Dmitri was a proud father. He had always dreamt of what his child would look like. In his dreams he had heard his baby's feet tapping the floor, his laughter echoing across the halls of the mansion, his giggles and burps on his shoulders. When the doctor handed him the baby, he said, "He is exactly what I had dreamt of in my dreams," whispered Dmitri as he held his first born in his arms. "What shall we name him?" he asked.
Adrianna opened her mouth to say something when he said in a lilting voice, "He will be known as Ileus. Ileus Volkov. My son."
Adrianna's mouth fell. How did Dmitri know of the name? That was the name the Moon Goddess had given to him and Adrianna had been too careful to never leak it out from her cell.
Ileus opened his golden yellow eyes and Dmitri was moved to the core. His eyes were just like his mother's. Ileus, perhaps, looked at his father for a moment and immediately slept in his steady arms that wrapped him. Dmitri fell in love with his child since he was conceived but now that he was born, Dmitri's eyes glazed with tears. "Thank you darling. I don't wish for anything else in my life," he said to Adrianna.
Adrianna smiled. Everything that he had told her during the labor pain evaporated in the air. The two men in her life looked perfect. Now nothing could go wrong.
"He is so handsome," Dmitri said. He stroked Ileus' tiny feet and chuckled. Ileus curled his toes and gave a smile in his sleep.
The doctor stitched Adrianna, applied antiseptics and said, "You will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow."
As soon as they were discharged, Cora and Pierre took them to the Werewolf Realm. Ed had been informed about his great-grandson and he had come running. His joy knew no bounds when he held Ileus in his arms. "Adri, he looks like you," he remarked as he cradled the tiny one who was wrapped in a blue comforter that had cute panda ears on its hood.
Pierre raised his right eyebrow immediately and countered, "No! Only his eyes look like Adrianna's. Rest he resembles Dmitri."
Ed looked at Pierre. The two long-time friends stared daggers at each other. "Pierre, go get eye glasses," Ed scoffed and turned away.
Pierre growled, "I think your vision has become horrible staying up in the Northern Mountains for so long. Come and stay amongst your own kind and you will again start understanding the different facial features. Ileus has clear cut Dmitri's features." He took out a black bead anklet and gave it to Adrianna. "Make him wear that, okay?"
"Yes Father," she smiled and accepted the gift. She knew that this was Dmitri's anklet that he used to wear as a baby.
"Oh, get out Pierre," Ed grimaced. The two friends argued until the rest of the people left the place.
As soon as Adrianna had come to the Werewolf Realm, Adrianna could feel the attraction to the moon that she used to when she was under the curse of becoming a rogue wolf. She knew that the Moon Goddess was summoning her.
She had to leave with Ileus that night after the party was over and it was dead quiet. She had gone deep in the jungles to meet her.
Selena, the Moon Goddess was waiting for her in her chariot that was driven by seven white horses. She shone brilliantly as a thousand stars had converged.
As if in a trance, Adrianna handed over her day old baby to her. The Goddess took him with care. She smiled. Both of them were covered with white brilliant light. Was she taking him with her? A tear dropped from Adrianna's eye.
The light around them dispersed. Selena said in a honeyed voice, "Your child will rule this world, Adrianna. But you have to make sure whether he becomes the Dark Lord or one who is loved by all. I will visit again." Saying that she gave Ileus back to Adrianna. She climbed back on her chariot, which took off and disappeared in the night sky.
Adrianna was moved to the core. She was shaking with little Ileus in her arms. "Dark Lord…"
Over the next few months, things started to change at a rapid speed. Ileus development wasn't like that of a normal child. His mental cognition was much higher. His power was crazy. His magic was beyond comprehension and being a baby he didn't know what he was doing. The first and foremost thing he demanded was his mother.
Adrianna had decided not to give him outside milk and so she fed him. He demanded to be fed every two hours. For the first three months, Ileus was with his mother in her bed. Everything was under control. However, the problem started when Adrianna shifted him to his nursery. The moment he would become hungry, he would cry and his mother would find herself right next to him from wherever she was. If she was in her bedroom sleeping peacefully in the middle of the night, one cry and she was summoned before Ileus. If she were taking important meetings in the ministry, one cry and she would find herself right next to him. Meetings, functions, malls, inspecting the Third level, human realm – nothing stopped Ileus from wanting what he needed – his food, which only Adrianna could provide. The only exception was the noble court.
One day when Adrianna was holding the court, she heard his cry. Her heart skipped a beat because she had fed Ileus just an hour before. She thought that she would disappear from the court much to her embarrassment but something strange happened. The Crown laughed inside her head. In front of all the ministers, a toddler was seen crawling up to his mother on the carpet. He was crying so much that a minister ran to pick him up. She brought him to Adrianna. "Please take care of our Prince, my Queen."
Adrianna gritted her teeth. She was planning to fire his nannies. They were proving to be useless with all their fine magic skills. She surrounded herself with mist and had to feed him. The moment Ileus' stomach was full he slept in her arms. Adrianna had to give him a burp on her shoulders in front of everyone.
"Your child is special Adrianna," the Crown had said. "However, you have to channelize his powers, else he wouldn't know what to do."
"I know…" Adrianna remembered what Moon Goddess had told her.
"I highly suggest that once he is five years, leave him in the human realm. There he would learn many things."
Adrianna shuddered at the thought. "No! He needs my continuous guidance," she retorted.
"Well, this is just a suggestion. Consider it."
Adrianna lowered her head and stroked Ileus thick wavy curly black hair. Her son was born with incredulous powers. She choked. She would never part with him.
"You will come to know about his real powers soon, Adrianna," he warned her.
By the time Ileus was five months, everything around him moved according to his desire. His nurses, nannies, servants, everyone was simply too scared to be around him.
Only Adrianna and Dmitri were able to calm down Ileus. These days Dmitri would walk into the Wizard Kingdom after spending his days in the Werewolf Realm and would straight walk into his son's nursery.
There was yet another thing that was worrying Adrianna. Ever since she had met Elder regarding her son, she suspected something about Ileus.