Thus, when the next veil arrived and he sat upon his throne within the convergence hall, the Black Sovereign still weighed his options carefully.
Lestel Umbraxis began the declaration as ritual demanded, and all eyes turned upward toward the black lineage cocoon dominating the sky.
In that moment, with attention divided and awareness stretched, the Sovereign made his choice. He invoked his skill, one he rarely used, one that carried consequences even for him, but necessity outweighed restraint.
"False Memory."
A multitude of beads of shadow erupted from his silhouette, faster than anyone could perceive, the one could was staring intently at the sky cocoon, fragments of authority shaped into precise intent.
They struck Lestel Umbraxis first, not violently, but thoroughly, embedding themselves within layers of memory reformation. They followed instantly, striking Vilad, the Queen, the High Silhouette Lords, the Veil Lords, and the Dusk Marshals without exception.
The effect was seamless, the reality adjusting itself quietly.
Moments later, Lestel Umbraxis's bound completed the declaration without hesitation, stating clearly that the child was the son of Berstel Un Eidolon, the Black Sovereign.
No one reacted with surprise, because nothing within them registered as contradictory or unexpected.
--
Lestel Umbraxis's bound continued without pause, his voice steady, announcing that with the declaration complete they would now proceed to the next and far more critical step, that of protection.
"With his lordship, Berstel Un Eidolon's permission, we shall initiate the Protection event," the bound said, each word carefully measured to carry authority without presumption.
The Black Sovereign's silhouette shifted almost imperceptibly. His bound stepped forward and spoke in his stead, tone composed and unusually deferential.
"Please proceed, Lord Lestel," the bound said, the honorific intentional. It was a rare sight for the Black Sovereign to address anyone with such explicit respect, and the assembly registered the deviation without reacting outwardly.
Lestel Umbraxis inclined his silhouette slightly, acknowledging the permission, before turning his attention toward the lower dais.
"Regent Vilad, be seated," Lestel's bound commanded, the words carrying unquestionable judicial authority.
Vilad's shadow responded before his bound did, drawing himself backward with controlled inevitability, urging his bound to follow as he returned to his throne.
The infant Kael Eidolon remained within the Black Sovereign's grasp, unmoving, yet radiating a density that pressed against the senses of everyone present.
Lestel's bound allowed a brief pause to settle the room before continuing, ensuring that every listener was fully anchored to the moment.
"I will reiterate the importance of what we now undertake," the bound said, sweeping his gaze across High Silhouette Lords, Veil Lords, and Dusk Marshals alike.
"No one alive within this kingdom has witnessed the birth of a First Child, only fragments of information preserved in doctrine and heavily edited records," he continued.
"You have read of them, heard of them, studied of their existence, but knowledge is not the same as proximity," the bound added, his tone sharpening.
"In each recorded era, the First Child of Black faced a different convergence of calamities, threats shaped by the sky cocoon... none were similar to the ones experienced by the past First Child," he said.
Lestel's bound paused, allowing the new information to press inward, then continued with deliberate tension.
"There was one such First Child of Black, born during an era when the lineage cocoon was poorly understood, misclassified as merely another calamity marker," he explained.
"In that age, the black cocoon followed her relentlessly across the sky, announcing her location to every rival power, every ambitious lord, and every calamity-sensitive entity," the bound said.
"She became a beacon just by existing, drawing enemies from kingdoms that no longer stand with us and washed away with history," he continued.
"There was no peace in that era, only pursuit, and constant conflict, because her location was always known just by looking at the sky cocoon," the bound stated.
Several Dusk Marshals shifted subtly at the memory, veterans recalling secondhand accounts of campaigns fought generations before their birth.
"The leader of the Gloam Synod at that time," the bound said, voice steady, "was my ancestor, Astral Umbraxis."
"At great cost and under immense pressure, Lord Astral Umbraxis created a treasured relic designed for one single purpose," he continued.
"That relic was meant to halt the movement of the lineage cocoon, severing its tether to the First Child's position," the bound declared.
"The artifact came to be known as the Axiom Reliquary," he said, allowing the name to resonate across the hall.
At the mention of the relic, a low ripple of recognition passed through the assembly, as even those unfamiliar with its function knew its name carried legendary weight of the past.
Lestel Umbraxis raised his hand slowly, his shadow thickening as something ancient responded to his intent. From within the folds of darkness, a clock shaped locket emerged, its surface etched with symbols that shifted subtly. The relic hovered above his palm, radiating a quiet authority distinct from raw power.
"I have never personally activated the Axiom Reliquary," Lestel's bound said calmly, "but I witnessed its use during the previous First Child's era."
"The mechanism does not destroy, conceal, or suppress the lineage cocoon," he continued, ensuring no misunderstanding could take root.
"It rewrites the vector of its response, fixing its presence to a designated locus rather than a moving individual," the bound explained.
As Lestel channeled his intent into the relic, the etched symbols aligned, locking into a configuration that felt final rather than temporary.
His shadow deepened, threads of darkness feeding into the clock face as the air around the convergence hall tightened perceptibly.
"Axiom Rewrite," the bound intoned, voice steady and resonant, "Null Vector: Convergence hall."
The effect manifested instantly, though without spectacle, as the vast black cocoon above the hall ceased its subtle drifting following the First Child in the Black Sovereign's hand. The cocoon's movement halted completely, its position fixing directly above the convergence hall as though anchored to the very architecture of the kingdom.
A deep vibration rolled outward, not destructive, passing through Dareldht and into the surrounding regions. The cocoon no longer followed the First Child, no longer responded to his movement or presence beyond the fact that the First Child's birth.
--
A/N: So, the false memory is cast. With everyone forgetting the fact that the First Child was the son of Vilad. Now, the protection event to stop the lineage cocoon from following the First Child