Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

It was finally here, the freedom I oh so wish for, the sweet smell of fresh drew of morning slowly entered my nose. Staring into the grassy courtyard of mothers, I grinned in satisfaction. It had been a month since I was born, and nothing much has changed aside from the little freedom I achieved.

Shitting myself was awkward for me at first, but I must say having someone clean it up for you kinda gives you a sort of feeling of accomplishment. It's odd; maybe I have a hidden complex. That right, you foolish mortals, clean up my poo, clean it good!!!

"Little one, how many times must I say no crawling by yourself," mother suddenly scolded as she appeared behind me, plucking me like a rag doll before tossing me high into the air.

A screech filled the courtyard as I glared at mother angrily. While I could crawl at a very early age, my body was still not able to produce any words aside from baby sounds.

I don't know when it started, but mother loves toying with me, aside from throwing me up into the air. She also loves doing a cannonball with me in the bath...this is child abuse, is there no police.

Laughing cutely, mother kissed my cheek before carrying me towards the main building. Today was a rather special day, as she called it. It would seem that we are having a rather special guest today.

Arching my brow, I stared at my father in the distance, who had his typical radiant smile on his face. However, what really surprised me was that little child hugging him. My eyes grew wide as I heard Mother's soft voice whisper to me, "Say hello to your big brother, Richter."

Seeing our mother, Richter jumped up in surprise, leaping towards her leg like a koala, "Mama! It's been so long."

"My baby, how have you been? It has been six months; has the knight academy been treating you well," Mother asked with a loving smile rustling his long black hair.

Richter grew even brighter as his dark black eyes began shining like two little small stars, "It's amazing, Mama, I am ranked one in my class. I even made friends with the 1st Prince; although we did have to fight, I still won."

A loud, rough laugh sounded as Val lifted Richter up from behind, placing him on his neck, "Of course you would be undefeated; you're a Snow; how could we be defeated."

So that's my last name, Arsène Snow; how unusual. I wonder how the family got that name. Gazing at my elder brother with his head raised high, I smiled before gazing at Mother and Father. In my past life, the parents I had were bastards; I had to run away at a very early age. However, it seems this time I am here to stay.

"Come now, Richter, say hello to your little Brother Arsene; you missed his birth last month," Val said with a light smile as he lowered his head, allowing Richter to have a clear view of me and all my greatness.

Richter's expression grew wide as he reached his hands out, pinching my soft fluffy cheeks. Tears quickly filled my eyes uncontrollably as I screamed, causing my family to burst into laughter. Rubbing my cheeks, I eyed my brother coldly, marking him as an enemy for life.

As everyone was happily conversing, I was left to lay on my mother's lap. Like every child, I could not move around all I want, but everything requires time. Staring at how everyone was talking, I smiled before I started hearing some rather interesting discussions.

"How are your cultivation training going," Emma asked as her eyes began lightly glowing with golden light.

Richter seemed to pause as he touched his shoulder, "I am having trouble breaking through my acupuncture points here, my Meridians are well developed, but for some reason, I'm not able to breakthrough."

Mother seemed to give a knowing smile before gazing up at her husband, "Do you want to tell him, honey?"

Scratching his ears, Val smiled bitterly, facing his firstborn, "Well, that's due to my bloodline, it's hard to put it in words, but the most important thing is that we require far more resources than others. Don't worry; I will help you break through before you leave."

"EHHHH, Will it always be like that," Richter asked in a panic.

I was also curious, but for a far different reason; it would only make sense if we receive more power since we require more resources, but will that apply to me as well? I'm pretty sure my physique is different from everyone in this estate.

"There are Eight Extraordinary Vessels and 12 Mederians that can be opened. However, due to our bloodline, we can only open six Extraordinary Vessels and 11 Meridians. No one has been able to go higher than that. Honesty, it doesn't really matter that much Richter, once you unlock your 10th or 9th meridian, you will be unstoppable within your age group." Father stated with a tender smile.

"You are in the Qi Condensation stage right now, and you already unlocked nine Meridians gates. This is partially unheard of at your age. Relax and take it easy; you will only cripple yourself if you rush." Mother warned with a cold expression I had never seen before.

A chill ran across my body as I could feel the hairs on my body standing sharply. I tried to move, but Mother's hands locked me in place as she stared strictly at Richter.

"Yes...Mother," he said with a quiver in his voice.

Looking down at me, Mother smiled gently before leaving the dinner table, "Val, we still need to talk about Arsene's training later. When you're done, meet me in our room," She said, walking away.

The cold feeling I had never went away as I could feel Mother's predatory gaze on my body. My heart began to pound harder and harder as I looked up with teary eyes. I tried to make a sound, but a layer of frost slowly began covering my body.

Fear slowly began creeping its way into my soul as a soft, gentle voice sounded within my ear, "Don't worry, my child, mommy would never harm you, but you must be strong. You must stand above those your age; that is what it means to be a Snow."

Ice slowly began to form around me as my consciousness slowly began to drift away. My arms could not move, my legs would not rise, and my...my mind was....slowly being cast into darkness...yet again.