The tension of the journey dissolved into the warmth of a family reunion.
For the next hour, there were no talks of politics or war. They sat in the private gardens, drinking tea and eating delicacies Zephyr had only read about in books.
Zephyr sat on a stone bench, watching his mother and grandmother gossip, while his father and uncle debated sword techniques. For a moment, he forgot about the System, the God of War title, and the "hellish" training. He felt like a ten-year-old boy.
Is this what it's like? Zephyr thought. To have a family this powerful, yet this kind?
However, his eyes drifted toward the high walls of the palace. He knew that beyond these walls, the other five families were watching. The return of the "Exiled Hero" and his talented children would send ripples through the empire.
Grandfather Alaric leaned forward, his hands clasped over his cane.
The warmth he had shown in the courtyard remained, but his eyes were now sharp with the burden of leadership.
"Now that the pleasantries are handled, we must speak of tonight. The Banquet is not merely a dinner. It is the Selection of the Sixth Pillar."
Zephyr put his tea down. "The Selection?"
"The Six Great Families are at a delicate crossroads," Alaric explained. "The Ragnar family has a genius child who recently reached the Advanced rank at age twelve.
The Solari have a girl who can manifest blue flames. The other families are desperate to see if the Silvaris have a 'New Star' to compete."
He looked directly at Zephyr. "Every eye will be on you. They will try to measure your Strength without you even drawing a sword. They will use 'Eye' skills and sensory mana to probe your limits."
"Let them probe," Zephyr said, his golden eyes flashing. "I'm quite good at hiding."
Alaric chuckled, a deep, dry sound. "Don't be too much of a ghost, boy. If you appear too weak, they will treat your father like a failure. If you appear too strong, they will treat you like a target. You must walk the razor's edge."
"Zephyr?" Lina asked, walking over to him. She looked stunning in her white dress, but her eyes remained sharp. "You're thinking about the banquet, aren't you?"
"Grandfather said the other families are sending representatives tonight," Zephyr replied quietly. "They aren't coming to eat, Lina. They're coming to see if we're threat to them."
Lina sat beside him, her hand resting on his. "Let them look. After what Dad put us through in that forest, a bunch of pampered city nobles doesn't scare me."
Grandfather Cedric approached them then, leaning on a cane that was actually a disguised spear. "The banquet begins in three hours.
Zephyr, Lina... you represent the Silvaris name tonight. Wear your pride like armor. Many will try to provoke you to see your Power. What will you do?"
Zephyr stood up, his features sharpening into the "weak" mask his father had taught him to wear.
"I will show them exactly what they want to see, Grandfather," Zephyr said. "And then I will show them what they should fear."
Cedric let out a deep, guttural laugh. "Good! That is the Silvaris way! Now go, get dressed. Tonight, Silver City reminds the world why we are the Absolute."
As Zephyr walked toward his new quarters, he felt a surge of adrenaline. The training was over.
After the meeting, Zephyr and Lina were shown to their respective suites. Zephyr's room was larger than their entire house in the borderlands. It featured a private training balcony that looked out over the sprawling city and the distant mountains.
Lina followed him in, closing the door behind her.
The "Big Sister" mask was back on. "Zephyr, I felt it too. Grandfather's pressure... it wasn't just a test. He was checking our foundations."
"I know," Zephyr said, walking to the balcony. "He knows I'm at the Peak of Intermediate. He probably suspects I'm hiding even more."
Lina leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms. "I'm at the Mid-Advanced rank, but when I look at you, I don't feel like I'm looking at a younger brother. I feel like I'm looking at a Tier 4 beast disguised as a child. Whatever you do at that banquet, don't leave me too far behind, okay?"
Zephyr turned and gave her a genuine smile. "Lina, you're the one who's going to have to protect me from the socialites. I can kill a panther, but I have no idea how to talk to a Girls."
Lina laughed, the tension breaking. "Deal. I'll handle the gossip, you handle the geniuses who try to challenge us to a duel."
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, bathing Silver City in a golden hue, servants arrived with Zephyr's attire for the evening. It was a suit of midnight-blue silk, embroidered with silver threads that traced the pattern of a dragon. Inside the lining, thin plates of Mythril-Flex were sewn in—providing protection without sacrificing movement.
Zephyr dressed himself, refusing the help of the servants. He strapped a small, high-quality dagger to his inner thigh—a habit from the woods he wasn't ready to give up.
Zephyr dressed himself, refusing the help of the servants. He strapped a small, high-quality dagger to his inner thigh—a habit from the woods he wasn't ready to give up.
He looked at his hands. They were steady. His Will attribute kept his mind as calm as a frozen lake.
He stepped out of his room to meet his family. Seres and Ruby were waiting in the hall. His mother looked like a queen, and his father looked like the God of War himself.
"The carriages for the other families are already arriving at the main plaza," Seres said, checking Zephyr's appearance.
"The Ragnars brought their 'Young Lion.' The Solari brought their 'Flame Princess.' Are you ready to meet your peers, Zephyr?"
Zephyr walked past his father toward the stairs, his cloak billowing behind him. "They aren't my peers, Dad."
Seres raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what are they, then?"
Zephyr paused at the top of the grand staircase, looking down at the flickering chandeliers of the Great Hall where the feast was being prepared.
"They're just obstacles on my way to the top."