A Suitable Result

'Status Window.'

[Name: {Unspecified}

Health Points: 50/50

Stamina: 70/70

Mana Points: 450/450

Stats:

-Strength: 1

-Agility: 1

-Perception: 19

-Constitution: 5

-Endurance: 7

-Mana: 45

-Magic Affinity: 66

Skills: 

-Drain[C_Rank].

]

'Mana and Magic Affinity as Stats… The Mana Stat dictates how many Mana Points I have then.' The baby frowned for a moment. 'Guess I'll wait to get a name before inputting it. My old name should probably not be used. Still, Magic… The Stats related to Magic are so high, I must be able to use some, right?'

The baby thought for a bit before asking about the Skill he had obtained from the Demon Queen.

[Drain: A-Rank Skill.

The Drain Skill allows the User to take away Mana Points, Stamina, Health Points, or even Stats from the target. The closer the user is from the target, the more effective the Drain Skill is. Physical contact allows the Drain Skill to reach maximum output.]

'Or input.' The baby chuckled internally. 'Cool… But if my Stats increase thanks to this, it might cause trouble. Although being unnaturally strong is already expected by everyone, even those keeping me captive.'

He turned towards the sleeping Naira before shaking his head.

'System, you're just something I obtained through my Rebirth, right?'

[Correct.]

'Good. So you're not a gift from the Demon Queen. Does that mean no one has a System except me?'

[Correct.]

'It's supposed to aid me navigate this world… The Drain Skill is, therefore, not a Skill to the Demon Queen. But some kind of… Magic Spell?'

[Correct.]

'So the taking away of Stats is just a taking away of strength. This is an extremely important fact.' The baby nodded to himself. 'If they could check their Stats as well, then noticing them being stolen would be easy. On the other hand, now they will just suddenly feel a bit more tired, a bit weaker. Those things can easily be excused and passed off as sleepiness or a thousand other things.'

Marcus really wanted to test out the Skill, but he did his best to resist the urge to use it on the closest person at hand.

Naira's eyes opened slightly, and her baby blinked.

"Come here…" She reached forward, wrapping her arms around her baby. "Nero."

'There you go.' Nero thought, letting himself be embraced.

[The Name "Nero" has been inscribed.]

"My sweet child…" Naira whispered and laid a kiss on her baby's forehead. She had trouble keeping her heavy eyelids from shutting. "Don't ever… Listen to the voices… Don't ever…" Nodding off.

'A bit too late for that.'

Twenty minutes later, the dungeons' doors were opened. 

Naira was woken up right by the noise, and held her baby dearly.

"Come on." Kain gestured as he stood right in front of the cell.

Although begrudgingly, Naira lay Nero in the baby basket and stepped away.

Kain took hold of the basket and started walking away.

"W-When?" Naira asked with a sudden shout. "When… Will you bring him back?"

"In a couple of hours." Kain answered. "Behave until then."

Naira's eyes narrowed.

"Make sure you get some sleep before then, if you want to spend more time with the child."

"With MY child." She corrected.

Kain stared at her for a moment.

The Demon's eyes were shooting daggers at him. Unlike earlier though, her eyes did not turn crimson.

'A bit of self-control. Good.' Both Nero and Kain thought at once.

Minutes later, Nero was brought out of the dungeons, but not into the light, unlike what he expected.

Night had already fallen.

"Sharpen up, little guy." Kain said with a chuckle. "You're about to meet His Majesty!"

Nero couldn't care less.

'I want to try using the Drain Skill, but using it on him might be too risky… A Guard, or a Servant, or a Maid…'

***

Nero's eyes were wide and round when they entered a strange room made of blocks covered by pulsing inscriptions.

"Your son is here!" Kain suddenly shouted, raising the baby basket with both hands.

Being moved so quickly and suddenly, Nero felt like he would throw up. Still, he was in front of a King. He managed to swallow.

"Wretched child…" The King whispered as he turned around. "You can feel it too, can't you?"

"Hm?" Kain brought a hand to his chin. "Oh, the impressive Mana he holds. Yep."

'Oh…'

"It's unnatural. Even my children didn't hold as much Mana on the day of their birth."

"Well, his birth was unnatural as well."

Unlike Kain's seemingly feeble and sickly body, the King's was healthy and muscular. His build was impressive and his shoulders were incredibly wide. 

Both brothers were the same height, yet Kain seemed tiny in comparison. 

Additionally, the King had a presence that Nero couldn't quite grasp.

An aura around him. Heavy, and suffocating. 

From his appearance alone, Nero felt he could tell what kind of king he was.

'The kind to rule with an iron fist.' He thought to himself. 'If Demons are hated as much as I think, and that they represent as much of a taboo as I think they do… It would surprising that the King agreed to this. Kain must have a lot of pull on him. I wonder how his expression changes when Kain isn't around. Does it stiffen when he is, or does it relax? Hm. Doubt I'll get to see the King without Kain around any time soon though.'

The King reached for his waist, on the opposite side to where his sheath was.

"You don't mean to-"

Kain's words were interrupted, and everything happened too fast for Nero to follow.

"Impressive." The King nodded. 

Nero slowly lowered his gaze. 

On the ground, right in front of Kain's feet laid a throwing knife.

'He aimed… For my head.'

Never had Nero feared for his life more than right now, more than in front of the King.

'I… Instinctively reacted somehow.'

"That was rash, your Majesty."

"It was." The King nodded. "The wretched child is already capable of using Magic."

"Not just any kind of Magic…" Kain whispered, his gaze slowly moving towards the shivering baby.

Around Nero's body was a golden protective barrier.

[You have learned a new Skill!]

[You have learned the Skill "Protective Barrier[D Rank]"!]

'Yeah… I guess I did learn it.'

The King turned away from them.

"A suitable result." He declared, which caused Kain to sigh. "The child may live."

'...!'

Long after Nero had exited the room and left the King's presence, his body continued shivering.

He had no idea that his life was hanging in the balance so precariously.

'I gotta get the fuck out of here.'