The Azurefall Kingdom's capital, Celestia Prime, rose like a dream sculpted from moonlight and marble. Towering spires reached toward the heavens, their tips crowned in starlit crystal. Bridges of skyglass arched over rushing rivers, while floating platforms carried noble scions and sect envoys between ivory towers.
It was a city built atop ancient ley-lines—arteries of world-energy that hummed beneath the stone. Cultivators from every region gathered here, especially today.
For this was the day of the Crown Prince's Heavenly Baptism.
And Belarion Vane stood at its gates, eyes half-lidded, expression unreadable.
He had traveled for six days. In that time, he encountered two minor sect disciples who mistook him for a rogue cultivator and tried to extort him.
They no longer breathed.
He passed by a ruined temple where ghostflames flickered over shattered idols. The system rewarded him with an [Ancient Glyph Scroll – Unknown Use].
He slept beneath open stars and awakened each day with a whisper:
"Sign In."
Each location granted him something absurd.
By the time he reached Celestia Prime, he had collected:
Heaven-Tier Movement Art: Void Step – Phase I
Sacred Peach of Vigor (restores life force, enhances longevity)
Fragment of a Celestial Beast Egg (Hatching Unknown)
System Title Upgrade: Seeker ➝ Wandering Sovereign
Yet, none of it stirred his heart.
Not until he reached the capital.
The city gates were warded with arrays powered by Core Formation elders. Imperial guards, clad in scale-etched armor, inspected incoming travelers through enchanted lenses.
Belarion wore a simple cloak and suppressive charm. His presence barely rippled in the spiritual world. Just another face in a flood of pilgrims.
Or so he thought.
"Halt."
A young cultivator blocked his path. His armor bore the Azure Dragon insignia of the Royal Guard, and his eyes flicked briefly to Belarion's satchel—though it held nothing but dried bread and a blank talisman.
"Name and sect affiliation?" the guard asked, sharp and rehearsed.
"Belarion Vane. No sect."
The guard frowned. "Purpose of visit?"
"To witness the Crown Prince's Baptism."
"And your cultivation realm?"
Belarion hesitated, then smiled faintly. "Mortal Stage."
It wasn't a lie. He simply didn't mention that he had condensed three Sovereign Cores and possessed an affinity with three laws—Fire, Void, and Spirit—though none were awakened.
The guard scoffed. "Another hopeful. Fine. Don't cause trouble."
The gate opened.
Within, Celestia Prime was alive with divine tension.
Banners bearing the royal sigil hung from spires. Street vendors sold "Heavenly Baptism Relics" that were obviously fake. Children ran with toy spears, shouting, "I am the Crown Prince!"
Belarion wandered with little interest—until he reached the Sunspire Arena, the ancient battleground where the Baptism would take place.
Crowds packed the viewing platforms. At the center stood a massive jade circle, inscribed with glowing runes that pulsed like a living heart. Overhead, twelve celestial disks spun in slow harmony—the Starweave Formation, a sacred construct from the Age of Titans.
And standing at the heart of the platform… was the prince.
Crown Prince Kaelith of House Serenthal stood beneath a cascade of falling light.
He wore robes of living starlight, each thread inscribed with protective scripture. His eyes shimmered with dragon blood, and his aura radiated the suppressed fury of a beast waiting to awaken.
Twelve Grand Elders stood in a ring around him, each channeling energy into the disks above.
A priest-ascendant lifted a staff. "Let the Baptism begin!"
Lightning tore through the heavens. Cosmic fire spiraled from above, engulfing the prince. A storm of elemental forces battered the platform. Onlookers shielded their eyes.
But Belarion… watched closely.
[System Notice: Event Triggered – Witnessing a Celestial Baptism.]
[Analyzing Ritual Pattern…]
[Optional Side Quest Unlocked: Steal a Thread of Baptismal Flame.]
Reward: ???
Risk: Very High
He blinked.
"...You're joking," he muttered.
[System does not joke.]
As the storm surged, Belarion made his decision.
He stepped back from the crowd and slipped beneath the arena's base, where energy channels converged like rivers. A hatch, sealed to all but cultivators of profound insight, opened at his touch.
The Sovereign Ascension System guided him. He was not a thief by nature—but this flame was not ordinary.
It was Divine Genesis Fire, extracted from the stars themselves.
With Void Step, he blinked between layers of the formation. Time slowed. The flame's core pulsed just beyond his reach.
"Sign In," he whispered.
[Sign-In Successful. Location: Sunspire Core Conduit. Reward: Soulbrand Ring (Unique – Flamebound).]
[Item Passive: Grants protection from Divine Flames. Required to complete theft.]
He reached out.
Fingers closed around a strand of pure, burning starlight.
The world exploded.
Above, the arena convulsed.
Elders staggered. The celestial disks trembled. Crown Prince Kaelith let out a scream as part of the divine flame suddenly vanished.
"Something's wrong!" an elder cried. "The Baptism is destabilizing!"
A massive sigil flared midair—a system alert only visible to those with divine-class destinies.
But Belarion was already gone.
Deep beneath the city, he emerged from a rift. Smoke coiled from his hand where the stolen flame had etched a mark.
[Quest Completed: The Sovereign's First Step.]
[Reward: Heaven-Tier Technique – Ashen Void Scripture.]
[+100 System Points.]
[Title Upgraded: Seeker ➝ Flamebearer.]
He sat in silence, heart pounding.
For the first time since his reincarnation, he felt… alive.
Not because of the power.
But because he had challenged fate and won.
In the capital, chaos erupted. The Crown Prince survived—but the Baptism was deemed incomplete. Whispers of sabotage spread. The Cult of the Fallen Star was blamed. Bounties were issued.
But no one suspected the quiet traveler with silver eyes and a lazy smile.
Belarion walked the night streets of Celestia Prime with a new fire inside him—both literal and metaphorical.
Tomorrow, he would explore the Ruins of Seraphbane. Or maybe provoke a sect master.
He hadn't decided yet.
But one thing was clear:
The world was waking up to something it couldn't yet name.
And its name…
Was Belarion Vane.
To be continued in Chapter 3: The Ruins Beneath Seraphbane...