[ Unique Bloodline Created ] ‎ [ Awaiting System’s Acceptance ] ‎ [ Bloodline Modified ] ‎ [ Bloodline Accepted ] ‎ [ Bloodline – Unique – Modified – Bloodline of Tanila] ‎ [ Bonuses Determined ] ‎ [ +150 % to All Stats ] Tanila closed the windows for the hundredth time, her fingers trembling with a combination of wonder and fear. Losing fifty percent of her base stats had hurt. That was until the system modified that lost power into something deeper. Now every beat of her heart whispered Miranna . It wasn’t obsession or fear. Just a fierce, single certainty. If danger comes to her, I will incinerate any who is foolish enough to be the cause of it. The question is, how does it determine what constitutes protection? It might just be intent. Those were the words Bob had told Max when she had asked for his skill’s thoughts on the wording. Tanila inhaled the lavender-scented perfume she recognized. She stood atop the garden terrace, one level below their cloud - shrouded tower. Below her, the capital, Iriandalon to elves, Sunreach to humans, seemed to almost glow with twin halos of light. Two obelisks dominated the view near the tower. One sat to the south of the tower’s base, the other north. Both looked like black marks on a map, highlighting a spot of importance. Power seeped from both in gentle waves, brushing her skin like warm rain. Far below, laughter rang through the market quarter. A pair of toddlers—one curly - haired human, one sharp - eared elf—chased a ball between merchant stalls while their parents chatted nearby. Such scenes were no longer rare. In the last ten years, mixed marriages had become a common thing. Four half - elf babes had already been born this year. Tanila’s chest felt tight, the sensation of joy almost too much sometimes. Miranna, now fifteen, laughed somewhere behind her. Tanila turned. Their daughter balanced on the rail, her arms out like wings. A red wyrmling, Shale Spark, hovered protectively behind, ready to nudge. “Down, little star,” Tanila said, voice soft but unarguable. Miranna hopped off the stone, padding over with the confident stride of someone who’d never known danger. Shale Spark followed her, trilling, a red tail swishing. Tanila crouched slightly. “You’ll fly someday,” she promised, brushing errant curls from pointed ears, “but let’s just start with the stairs and small roofs, hm?” Miranna sighed before scratching the wyrmling’s snout. “Alright, but we both know that’s not fun. Besides, Dad never seems to be concerned when I do that.” Sighing internally, Tanila didn’t reply to that one. Parenting took many forms, and sometimes Max seemed like the more playful one, letting their daughter do things both knew wouldn’t cause her any real harm. Mother’s True Love Protects. Newest update provided by novel{f}ire.net Tanila felt the passive inside her slowly diminish. She exhaled and straightened. “It’s a good thing I have other things to worry about than you and Shale Spark seeing who can jump further. Now, try to have fun and not cause too much mischief.” As the duo took off, laughing as they went, she considered the other things that needed to be taken care of tonight, which would hold a very important ceremony. The small wedding garden lay on the tower’s shadowed east side, beneath a canopy of blooming magnolias whose petals reflected a slight purple glow. Bioluminescent fireflies that had been carefully bred by Cordellia floated like gems. Only twelve chairs were present. No herald or trumpets were present. The stone path circled a reflecting pool where runes Max had etched showed constellations in the water’s surface. King Edward Farren stood near the pool in a white mantle edged with silver. The warrior - king looked almost bashful without armor. At his side waited his bride, Lanyra Velorin, a lean mage with earth - brown hair braided three ways and eyes the color of fertile dirt. She wore a simple green gown embroidered with silver leaves and carried no staff. Her only other apparel was a woven circlet of vine that hummed with magic. Tanila smiled at the pair. She had interviewed Lanyra herself. She was everything a queen should be and a gift for any husband. Compassionate, patient, and a touch mischievous from the stories she had been told. Exactly what Edward, who was direct, earnest, and sometimes too kingdom-focused, needed. Max took Tanila’s hand as they approached. He winked. “Ready to play priestess?” “High priestess,” she corrected, then squeezed his fingers. “How about you keep Miranna and Shale Spark from playing in the pool?” This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. He tapped his chest. “Father’s True Panic protects.” She rolled her eyes, but he smiled even more when her grin couldn’t be held back any longer. The ceremony lasted only a dozen breaths. Tanila invoked sky, earth, and hope. Lanyra called Edward her shield and her soft place to rest. Edward named her his counsel and his breath of calm. They traded copper rings, hammered from simple coins taken as tax. They had been melted and re - forged to symbolize a shared duty to this kingdom and its people. When Tanila lifted her hands, a faint system shimmer rolled across the pool. [ Bestow Divine Spark ] ‎ [ Targets: Edward Farren & Lanyra Velorin ] ‎ [ Multiple Sparks Detected – Overlap Check… Compatible ] ‎ [ Dual Spark Protocol Engaged – Twin - Core Bond Formed ] Twin soft balls of light rose from her fingertips. Both were gold, each