After that…
Damon's expression turned serious, his casual demeanor fading slightly. "Now that the shardlings have spoken, I guess it's my turn."
The King sighed like a tired rabbit, his shoulders slouching in utter fatigue. His wife laughed and pushed him forward gently.
"Yes, Prince Damon," his voice came out trembling.
"When I first got to Eternum, Nyra mentioned that my Mom was the only leader taking actual, active measures to protect the Multiverse, and Eternum, where you also live, from Gamishi. I'd like that to change. I want your kingdom to help us with that, both right now and in the future. An alliance against Gamishi benefits both of our worlds, right? So why do you always say no?"
Cassian exchanged a long, profound look with his wife, then looked back at Queen Thessa. He let out a breath. "The Eternal One truly favors Woewyn. He has blessed your children with an intellect that matches their power. I don't quite have the energy to explain my past rejections. Sunspire will stand with you against the shadow of Gamishi."
'What…?' Damon thought with a raised eyebrow. 'That was easy. Is he this open-minded when tired? I got him to fold just by asking, while Mom's tried everything in her power. I guess he does love his daughter.'
Finally, the King's gaze drifted down to the emotionally bruised and exhausted form of Klaven. "And you, young Voren? You protected my daughter's core. Do you have a request?"
Klaven looked at the floor, his voice tight. "I am part of the Voren family, Your Majesty. Cythera's request covers me as well. I don't have anything to ask for."
Damon, while looking at a pinkish-red petal, muttered calmly under his breath in a tone that was barely audible to anyone but the cousins. "Stop being so modest just 'cause you're in front of a King. We all know you want something, cockroach."
Cythera's brow twitched. She glared sideways at Damon. "Why did you call him a cockroach?"
"Because," Damon whispered back, a slightly mischievous smirk slowly playing on his face, "only cockroaches pretend to be dead when they get hit once, but they're completely fine the second you look away."
Klaven turned more ashamed. Cythera facepalmed.
King Cassian cleared his throat and offered a final, stiff nod of gratitude toward the Royal Family of Woewyn. "Once again, Queen Thessa... Sunspire owes you a debt that cannot be easily calculated." With his gratitude finally spoken, the King turned back toward the golden vessel, his heavy royal garments sweeping across the patterned stone floor.
Alya fell into step behind her parents, but her pace gradually slowed, and she gave Damon one more look before turning.
The heavy hum of the departing convoy seemed to echo with the sudden, crushing weight in her chest. A fierce, unbidden warmth rushed up her neck, painting her cheeks in a deep, burning crimson. She bit her lower lip, staring at the stone pathway as her fingers tightened over a small object hidden deep inside her pocket.
Behind her, Damon was already walking away, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, while Daichi remained perched lazily on his shoulder.
Alya stopped. She took a sharp, anchoring breath to steady the sudden trembling in her throat.
"Prince Damon! Please wait."
Her voice rang clearly through the cooling evening air. Damon stopped in his tracks, slightly startled, and the people walking beside him paused as well. The five scout boys, however, barely glanced back and simply continued their march home past the school gates.
Damon turned around, his blue and gold-speckled eyes locking onto her. "Oh, Alya. What is it?"
Princess Alya took a few deliberate steps back toward him. The frantic panic that had consumed her in the forest was entirely gone, replaced by a quiet, deliberate focus.
"You made me realize something about myself today, Damon," she said, her voice steady and remarkably sharp.
"I cower in fear and lose all confidence when something I want doesn't go my way, even in the slightest. Looking back at previous behaviour... it almost felt robotic. Artificial. But because of you... I suppose I'd like the opportunity to say thank you for... speaking to me like that. No one has ever spoken to me that way, in my entire life. Don't blame my parents, I don't blame them either. While they've tried their best, unlike you, each time they spoke with me was like navigating a court of glass."
Damon let out a soft chuckle, scratching the side of his head. "I err… I dunno what to say to that, Alya."
He paused for a moment, breaking eye contact, before looking right back at her. "Are you actually serious? To me, it looked like I was just pointing out the facts, though."
Alya let out a genuine laugh, quickly raising a hand to cover her mouth as her eyes crinkled.
A few paces behind them, Queen Thessa watched the exchange, a subtle warmth gracing her eyes. Beside her, the calm in Cythera's eyes didn't drop, but the relaxed warmth gradually vanished, her gaze hardening into a heavy, unblinking stillness as she watched the two of them.
"In terms of what you told me," Alya continued, her posture straightening as she looked at Damon with a birth of pride, the blossom of a flower in her eyes. "I've decided to get stronger. Physically. That way, I could live a free life. I'll finally learn to harness the full power of the ten kings' cores. Who knows? One day, I might even become stronger than you and aid you in battle against Gamishi."
Damon shrugged, a faint smirk touching his lips. "Hmm. Well, I don't really care if someone's stronger than me or not. If they're not an enemy, I'm happy for them. But it's good to know I have a potential powerhouse around to help beat Gamishi—especially since your father's definitely gonna hold up his end of our deal."
Damon glanced past her toward King Cassian. The King of Sunspire merely shot him a flat, thoroughly disinterested look, turning his head away as his wife immediately began consoling him with quiet, hushed words to soothe his bruised royal pride.
Alya's face lit up, brighter and more vibrant than Damon had ever seen it. "I'll ensure he does. Please, do tell me whatever information you manage to extract from Doran. Also..."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a solid gold token. It was a thick, elongated rectangle, its shorter widths smoothly curved into perfect semi-circles, with the sharp crest of Sunspire deeply engraved into the center.
Damon blinked at the heavy metal. "Do you guys bleed gold or something?"
