Chapter 581: Next steps
The portal opened inside the royal palace of the witches with a scarlet and green ripple, spreading small particles of mana across the polished black floor. Kael stepped through first, still holding Sylphie’s hand, and immediately felt the difference between Yggdrasil’s Central Realm and the domain of the witches. Here, the air was heavier, loaded with runes, defensive spells, and centuries of magical authority accumulated in the walls, stained glass, and tall columns supporting the entrance hall.
Sylphie appeared beside him an instant later, her white hair falling over her shoulders and her green eyes observing everything with discreet curiosity. She had already seen grand places in Yggdrasil, worlds sustained by roots and forests that thought, but this palace had a different kind of grandeur. It was not natural. It was political, ancient, dangerous, and carefully built to remind any visitor that witches capable of turning diplomatic formality into a death sentence lived here.
As soon as the portal magic faded, several witch knights guarding the place turned at the same time. They wore dark armor with silver details and long cloaks marked by the royal symbol. Some held enchanted spears, others kept swords at their waists, but none raised a weapon against him. On the contrary. The instant they recognized Kael, all of them knelt in perfect synchronization, as if they had been waiting for that moment since the beginning of the morning.
"All hail the Celestial Sun, the King of Witches."
Their voices echoed through the hall with such intense solemnity that Kael went still for half a second.
Sylphie also stopped.
Then she slowly turned her face toward him.
"Celestial Sun," she murmured.
Her attempt to hold back laughter was almost successful. Almost. The corner of her lips trembled, her eyes shone with amusement, and although no loud sound escaped, Kael knew that expression. It was the same expression she wore when she was about to laugh at him for the rest of the day.
Kael looked at her from the side.
"Do not start."
"I did not say anything."
"You said it with your face."
"My face is merely appreciating the reverence to the Celestial Sun."
Kael took a deep breath, clearly uncomfortable with the title, but still smiled politely at the kneeling knights. He did not like that kind of treatment. He still did not know if he ever would. There was something strange about being received as king by warriors who, only a few weeks earlier, might have treated him merely as Elion’s problematic descendant.
"Good morning," he said, trying to sound natural.
The response was immediate. The knights raised their faces almost at the same time, and several of them had illuminated gazes, as if that simple greeting were a formal blessing from some glorious entity. One of the younger ones nodded so hard she nearly struck her forehead against the breastplate of her own armor.
"Good morning, Your Majesty."
"May your light remain over the Kingdom."
"May your path be protected."
Kael blinked slowly.
Sylphie lowered her face, biting her lip so she would not laugh audibly.
He squeezed her hand a little, not hard, just enough to warn her that he noticed everything. Sylphie squeezed back, completely innocent. The two passed by the knights as they rose and resumed formation, though now all of them were clearly trying not to look too much at Kael and failing quite obviously.
When they were far enough away, following the broad corridor toward the main mansion integrated into the palace, Sylphie leaned a little closer to him.
"I got jealous."
Kael looked ahead.
"Be quiet."
"I am serious."
"You are not."
"A little."
"You are already exaggerating."
Sylphie let out a low laugh, and Kael ended up laughing too. The tension of the last few days felt lighter when she was beside him. Even the embarrassment of being called Celestial Sun by an entire guard became less irritating when Sylphie laughed like that, with her fingers intertwined with his and her presence making everything more real.
They crossed two corridors, passed through an inner courtyard, and reached the entrance of the main mansion. The place was less militarized than the initial hall, but no less impressive. Long carpets covered part of the floor, old portraits watched visitors from the walls, and lighting crystals floated near the high ceiling. Kael felt several barriers recognizing his presence and opening passage without resistance.
When they entered the main room, they found a scene that seemed to have been assembled specifically to defy any expectation of normality.
Elion was sitting in an armchair with a cup of tea in her hand, her posture far too relaxed for someone who, only a few hours earlier, had probably been ready to destroy the entrance to the Original Realm. Beside her, Nidhogg occupied another seat with absurd naturalness, as if the royal house of the witches were merely another comfortable extension of her own little house beneath the roots. Eleonor stood near the central table, reading a letter made of dark and unusual paper, marked by an elegant texture that resembled fine leather and silk at the same time.
Exelia remained standing guard, calm, with one hand resting on the hilt of her sword. Her expression was serious, but there was a discreet tiredness in her eyes, the kind of tiredness that appeared after spending too much time in the presence of the Scarlet family.
On the larger sofa, however, was the main source of chaos.
