Chapter 78: Ripples in the Water

One month later. The Palace Garden.

It was the "Moon Celebration" for Princess Aurora.

Jackson Sterling was currently interrogating a Duke who had brought a gift.

"Is this teddy bear made of organic cotton?" Jackson squinted at the toy. "Has it been tested for choking hazards? Did you wash your hands before wrapping it?"

The Duke stuttered. "I... I bought it at Harrods, Your Highness."

"Luke," Jackson signaled his assistant. "Send it to the lab for decontamination. Then give it to the dog to test for poison."

"Yes, Boss."

Serenity sat in the gazebo, nursing Aurora. She watched her husband terrorizing the guests.

"He’s getting worse," Margaret sat down next to her, sipping tea. "He installed a facial recognition scanner on the diaper changing table yesterday."

Serenity laughed softly. "He loves her. He's just terrified something will happen."

She looked down at Aurora. The baby was surprisingly calm. She rarely cried. She just observed the world with big, intelligent eyes that seemed too focused for a newborn.

"May I steal her for a moment?" Margaret asked. "It's time for her monthly check-up. Just routine blood work."

"Of course."

Margaret took the baby. As she walked away, Alex followed her quietly. He was always curious about "data."

---

The Royal Laboratory (East Wing).

Margaret placed tiny sensors on Aurora’s chest. The baby cooed, trying to grab the wires.

"Heart rate normal. Oxygen levels perfect," Margaret hummed. She took a small drop of blood from Aurora's heel. The baby didn't even flinch.

Margaret placed the sample under the electron microscope.

"Hey, Grandma," Alex peeked over the table. "Why is the screen glowing?"

Margaret looked at the monitor. She froze.

Normally, red blood cells looked like simple discs. But Aurora’s cells... they were radiating a faint energy. They moved with a purpose, repairing themselves at hyper-speed.

"This is impossible," Margaret whispered.

"What is it?" Jackson walked into the lab. He always knew when Serenity or the baby were out of sight for too long. Serenity followed close behind.

"Is everything okay?" Serenity asked, seeing Margaret's pale face.

"Turn off the lights," Margaret ordered.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Jackson flipped the switch. The room plunged into darkness.

Margaret gently tickled Aurora's foot to annoy her slightly. The baby let out a small, protesting sneeze.

Achoo.

At that exact moment, it happened.

Aurora’s eyes didn't stay brown. For a split second, her irises flared with a brilliant, luminescent Violet Light. It lit up the dark room like two tiny stars.

Then, the light faded.

The room was silent. Jackson, Serenity, and Alex stared at the baby in shock.

"Did you see that?" Alex whispered. "Laser eyes. Cool."

"It's not lasers, Alex," Margaret turned the lights back on. Her expression was grave. "It's the Element."

"But Serenity’s blood only neutralizes the Element," Jackson said, stepping protectively in front of his wife and child.

"Yes. But Aurora..." Margaret looked at the giggling baby. "She represents a perfect symbiosis. She didn't just inherit the resistance. She inherited the Power."

Margaret looked at Jackson.

"The Element X in Arthur drove him mad because his human body rejected it. But Aurora... she was born with it perfectly integrated into her DNA. She is the first of her kind."

Jackson felt a chill. He realized what this meant.

If The Order found out... If the world found out...

Aurora wouldn't just be a target for kidnapping. She would be a specimen. A weapon. A goddess.

"No one," Jackson said, his voice dropping to a terrifying octave. "No one ever sees this. We erase the medical records. We burn the samples."

He picked up Aurora, holding her against his chest as if to hide her from the universe.

"She is just a baby," Serenity whispered, touching Aurora's cheek. "My normal, happy baby."

But as Aurora grabbed Jackson's finger, her eyes flashed Violet one more time, winking at them.

The secret was out. And it was sleeping in a crib.