Years slowly passed after the marriage of Sentinel and Aurelia.
During this time, Adrian did not speak to anyone about the test, nor did he bring up the idea of leaving the galaxy to explore the universe. Those thoughts existed, lingering at the back of his mind, but he deliberately pushed them aside. For once, there was no immediate pressure forcing him forward. So, he chose to live within these peaceful days, allowing time itself to move naturally.
Around two years later, Sentinel and Aurelia welcomed a daughter.
The news spread across Earth within minutes. Celebrations erupted spontaneously in every city as humanity rejoiced for their ancient guardians. Adrian received the message whilst reviewing planetary development reports with Varik, immediately abandoning his work to travel to the hospital.
On the day the child was born, inside the hospital room, Elara leaned over the bed and looked at the baby girl resting peacefully. A soft smile spread across her face as she spoke with genuine affection, "She looks so cute."
The infant's features were delicate, her skin carrying a faint luminous quality inherited from her parents' stellar cultivation. Tiny fingers curled against her swaddled chest, and her breathing came in soft, rhythmic patterns.
Nearby stood Selena, Mira, Liora, and Kaelith, all gathered around the bed. Even Empresses Lysandra and Alice had arrived personally to see the child. In these years, the rulers had grown noticeably closer to the Origin Empire, bonds forming naturally through moments like this, rather than through politics.
Lysandra stood with her hands clasped before her, her usual imperial composure softened into something warmer. Alice peered over Elara's shoulder, her eyes bright with curiosity.
"I haven't seen a newborn in centuries," Alice admitted quietly.
As everyone admired the newborn, Mira's expression shifted slightly. She focused her senses, feeling something faint yet unmistakable.
A faint presence of mana within the newborn. She could feel it.
Before, on Earth, a child normally had to wait until the age of sixteen before their affinity and mana awakened. That waiting period existed mainly because Earth's mana density was extremely low, requiring years for enough mana to accumulate within the body before it could be properly wielded.
On planets across the galaxy with higher mana density, awakenings varied widely. Children awakened far earlier, sometimes at five, sometimes at ten, and in rare cases even at two or three years of age.
But there was an entirely different category altogether.
Children born to beings who already possessed Essence Seeds were different. Whether the parents were SSS-rank or Stellar-level cultivators, their children wielded mana from the moment they were born. A person's natural affinity toward a concept also existed the instant they were born. On Earth, it was merely hidden until mana awakened.
Mira had read about this phenomenon but never witnessed it firsthand. The child's mana signature flickered like candlelight, fragile yet undeniably present.
Alice tilted her head slightly, sensing the faint energy emanating from the child, "Her natural affinity seems to be space."
No tools were needed to determine this. Strong cultivators could sense affinity directly, especially in newborns, whose faint energy leaked naturally without control. Space was among the hardest concepts to comprehend, and being born with a natural affinity toward it was rare even by galactic standards.
Aurelia, resting calmly on the bed, smiled faintly. For cultivators of her level, childbirth brought little physical strain and required no recovery. Hearing that her daughter shared her natural affinity made her heart stir. She glanced toward Sentinel, who sat beside her, and saw the proud, unrestrained smile on his face.
His hand rested gently on hers, fingers intertwined. The ancient guardian who had stood alone for millennia now looked at his daughter with an expression of pure wonder.
So this is the joy of parenthood, Aurelia thought.
At that moment, Adrian entered the room.
He moved quietly past the gathered observers, his presence drawing immediate attention despite his attempt at subtlety. The rulers inclined their heads respectfully. Elara stepped aside to give him space.
He approached quietly, his gaze settling on the baby girl. Gently, he extended a finger and touched her hand. The baby smiled instinctively and wrapped her tiny fingers around his pinky.
Her grip was impossibly small, delicate, trusting.
In that instant, Adrian felt something stir deep within him.
His Source Seed resonated faintly, and an almost imperceptible stream of Source Essence flowed from his fingertip into the child.
The sensation was immediate and alarming, not painful, but utterly involuntary. His Source moved on its own, responding to the infant's touch with an action he hadn't commanded.
Adrian stiffened slightly, his eyes widening, "What—?"
The word barely escaped his lips before he caught himself, forcing his expression neutral. Around him, conversation continued. No one had noticed the brief fluctuation of energy, too subtle for even stellar cultivators to detect without specifically watching for it.
Before anyone else could notice, he activated his Source Eyes and examined the baby carefully. She appeared completely fine. There were no visible changes, and no harm was done. Yet when he probed deeper, his heart skipped.
Within the baby's body existed a miniature Source Seed.
It sat impossibly small but undeniably present. The structure mirrored his own, a seed of pure source, origin of all concepts, the foundation from which every essence could spring.
His thoughts turned inward instantly, directed toward the Source itself, "What did you do?"
Adrian knew that concepts possessed their own wills, and the Source was no exception. Though he had never communicated with it directly, he had felt its presence many times. But this time, its action had been spontaneous, and it involved a newborn child.
Silence answered him. The Source Seed pulsed quietly within his core, offering no explanation, no justification, no acknowledgment that anything unusual had occurred.
The lack of response only deepened his unease.
Adrian withdrew his hand slowly, his gaze lingering on the baby. He did not know what this miniature Source Seed truly meant, nor did he have the slightest idea how he could ever explain such a thing to anyone else. The others did not even know he wielded Source affinity.
Would the seed awaken? Would it remain dormant? Would it interfere with her natural space affinity or enhance it?
Questions multiplied faster than answers.
Before he could dwell further, Aurelia spoke.
"Adrian," she said gently, "will you name her?"
He looked up, pulled from his spiralling thoughts. Sentinel met his gaze and gave a silent nod. Everyone's attention turned toward the baby and then back to Adrian.
The request carried weight beyond simple courtesy. Naming a child was an honour reserved for those closest to the parents, a gesture of profound trust.
Selena crossed her arms with a smirk, "Just don't come up with a weird name."
Laughter spread lightly through the room.
Mira nudged Liora, whispering, "What if he names her something like 'Starbreaker Junior'?"
"Don't give him ideas," Liora hissed back.
Kaelith smiled, "I'm sure Adrian will choose something appropriate."
Adrian looked at the baby once more, then said, "Aerin."
The name emerged without conscious thought, rising naturally from some instinct he didn't fully understand. It felt right, simple, strong, carrying echoes of the vastness her parents had crossed.
After a brief pause, he spoke again, clearer this time. "Aerin."
The name settled naturally.
Everyone nodded in agreement. It was a good name.
Sentinel's smile widened, "Aerin."
Aurelia repeated it softly, testing how it sounded, "Aerin Blackwood."
"Wait," Kaelith interrupted, "Blackwood?"
Sentinel chuckled, "We decided she should carry Adrian's family name. He's been family to us longer than anyone."
Thomas, who had entered quietly during the naming, placed a hand on Adrian's shoulder, "Welcome to the extended family, little one."
Elara wiped at her eyes again, though whether from joy at the birth or emotion at the naming, Adrian couldn't tell.
The baby, Aerin, yawned, completely oblivious to the significance of the moment.
Adrian stepped back, allowing the others to crowd around again. But his mind remained fixed on the impossible truth only he could perceive.
Aerin carried a fragment of Source within her.
And he had no idea what that would mean.