Chapter 1

The blinding white light of a dying universe shattered.

Emerson's consciousness slammed into a confined, pitch-black space. A violent wave of nausea hit her. She tried to gasp for air, but thick, warm liquid rushed into her lungs. Her tiny body convulsed. Her chest spasmed.

Panic lasted only a fraction of a second. The cold, calculating logic of a supreme architect took over. She stopped thrashing. Oxygen was pulsing into her abdomen through a thick, fleshy tube.

She tried to open her eyes. Her eyelids were fused shut.

She was a fetus.

Emerson pulled her awareness inward, scanning the microscopic architecture of her new physical form. The result sent a jolt of pure adrenaline through her developing nervous system. Her Arcane Circuits were flawless. It was a vessel built for absolute power.

Before she could process the satisfaction, a sharp, hollow ache ripped through her gut. Her soul energy flickered, dimming like a dying candle.

Someone was draining her.

She pushed her senses outward, piercing the amniotic fluid. Curled up inches away from her was another heartbeat. Her twin brother.

A chaotic, greedy vortex of dark energy churned inside his tiny chest. It acted like a black hole, violently sucking the pure Aether essence meant for her straight through the fluid and into his own core.

Emerson's heart rate plummeted. Her limbs grew heavy. If this continued, she would be born a stillborn corpse.

A spike of ice-cold fury pierced her mind.

You do not steal from me.

She forced her underdeveloped right arm to move. She swung her tiny fist through the dense fluid, aiming for his ribs. The water resistance slowed the punch to a pathetic, soft nudge against his back.

Physical attacks were useless.

Emerson abandoned her body. She sank her consciousness deep into the Noetic Space-the mental vault of her past life. She scraped together a single, microscopic fraction of her supreme soul pressure. She compressed it until it felt like a physical, burning needle in her mind.

She aimed. She drove the invisible needle straight through the amniotic fluid and into the center of her brother's forehead.

His body jerked violently. The greedy suction stopped instantly.

The dark energy inside him flared, sensing a threat. Invisible, chaotic tentacles lashed out through the water, rushing toward Emerson's face.

Emerson didn't flinch. She unleashed the full weight of her soul pressure. A solid, impenetrable barrier of pure will slammed down between them.

The dark tentacles crashed into the barrier and shattered. A pathetic, whimpering vibration echoed from her brother's soul.

Stay down, Emerson commanded through sheer intent. I am in charge.

The chaotic energy inside him collapsed, shrinking back into his core like a beaten dog. The theft ended. Pure, warm Aether essence flooded back through Emerson's umbilical cord. Her heartbeat steadied.

She immediately grabbed the Aether, forcing it down into her abdomen to construct a rudimentary Mana Core. The energy was rich. It tasted of high-grade alchemy. Her new mother was not a commoner.

Emerson accelerated the absorption. A tiny, invisible whirlpool of magic spun around her body.

Outside the womb, a muffled, gentle voice vibrated through the fluid. A hand pressed warmly against the stomach wall.

"Someone is very active today."

Emerson paused her spinning core. She settled into a deep meditation, hoarding her strength.

Then, heavy boots thudded against a wooden floor outside. A man's voice cut through the warmth, sharp and smelling of sulfur.