Third Person's POV

"EEEK!" a scream echoed in the whole manor.

The whole household rushed to the source of the noise in a flurry of confusion and alarm, all because they knew whose scream it was. Xironia, Elowen, and Novius were the quickest to arrive, their faces painted with concern. Aurelia and a few guards that were inside the manor followed right after, the butlers and maids right behind them.

Standing in front of Alaric's room, Eirlys was frozen, her face a perfect portrait of shock, her mouth slightly open, and her hand trembling as it pointed towards the door. Everyone looked at her, their own thoughts turning chaotic as they saw her.

"What happened?" Novius asked, his voice tight with panic. Without waiting for her to respond, he peeked into the room. His face mirrored Eirlys' shock as he stared inside, and that was all it took. The rest of the household, their worry mounting, crowded in.

"He has... morning wood."

Everyone blinked, their expressions immediately flattening into deadpan stares. The maids, the butlers, the guards, even Novius and Elowen—none of them could quite process what they just heard. All they could do was stare at the maid with their brows straight, but Eirlys wasn't registering anything.

Xironia and Aurelia, though, had different plans from the rest. They were already inside the room, watching Alaric, who was lying on the bed, not even twitching after how loud Eirlys had screamed.

Xironia and Aurelia locked eyes, a silent conversation passing between them. The corners of their mouths curled, almost imperceptibly at first, then broader, their devilish grins slowly spreading like a shared secret. With a dramatic exhale, they forced their faces back to innocent calm.

"He is forming a core," Novius exchanged a smile with Elowen. Both of their smiles subdued, almost serene, as they gazed at Alaric's peaceful form, a complete contrast to Aurelia and Xironia and the rest of the people present in the room who had completely ignored the fact that Alaric was going through such a crucial phase of his life and decided to wholly pay attention to his boner.

"Do you have it with you, Miss Xironia?"

"Always. You never know when something picture-worthy happens. I've got more blackmail material than you'd ever imagine."

"I'd like to see it someday"

"Sure"

Aurelia and Xironia were in a plane separate from everyone else present in the room. Novius could tell his wife wasn't thinking of something decent but he knew there was nothing that could stop her right now.

With a flick of her finger, Xironia's storage ring glowed, a box-like artifact materializing. "Lily, come here. You know the drill—make sure to print two copies this time." She clambered onto the bed, lifting Alaric like a plushie, his head resting against her chest.

Aurelia, meanwhile, slid into position like she'd been rehearsing this pose her entire life. She flashed a peace sign with the enthusiasm of a schoolgirl and grinned as if this were some bizarre family portrait session.

In any other context, it might've looked cute. But with Alaric's very obvious 'problem' standing proudly at attention in the middle of the peace sign, this moment was anything but good.

They made sure Alaric's... predicament was perfectly framed in the center. Lily couldn't help but stifle a giggle as she aimed the camera and shared their mischievous glee.

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The rest of the room stood in stunned silence. Hands met faces in a chorus of exasperated sighs. Even Eirlys, usually calm and composed, turned away with a face redder than sunrise, her cheeks practically burning as she fought the urge to flee from the sheer absurdity of the scene.

*Click!*

The artifact made a noise and soon after buzzed like a sleepy bee, sputtering before spitting out two glossy pictures. Each one slid out with a quiet 'whir', revealing the exact same, overly detailed snapshot.

Novius pinched the bridge of his nose, a sigh already halfway out of his mouth. "Nia, do I even need to ask what you're doing?" he muttered, though he already knew the answer—and dreaded it.

Xironia's eyes sparkled with mischievous glee. "What? I'm capturing milestones here, Novius! Alaric is probably having his first wet dream—iconic!" She waggled the picture in his face like a proud mom showing off a school photo, completely oblivious to any sense of shame.

Elowen, ever the voice of reason, pointed to the boy. "He's forming a core too, by the way..."

Xironia and Aurelia exchanged a glance, their shrugs perfectly synchronized, as if this life-altering event was just an afterthought.

"Yeah, and that," they said in unison, their faces so uninterested it was almost a skill. The rest of the room just stared, deadpan, as if watching the last shreds of common sense float away like balloons.

Aurelia fanned herself with the incriminating photo like it was a prized possession. "This right here—premium teasing content." She strutted away from Alaric, grinning like she'd just won the lottery, while the rest of the room silently questioned how they'd gotten here.