Alya chuckled, the tension completely leaving her shoulders. "Woewyn is much larger, so you technically have a lot more raw gold than we do. But in the territories where we do mine it... It's a lot denser. Besides, we only have twenty billion citizens to account for, so there's plenty to spare."
"Alright, that's good to know," Damon said.
Princess Alya held the token out, her fingers tracking the edges as she paused nervously, her voice dropping a fraction. "If the need ever comes for you to pay Sunspire a visit to... to discuss any matters. This is a royal token. It will let you enter our borders at will."
"Wow. Thank you," Damon said, taking the heavy gold piece. "It'll definitely be useful later."
Instead of just pocketing it, Damon stretched out his right hand for a proper handshake. Princess Alya looked down at his palm, and a memory flashed in her mind—Damon offering the same hand to her father back at the Trineum Festival, totally unfazed by royalty.
She also noticed a bracelet on his wrist, made of blues and purples. Her eyes shifted to his other hand in his pocket, catching a glimpse of a different bra strap bracelet.
A small smile touched her lips. She stretched out her hand, and while her fingers felt small against his, Damon gave it a firm, brief shake.
"See you later, Alya. Take care."
"Yes," Princess Alya replied softly. "I will. P-Please… I ask that you do visit. You're always welcome."
Damon looked caught off guard and blinked. "Oh. I'll ermm— I'll—"
"Damon, let's go!" Nyra yelled from further down the path, her arms crossed as she tapped her foot. "I've been patient enough today! I'd like to have a massive dinner in one sitting! Come on! Today feels like two days pushed into one!"
Daichi, shifting slightly on Damon's shoulder, muttered near his ear, "Nyra does have a point. C'mon, my tummy's dancing."
Damon turned back to the Princess. "I'll think about it. See ya."
He retraced his steps to his party. Alya turned quickly, walking back toward her parents' vessel, though she paused to glance over her shoulder one last time.
Cythera watched the Princess, her jaw tightening into an almost icy line. Turning abruptly to the Queen, she spoke in a cool, pragmatic tone. "Goodbye, Your Majesty. I'll be at the palace tomorrow morning to discuss whatever is found on Doran."
Queen Thessa offered a warm nod. "Stay safe, Cythera."
As Cythera walked away, Queen Thessa shifted her heavy, sapphire gaze over to Klaven, who stood near the wall like a ghost. "You're not following her, Klaven?"
Klaven swallowed hard, his nerves visibly jumping beneath his skin as he kept his eyes low. "Your Majesty... I'd like to speak with Prince Damon. If I may, I'll stay behind... for a moment."
Queen Thessa's eyes lingered on him for a while, and she took a single, slow step toward him. The air around them instantly grew heavy, the surrounding temperature gradually dropping with a sudden, suffocating pressure.
"I know I don't have to remind you to never attempt what you did at the festival again," Thessa said, her voice carrying the absolute, terrifying weight of a ruler who could erase him with a thought. "Killing was forbidden inside the arena. And while I don't dictate my son's actions, if you try to harm him outside of it… he will kill you. And I personally encourage it."
Klaven's breath hitched violently, a thick vein of pure terror throbbing at the side of his temple. The Queen wasn't shouting; her face was entirely calm, completely serious, and utterly devoid of mercy.
Klaven instantly dropped into a deep, trembling bow. "I won't, Your Highness. I swear it."
"It is for your own safety," Queen Thessa said simply.
She turned away and noticed Nyra already marching ahead with Cythera. "Nyra, won't you wait for me?" she called out, effortlessly catching up to them in a single swoop.
Damon reached up and gently lifted Daichi down from his shoulder, leaving him behind in the courtyard. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, pressing it into the small creature's paws.
"Give this to mom," Damon whispered. "Tell her she can drive my car home if she wants. Unless she feels like taking a walk. She might," he laughed shortly.
Daichi blinked up at him, gripping the card in his paw. "You're not coming right now?"
"I am, don't worry," Damon said, his eyes drifting over to the wall. "But I gotta settle something with the redhead over there first."
Daichi squinted across the courtyard, examining Klaven's distinct hair. "He literally does have red-orange hair."
"I'd argue there's a bit more orange in it, but thank you for today, Daichi," Damon said, his voice softening into genuine gratitude. "Without you, I wouldn't have been able to contact mom in time. Thanks."
"Just get home safe," Daichi muttered. "I prefer your chest to the bed. Your heartbeat sounds nice."
Damon smiled and ruffled Daichi's fur.
The small creature dashed across the stones and expanded mid-stride. A flash of white light rippled through him in slow motion, his body stretching into a massive wolf as tall as the young noble Klaven. Mid-air, Daichi twisted to lock eyes with the trembling boy and growled a feral warning before his paws hit the dirt, sprinting forward after Nyra and the Queen.
Klaven stood frozen, his chest heaving as he stared at the space the beast had just occupied, entirely terrified by the raw power of Damon's bond—a dominance asserted entirely by a single look.
"Cythera said you wanted to talk to me."
The voice cut through the silence like thunder through the clouds. Klaven jolted, his eyes snapping forward.
Damon was walking slowly toward him. Every ounce of softness, humor, and casual warmth had been completely drained from his face. He wasn't frowning in blind anger, but his expression was entirely hollow, his hands resting calmly deep inside his pockets.
Around them, the great trees stopped rustling entirely. The wind died, leaving the courtyard dead silent, save for a few stray, scented petals that floated lazily through the stagnant air.
Klaven gritted his teeth, his arms vibrating as he stood in a fearfully subdued pose. His eyes widened, almost afraid to meet Damon's as the stones rattled beneath him.
Damon stopped a few feet away. A calm, terrifying blue aura released from his eyes, pouring out like heavy blue fire and cosmic smoke, the golden speck in his pupils shining even brighter against the dark energy.
In a majestically reluctant voice, he spoke:
"What is it?"