The months blurred forward, carried on the steady hum of the palace and the weight of anticipation that no war, no rebellion, no shard could quite rival. The fragments of Goliath's runes still sat in Gabriel's study, silent and unsolved, but they were no longer the center of his days. His body carried heavier truths now, each month bending time around it, each quickening kick reminding him that some legacies could not be read in scorched crystal, only born anew.

When the moment came, the palace shifted as though the wards themselves held their breath. The air filled with ether and silence, corridors stilled by expectation, and the hum of conduits drowned by a heartbeat sharper than steel.

The hours dragged like lifetimes, the palace caught in the rhythm of a single room where breath, pain, and ether throbbed together. The corridors outside were silent, guarded by Shadows and staff who didn't dare let a whisper through. Inside, the air was heavy with heat, wards pulsing faint blue as though the palace itself was straining with them.

Gabriel endured it with clenched teeth and sharp defiance, every contraction a battle that stole the air from his lungs and bent the world down to a single point of pain. Damian never left his side, golden eyes molten, hand firm and unyielding, taking every curse Gabriel hurled at him without flinching.

Hours later, when the physician finally leaned forward, hands steady and voice controlled, the tension in the air broke.

"A son," he announced, his tone professional, though a faint note of wonder threaded beneath it. "Healthy. A dominant omega."

The words cut through the haze, and then the cry followed, loud, sharp, insistent, filling the chamber like a declaration.

Gabriel collapsed back against the pillows, his body trembling, damp hair plastered to his temples. His breath came uneven and ragged, but his arms steadied when the small weight was placed against his chest.

The child was warm, fierce already in his restless movements, and when Gabriel finally forced his eyes open enough to look, something twisted deep in him.

The baby's hair was black, not the faint blue-black hue of his own, but the warm, deep black of Damian's. And when his eyelids blinked open, the lamplight caught silver eyes, clear and bright, gleaming like tempered steel.

There was no struggle between their bloodlines, no jagged clash written across his features. The child looked seamless, as though his genes had chosen a single story and told it clean: Damian's face, Damian's hair, and Lyon's silver eyes.

Gabriel's lips curved faintly, exhausted and dry, though humor still edged every word. "Another Damian," he murmured hoarsely, his thumb brushing across the infant's cheek. "Only with silver eyes this time. My genes didn't even try with this one."

Damian's mouth curved into a slow, satisfied smile, golden eyes glinting as he leaned over them. "Of course they didn't. They know better than to waste the effort."

Gabriel huffed a laugh, sharp even through his ragged breaths. "Smug bastard." His gaze dropped back to the baby, to the dark hair and those bright Lyon eyes, and a spark of determination flickered behind the exhaustion. "Fine. Enjoy this victory. But I'm telling you now, I'm not stopping until at least one of them looks like me."

Damian blinked, caught between amusement and disbelief, before a low laugh rumbled out of him. "You're lying here half-broken and already planning another war?"

Gabriel's smirk curved, thin but defiant. "Call it strategy. If Goliath could play fate, so can I. My bloodline isn't bowing out with two stubborn children who look like a copy of you."

"Stubborn doesn't even begin to cover it," Damian muttered, though the molten warmth in his gaze betrayed how much he liked it. He brushed his thumb over Gabriel's knuckles, slow and grounding. "You're already mine. What does it matter whose face they carry?"

Gabriel's brown eyes cut to him, gleaming despite the weight pulling at his body. "Because I said so."

The baby squawked at that exact moment, kicking against the blanket as if seconding the declaration. Gabriel let out a low, hoarse laugh, pressing a kiss to his son's temple.

"See?" he murmured, lips curving smug despite the exhaustion tugging at every muscle. "Already on my side."

Damian shook his head, laughter low and indulgent. "Or already preparing to drive me mad, just like his mother."

Gabriel's smirk softened, but the gleam in his eyes didn't fade. He was exhausted, wrung out, but in his mind the calculation had already been made: time to recover, time to push Damian again, time until their next battle for a child who might finally look like him.

—

The chamber had only just begun to settle, the hum of the ether wards softening back into their steady rhythm, when the door creaked open. A mop of dark curls poked through, golden eyes gleaming with the mischief of someone who'd slipped past every guard and Shadow on the way.

"Papa!" Arik announced, his voice too loud for the hush, his feet already pattering across the floor. "Did he come yet?"

Gabriel shifted against the pillows, exhaustion heavy in every line of him, but his mouth still curved sharp. "Your brother arrived hours ago. You're late."

Arik ignored the jab, his gaze locking onto the small bundle against Gabriel's chest. He leaned in close, nose wrinkling as if he expected the baby to already be plotting something. "He looks like Father."

"Unfortunate, isn't it?" Gabriel murmured dryly, brushing a thumb over the silver-eyed infant's cheek. "But at least he has taste."

Damian, standing just behind them, allowed himself the faintest, smug curve of a smile.

Arik, undeterred, straightened with sudden seriousness. "I'll name him."

Gabriel's brow arched, the look enough to silence most grown men. "Will you now?"

"Yes," Arik insisted, puffing his chest out. "He should be named… Dragon. Or Thunder. Or Emperor Junior."

Damian's golden eyes narrowed faintly, though the corner of his mouth betrayed him with amusement. "That would be a long name to sign on decrees."

Arik crossed his arms, clearly dissatisfied. "Fine. Then Phoenix. Because he's going to be strong and shiny, and everyone will have to say it with respect."

Gabriel's laugh cracked sharp and hoarse from exhaustion but genuine. "Respect? Arik, half the court would faint if they had to bow to 'His Highness Phoenix.'"

The boy scowled, clearly thinking his brilliance was being wasted.

Gabriel glanced up at Damian, their gazes meeting over the child's dark head. Calm, settled, unspoken agreement. He pressed a faint kiss to his son's temple, then said, voice low but certain:

"Cecil Rava Lyon."

Arik blinked, caught off guard. "That's… boring."

"It's dignified," Gabriel corrected, a smirk curling thin. "Cecil, for strength. Rava, for the river that feeds the Empire. And Lyon…" His eyes flicked to Damian, brown locking with gold. "…because I agreed to take your father's name."

Damian inclined his head, his hand resting on Gabriel's shoulder. "Cecil Rava Lyon. The Empire's second prince."

Arik pouted, golden eyes darting between them. "But Phoenix would've been cooler."

Gabriel ruffled his curls with his free hand, his smirk widening. "Save it for your own children, Arik. They'll need the armor."

The boy groaned, throwing himself dramatically onto the edge of the bed, muttering under his breath about unfair parents and boring names. But when his little brother squirmed and let out another sharp cry, Arik's pout vanished at once. He leaned closer, eyes wide again, as if the indignity of being named Cecil was already forgotten.

"Fine," he whispered, as though striking a secret bargain with the newborn. "But I'm still going to call you Phoenix."

Gabriel chuckled, low and sharp, brushing his lips across Cecil's hair. "Gods help me, now there are two of you."