As soon as they left the bed, a soft hum filled the air, mana rippling through the room in time with Alaric's heartbeat. Novius watched closely. But just as quickly, the magic ebbed, leaving behind a stillness as if the moment had passed without anyone really noticing.

*Crack*

The windows splintered with a sharp pop, a spiderweb of fractures spreading across the glass. Everyone turned to stare at the damage, then immediately shifted their gaze back to Alaric, waiting like it was the world's weirdest magic show. But after the dramatic crack... nothing. Just silence.

"H...ow?" someone mumbled, but it was ignored because Alaric was up.

"Ugh..." Alaric groaned, blinking at the ceiling like it was a puzzle he hadn't solved yet. After a few confused blinks, his brain finally caught up. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, only to freeze when he noticed the crowd in his room staring at him like he was a sideshow attraction.

"Uh..." Alaric's gaze darted around the room, taking in the sea of familiar faces that shouldn't be there, the guards had already left after finding out there was no danger. He finally zeroed in on his parents, confusion painted all over his face. "Did I... miss something?"

"Congratulations, Al! You formed a core!" Xironia practically sang as she swooped in for a bear hug, squeezing him.

Alaric's eyes went wide, his body stiff as a board, while Xironia squeezed him like a plushie. His gaze drifted over her shoulder, but soon, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug, still trying to process.

"I-I did?" Alaric blinked, his voice barely a whisper. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Wait!" The realization smacked him full force, causing his body to jolt like he had just been hit by lightning.

"I formed a core! When?!" His voice shot up, eyes darting around in confusion. The entire room erupted into soft laughter, the kind reserved for watching someone hilariously out of the loop.

"You just did," Xironia confirmed, finally releasing Alaric from her bear hug, as if reluctant to let her freshly minted core cultivator go.

Alaric blinked, testing the ground beneath his feet like it might suddenly spring him into the air. Without warning, he hopped a few times, his face scrunched in concentration as if expecting himself to glow.

"I don't feel that different," Alaric muttered, his brow furrowed. "Maybe a little lighter?" He glanced up at his father, waiting for confirmation that he hadn't suddenly gained superpowers or the ability to fly.

"Well, yeah, Black stage cultivators aren't that different from coreless people," Novius said, crossing his arms. "You read that, right? Thought my bookworm of a son would remember." He gave a teasing smirk, watching Alaric process it.

Alaric nodded, ever the diligent bookworm. He was known as Aurelia's library buddy—and had a notorious track record of dragging everyone in the house to help him read until he could confidently say he'd mastered reading. It wasn't exactly a popular household tradition.

During these reading sessions he is bound to have read about 'Core Cultivation' and from what Alaric knew, if one were to consider the strength of a human as 1, then the strength of a Black stage cultivator is 1.25.

In theory, it didn't look much, but the increase in strength above a normal person's limit was intriguing and Alaric was waiting for this, to experience it practically, but to his disappointment, it wasn't really that big of a change. He felt a bit lighter—like maybe he could jog an extra lap or jump a little higher without breaking a sweat. But this was no superhero transformation. More like an upgrade from regular shoes to running shoes.

Alaric scanned the room again, noticing the amused smiles aimed at him. He rubbed his stomach, finally acknowledging the emptiness inside. Turning to Nessa, he gave her a sheepish grin. "I'm hungry."

Nessa blinked, momentarily caught off guard, before smiling warmly. "Right away, young master," she said, slipping out to prepare breakfast.

One by one, the group began to disperse, chatting quietly as they left. Alaric stretched, his smile lingering as only his parents remained.

Novius glanced around the room, noting the cracks spreading across mirrors, vases—anything remotely fragile. "Well... looks like I'll be calling someone to replace half the room," he muttered, rubbing his chin.

"I'm gonna go freshen up," Alaric muttered, heading toward the bathroom. But just as he reached the door, he stopped.

"Dad... do people hallucinate after forming a core?" Alaric's voice wavered slightly. Novius turned, brow furrowed. "No... that's not a thing. Why?"

Alaric hummed, as if that was all the answer he needed, and disappeared into the bathroom. Novius and Xironia exchanged a look, shrugged, and left without further comment.

Inside the bathroom, Alaric stood still, staring into the mirror. But his eyes weren't on his own reflection—they were fixed slightly above it.

"If I'm not hallucinating," Alaric whispered, his gaze narrowing, "then... why the hell does this not have a reflection?"

[Ding!]