Chapter 11. Mother's sadness.

Halting her movements, Iris turned halfway, finding Elder Gufu and Mei standing behind her.

"It seems you've grown quite fond of him," the old man remarked, his gaze shifting between mother and child.

They did indeed bear a striking resemblance, particularly in their eyes, though the baby's hair was a soft blond, in stark contrast to Iris's fiery scarlet locks.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon," Iris replied with a smile, though her movements betrayed a hint of tension as she instinctively shielded the baby with one hand, rising from her seat.

"Don't overexert yourself. I have brought a doctor to examine the heir," Gufu stated, a hint of nervousness underlying his words.

Behind him stood two men dressed in entirely black robes, their heads bowed low to conceal their faces.

Approaching Iris, one of the men extended his hand, though not to take the child, but simply to wait.

A chill ran down Iris's spine; she recognized these individuals, and each encounter had instilled within her a primal fear. Clutching the baby protectively, she spoke with a quiet intensity:

"He's just fallen asleep; it's best not to disturb him." she insisted, her voice barely above a whisper, yet audible in the quiet garden.

"The heir must be examined," Gufu reiterated firmly, advancing towards her.

"How dare you!" Iris interjected, her voice rising in indignation. "Are my words a joke to you? Did I—" Her protest was cut short as the baby in her arms began to whimper.

Realizing her inadvertent mistake in covering the child with her clothes, hindering his access to oxygen, Iris recoiled in shock, withdrawing her hand.

The child's face had turned red, his lips tinged with blue.

"The matriarch!" Gufu's voice rang out, seizing the child from Iris's arms. "It seems I overestimated you."

With a look of disdain, the old man handed the child to two doctors, blocking Iris's attempt to reclaim him.

"Don't take him away, he's... I'll summon a doctor, let him examine him," Iris pleaded, her voice trembling with desperation as she reached out for the baby.

But her words fell on deaf ears. Powerless and bewildered, she stared at her empty hands, unable to articulate her distress.

The elder paid her no heed, his attention drawn instead to the small changes unfolding in the garden. If the researchers' theories held true, the baby might soon exhibit signs of dark energy within his blood. The infant's confinement in the main chambers was a precautionary measure, as the concentration of mana there minimized the risk of infection among the weak.

---

"The meridians are clear, but the bones have a compressed structure. It's likely the density was altered in the womb, with changes in the bone marrow associated with mana. No other anomalies have been detected," the doctor reported, examining the baby's body.

Lustos's skin, already pale, took on an even more pallid hue, with red imprints marking where Iris had inadvertently pinched him.

"What about his weight?" Gufu inquired.

"Mana has accumulated in the bones and integrated into the body. If the heir does not show signs of improvement soon, there's a high likelihood he'll never be able to absorb mana," the doctor concluded, his tone devoid of emotion, as chilling as the prognosis he delivered