Three weeks passed far faster than Antony expected.
He had spent most of those three weeks attempting to accomplish something that, in hindsight, had probably been unreasonable from the beginning.
Evolve a Red Territory Core into an Orange Territory Core in twenty-one days.
Antony had thrown himself into the work anyway. Patrols were expanded, construction crews worked from sunrise until well after sunset, warehouses were stocked, two experimental Mist Towers had been completed along the northwestern boundary, and the number of trained guards had increased enough that General Alric had finally stopped looking as though someone was personally insulting him every time he inspected the barracks.
None of it had been enough.
On the morning of Michael’s naming ceremony, he had been standing alone in the Territory Core chamber when the final notification appeared.
[Optional Territory Objective expired.]
[Evolve Urelias Territory Core: RED → ORANGE.]
[Objective Status: FAILED.]
[Additional Reward forfeited.]
Antony stared at the screen for several seconds, then he sighed heavily to himself.
"Of course."
The Red Core floating before him pulsed softly.
It was brighter than it had been three weeks earlier; its internal energy had increased significantly, territory stability had improved, military readiness had climbed from thirty-one percent to forty-three percent and several of the hidden conditions required for evolution had been completed.
But several were still missing.
The system had not cared that he had worked himself half to death trying. Twenty-one days had passed so he had failed.
He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"I’m starting to dislike deadlines," he muttered to himself.
He hadn’t really expected an answer but another prompt appeared.
[No penalty has been issued.]
[The objective was optional.]
[Continue developing a home worthy of your family.]
That softened the irritation slightly.
"At least you’re reasonable about losing."
Antony dismissed the screen and headed upstairs since he had more important things to worry about.
Today, his son was receiving his name.
The naming ceremony was considerably more formal than the small revealing celebration they had held three weeks earlier.
Mist Angel tradition treated a child’s first month as important because children born naturally to their race had historically suffered from low survival rates. The first month represented the point where families could begin allowing themselves to believe that the child would truly remain with them.
That meaning had become even heavier in a race whose population had been declining for generations.
The ceremony was still held within the manor gardens, but this time nearly every family within reasonable travelling distance had sent at least one representative. White cloth had been draped between the trees, small floating lights hovered above the paths despite the bright morning sun, and flowers covered the edge of the raised platform where Antony and Roxanna stood.
Their son looked considerably less impressed by the occasion.
He was asleep.
Antony looked down at him.
"Look at him sleeping so peacefully when he’s been awake half the night," he said through gritted teeth.
Roxanna smiled beside him.
"That is why he’s sleeping now," she said gently.
"He could have done this last night."
"Sweetheart, you keep speaking as though he has a schedule."
"He should."
"He’s one month old."
"Exactly. Plenty of time to learn, maybe we should train him or something."
Roxanna turned her head slowly.
Antony saw the warning in her galaxy-blue eyes and immediately adjusted his statement.
"I mean, he can learn whenever he feels ready."
"Much better."
He looked down at him again.
The changes in the child during the first month had been almost ridiculous.
His golden hair had thickened enough to be obvious now, though it was still soft and fine, while his face had lost almost all of the redness Antony remembered from the first minutes after birth. His skin had become smooth, his tiny features had settled, and those strange blue eyes inherited from Roxanna had become even clearer whenever he opened them.
Antony had also been forced to admit, privately and repeatedly, that his original opinion had been completely wrong.
Their child was an annoyingly beautiful baby.
Roxanna never allowed him to forget it.
"You were wrong."
Antony looked at her.
"About what?"
She glanced toward the baby.
Antony sighed.
"It has been a month."
"And?"
"Are you going to mention that for the rest of my life?"
"Probably."
"I said he was beautiful."
"Eventually."
"I was emotional at that time, cut me some slack."
"You hesitated Antony, this is your baby... you created him."
"Roxanna."
She smiled and leaned closer.
"Sweetheart."
Antony stared at her for a moment before giving up. Five years of marriage had taught him that surrender was sometimes the only path to peace.
The ceremony began shortly afterward.
An elderly Mist Angel priestess approached the platform carrying a shallow silver bowl filled with clear water gathered from one of the territory’s oldest springs.
She dipped two fingers into it and gently touched the baby’s forehead.
The child stirred.
