Chapter 3 : Lucas Ignis

Before the Birth of the Heir

Darkness.

Not the kind where you just turn off the lights and struggle to find your phone. No. This was something deeper—something ancient, something… wrong.

I didn't remember closing my eyes, but now they were open—if I even had eyes. I wasn't sure. Because the only thing I saw around me was an abyss of swirling blackness stretching infinitely in every direction.

"Ugh…" I groaned. My voice sounded weird, almost like it was fading into the void. "Where the hell am I?"

No answer. Figures.

The last thing I remembered was—BOOM! Right. The explosion. The lab. The fire. And a whole lot of screaming, mostly mine. I died.

"Shit… so this is the afterlife?" I muttered, looking down—or at least I tried to. I didn't have a body. Instead, I was… glowing? My whole existence flickered like a flame, a ghostly, ember-like wisp floating in this endless darkness.

Oh, great. I finally become fireproof, and it happens after I die.

I tried moving, and surprisingly, I could drift around like a floating ember. Then I noticed something else—other glowing wisps, scattered around me like tiny stars in this void.

But unlike me, they were different. These ones looked like simple spheres—smooth, contained, and stable. Meanwhile, I looked like a bonfire barely holding itself together.

"Okay… that's not ominous at all," I muttered, narrowing my fiery form toward one of them.

Curiosity took over. I reached out—well, more like floated into it.

The moment I touched the glowing orb, it melted into me.

WHOOOSH.

A strange warmth rushed through me, a feeling like someone just turned on the lights inside my mind. My thoughts became clearer. I felt… stronger.

"What the hell was that?" I muttered, looking around at the remaining orbs.

Then an idea hit me. If one made me feel like this…

A slow grin spread across my non-existent face.

I lunged at another one. Then another. And another.

Each time I absorbed one, a rush of clarity and strength surged through me, like leveling up in some game. It became addicting. My mind, once groggy, now felt like a supercomputer. My presence in this void, once unstable, now grew firmer—more real.

I didn't know what these orbs were, but I knew one thing—I wanted more.

And so, I devoured them.

I lost track of time. Maybe minutes passed. Maybe years. I didn't care. By the time I was done, I felt… different. More.

Then, before I could fully enjoy my newfound power—

WHOOOSH!

A sudden force yanked me, dragging me faster than light itself.

"What the f—"

Before I could even finish, everything flashed—and the next thing I knew…

I was in a room.

Lucas Ignis is Born

The first thing I felt was warmth. Not the terrifying, soul-burning kind like before—this one was gentle. Comforting. Like a soft embrace.

Then I felt… arms?

Someone was holding me.

My eyes fluttered open on instinct.

The world around me was a blur of deep crimson—red walls, red curtains, red carpet. Even the woman holding me had fiery red hair and golden eyes that shimmered with an untold intensity.

She was… breathtaking.

A strange feeling filled my tiny body—an overwhelming warmth of safety, love, and something else I couldn't name.

And then it hit me.

I wasn't just in a new place. I was in a newborn body.

Holy shit. I really reincarnated.

Just as that realization hit me, I saw the midwife staring at me, her eyes wide in shock.

"The baby's eyes…" she whispered.

I blinked.

Wait… what's wrong with my eyes?

The woman holding me—who I assumed was my mother—simply chuckled, her voice weak but tender.

"My baby… my little fire…" she whispered.

It was so soft, so filled with warmth that I momentarily forgot about everything else.

Then she continued, her golden eyes shimmering as if etching this moment into her soul.

"Your father has already decided your name," she said gently. "You shall be called Lucas. Lucas Ignis, the sole heir of the House of Ignis—the Children of Fire."

The moment those words left her lips, something clicked inside me.

It was like the entire world acknowledged my name. An invisible force settled around me, like a crown placed upon my existence.

And at that exact moment…

In an Unknown Place

In a dark, forgotten chamber, where no light had touched for eons, something stirred.

A woman sat cross-legged in absolute silence.

She was still, unmoving, like a statue—until her eyes snapped open.

They glowed an eerie, burning red, identical to the newborn's.

Her lips curled into a small, knowing smile.

"Oh… someone with that level of bloodline has been born?"

Her voice, though soft, carried an unnatural weight.

"How… interesting."

And with that, she closed her eyes once more, sinking into the abyss of time.

Elsewhere

Across the vast lands of this world, hidden beings—monsters, warriors, ancient relics of forgotten ages—all turned their gazes toward one place.

Toward me.

Something about my birth had shaken them, whispering of a new era.

But I didn't know that.

At that moment, I was just a baby, staring at the beautiful woman holding me, vaguely aware of my new reality.

One thought crossed my mind:

At least I was born rich.