Chapter 55 THE SILVER CRADLE
Walking through the corridors of the palace felt like walking underwater.
Dorian walked in front, Atlas in his arms. Serra was right beside him. But the air around them... it wasn't normal. The soft, silvery halo radiating from Atlas's skin seemed to alter everything it touched.
The pale paintings in the hallway became vibrant with color as they passed. The crystals in the chandeliers vibrated and sang as if an electric current ran through them. The servants... they were the worst. They didn't bow as Dorian passed; they pressed themselves against the walls and held their breath. There wasn't just respect in their eyes; there was holy dread. It was as if they weren't looking at a baby, but at a captured star.
"Why are they looking at us like that?" Serra whispered, her voice tense. "He's not a monster."
Dorian didn't stop walking, but his jaw tightened. "They're afraid, Serra. Because they don't understand. The energy of the palace has shifted. Even the walls are reacting to him."
When they entered the nursery, Dorian tried to lay Atlas in the crib. But the baby refused to let go of his father. His tiny fingers were clamped onto Dorian's shirt, right over the golden seal.
"He won't let go," Dorian said, smiling helplessly. The massive warrior was defeated by the grip of an infant. "I think he mistakes me for a charging station."
"Maybe you are," Serra said, walking over to them. "Do you see how your seal... how it glows when Atlas touches it? There is a loop between you."
(THE FEEDING: NOT MILK, BUT LIGHT)
An hour later, Valeria burst into the room carrying thermometers and scanners. But the moment she brought the devices near Atlas, the screens fizzed with static, the needles went haywire, and one tablet’s battery popped with a hiss.
"Damn it!" Valeria tossed the tablet aside. "This kid's magnetic field is stronger than the palace generator. I can't measure him."
"He's fine," Serra said, sitting by the crib. "Just... hungry."
Serra picked up the baby. She unbuttoned her shirt. Atlas's skin was cold, not a chilling cold, but like cool marble.
Serra tried to nurse him. Atlas opened his mouth, but he didn't focus on the milk. He rested his head against Serra’s chest and took a deep breath.
And in that moment, everyone in the room froze.
Milk didn't flow. Instead, a crimson mist, a thin stream of light, flowed from Serra's skin to Atlas's lips. The baby was inhaling Serra's aura.
Dorian lunged forward. "Serra! Does it hurt?"
"No," Serra said, her eyes widening in shock. She shook her head. "The opposite. He's not... draining me, Dorian. It's like... he's taking the excess energy and balancing it. It's... it's so peaceful."
As Atlas drank the light, the silvery glow on his skin intensified. He opened his eyes and looked at his mother. There was no hunger in that gaze; only pure satisfaction.
"He doesn't feed on milk," Valeria said, her voice trembling. "He feeds on essence. On your power. My God... Dorian, this child isn't a Beta or an Omega. He has created his own species."
(THE VISITOR AT THE GATE)
Toward midnight, there was a commotion at the palace gates. When Kael entered the room, his face was tense.
"We have a visitor," Kael said. "The guards tried to stop her but... she didn't walk through the gate. The gate opened for her."
"Who?" Dorian asked, picking Atlas up and standing.
"She didn't give a name. But her eyes... she has no eyes, Dorian. She's blind. And she says she brings greetings from Silas."
Dorian and Serra exchanged a look. Silas.
"Let her in," Dorian said.
The woman who entered was old. Ancient. Her skin looked like dried tree bark. Her eyes were milky white, blind. But the moment she entered, she turned her head directly toward the baby in Dorian’s arms.
"The Light," the old woman said. Her voice sounded like wind dragging dry leaves. "This is the light that burned the Shadow Lands."
"Who are you?" Serra asked, stepping protectively in front of the baby.
"I am just a seer," the woman said, leaning on her staff as she approached. "Silas warned me. 'Volcan has brought a sun,' he said. But suns are dangerous, little wolf. They burn."
The woman reached out a hand but didn't touch the baby. she felt the air.
"The balance is broken," she whispered. Her face contorted in fear. "This child does not belong here. He belongs to the sky. Gravity cannot hold him. His power is too much. If you do not ground him... he will float away."
"What do you mean, float away?" Dorian's voice hardened. "He is my son. He isn't going anywhere."
The woman fixed her blind eyes on Dorian. "Not physically, Alpha. His soul. This world is too heavy for beings like him. He rejects this world. You must bind him to the earth. I am not saying seal his power; I am saying give him an anchor. Or the Old Kings will wake. And they will want that light for themselves."
Dorian looked down at Atlas. The baby was watching the woman, and for the first time... he looked restless. His silvery light flickered.
"How?" Serra asked. "How do we bind him?"
The woman smiled, but it was a sad smile. "Not with blood. Not with earth. You will bind him with the only thing that will keep him in this world: A Mate."
"He's a baby!" Kael shouted.
"Time does not work for him as it does for you," the woman said, turning away. "His soul is ancient. Find someone who can carry his soul. Or that light will burn this palace, and you, to ash."
The woman paused one last time at the door.
"Hurry. The sky is calling him back."