Antony immediately tensed as he prayed to whatever gods existed.
Roxanna glanced at him.
"Don’t."
"I didn’t do anything."
"Your entire body just prepared for him to start crying."
"Experience."
The child opened his eyes, blue light shimmering within them.
The priestess smiled.
"The heir is awake."
Antony muttered, "Barely."
The priestess ignored him.
She turned toward the gathered Angels.
"One month ago, our Lord and Lady welcomed a son into this land. Today, he is presented not simply as their child, but as a child of Urelias Territory, one who will grow beneath the same sky, drink from the same water, and walk the same roads as all those who call this territory home."
The gardens became completely silent.
The priestess looked toward Antony.
"My Lord."
He stepped forward after Roxanna placed him into his arms.
The baby’s small hand immediately caught one of the decorative cords hanging from Antony’s ceremonial coat.
He quietly tried to free it but the baby tightened his grip.
Antony stopped since the priestess was waiting and he didn’t want to embarrass himself.
Roxanna was trying not to laugh.
Antony cleared his throat.
"We’ve spent the last month arguing over this."
The crowd laughed.
She elbowed him.
"It was not arguing."
"It was absolutely arguing."
"Discussion."
"One of your suggestions had six syllables," he replied.
"It was a traditional divine name," she defended herself vehemently.
"Our son would have learned to fly before he learned to say it."
A louder laugh moved through the crowd.
Roxanna narrowed her eyes.
Antony smiled, then he looked down at the infant in his arms.
The humor faded naturally.
"When he was born, I thought about giving him a name connected to power. Something grand. Something fitting for...everything surrounding his birth."
He paused.
"But after the first week, I realized I didn’t want his name to be a burden."
Roxanna’s expression softened.
Antony continued.
"He doesn’t need to grow up trying to become whatever the rest of the world expects him to be. He doesn’t need to carry our ambitions."
The baby squeezed the cord again as though acknowledging him.
Antony smiled.
"I just want him to grow up safely."
He looked toward Roxanna who nodded.
Antony turned back toward the gathered Angels.
"His name is Michael."
A murmur passed through the gardens.
He carefully lifted his son a little higher.
"Michael Urelias."
The crowd erupted... but this time they had learned from the revealing ceremony. Nobody screamed quite loudly enough to frighten him.
Michael stared at everyone with the solemn expression of someone who had absolutely no understanding of what was happening.
Then he sneezed.
The front rows immediately melted.
Antony looked down.
"Perfect timing."
Roxanna laughed.
The moment the name was formally spoken, Antony heard the familiar sound inside his mind.
[Family Milestone achieved.]
[Your firstborn has received his name.]
[Michael Urelias has been recognized as a permanent member of the Urelias Family Line.]
[Family Prosperity +75.]
[Reward acquired.]
[Family Skill unlocked: Bloodline Resonance.]
Antony’s expression changed slightly.
Roxanna noticed.
She moved closer while the priestess continued the ceremony.
"System?"
Antony nodded subtly.
He waited until the attention of the crowd shifted toward the blessing ritual before sharing the prompt with her.
[Bloodline Resonance - Family Skill.]
[The Lord may instinctively sense the physical condition and emotional distress of direct family members within Urelias Territory.]
[The effect becomes stronger as Family Prosperity increases.]
[Additional effect: Mana circulation efficiency increases when direct family members are nearby.]
Roxanna read it, then looked at Antony.
"That is useful."
"Very."
"Especially considering how often you check whether Michael is breathing while he’s asleep."
Antony’s eyes narrowed.
"I do not."
"You did it seven times last night."
"He was unusually quiet."
"He was sleeping."
"Exactly. Suspicious. I expected him to wake up and he didn’t at that time."
Roxanna stared at him without breaking his gazw.
Antony refused to retreat.
The ceremony lasted another two hours.
By the end, Michael had fallen asleep again, Roxanna had been presented with enough flowers to fill half the manor, and Antony had received so many congratulations that the phrase had begun losing meaning.
The celebrations continued through the afternoon. Eventually, though, the guests left.
The musicians packed away their instruments. The servants began clearing the garden.
And Antony’s attention slowly returned to the problem he’d been avoiding for one day.
His territory still wasn’t Orange, and the world was still looking for his son.