Gallant Magus of the Wizarding World

Light ominously flickered inside a room, reflecting the tension and unstable atmosphere that existed within the four walls of the room.

Panic filled the air of this same room like an impending doom was about to happen.

"Why is he not crying, Mama?" a dragging and sapped feminine voice inquired.

Hearing the voice alone, one could tell that this person was gravely exhausted and needed a long, quality rest.

However, Lady Anastasia could not afford to do that.

…Not yet.

Not when her newborn baby was yet to cry or show any signs of life in him.

Bathed in sweat, liquor and blood, the mother of the newborn reached out to her baby, who was presently being attended to by its grandmother — the experienced midwife and renowned healer, Madame Linshel Sheraton — and a group of other younger birth nurses who worked with her.

"Mama?" Anastasia called out to Madame Linshel a second time, her fears even more evident in her voice this time around.

Madame Linshel turned to her daughter and smiled slightly, projecting a relaxed and calm face to her daughter to help her calm down.

That had been the old lady's subtle way of telling her daughter that everything was under control and that her son was in good hands, and she should relax.

Perhaps, if Lady Anastasia had only seen her mother's smile, she would have calmed down a little bit. But she was also seeing her baby where he was lying inside the cot,.. and that baby wasn't looking alright in her eyes.

That was the reason for her worry.

The pregnancy had been eventful and she had even carried it beyond her expected date of delivery and now this.

What sort of ill luck was she cursed with?

Why did her case always have to be different?

That was all Anastasia was considering.

"B-But my baby is not crying, Mama."

The new babe was limp, his limbs loosely flickering.

Although, for the most part, the little one was perplexingly quiet and still, not even making the slightest of sounds or showing the littlest respiratory effort.

His tiny, fragile body was paper white, like he was born without any blood in his body, and covered generously in vernix.

"Don't worry about it, my dear," Madame Linshel reassured her daughter. "Just focus on getting some rest. I will handle the rest from here."

Anastasia wanted to put all her trust in her mother.

With all her heart, she wanted to believe in Madame Linshel's words but somehow and somewhere in her heart…

…Lady Anastasia had doubts.

Madame Linshel had been with her through her previous delivery and that one had been unsuccessful.

The baby had died shortly after its birth.

Coincidentally or not, that failed delivery and the death of her last baby happened just like this current one was about to happen, albeit faster as the previous one didn't give them any reasonable time to attempt any extensive resuscitative measures.

Anastasia was panicking and drowning in the deepest depth of fear and anxiety.

Of course, she would.

What mother wouldn't? Much less one that was close to having a second experience of child loss.

She didn't want her baby to die.

…Not a second time!

Not a second time of helplessly watching her fragile newborn leave this world before she could hold him in her arms and love him properly.

Madame Linshel turned to the younger maiden nurses who surrounded the baby in a circle.

Glancing at each and every one, she breathed in and out twice and then asked a vivid question.

"Are you all ready?"

"Yes, Madame Linshel!" they chorused, their voices resolute and their hearts and minds prepared for the next task.

"Then, let us begin."

At her command, all seven of the maidens joined hands together until the two standing on Madame Linshel's right and left sides placed their free hands on the older woman's shoulder.

Having joined to each other by their hands, all seven maidens began to mutter inaudible words of enchantment as strange golden energy was emitted from their bodies after a short time.

At first, it clothed them like a gown before channelling and finding its way into Madame Linshel's body, engulfing her.

This was a type of ritual.

A type of ritual that only the older and more experienced Madame Linshel could execute.

This spell required more magical energy than Madame Linshel Sheraton could muster at the moment and that was why she had the seven maidens transfer their energies to her.

"Don't worry, Lady Anastasia," another maiden stationed to serve at the Lady's side said in a bid to encourage her and calm her nerves.

"Your mother, Madame Linshel, is the greatest healer in all of Emberfort. Surely your baby will live."

Anastasia heard all that her maidservant had said, but her eyes were still fixed on the ongoing ritual.

…More so, on her baby.

She clutched her belly and grimaced, trying to adjust herself into a more comfortable position with the help of the maiden.

"Careful, my lady. Please, let me help you."

The maiden finally had her way and helped Anastasia sit up properly on the birth bed with her hands gently rubbing on her belly as the maidservant took out the stained clothes from the bed.

Madame Linshel Sheraton inhaled and exhaled a few times with her eyes closed and her mind geared into a state of sharp focus as she drew from the well of her own internal energy.

Her energy exuded from her body and combined with those of the maidens who had shared theirs with her.

Madame Linshel raised her hands slightly above her head, stretching them towards the little baby and in a moment, a golden magic circle appeared over the child and expanded a tad bit with different symbols etched on it.

A few minutes later, following the incessant chanting of the eight women, a second magic circle appeared.

This second magic circle was akin to the first, only that it was larger than the preceding one.

Then a third followed, and a fourth after that.

These magic circles were stacked on each other with reasonable distance separating them and each one larger than the preceding circle.

"All Life Incarnation!"

Madame Linshel invoked a magic spell that rocked the entire room, causing the unknowing to tremble in fear.

After a few seconds, a shimmering golden beam of light shot out from the centre of the largest fourth magic circle, heading downwards and penetrating through the centre of the third circle, all the way down to the first.

Eventually, all that energy which was released by the All Life Incarnation Spell concentrated on the baby's navel and gradually spread around, engulfing his tiny, tender body in a golden glow.

The enchantment of the women grew louder and louder but to Anastasia, it was even more worrying.

She held her mouth to hush herself from crying out loud.

"My poor baby," she muttered under her breath, her voice muffled.

The beam continued to concentrate on the baby's navel for the longest time as the voices of the woman grew even louder and yet, nothing happened.

After a while of incessant enchantment, Madame Linshel grew weary and her steps faltered as she found herself falling backwards.

The seven maidens around her were worried for her but they dared not stop the ritual once it had started.

She was not in the best condition to cast such a life-demanding spell but she was the only one among them who had the needed knowledge of the spell and could execute it flawlessly.

That was why the onus was on her.

For the sake of her daughter and her newborn grandchild, Madame Linshel did not let the weakness of her old body and drawbacks of age get the best of her.

She regained her stance almost immediately and began to approach the baby and in tandem with her footsteps were the steps of the younger maidens who slowly approached the bassinet as well.

Despite the amount of energy that they had poured into the baby, they could only cause the little one to cough twice, albeit weak ones.

That wasn't much compared to the effort they put in but Madame Linshel was glad because her stamina was running out and fast at that.

As if she knew it was coming, two magic circles suddenly dispersed in tiny particles of golden light.

Soon after, the remaining two followed.

All four circles vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Is everything okay, Mama!" Anastasia shouted from where she sat on the bed, her hands reflexively extending in the direction of her baby.

From Anastasia's point of view, it looked like the spell could not be maintained by them and soon fell apart.

The baby had coughed but was yet to make a single cry and that was what was bothersome about it.

Madame Linshel was worried about the mental as well as bodily damage the baby may have suffered during this period and hurriedly carried the newborn to his mother for closure.

Laying the young one carefully in Anastasia's arms, Anastasia gently rubbed her baby's back as tears welled up and flowed from her eyes.

Just as they were still concerned about how to go about the little child's condition, a young, handsome man barged into the room, gasping for air with a special black box in his possession.

Seeing the young man, Anastasia couldn't help but manage a weak but sincerely grateful smile.

Her eyes glinted with hope as she saw the item in his hands.

"Darling!" she exclaimed. "Thank heavens you are here!"