The sun hung high above the capital, pouring gold over the market streets.
Voices overlapped in a constant tide—merchants shouting prices, customers arguing back, horses snorting as carts rolled over stone. The scent of spices, metal, and baked bread filled the air. Life moved loudly. Normally.
At the entrance of the kingdom, Lysera stood still.
Two years.
Two years since she had left these gates under the banner of patronage.
Her gaze swept over the city—unchanged, yet somehow distant. The noise did not touch her. The crowd parted around her without knowing why. Some instinct made them step aside.
She walked forward.
Each step carried her through familiar streets. Vendors paused mid-sentence as she passed. A few recognized the crest on her cloak. Fewer dared to meet her eyes.
The castle rose ahead, tall and unyielding.
High above, Erik sat on the roof's edge, one knee raised as he rested in the afternoon heat. His eyes lazily scanned the horizon—
Then stopped.
A figure moved through the market with calm, unwavering strides.
His posture straightened instantly.
"Lady Lysera…" he muttered.
He pushed himself up to rush inside and inform the Patriarch—but a hand settled on his shoulder before he could take a step.
The pressure wasn't heavy.
It didn't need to be.
Erik froze.
"I will announce my return myself."
Her voice was steady.
Erik slowly turned his head.
She stood behind him.
Up close, the difference was undeniable. Her aura was sharper. Denser. The air around her felt faintly heated, like embers buried beneath ash.
She has grown stronger these past two years, he thought, a faint smirk touching his lips.
"As you wish, young mistress" he said. "Allow me to escort you to the Patriarch."
She gave a small nod.
Together, they entered the castle halls.
Servants lowered their heads as she passed. Guards straightened instinctively.
The doors to the throne room opened.
Lysera stepped inside.
Nobles lining the hall instinctively lowered their gazes.
At the far end, upon the obsidian throne carved with the sigil of House Dravenir, Seraphiel watched in silence.
Lysera halted several steps below the dais.
"I have returned home, Father."
Her voice was calm.
"Did the mission proceed as expected?" Seraphiel asked, his tone even.
"Yes, Father." There was no hesitation. "The Ashveil Drake has been eliminated."
Seraphiel inclined his head once.
"Well done."
Lysera returned the gesture with a slight bow before straightening.
"If you would excuse me," she said, "I wish to see Mother."
A faint pause.
"You are dismissed."
She turned without lingering and walked from the throne room. The great doors closed behind her with a resonant thud.
Silence remained in her wake.
"Erik."
The captain stepped forward at once and bowed.
"Yes, my lord."
Seraphiel's gaze did not leave the doors.
"You sensed it as well."
A faint smirk touched Erik's lips.
"I did, my lord. The young mistress's mana has grown considerably. Her current output…" He paused, choosing his words carefully. "It is comparable to a Black Squad Vice Captain."
A beat.
"Perhaps even higher."
Seraphiel's fingers tapped once against the arm of his throne.
No one in the hall dared breathe too loudly.
House Dravenir's eldest daughter had returned.
Lysera moved through the corridor at an unhurried pace.
The inner garden opened before her—sunlight spilling across trimmed hedges and pale stone.
Aldric sat at a low table beneath a flowering tree, a plate of fruit between him and Kaira. The dragon lay beside him, one massive wing stretched lazily along the grass. An apple rested near her claw.
Lysera stopped a few steps away.
Mana gathered at her fingertip.
"Flame Arrow."
The spell shot forward.
Aldric didn't look back.
Just as the flame reached him, Kaira lifted her wing, blocking it. The fire dispersed against her scales like sparks against steel.
Something flicked through the air from behind that same wing.
Lysera caught it.
An apple.
Kaira lowered her wing again, unbothered.
Aldric smiled faintly. "Bold of you to think your flame would reach me while Kaira is with me."
Lysera took a bite.
"Greetings, Uncle."
"I didn't expect you back so soon."
"I had to."
The lightness thinned.
"So," Aldric said, setting the plate aside, "you heard."
"Yes." A pause. "Where is Mother?"
"In Vlad's room."
Silence stretched between them.
"Tell me what really happened," she said.
Aldric met her eyes.
And began.
After a brief exchange in the garden, Lysera turned toward the inner corridor.
"I'll go see Mother then," she said lightly. "Enjoy your little picnic."
Aldric waved lazily. When he tried to lift Kaira's claw to make her wave as well, her tail smacked him across the back and sent him face-first into the grass.
Lysera did not look back.
She stopped before Vlad's chamber.
For a moment, she simply stood there.
Then she knocked.
"Mother… are you inside?"
From within, a soft voice answered, "Yes. Come in."
Lysera pushed the door open.
Elarys sat beside the bed, embroidery resting in her lap. Vlad lay unmoving beneath pale sheets, his skin still too pale.
"Welcome home, dear," Elarys said gently.
Lysera stepped closer to the bed.
"How is he?"
Elarys's fingers tightened slightly around the fabric.
"It's been three days," she said quietly. "He hasn't woke up yet."
Her voice trembled in exhaustion.
Lysera glanced at the untouched tray near the window.
"Have you eaten, Mother?"
Elarys did not answer.
"Go," Lysera said softly. "Eat something. I'll stay with him."
"I can—"
"I insist."
After a brief hesitation, Elarys finally rose. She brushed Vlad's hair back once more before leaving the room.
When the door closed, silence settled.
Lysera stood still for a few seconds.
Then she knelt beside the bed.
She took Vlad's hand carefully and pressed it against her cheek.
"You promised," she whispered, her voice no longer steady. "You said when I become Matriarch, you would stand beside me and protect me."
Her fingers tightened around his.
"So don't you dare leave me now. Stay safe… little brother."
She remained there until the door opened again.
Elarys returned, and they spoke softly for a few minutes.
Eventually, Lysera stood.
"I'll come back later, Mother."
"Make sure you eat as well," she added quietly.
Elarys smiled faintly. "Thank you for worrying about me, dear."
Lysera left the room.
As she walked down the corridor, voices echoed faintly from the corner ahead.
She slowed.
Cassian's voice.
"Do you think that wimp will open his eyes anytime soon, Maelis?" he said with a mocking chuckle.
Maelis did not respond.
A shadow fell over them.
Cassian turned—
Lysera's hand closed around his throat and lifted him off the ground in one smooth motion.
His feet kicked uselessly.
She leaned closer, her voice low and cold against his ear.
"You better pray my little brother opens his eyes."
Her grip tightened slightly.
"Because if he doesn't… I will make your life in this castle a living hell."
She released him.
Cassian slammed into the wall and dropped to the floor, coughing violently.
Maelis remained silent, eyes lowered.
Lysera walked away without another word.
Night fell over the capital.
In the quiet room, Elarys lay beside Vlad, holding him close as if he were still a small child.
Hours passed.
Vlad's fingers twitched.
His breathing grew heavier.
A faint voice reached him.
"Hey… are you waking up?"
His eyelids fluttered.
"Mother… is that you?" he whispered weakly.
Light flooded his vision as his eyes slowly opened—
White.
Clouds drifted above him.
And water rippled endlessly beneath his body.
A familiar place.
The voice came again.
But it was not his mother's.
A presence sat beside him.
"Oh, you finally woke up" the figure said smiling.
"Welcome back."