heavy silence fell between them.
Adrian’s heart pounded against his ribs. He couldn’t explain why, but an unfamiliar sense of urgency filled him. He reached for the infant, his hands uncharacteristically unsteady.
The mont his fingers brushed against her cold skin, a sudden, almost painful sensation surged through his veins—like a violent electric pulse of mana reacting to his touch.
Before he could pull away, a powerful force latched onto him. His mana poured out of his body in thick streams, flowing into the child against his will.
His muscles locked. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move his hand away. His mana was being drained—not rely absorbed like a normal transfer, but extracted, as if sothing deep within the baby was feeding on it.
His breathing turned ragged. “Damn it… I can’t—”
Seraphina imdiately rushed to his side, gripping his shoulder. “What’s happening?” Her voice was urgent.
“I—I can’t let go!” Adrian gritted his teeth, his body trembling. His mana reserves were depleting at an alarming rate.
Seeing his struggle, Seraphina grabbed his arm to pull him back. But the mont she touched him—
Zap!
A sharp shock ran through her body, and before she could react, her own mana was forcefully pulled into the infant as well.
Her sharp gasp echoed in the chamber. “Adrian—! She’s taking my mana too!”
Adrian's vision blurred slightly as he struggled to maintain his composure. He could feel the mana extraction intensifying, growing more aggressive.
And then—
A glow.
A soft, whitish-red light flickered around the baby's body, faint at first, then rapidly intensifying. It swirled and pulsed, reminiscent of Seraphina's blazing red hair and Adrian’s platinum blonde hair, rging into a single, radiant force.
The chamber, once bathed in cold, dim light, was now illuminated by the swirling glow emanating from the infant. The air thickened with raw mana, crackling with power.
Adrian’s head throbbed as his mana reserves drained dangerously low. But despite the exhaustion gnawing at him, he could see sothing changing.
The child’s once pale skin was slowly gaining color, a soft blush spreading across her cheeks.
The chamber, once bathed in cold, dim light, was now illuminated by the swirling glow emanating from the infant. The air thickened with raw mana, crackling with power.
Adrian’s head throbbed as his mana reserves drained dangerously low. But despite the exhaustion gnawing at him, he could see sothing changing.
The child’s once pale skin was slowly gaining color, a soft blush spreading across her cheeks. Her hair, which had been a stark, empty white—like an untouched canvas—began shifting.
At first, faint streaks of color seeped in, blending seamlessly into a new shade. Swirls of deep crimson, reminiscent of Seraphina’s fiery locks, wove through the strands, rging with streaks of platinum blonde—Adrian’s distinct hair color.
The two hues interlaced beautifully, forming a breathtaking gradient that made it seem as if fire and light had converged upon her head.
But that wasn’t all.
As the mana infusion continued, the baby’s small body began to change. Her once tiny limbs stretched and grew before their eyes, her fra lengthening, her features maturing.
It was like watching ti accelerate in re monts. The delicate, barely-there presence of a newborn gave way to sothing more solid—more alive.
Within seconds, the frail infant had transford into a young girl, appearing around five or six years old.
Adrian and Seraphina could only watch, stunned beyond words.
The last change ca when she opened her eyes.
One eye glead a vibrant, fiery red—deep, intense, and carrying the unmistakable resemblance to Seraphina’s gaze. The other shimred with an ethereal platinum-blonde hue, almost white, glowing with an otherworldly light similar to Adrian’s own hair.
For a mont, she simply blinked, adjusting to the light, her expression one of innocent curiosity. Then, her lips curled into a bright, joyous smile.
Her small hands lifted eagerly.
“Papa, hug!”
Adrian froze. His mind blanked.
What…?
Seraphina, equally taken aback, glanced between the child and Adrian, her lips parting in shock.
But the girl didn’t seem to notice their stunned silence. She reached toward Adrian with an excited giggle, her new form radiating warmth and an undeniable sense of attachnt.
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