[Third Person’s PoV]

Annabeth stood up and dusted the dirt off her body as her wings tucked back behind her. “Go on! That’s the last piece I need!”

Lucian shrugged. “Alright, fine,” he said, standing up and placing both hands on the mechanical heart.

As soon as he touched it, darkness began pouring out of his body in an uncontrollable wave. However, instead of spreading outward, the darkness was siphoned directly into the heart. The metallic surface slowly became pitch black, absorbing Lucian’s energy.

Lucian’s brows furrowed as he felt his insides twist uncomfortably. The heart was now half-filled, and as it became more tainted, sweat began sliding down his face.

“Just how much does this thing hold?” Lucian asked through gritted teeth. “I’m not bragging, but my energy reserves are impressive—and it’s still draining me.”

As soon as the heart reached its limit, a shockwave of darkness exploded from it, knocking Lucian to the ground.

He breathed heavily, resting his arms on his knees as he stared at the floating heart. It radiated an all-consuming darkness, absorbing what little light remained in the room, while a dark red glow outlined its edges.

“Annabeth, what exactly is that?” Thalia asked, stunned.

“I shall call it… The BlackHeart!” Annabeth declared with a growing grin, cupping the object carefully in her hands.

Lucian scoffed. “Really? How original—naming it after my last name.”

“Thank you,” Annabeth replied shamelessly as she tucked the heart into her pouch.

She then grabbed Lucian and Thalia’s hands. “Now, come on! We’re about to witness the birth of my greatest creation!”

As she dragged them along, Lucian’s shadow extended behind him, absorbing the basket and blanket before retracting.

As they passed through the ongoing party, Nico and Bianca noticed and decided to follow, curiosity piqued by Annabeth’s mysterious project.

When they entered the workshop, everyone froze in shock.

Sitting in the middle of the room on a wooden chair was a mechanical doll. Glowing orange runes covered its body, pulsing with energy. It had no facial features—just a flat, blank surface where a face should be. A large magic circle surrounded it.

“Okay, that’s creepy,” Bianca muttered, eyeing the doll warily.

Annabeth ignored her and stepped forward. She pressed on the doll’s left pectoral, causing a hidden compartment in its chest to slide open.

Reaching into her pouch, she pulled out the pulsing black-and-red heart and carefully placed it inside before sealing the compartment shut.

She then stepped back, standing just outside the magic circle’s range. Everyone watched in silent anticipation.

Annabeth stretched both arms forward, closed her eyes, and began chanting in a mixture of Ancient Greek and Latin. Her voice carried the weight of an invocation, calling upon forces of shadow and creation. She spoke of something born from her spirit, something forged from the power of darkness itself.

The same chant echoed over and over, causing the magic circle to glow.

The lifeless husk suddenly twitched. Then, it began to rise from its chair, floating mid-air like a suspended marionette.

A low grinding noise filled the air as metal shifted within its chest. Then, without warning, pure darkness—ink-black and lightless—burst forth from the heart.

Yet, the darkness wasn’t wild or chaotic. Instead, it wrapped itself tightly around the husk, merging with the glowing sigils that lined its body.

Annabeth’s face tightened with focus as sweat formed along her brow.

The doll no longer looked like simple metal. It was changing—becoming something more.

The runes and shadows entwined, shaping the once-rigid frame into something more organic. The silhouette grew defined—abs forming along its midsection, pectoral muscles forming on its chest. A jawline and shoulder blades took shape, while flowing shadows coiled upward, becoming strands of hair.

Two thin lines appeared on its blank face, forming what looked like closed eyes.

And then—

It breathed.

As they all watched, they heard Annabeth begin to pant. Turning toward her, they saw her grinning madly, blood flowing freely from her nose and dripping onto the ground.

“Annabeth!” Thalia exclaimed, seeing how weak she had become. Without hesitation, she dove in, catching Annabeth alongside Lucian.

Both of them supported her as she continued to chant, seemingly unconcerned about her condition.

As Lucian steadied Annabeth’s body, they noticed a finger twitch on the shadowy figure before them. Slowly, it began to stir, its movements stiff and mechanical at first before becoming more fluid. It spread its arms wide, stabilizing the darkness that clung to its form.

Annabeth’s knees buckled, but she held out her hand.

The glowing magic circle dimmed as the shadowed figure, now highlighted in red, gently floated back down.

The moment it touched the ground, the magic circle stopped glowing, and Annabeth let out a gasping breath, lowering her hand.

In one fluid motion, the black-and-red figure knelt on one knee, fist to the ground, head lowered, its eyes still closed.

Annabeth pressed a shaky hand to her forehead and sighed. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Just a little lightheaded…”

“Here, drink this,” Lucian said, pulling a flask from his shadow—one of his potions.

Annabeth took it gratefully, not taking her eyes off the figure in front of them. After a moment, she turned to Lucian and asked, “Can you give it something to wear?”

Lucian shot her a weird look but sighed, complying. He carefully touched the figure’s shoulder, using [Shadow Equip] combined with the Mist to form clothing.

The figure was now clad in a white dress shirt, a sleeveless vest, and dress pants—almost like a bartender.

Annabeth, now wiping the blood from her nose with a cloth, could sense through their connection that the figure was waiting for permission to act.

“Speak,” she commanded.

Slowly, the figure opened its eyes, revealing two pure red pupils. Though it lacked a mouth, they somehow knew it was smiling—confidently, at that.

“I personally greet you, O Master, my grand creator,” the figure said in a deep, sultry voice. It placed a hand where its heart should have been and looked up at her with reverence.

Annabeth giggled excitedly. “From now on, you shall be known as Nox, the Spirit of Darkness and Shadows.”

“What a magnificent name!” Nox declared, placing a hand over his heart before extending the other toward Annabeth.

Annabeth placed her hand in his, and Nox lowered his head, kissing it. “I thank the grand Creator for bestowing upon me the privilege of a name and identity. I shall cherish this blessing forever!”

With a bright smile, Annabeth turned to Lucian, leaning her head against him as she asked, “Isn’t our son precious?”

Lucian froze. “Our what?” he asked, staring at her in disbelief.

Annabeth clasped her hands to her cheeks, swaying side to side. “Our son, silly! He was created using my spiritual energy and your power over darkness and shadow. He’s literally born from the both of us.”

Lucian wasn’t the only one looking utterly horrified—both Bianca and Thalia stared at Annabeth as if she had lost her mind.

Annabeth only giggled mischievously. “Go on, Nox, greet your dad~.”

“Greetings, Father!” Nox said formally, raising a hand in greeting.

“I ain’t your fucking daddy!” Lucian exclaimed, flinching backward.

Nico stepped forward and, without missing a beat, raised a hand in greeting. “Greetings! I’m your uncle, Nico.”

“Don’t encourage it!” Lucian snapped.

Annabeth merely smiled. “Nox, enter power-saving form.”

Shadows wrapped around Nox, and in an instant, he transformed into a small, black wisp with stubby arms and a ghost-like tail. His large, round eyes blinked up at them as he hovered in place, now small enough to fit in the palm of a hand.

“Hewwo!” he greeted in a high-pitched, adorable voice.

Lucian stared at Nox. Nox stared at Lucian.

After a long pause, Lucian’s expression turned serious. “It looks like I’m your daddy, son.”

Annabeth scoffed. She knew that would work. After all, both Thalia and Lucian had one thing in common—they were weak to small, cute creatures.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep