⸻
Scene 5 — A Reunion Before the Palace
In front of the modest yet impeccably maintained palace, five figures stood awaiting the arrival of a peculiar fleet of goldfish-shaped vehicles. Among them was a man whose very presence represented nearly half the future power of Skyperion: Kalan Silencium, the Crown Prince of the Zenithspire Dynasty.
He stood with a gentle smile, eyes warm and full of longing as he awaited his sister. Behind him, three men and one woman stood quietly watching the whimsical transports approach—though one among them was notably more restless.
"These goldfish things are way too slow," a raspy, booming voice echoed with irritation. "Feels even slower when we're standing around like this!" The man scratched his head, visibly impatient.
"Calm down, Garrett," said a tall man with a calm demeanor. "The fish are moving just the way they always do. Whether it feels fast or slow is all in your head."
The woman behind them chuckled softly, hiding her smile behind a feathered fan. "Lord Magnus has once again turned the simplest statement into philosophical insight."
Magnus offered a soft, modest smile. "I assure you, Lady Zaria, no such intent was behind my words."
Another cheerful man chimed in playfully, "At this point, your blood probably runs with philosophy, Lord Magnus!"
Kalan laughed as he turned slightly toward them. "That's exactly right, Lord Kaelum. He probably dreams in poetry too."
Magnus stroked his finely kept mustache with a grin. "Well, if all of you insist, I suppose I can't deny it anymore."
"Haha! Shall I start calling my brother 'Magnus the Philosophical' from now on?" Garrett howled with laughter as he teased his half-brother with the affection of someone who clearly adored him.
"Alright, alright, keep it together, boys," Zaria said, fanning herself lightly. "The little fishies are coming in now. Don't let Lady Keela catch you goofing around."
As the golden fish-shaped transports floated gently to a stop before the palace, the doors opened with a soft hiss. Keela Thunderwill burst forth from one of them, tears glistening in her eyes, and ran toward her brother with all the eagerness of a child reuniting with family.
Kalan descended the steps with measured grace, arms opening wide in welcome, his warmest smile lighting his face. Keela flung herself into his embrace, crying softly with joy.
"Welcome home," he whispered, stroking her hair gently.
"I'm home," she replied, lifting her face briefly before nestling into his arms once more.
A short while later, Akira's group began to descend one by one, moving quietly and cautiously—as if not wanting to interrupt Keela's heartfelt reunion with her brother.
We gathered near the little golden fish-shaped vehicle. On Kalan's side, a woman stepped forward, flanked by three men. She greeted us with a warm smile.
"It's truly an honor to meet you, members of the Third Heroic Generation. I am Zaria Clover, advisor to Prince Kalan. And these are his attendants."
She gestured to the young men and added with a teasing tone, "Alright, boys. Introduce yourselves."
The tall man with an elegant mustache stepped forward first.
"Greetings. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Magnus Stormbrand. May the winds carry happiness your way."
The loud, boisterous one clapped a hand on Magnus's shoulder and chuckled.
"You always speak like you're reciting poetry, big bro." He turned to us.
"Right then! Name's Garrett Fengstrike. Call me Garrett, or just Feng if you like. I won't mind, haha!"
We smiled politely, though some of us were nearly deafened by his volume. Yue was hit the hardest—her fox ears were clearly more sensitive than the rest of ours. She winced, ducked slightly, and covered her ears.
Another young man quickly stepped up, concern written all over his gentle, handsome face. His voice was soft and smooth, like a lead actor from a romantic film.
"Are you alright, miss?" he asked, then turned to scold Garrett.
"Sir Garrett, that was a bit too loud. You've hurt the young lady's ears. See?"
Garrett crouched down beside Yue. Even kneeling, he was about the same height as her.
"Ah, I'm sorry, little miss. Your ears must be extra sensitive, huh? I'll be more careful next time. Here, let me—uh…"
He started fumbling around as if searching for something in his pockets but came up empty-handed. With a sudden spark of urgency, he waved at Zaria and whispered—though his 'whisper' was still as loud as a regular voice.
"Hey, hey, Zaria. Got any snacks?"
Zaria sighed and pretended to search through her belongings. After a moment, she produced something small and held it just out of Garrett's reach.
"Three cups," she said curtly.
Garrett froze.
"Three? Come on, can we do two?"
Zaria's expression didn't budge.
"Okay, okay! Three it is."
He handed the snack to Yue, who accepted it gleefully, her bright smile lighting up the air around her.
"Thank you, kind and loud big brother!"
The radiant joy in her face hit Garrett like a spotlight to the eyes. He froze in place, stunned, as if someone had flashbanged him.
Then Yue bowed sweetly.
"I'm Yue Lucentelle. Pleased to meet you!"
Elina stepped up beside her.
"Elina Rayforge, from the Guardians," she said, offering a formal handshake.
That got the rest of us to begin introducing ourselves.
Draco stepped forward next.
"Draco Dustflark. Nice to meet you."
As he shook Garrett's hand, Garrett's grin widened.
"Hey, I like this kid! We should spar sometime—just for fun!"
Draco nodded respectfully.
"I'd be honored. Please go easy on me."
Next, the polished and princely young man stepped forward and gave a slight bow.
"I'm Kaelum Vortigern. If you ever need anything, feel free to ask. Though if it's outside the palace, I might be a bit tied up—I've got to protect Prince Kalan. But for anything else, I'm happy to help."
As soon as he shook Mirelle's hand, she flinched slightly but smiled politely.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Mirelle Glaciermist. It seems your magic is… quite special, isn't it?"
Kaelum gave a modest smile.
"Hardly, miss. Just an ordinary spell, really. I've heard you can wield multiple elements. That's far more impressive."
Mirelle replied,
"Quantity and variety don't always equal strength. Sometimes even a single normal spell, refined to its peak, can rival high-tier magic. What matters is the mastery behind it."
Kaelum bowed again.
"To hear such wisdom from a future Grand Sorceress—it's truly an honor. Thank you, Lady Mirelle."
Then he turned to Akira.
"And this must be the third hero everyone's talking about—the one who crossed the skies and lands. With you around, Arcadia's future must be in good hands."
Akira scratched his head awkwardly.
"Uh, that wasn't really me… That was Zekhtau's sword doing all the work."
Kaelum paused.
"You went up against a Guardian-tier combatant and lived to tell the tale? That alone is incredible."
Osiris added calmly,
"Zekhtau gave us protective equipment. I think he was more interested in testing us than actually killing us."
Garrett tried to speak softly—but of course, his voice still rang out.
"No matter the reason, just standing toe-to-toe with a Guardian… that's amazing."
Magnus stroked his elegant mustache.
"And you're all still so young. About the same age as my daughter Gwen."
Zaria chuckled behind her feathered fan.
"f it were Lady Gwen, she'd be laughing while swinging her weapon."
Then she turned to look at Keela and Kalan, who had already started walking inside.
"Well then, Sir Akira, Lady Osiris—shall we follow them? Those two look like they've slipped into their own little world."
"Ah, right." Akira replied and began walking silently, though a flicker of doubt remained in his mind.
Wait… I never told her my name. How does she know who we are?
Okay, maybe from rumors. But Osiris just joined us… There's no way her name should be public yet. She didn't even know about Zekhtau. Something's off.
Osiris caught the unease in his expression. Her gaze sharpened ever so slightly.
Looks like this meeting with Keela's brother… might need to be recorded for evidence—both audio and visual.
Sometimes, the greatest threats aren't the loud, obvious ones. They're the ones we brush off without thinking—like a patch of weeds we walk past every day… only to later realize it's something the one we love is dangerously allergic to.
⸻