Chapter 923: Aelyra wants revenge.
Aelyra’s castle stood at the easternmost point of the continent, where the land met the ocean in black, violent cliffs. Unlike the northern fortresses, which seemed to spring from ice, or the industrial cities of Asgard, which grew in iron and steam, this castle appeared to have been torn directly from the seabed and planted against the sky. Its towers were tall, narrow, and curved, covered in dark stones polished by the constant sea spray. Large canals crisscrossed the inner courtyards, carrying saltwater into the structure itself, while waves crashed against the outer walls with enough force to shake the foundations on stormy nights.
That night, the storm wasn’t just coming from the sky.
Aelyra was in her war room, standing before a large circular table covered with maps, reports, sealed letters, and small metal pieces representing troops, ships, and territories. The tall windows were open, allowing the damp wind to violently enter the room, stirring heavy curtains and carrying the distant sound of the sea. Rain beat against the outer stones, and occasional thunderclaps briefly illuminated the face of the Monarch of the Stormy Tides.
She still bore the marks of humiliation.
Not all of them visible.
Her body had largely recovered, as expected of someone of her standing. Broken bones had been realigned, burns treated, and her appearance had regained the austere authority she had always cultivated. Yet, when she looked at her own reflection in polished surfaces, she saw something that no magical treatment could completely remove.
She saw Strax.
She saw his hand crushing her face.
She saw her own body being thrown like trash through the streets of the Celestial Capital.
She saw the blood.
The shock on the guards’ faces.
The silence of the other Monarchs.
And, worst of all, she heard the laughter.
Aelyra slowly closed one hand on the edge of the table.
The wood creaked.
It hadn’t completely shattered only because that table had been reinforced to withstand magical explosions, weapon impacts, and meetings between people with egos strong enough to destroy kingdoms. Even so, cracks began to spread beneath her fingers.
"He will pay," she murmured.
The room remained silent.
The men and women gathered around the table dared not respond immediately. They were naval captains, assassins in the service of the crown, military advisors, and intelligence agents from various ports in the East. They all knew that Aelyra had not summoned them for prudence. She wanted solutions. And, in that state, offering the wrong solution could be as dangerous as declaring allegiance to Strax within that castle.
One of the advisors, an old man with skin marked by salt and years of service, finally spoke cautiously.
"My lady, attacking Asgard directly would be reckless. The city has grown rapidly, but it does not appear defenseless. Reports indicate military forces, mercenaries, unusual creatures, and a far more solid internal organization than we anticipated." Aelyra slowly turned her face toward him.
"I didn’t ask if it would be prudent."
The man immediately shut his mouth.
Aelyra walked around the table with slow steps, each movement too controlled to hide the violence beneath. She didn’t just want to kill Strax. That wasn’t enough anymore. A quick death would be generous. After what he had done, after the way he had treated her in front of everyone, she wanted to extract something from him that truly mattered. Something that would make him feel the same exposure, the same powerlessness, and the same loss of control.
"He has too much strength for a simple execution," she said, looking at the maps. "I already understand that. Sending soldiers would be a waste. Sending champions would only give him more corpses to pile up. Attacking him directly at the wrong moment would be repeating the mistake of those idiots he already destroyed."
Another thunderclap illuminated the room for a moment.
This time, no one answered.
Aelyra stopped before a map of Asgard. The territory lay distant, at the opposite end of the continent, almost as if the world had placed that city as far away from its seas as possible. Yet, its influence grew far too quickly. Railroads, trade, refugees, guilds, mercenaries, new routes, hidden alliances. The city of Strax no longer seemed a future threat. It seemed an ongoing threat.
"He builds power," Aelyra continued. "He pretends he doesn’t want thrones, but transforms ruins into capitals. He pretends he doesn’t want war, but seizes territories when his enemies fall. He pretends to act in retaliation, but each retaliation makes him greater."
A woman with short hair and black robes, positioned near the shadows, inclined her head before speaking.
"So the intention is to destabilize Asgard?"
Aelyra smiled humorlessly.
"No."
She placed a finger on the symbol representing Strax on the map.
"The intention is to make him suffer."
The sentence pierced the room like a cold blade.
It was at that moment that the double doors opened, and a man entered, soaked by the rain. He wore simple clothes, no coat of arms, no armor, and no adornment that formally linked him to the court. Yet, everyone in the hall recognized him as one of Aelyra’s external agents. Men like him did not exist in official records, did not receive public honors, and were never mentioned in formal councils. They observed, followed, listened, and returned with information that nobles should never know how they obtained.
He crossed the room and knelt before her.
"My lady."
Aelyra didn’t even turn completely.
"Speak."
The man kept his head down.
"The target was located in Asgard. He has been circulating around the city in an altered appearance, likely using transmutation magic to avoid public recognition. He is accompanied by a child."
The room fell silent.
Aelyra turned her face only slightly.
"A child?"
"Yes, my lady."
"Explain."
The agent raised his head, but kept his gaze respectfully lowered.
"Girl. Human appearance, blue hair, golden eyes. Young, perhaps ten years old judging by outward appearance, but there is something strange about her. The magical signature is unstable and too dense for an ordinary child. The target acts protectively towards her."
Aelyra remained motionless.
The wind surged in through the window.
The rain lashed onto the stone floor near the curtains.
"Protective how?"
The agent took a breath before answering.
"Like a father."
The word hung in the air.
Father.
Aelyra felt something stir within her.
Not compassion.
Not surprise.
Opportunity.
"He took her around town," the agent continued. "He visited the train station. He stood beside her while she watched the trains. There were no guards nearby, at least not visible ones. He was disguised, which means he didn’t want to draw attention. The child seemed too trustworthy beside him. She held his hand, asked questions, and followed him without resistance."