spiraled form drifting like a feather from the space between her skin and theirs. With a gentle touch, the balls of light struck the couple’s chests, vanishing upon contact. Edward rocked back, Lanyra inhaled sharply, eyes flaring amber. Max whistled low. “Looks like Jazzjak owes me ten silver.” Tanila’s eyebrow rose. “You bet on this?” “Educated guess,” he replied. Edward blinked, then grinned. A boyish grin appeared on the often stoic king. “I feel… taller.” “You are tall, sire,” Lanyra teased. Max and Tanila both gasped as a notification appeared. [ Twin-Core Monarch Bond ] ‎ Partners share 5 % Base Stat Pool, 2 % DP Yield, and an innate empathic link within 2 km. Oh, Jazzjak is really going to have fun talking about this. Tanila’s heart suddenly felt a warmth that spread through her chest. “Cherish that link. Max and I once had an item that let us know if the other was alive. It connected us and helped us always feel safe,” she said. “But remember also to walk separate paths as often as shared ones. Two trees entwined too tightly can strangle each other when they fight over the same nutrients. Together you will grow, but you must also remain slightly apart. Seek out things that make you better, and do not lose hope if one enjoys being mischievous while the other is a little less so.” They nodded, each chuckling at her last sentence. Tanila laid a hand on both of their shoulders. “May you be given the blessing of many children. Never spoil one child above another. Love tempered by fairness becomes a legacy. Yet if you do not love equally, favoritism will quickly spread rot through your family tree.” Edward nodded. “I will remember your words.” Lanyra’s eyes seemed to sparkle as she spoke. “Thank you, Mother.” Tanila held her breath for a moment. “I command you to serve the people. As the obelisks that belong to Max and me give strength to all races, let your rule be a blessing to everyone who lives on this world. Never let your rule be a burden to any.” The bride and groom clasped foreheads, human and elf, and the garden almost seemed to let out a sigh when they did. Magnolia petals began drifting down from above like quiet applause. Later, on a smaller balcony, Tanila convened a second gathering. Jazzjak had recommended candidates, but she’d walked the streets herself. Even though their helper had great ideas, she wanted to do things differently. Max had his path, and she had hers. Tanila had found others who seemed worthy of her spark. Max had agreed with her decision, seemingly happy that she was doing things her way. His acceptance of something that seemed to go against their helper’s original thoughts was surprising at first, yet the man she loved lived out the words she had shared with Edward and Lanyra. Tanila found an elven healer, Deren, who served all that he could without asking for anything in return. A human blacksmith, Orlan, known for gifting blades to new heroes , had taken the idea upon himself, it was said, after seeing what Max had done for many. Finally, an elven ranger, Sirae, who had stopped many of the creatures that had escaped from the first dungeon break three years ago. Each had knelt before her, shocked at the reasons they had been picked. Each had received a spark. None of them were given fanfare or special recognition from the city. All of them, however, had shared tears with her. They understood the potential of what they might become and how they might prove themselves worthy of the gift. The night grew darker, and Tanila stood between the two obelisks now. Max stood at one, while she stood at the other, their auras humming in counterpoint. Clouds surrounded the tower’s hidden peak. A quarter moon competed to stand out in the sky above. Below, deeper in the city, distant laughter blended human drums and elven harps into a single heartbeat. She spoke softly, yet the obelisks seemed to carry her words like leaves by the wind. “ Miranna, may you grow in a world where love is louder than fear. Edward and Lanyra, may you rule so that no child wonders which parent’s affection is like a coin to be earned. May our city be a place of joy and of kindness. ” A pulse came when Tanila stopped speaking, seemingly to race across the city and out to the other capitals. Five other obelisks answered in reply. Rakonath’s loyalty to watching over the world from above was one answer. Cordellia’s gave off a sense of warmth, of finding a purpose and unity. Sog’s carried a hope of being something new, even when the system said you should be different. Finally, the pair of dwarven obelisks gave off a promise of unity. Seven stones cried out. Seven different voices, yet one heartbeat. Max slid an arm around her waist. “You did well, High Priestess .” She leaned into him, her eyes suddenly feeling moist. “The soil’s good,” she said, echoing Cordellia’s favorite line lately. “As my elven sister would say, all we must do is keep the weeds at bay .” He kissed her temple. “And bake celebratory muffins. I mean, what’s a world without muffins?” Tanila laughed softly. Below the place they stood, two shapes darted in the lights set up in the city. Miranna raced through the city with Shale Spark chasing her, both laughing and enjoying life. The future, our future. Running fearless just as she should. Mother’s True Love Protects, the system whispered in her bones. She closed her eyes, let the pulse of two obelisks sync with her heart, and breathed out a prayer once again.