"Hey, is that what you think it is?"

"Yeah, I am pretty sure it’s the same thing!"

"The child literally awakened at such a young age."

"But did you see the divine pillar? It was so blinding; it couldn’t be normal."

"Yeah, he must have awakened Divine power. Look at him, he emits strong divine magic."

"He looks like a young saint. Should we inform the Church? It should be known to the world that a young ’Saint’ has appeared. Only a chosen few get the chance to become one."

Rian slowly opened his eyes, revealing pure golden irises that sparkled with intense light. He looked down at himself; the power radiating from him made him feel peaceful. Rian turned toward the crowd. As they kept talking about him, he started to feel uncomfortable under the constant stares of the adults.

Kaisi quickly shielded him, hiding him behind her back. She had just seen her son Awaken, but she didn’t feel even the slightest bit of surprise. Instead, she felt an extreme fear of losing her child.

The Church the nobles were talking about was an organization that took in any child who awakened Divinity. They trained them and made them devote their lives to the world. Their entire future would be fixed for the benefit of others. Kaisi didn’t want to sacrifice her only son for such a thing. She didn’t care if he had awakened incredible power; she just didn’t want her child to be taken away!

"Everyone, stop!"

The chatter of the nobles abruptly halted. Everyone looked at the woman in front of them, who was glaring at them with intense eyes. They stepped back in fear.

"If anyone among you reveals today’s events about my son outside of this hall, then mark my words: I will not let a single one of you stay alive."

Her words cut through any of the illusions and fantasies in their minds. The entire hall fell into a pin-drop silence.

Mark looked at his son in awe. He turned toward the nobles and stepped forward.

"The birthday banquet is over. I hope you all enjoyed it, and I apologize for any inconvenience..."

"...I request that you please do not let this news out of this hall. We will handle what needs to be done ourselves. I hope we meet again soon for another joyous occasion."

The nobles looked at each other with complex expressions and then turned to leave.

Once everyone was gone, the hall became completely still. The servants left the room, not wanting to get involved.

Kaisi looked down at her son, who was clinging to her dress. He looked deeply confused and surprised by his own power. Kaisi patted his head softly.

"Rian... are you okay, baby?"

Rian turned toward his mother, noticing her worry.

"I am okay, Mama. It’s just... ugh! What is that bright energy? Why is it leaking from my body? Am I going to explode?"

"Pfft... Hehe... no, you are not going to explode. In fact, the chances of you exploding seem to have lessened."

Mark walked toward them. He had a bright smile in his eyes that he hadn’t shown in several months. He walked over to his son and placed an artifact in his hand.

As the mana supply was suddenly severed by the artifact, the excess leakage abruptly stopped. The artifact suppressed his mana to a minimum.

"Rian, I have some important stuff to discuss with your mother. Go to your room and sleep. You must be tired after this long day."

Rian nodded. He looked at his mother, hugged her tightly, and then walked toward the stairs, climbing up to his room. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

With only the two of them remaining in the grand banquet hall, a heavy silence fell over them. Kaisi didn’t speak. She wasn’t in the mood to talk about anything.

After a while, Mark sat in one of the chairs and said, "Kaisi, do not worry. Our son will be alright."

"How is he going to be alright? The Church will surely send people to take him once they know about his talent."

Mark answered, "You don’t have to be afraid of them taking him. Even if our son has awakened divine power, that doesn’t mean they can just take him from us."

"Did you forget who we are? We are one of the most prestigious families in the entire Empire. We do not have to send him there; we can train him in our own home."

Mark’s assurance made Kaisi breathe a sigh of relief.

"But one of us still has to go to the Church to inform them about our son’s awakening. If we do not inform them, they will think we are rebelling against the Church, and it could escalate into a major conflict."

"Kaisi, I think you should go to the Church and inform them," Mark said.

"Me?" Kaisi exclaimed.

"Sigh... Yes, you have to go alone. I have some work in the territory, so I can’t come with you. Besides, I need to stay here to protect Rian."

Kaisi looked at him for a few seconds and nodded.

"You’re right. You should stay here. I will start traveling tomorrow and inform the Church, but it might take me a few weeks to reach there."

Mark nodded.

"Yes, the Church is quite far. You have to leave early to reach it in time. You should rest for now."

Mark walked toward her and kissed her forehead. Kaisi leaned into him. After staying like that for a few seconds, they walked to their room.

The next day, the dawn’s rays pierced through the clear sky. The world turned golden as the morning arrived.

Outside the grand mansion, a luxurious carriage was parked just beyond the gates, with guards standing near the doors.

Kaisi stood at the gate with Rian clinging to her.

"Mama, where are you going? Can I come too?"

Kaisi sighed. She couldn’t take him with her even if she wanted to. She knew the risks of letting him out of the house. The nobles wouldn’t stay silent forever; there would definitely be assassination attempts. The best place for his protection was inside the mansion. With his father and the guards here, she didn’t have to worry about his safety.

She patted him softly, tucking his hair back.

"Rian... I am just going to do some work related to our territory. I will come back very soon."

"And I will also bring several gifts for you."

"Oh... And don’t steal any chocolate from the freezer. I will specially put guards in the kitchen if you try that."

"Ughh!... MAMA..."

She smiled, kissed his forehead,

"Bye. I will come back soon... Take care."

She turned toward Mark, who stood perfectly straight.

"Darling, please take care of our son."

Mark nodded.

"You can rest assured. You should return as soon as possible; we will be waiting for you."

She turned around and entered the carriage as the guards opened the door.

As the carriage started to leave, Kaisi cast one last glance at them, and then the carriage disappeared into the canopy of the forest.