"Wahh!" The baby cried inside a small wooden room where 3 people are present. One was an old lady dressed up in a long dress with different line colors holding a baby.
"Congratulation, my Lady! It is a healthy little boy." The old Lady said.
On the bed lies a woman with long raven hair. Sweat can be shown on her face as it drop on her pale skin. The woman smiled as she saw her baby crying out loud. On the other side a brown short haired man ,with muscular tanned body wearing a black shirt and leather shorts, is happy looking at his newborn son.
"Ha ha.. I'm a father! I'm a father now!" The muscular man rejoiced.
"Get your big body out of my way Zane your blocking my view!" The mother yelled when Zane blocked her view as he celebrated in joy. Zane immediately went to the side looking at her exhausted wife. "Nana can I hold my son?" The mother ask as she strech her hand struggling towards her newborn son.
"Brighid dear. Take it easy ok? You need to rest." Nana said as she carefully placed the baby on her arms. Brighid held the baby on her arms not even oaying attention to what Nana said and the only sound she herd was the cry of her son. She made a happy face as she tried to breastfeed him. On the other side Zane looked at his newborn son with a wide smile on her face.
"What should we name him dear?" Brighid ask as she look at her son like the most important treasure of her life.
"Ha ha this little fella will be called Ernesh. Sincere just like me ha ha!" Zane laugh as he tried to poke Ernesh cheek with his large finger. Brighid smiled as she saw Zane's happy face. She tried to let Zane hold his son but he refuse saying he is afraid he might crush his poor son. Brighid laugh as she look at her son.
"Ernesh, a man who will beat all his enemies to death has a much deeper meaning isn't it dear?" Brighid said smiling. "Dear, please don't influence our son at a young age.. Ha... haha." Zane laugh as he pray his son won't be as violent as his mother. "Are you saying I'm a bad influence dear?" Brighid smile giving a meaningful look at her husband. "No. W-what I mean is that Ernesh should be... uh.. what he wants to be in the future." Zane said as he began to sweat. Brighid on the other hand was beginning to feel tired and doesn't have the energy to argue anymore which give Zane a huge relief. Brighid handed the baby to Nana as Zane was afraid to hold Ernesh. Ernesh was put on a wooden crib sleeping beside the bed where Brighid is. Zane and Nana then leave the room where Brighid and Ernesh slept nicely. Zane was still happy but Nana on the other hand frowned as they left.
"Nana what's the matter?" Zane asks as he notice her worries. Nana was pretty silent and has a confusing looked on her face as if there is something she need to tell to the two. "Vice-chief this... How should i say it.." Nana tried to calm down as she looked at Zane. "What is it Nana is their something wrong with my son?" Zane began to worry. "No my lord, your son is very healthy its just that..." Zane was relieved to hear his son is healthy but the stuttering of Nana was making him worry so he urged her to tell it already. "My lord, Ernesh has a gray core."
Gray core? What does it mean? It means a trash core. The lowest of core. The color represent the limit of energy an individual can store and the efficiency of their energy control. It also affect how much faster and the possibility an individual can advance their class. A core can still evolve to its higher tier until the age of 15 but gray core are the hardest one to achieve normal evolution with a scale of one out of ten.
Zane then release a sigh of relief after a moment of silence and pat Nana's shoulder. "Don't worry about it to much Nana. If at the end he still can't get out of his current color at the age of 15 there is still the Revolving Wheel Pill. Although it can only advance his core to red that is already enough. If I got lucky I may get Core fruit which can further his core to yellow. Although it will be a waste in the eyes of everyone to a gray core, it will not be to me to my son." Zane said as he dismiss Nana.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The eight ranked cores. Gray, red, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple and black/white. Even with the items Zane said at best Ernesh core may still stuck at red core. Breaking out of the color gray is the hardest of them all. Nana was troubled as she left the house.
'The first born son of our vice-chief happens to have a gray core! Why does bad luck always follow our vice-chief. He was even forced to marry that Fiery slaughterer.' Nana sighed as she remember Brighid as their enemy. Brighid has a cyan core and a Fire witch class a rare one at that. She made her fame through out the waterlake Kingdom and Central Holy Empire. King Lancelot Waterlake began to issue an award to her head and an even higher award if she was captured alive. Hearing about the reward Zane step up to the challenge. He was only a green core Swordmaster class an evolution of the swordsman rank when it reaches the master tier, a common class. The story goes that Zane lured Brighid to the central lake where the two were locked on a special seal. In their they can fight without care to the surroundings. The fight lasted for a day. When the seal is lited, Zane was filled with burns and blood on the otherside Brighid has exhausted all her energies with minor bruises and cuts unable to fight. Zane has forced her to submit and got the reward. After that Brighid declare her loyalty to kingdom if only she will be married to Zane. That was a total shock to everyone but later on they discovered Brighid is attracted to the strong. What made Brighid more attracted to Zane was that she discovered that Zane is only a green core swordmaster and she was defeated to submission. Zane was out of choice at first but he learned to love her in the end. 'Poor vice-chief.' Nana sighed as she walked to a small wooden hut filled with herbs hanging inside. She then walked to her rocking chair and took a nap.
*****
Days pastby, Brighid has recovered her strength and now know what their son's predicament is. Zane explained it to her nicely afraid she will be disappointed because he know Brighid love the strong. However, much to his surprise Brighid only smile and said, "Don't worry too much dear. Having a low core doesn't mean he is destined to be weak. We have you as an example for that dear. Didn't you beat me to submission even though your still a green core?"
Sitting on a chair beside a window, the wind blew gently to Brighid's Long raven hair as the light shine making her pale skin sparkles like a gem. Her smile made Zane blush as she looked at Ernesh sleeping quietly in her arms.
Zane laugh awkwardly after awhile. "D-dear please don't say it like that. If others hear you they might get the wrong impression."
"But it's true. After that we got married. Aren't you thankful to have a beautiful wife like me or do you think I'm not that good anymore?." Brighid said as she frowned. She then look at Ernesh and playfully said, "You hear that Ernesh. Your father thinks your mother is not good anymore."
"Dear, my love, I, Zane Ungar of Gram Clan love you very much. Please don't mislead our child into hating me." Zane said in a hurry.
Brighid smiled and looked outside the window. She saw children of their clan running very happy on an open field not far from their house. Although the kids are said to be playing they are playing with weapons. That is a clan. They don't concern themselves of power struggles in the kingdom like the nobles. Clans are happy to fight, protect, hunt, or train in times of peace. That is one reason the waterlake king love the three clans more than the nobles.
"Dear..." Zane said as he got closer to Brighid and followed her eyes and looked at where she gazed. "Don't worry I won't force Ernesh to be a warrior. If one day he said that he will say that he want to live a quiet life I will give it to him." He said as he embraced his wife with his muscular arms.
"What are you talking about you big oaf!" Brighid said slightly annoyed. "huh?" Zane was left dumbfounded at his wifes' words. "Just because he has a gray core doesn't mean his fate is sealed. I asure you Ernesh will be like you strong and mostly underestimated. And when that enemy underestimate my son then Bam! Death only awaits." Brighid said with a smile on her face as she imagined his sons' future. Zane on the other hand froze as she looked at his wife. 'Oh god. Please let Ernesh be a good boy just like me.' Zane prayed deeply in his heart.
"Don't worry dear. I will raise our son's core. If all went down smoothly I can raise it till it become a green core just like you.Hehehe" Brighid said as she kiss Zane's cheek and stood up breaking from Zane's embrace and went to the crib to put down Ernesh.