After the collapse of Diablo's narrative, the lower void no longer felt like a prison for Morrigan.
It felt like an empty sky waiting to be filled.
And the only direction she kept looking… was upward.
Toward Kael Veyris.At first, it was confusion.
Then curiosity.
Then something far more dangerous than either.
Every time Morrigan heard his name
Kael Veyris.
her thoughts slowed.
Not fear.
Not awe.
Something softer, harder to name.
…He didn't destroy me, she whispered once.
…He just… moved everything out of my way.
That wasn't mercy.
That wasn't cruelty.
That was indifference so absolute it felt like safety.
And slowly, that became the reason she kept stepping forward instead of staying lost in the void.Within the Veyris Empire, for once, there was no war briefing.
No collapsing realm report.
No existential anomaly screaming for attention.
So Kael Veyris did something unusual.
He went out.
With him were:
Kaelignis Veyris
Lyra's Kaelry
Ignisia
They entered a rare place inside the Empire known for stability rather than warfare:
Restaurant: The Celestial Ember Pavilion
A floating imperial dining hall built above a slow-moving star river.
Lanterns drifted like small suns.
Tables were carved from crystallized time fragments.
The air smelled like warm cosmic spice and flame-infused nectar.The waiter bowed nervously.
…Your Majesty… your usual?
Kael nodded once.
…Yes.
The dishes appeared almost instantly, as if reality itself served them:
Void-Glazed Ember Steak (meat infused with controlled void fire, tender and glowing faintly red-black)
Starlight Orchid Soup (a clear broth containing floating petals of crystallized nebula essence)
Dragonheart Rice Core (compressed grains of energy-fed celestial harvest, pulsing softly with warmth)
Eternal Citrus Flame Tea (a drink that never cools, gently burning without harm)
Kaelignis stared at her plate.
…So this is what 'normal food' is here.
Lyra took a bite.
…It tastes like the universe is warm.
Ignisia smirked.
…That's because it is.
Kael simply ate in silence.Outside the restaurant, beyond the glass of stabilized reality
a figure stood in the distance.
Black hair.
Green eyes.
A quiet hesitation in her posture.
Morrigan had followed without realizing how far she had come.
She didn't enter.
She just watched.
…So this is his world, she murmured.
…Even eating feels like authority.
And something unfamiliar tightened in her chest.
Not fear.
Not admiration.
Something dangerously close to longing.
…I don't belong here, she said softly.
Then paused.
…But I still want to stay. Kael finally spoke.
…We are being observed.
Ignisia glanced casually.
…I know.
Kaelignis tilted her head.
…Do we do something about it?
Kael answered simply:
…No.
Lyra blinked.
…Why not?
Kael took another sip of tea.
…She has not decided what she is yet.
Silence followed.
Ignisia leaned back slightly.
…That sounds like you're waiting for her to choose herself.
Kael did not deny it.
Outside, Morrigan remained still.
Inside, Kael's family continued eating like the universe wasn't watching them.
And somewhere between those two states
something new was forming in Morrigan's existence.
Not loyalty.
Not fear.
Not worship.
A decision slowly becoming emotion.
And emotion slowly becoming direction.