Yggdrasil occupied half the seat with the appearance of someone who had lost a war against her own hangover. Her form was smaller than before, almost delicate, with her dress of leaves and vines completely disheveled. Some flowers seemed wilted, her red hair was messy, and she kept one hand on her forehead while muttering complaints about a headache apparently offensive on a spiritual level.
"You should have stopped me," she murmured, eyes closed. "I am a primordial entity. I should not have been allowed to drink enough mead to affect the upper roots."
Nidhogg took a sip of tea.
"I tried."
Yggdrasil opened one eye.
"You said it would be funny."
"I also tried in another way."
Elion set her cup on the saucer.
"I warned you the third bottle was a bad idea."
"You brought the fourth."
"For scientific purposes."
Yggdrasil groaned softly and sank a little deeper into the sofa.
"I hate all of you."
"That will pass," Eleonor said, without taking her eyes off the letter.
"My pain is cosmic."
"That will pass too."
It was at that instant that everyone noticed Kael and Sylphie at the entrance.
Silence fell over the room in a strange way. Elion raised her eyes and immediately smiled with satisfaction when she saw her son. Nidhogg tilted her head, observing Sylphie with warm curiosity. Exelia straightened her posture, but her expression softened slightly. Eleonor merely looked over the letter, with an amused gleam in her eyes.
Yggdrasil, on the other hand, froze.
She looked at Sylphie.
Then at Kael.
Then at their intertwined hands.
Her headache seemed to be temporarily replaced by indignation.
"You should not leave the Realm."
Sylphie blinked, showing no guilt whatsoever.
"You did not close the Realm."
Yggdrasil stared at her.
Sylphie shrugged.
"If you wanted me not to leave, you should have forbidden portals."
The room remained silent for a second.
Nidhogg slowly lowered her cup, as if appreciating the argumentative strike.
Elion smiled with pride that clearly was not hers to feel.
Eleonor finally lowered the letter a little more.
Yggdrasil opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
Nothing came out.
Sylphie held her gaze with perfect serenity.
Yggdrasil lost the argument.
The entity turned her face to the side, hugged a cushion, and murmured something incomprehensible about ungrateful young deities.
Kael sighed, lightly squeezing Sylphie’s hand before taking a few steps into the room.
"Everything is fine. Let us stop fighting."
"I did not even start," Sylphie said.
"You started silently."
"That does not count."
"It counts when it works."
Yggdrasil grumbled into the cushion.
"It worked."
Kael looked at her for an instant, then decided that dealing with a hungover Yggdrasil would require more energy than he was willing to spend at that moment. Instead, his gaze went to Eleonor. His grandmother was still seated with the dark letter between her fingers, and the paper drew attention not only because of its material, but because of the mana contained in its edges. There was a political signature there. Something formal, ancient, and loaded with intention.
Kael frowned slightly.
"What are you doing?"
Eleonor raised the letter.
"Reading something that arrived while you were busy."
Sylphie looked at Kael from the side.
He pretended not to notice.
Eleonor moved her fingers, and the letter left her hand, floating through the air toward Kael. The paper landed softly between his fingers. As soon as he touched the material, he felt a cold and dense mana, different from the magic of witches. It was elegant, controlled, and predatory. Not directly aggressive, but impossible to mistake for anything harmless.
Kael released Sylphie’s hand only to open the document more carefully.
The room watched as he read the first lines.
His face changed little, but Sylphie immediately noticed when the lightness of the reunion began to withdraw somewhere deeper. Kael did not become irritated. Not yet. But his eyes became more attentive, and his previously relaxed posture gave way to a cold concentration she already knew.
Elion noticed too.
"Problem?"
Kael continued reading for a few more seconds.
Then released a short sigh.
"It looks like it is already time to get back to business."
Sylphie stepped closer to him.
"What does the letter say?"
Kael passed his eyes over one more line before answering.
"The Queen of the Vampires wants to meet me."
The room grew quieter.
Yggdrasil raised her head from the sofa with a confused and offended expression, as if the universe had chosen another irritating subject far too early.
Kael partially folded the letter, keeping his gaze on the dark seal at the bottom.
"She wants us to have a conversation about the recent events involving the King."
Eleonor watched her grandson attentively.
Elion narrowed her eyes.
Exelia became even more still.
Nidhogg smiled faintly, as if the scent of a new disaster had just entered through the window.
Sylphie looked at Kael.
"Queen of the Vampires."
"Yes."
"Beautiful?"
Kael closed his eyes for an instant.
"I just read the letter."
"That did not answer."
Elion pointed at Sylphie with her cup.
"I like her."
Yggdrasil sank back into the sofa.
"I should have closed the portals."
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