A Background Character’s Path to Power Chapter 448: Hatching

One final circulation of the void energy was performed slowly by me, directing it flawlessly into the Absolute Synthesis Well. The steady hum from my core gradually quieted down to a peaceful rest. My daily cultivation session was nearly complete.

A peculiar feeling suddenly emerged deep inside my soul.

It manifested as a clear, rhythmic beat. A deep spark of vitality connected straight to my awareness, reverberating along my recently advanced channels.

My eyes flew open. The shadowy canopy over the bed sharpened into view.

'Has the moment arrived at last?'

I swiftly checked my system inventory. In an instant thought, I summoned the object into existence. A recognizable, not overly burdensome mass appeared right away in my grasp.

The enigmatic obsidian egg.

Its sleek exterior felt remarkably heated against my skin.

Yet, it quivered with fresh, urgent vigor, glowing softly from within in the subdued lighting.

Right as I prepared to inspect the shifting designs on its surface, the shadows near my bed warped wildly.

The Mistress materialized within the chamber from nowhere.

Her gaze skipped over me entirely and fixed straight on the egg in my hands. She regarded it with total focus. Her striking, fearsome countenance revealed a whirlwind of intricate feelings. A deep crease formed on her fair brow. A spark of intense delight flickered in her eyes. Still, a thick veil of clear concern overshadowed her whole face.

I observed her response intently. The rare openness on her features was unprecedented for me.

'Does a mother behave this way when her offspring is ready to emerge?' I pondered quietly, noting the faint quiver in her shoulders.

A crisp, clear noise rang out in the silent space.

The Mistress and I shared a strained look right away. Her red eyes widened with eagerness and a trace of dread. We both shifted our focus promptly back to the obsidian exterior.

Subtle, luminous streaks started extending over the even surface. Small cracks spiderwebbed from the middle, emitting a refined, intense void energy that lit up the dark bedding below.

'Would you like to hold it?' I inquired, offering my hands a bit toward her.

Her fair fingers jerked. She advanced half a step, her eyes filled with desire, then suddenly withdrew her hands to her chest.

'N-no,' she answered hesitantly, her tone quivering with unusual weakness. 'I-I can’t.'

I felt slightly puzzled but agreed nonetheless, gently drawing the egg nearer to myself while ensuring its substantial load was balanced properly.

'Very well,' I stated, my attention locked on the widening radiant splits. 'We can only hope everything proceeds smoothly.'

'Mmm,' she murmured, a gentle yet worried noise, as she bent nearer to observe the emergence.

The radiant splits on the obsidian exterior grew deeper consistently.

A network of vivid energy throbbed outward, syncing with the urgent beat of the entity within.

Abruptly, a cool hand seized my shoulder.

I looked upward. The Mistress shook lightly, her stare pinned on the exterior.

'D-dear, could you swear to me one thing?' she whispered, her voice just audible over the snapping of the egg.

I noted the intense unease churning in her red eyes.

'...If it’s reasonable, then certainly,' I responded cautiously.

Relief was evident as she nodded, her hold on my shoulder firming slightly.

'Then, swear that regardless of what occurs, you’ll protect her?'

'Her?' I arched a brow, glancing from her ashen face to the quaking egg. 'You refer to the offspring? Naturally. But how are you certain it’s female?'

And she avoided saying 'our child' on this occasion...

'T-that’s unimportant at the moment,' she stuttered a little, sidestepping the query. Her red eyes grew gravely earnest, bearing a gravity that chilled me to the bone. 'And please, keep acting as my husband afterward, alright? No matter the events or revelations. It’s the sole path for your and her survival.'

I gazed at her, truly taken aback by her statement.

The raw urgency in her appeal lingered thickly. It was glaringly clear she concealed something enormous. A dire, existence-endangering truth lurked behind her utterance, one she couldn’t utter. Furthermore, what was this about 'keep acting as my husband'? Had she discerned it already? Or... was her performance equally fabricated?

'Rest assured, I shall,' I affirmed resolutely, pushing aside deeper speculation. My commitment was sincere. Her caution tied straight to my life and the child’s safety.

I halted briefly, pondering the ominous undertones of her enigmatic plea. A dreadful sensation knotted in my stomach. Her manner echoed that of someone issuing last directives. It carried the somber weight of impending sacrifice.

For a being of her horrifying might to speak thus, the looming threat must be world-shattering. I had to halt that doom-laden mindset at once. No ominous signs were wanted now.

Skipping verbal exchange, I sent my words straight into her thoughts through the Mind Thread.

'You must also vow to steer clear of foolish actions... such as vanishing abruptly or... perishing.'

Her eyes expanded hugely. She gaped at me in deep astonishment momentarily, evidently surprised by my bluntness. She swiftly concealed her reaction under a mask of composure and offered a firm, determined nod.

A piercing, resounding break disrupted the calm air.

The egg throbbed fiercely in my grasp and abruptly flared with a dazzling, inky hue.

The abrupt surge of void brilliance yanked our focus from the weighty dialogue back to the ongoing delivery.

The intense glow swiftly gathered into a dense ray of force.

In the following instant, a colossal column of unadulterated dark radiance erupted straight up from the shell’s peak. It sliced cleanly through the fortified bedroom roof, ripping past the higher sections of the Black Spire and slamming into the heavens overhead.

Beyond the broad window, the air warped. The surrounding clouds morphed instantly into a churning maelstrom of deep darkness.

'RRRRR!'

A thunderous, ancient bellow boomed through the domain, rattling the pillars of sky and ground.

The immense Spire quaked violently beneath the crushing force, creaking as though enduring severe agony.

Nevertheless, in the midst of the cataclysmic turmoil, the area around the bed stayed utterly calm.

I peered down in wonder and spotted a subtle, see-through barrier of energy rising from the cracked exterior. It enveloped the Mistress and me firmly, guarding us fully from the ruinous blasts.

It was evident the yet-to-be-born infant was deliberately safeguarding us from the explosive power of her arrival.

A rich, heartfelt warmth suddenly imprinted on my heart and spirit.

My fondness for her soared to its zenith without delay.

Gradually, the fierce quakes faded.

The emergence procedure at last concluded.

With one last, echoing snap, the upper portion of the obsidian exterior collapsed fully.

Two minuscule, humanoid fists burst through the leftover shards, shoving the weighty fragments away with unexpected might.

Far above the Spire, the vast dark shaft throbbed once more before scattering broadly.

It swept across the Nightmare Realm like a hushed, undulating surge of raw void essence.

The Mistress and I held our breaths, eyeing the shattered exterior closely.

The substantial obsidian chunks tumbled onto the silken bedding, forming a pitted hollow of rough edges. The intense pressure in the chamber evaporated entirely, supplanted by the noise of faint, soothing breaths from the core.

A diminutive form gradually drew herself upright, her little digits clutching the borders of her old confines. As she at last thrust her head free, the stark disparity between her world-ending debut and her true look left me utterly speechless.

She was a petite, alarmingly adorable young girl.

She fluttered away the lingering void particles from her ebony lashes and stared right at us.

Her captivating eyes, one a sharp slate gray and the other a vivid crimson, gleamed with a deep, utterly pure inquisitiveness that swiftly dissolved the dense strain in the air.

'P-Papa? M-Mama?'

(Critical Hit!)