One of the naval captains frowned.
"A daughter?"
The agent hesitated.
"I have no confirmation, but the behavior suggests a family bond or something very close to it. He didn’t treat her as a prisoner, a political protégé, or an ordinary apprentice. There was familiarity."
Aelyra slowly turned to the map.
The pieces on the table suddenly seemed less important.
Territories.
Routes.
Fortresses.
Ships.
It was all too big, too slow, too predictable.
But a child...
A child could be moved.
Hidden.
Used.
Aelyra brought her fingers to her chin as she thought.
She still remembered Strax’s expression when someone insulted his wives. She remembered the man who lost his temper at dinner, evaporated by a sphere of white fire without even having time to regret it. She remembered how his aura changed when someone attacked Ouroboros. There was a pattern there. A clear point. Strax was arrogant, brutal, and powerful, but he was also extremely protective of those he considered his own.
If the child really mattered...
Then perhaps it wasn’t necessary to defeat him in battle.
It would be enough to touch where he couldn’t bear to be touched.
Aelyra began to laugh.
Softly.
First almost like a sigh.
Then more clearly.
The sound caused several of those present to exchange uncomfortable glances.
Her laughter carried no humor.
It carried vengeance.
"So that’s it," she said.
The old advisor seemed to understand before the others, and his expression lost some of its color.
"My lady..."
She raised her hand, interrupting him.
"No."
"With all due respect, if this child truly belongs to him, touching her could provoke a disproportionate response."
Aelyra looked at the man.
"Disproportionate?"
"He almost killed her for much less."
The room grew even quieter.
Aelyra walked slowly towards him.
The advisor maintained his posture, but his fingers tensed on the edge of the table.
"For much less?" she repeated.
The man swallowed hard.
"I mean that..."
"I know what you meant."
She stopped in front of him.
"Are you telling me I should stay still because that animal might get angry?"
"I’m saying that a child might be too dangerous a boundary to cross."
Aelyra smiled.
"Exactly."
The advisor closed his eyes for a moment.
Because he realized his warning had had the opposite effect.
Aelyra turned to the others.
"If he’s angry about it, then it’s because it works."
The woman in black robes leaned slightly.
"Do you want her killed?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
"Deaths close possibilities. I want the child alive."
The agent, still kneeling, remained motionless.
Aelyra walked to the open window, observing the dark ocean below the cliffs. The waves crashed against the rocks like armies trying to invade the world. She breathed deeply, feeling the salt, the rain, and the electricity of the storm.
"I want all available assassins mobilized."
No one spoke for a few seconds.
Then a captain asked:
"All of them?"
"Anyone who can enter Asgard without raising suspicion. Anyone with experience in kidnapping, tracking, magical containment, and rapid transport. I don’t want noisy warriors. I don’t want fanatics. I don’t want idiots trying to prove their courage against Strax."
She turned again.
"I want professionals."
The woman in black robes nodded.
"And the instructions?"
Aelyra looked directly at her.
"The child must be removed from the city without serious injury. If sedation is necessary, do it. If barriers are necessary, use them. If agents need to be sacrificed to create a distraction, sacrifice them."
The kneeling agent raised his head slightly.
"There’s a possibility the child possesses draconic abilities."
"Then prepare dragon containment."
"That’s rare."
"I am a Monarch. Rarity doesn’t interest me."
Her tone ended the objection. Aelyra then placed her hand on the table again, this time more calmly.
"Whoever brings the child to me will receive special payment."
The room listened attentively.
The phrase mattered.
Very much.
Assassins, agents, and mercenaries weren’t driven solely by loyalty. They were driven by fear, opportunity, and reward. And when a Monarch spoke of special payment, it meant enough wealth to change the lives of generations.
"Lands," said Aelyra. "Gold. Minor titles. Lifetime port exemption. Choose the form of reward later. I don’t care. I want the girl."
The old advisor tried again.
"My lady, this could unite Asgard against us."
Aelyra didn’t look at him.
"Asgard is already against us."
"Unofficially."
"Officially means nothing."
She tapped two fingers on the map.
"Strax humiliated a Monarch and returned to his city as if nothing had happened. He destroyed my authority in the eyes of others. Every day he breathes without paying for it, my position weakens."
Her voice hardened.
"He wants to be a father? Then he’ll learn what it means to have something taken away."
The rain intensified.
A few drops reached the table and stained part of the map of Asgard.
Aelyra watched the stain slowly spread across the paper.
Then she smiled.
"Don’t attack him directly. Don’t approach him if you can avoid it. Observe the child’s schedule, the people nearby, the mansion’s routine, the paths he takes, and the moments he is separated from him."
She looked at the agent.
"And he will be separated from him."
The man nodded.
"Children get distracted."
Aelyra agreed.
"And young dragons probably even more so."
The woman in black robes quickly wrote down the orders.
"When should we begin?"
"Immediately."
"How many groups?"
"Three."
Aelyra began to mentally organize the movements.
"One group inside the city. One group on the outer routes. One extraction group outside Asgard’s immediate reach. If one fails, another continues. If two fail, the third takes the child. If all fail..."
She paused.
"Then at least I want to know exactly how they failed."
Everyone understood what that meant.
Failure without information would be unforgivable.
Aelyra walked back to the head of the table.
Her face was serene now.
Very serene.
That was the most worrying detail.
The explosive fury had disappeared, replaced by something far more dangerous: planning. The humiliation still burned, but now it had form, direction, and method.
She looked at each person gathered.
"Strax believed that letting me live was mercy."
The room remained still.
"He should have finished the job."
Aelyra then smiled.
Cold.
Beautiful.
Cruel.
"Now I will teach him to repent."
