Blessed

The largest room in the Crimson Palace echoed with the sounds of groans, gasps, and whispered words of encouragement. Empress Audrey Aegis, the formidable ruler of the empire, was in the throes of labour.

Following the death of her lover, Audrey retreated to the palace, leaving the management of the empire in the hands of her trusted vassals.

Soon after her self-isolation, however, it was revealed that she was pregnant with her lover's child.

Fearing for the health of her unborn child, she extended her self-isolation, allowing the vassals greater power to manage their increased workload.

Not only that, but she decreased the number of servants in the palace, fearing the possibility of news of her being pregnant spreading.

With this in mind, the palace's usual number of servants was cut from 350 to only 75.

Diplomats weren't allowed to meet the Empress during this time, and only the daily meetings with the praetorian guard commander, Eric Alsbringer, proved to her vassals that she lived.

For months, she had remained secluded, preparing for the arrival of her child, and now the moment had finally come. In this private chamber, attended only by her most skilled midwives, Audrey was about to give birth to the heir of the Aegis dynasty.

On a particularly wintry October night, her son, who she had yet to name, had been born.

As she gazed at the small and somewhat pale body in her head maid's arms, she couldn't help but feel worry.

After all, her child was not crying. In fact, he didn't make any noise. She quickly motioned for her head maid to give him to her.

Her fears were quickly alleviated when she saw that her son was in fact breathing and alright.

She quickly noticed though, that he had a pair of mismatched eyes.

His left eye was Crimson, a clear sign of his imperial lineage. His right eye, however, was shockingly silver!

His silver iris scanned the room, reflecting everything he saw. Soon he gazed at her and kept his gaze there.

Staring her son in the eyes, Audrey smiled faintly, feeling as though she had thought of the most suitable name for such an obviously blessed child.

"Adam. I shall name him Adam."

Her soft voice rang through the room, clearly startling the maids present.

This was because Adam was the name of the first emperor, and as such, held quite a lot of significance to the people of the empire.

Anyone who was named as such would surely face many hardships, as they would constantly be compared to the first emperor, forcing them to act in line with his image or be chastised secretly as someone who sullied his name.

As such, subsequent emperors and empresses have all avoided the use of the first emperor's name, instead choosing to follow the naming convention of having the initials A.A.

Audrey ordered her maid to clean Adam and held him once more. Adam did not cry when the head maid, Venera, took him, nor did he when he experienced his first bath.

All the maids present were put off by Adam's behaviour, or lack-there-of, but did not voice their concerns.

As she held Adam again, Audrey attempted to circulate her mana through him to check if he had any birth defects or ailments but was instead surprised to see a ball of crimson light exit from Adam's chest.

The ball of light circled the room, twice, before stopping in the corner between the bed and the door.

Before anyone could voice their confusion, The ball of light grew in intensity and transformed into a giant figure.

As the wisp of light dissipated, the room was suddenly filled with the presence of a towering figure donning crimson armour. Standing at an imposing height, the angel before them was a sight to behold.

What immediately caught their attention were the four arms that protruded from the angel's broad shoulders. In one hand, the angel clutched a large spear, while in the other, a seemingly normal book that periodically dripped red liquid from its pages, disappearing before reaching the ground

The other pair of arms were clasped together in a prayer-like position, from which dangled a chain adorned with a symbol: a sword piercing a crescent moon.

The sight of the symbol sent shivers down their spines, after all, how could they not recognise the symbol of the god they worshipped?

Behind the angel's back, a dozen vermillion wings spread out, their feathery tips almost reaching the edges of the room.

Folding its wings behind its back, the angel stood motionless in the corner of the room, appearing almost like a life-sized statue rather than a living being.

The maids immediately started murmuring in excitement and reverence.

After all, they recognised the being before them, an Archangel!

Known as the right hand and messenger of the gods, the Archangel was characterised by the number of wings on their back, 12.

Not only that, but this angel was immediately different from other Archangels, as instead of a single pair, it had two pairs of arms.

Not only that, but the armour worn by the angel signified a higher status compared to regular Archangels.

It was commonly known that among the God of War, Enoch's, Archangels, their maturity, and thus power level was decided by the shade of red adorned by their armour. The deeper the red, the older, and thus more powerful they were.

Audrey realised that her smile had grown to a grin naturally.

Snapping her fingers, Audrey spoke.

"Gaze upon the lord's servant! Such an existence has been brought forth from my son, Is he not blessed? Leave my chambers now, spread this news to my vassals."

The maids did not need their master to repeat herself. Bowing deeply, they quietly left.

Audrey stared at the statue-like Archangel for a moment before caressing his cheek and whispering to Adam.

"You are destined for greatness, I will protect you no matter what. Even if I must give my life to do so."

Overwhelmed by fatigue, Audrey held Adam closer to her chest, and drifted asleep.

She did not sleep long however, as soon, she heard a thud. Immediately sitting up and circulating her mana, she looked for the source of the sound.

Soon, she found it. On the ground lay the body of a would-be assassin. Blood and grey matter oozed from the single penetrating wound on their skull.

Looking towards the giant entity in the corner, Audrey took note of the still-fresh blood and skull fragments caught by the decorative engravings of the spear.

Connecting the dots in her mind, she immediately bowed her head towards the aloof existence in the corner.

Audrey attempted to alert her guards before noticing that Adam was still asleep. Thinking for a moment, she abandoned the idea.

Instead, circulating her mana, she enveloped the body in a wall of flames.

The flames were strange, however, as they made no sound, and incinerated the body till not even ashes remained in an instant.

Laying back in her bed, Audrey thought to herself.

'The news of Adam's birth should not have spread this quickly. This must mean that their target was me. I have far too many enemies to pinpoint who could've targeted me however.'

Soon, Audrey's thoughts slowed, then came to a halt as she fell asleep.