The streets of Velmor were quieter than he expected.
Two days had passed since his arrival, yet the city still held its breath, as if afraid to exhale in his presence. Merchants stole cautious glances from behind their stalls, commoners whispered behind covered mouths, and guards clutched their spears a little too tightly whenever he passed.
Raezel sighed. So much for blending in.
He had hoped to walk through Velmor unnoticed—to experience the kingdom as it was, without the weight of his lineage smothering the air. But even with a simple dark cloak draped over his shoulders, concealing the finer details of his attire, he still carried an unmistakable presence.
Perhaps it was the way he walked—effortlessly poised yet unnervingly fluid. Perhaps it was the golden hue of his eyes, sharp and all-seeing, revealing a depth of knowing that mortals could never quite place.
Or perhaps... it was the man walking beside him.
Nihaga.
If Raezel's presence unsettled Velmor, Nihaga's froze it entirely.
Wherever they walked, the people instinctively parted, their eyes darting to the silent, dark-robed figure at Raezel's side. Nihaga did not glare, nor did he scowl—he simply existed, and that alone was terrifying enough. His every movement was precise, deliberate, his expression unreadable beneath the hood that barely shadowed his golden, slit-pupil eyes.
If Raezel was a foreign prince, Nihaga was a specter—a guardian spirit carved from the abyss itself.
No wonder the people are afraid, Raezel thought dryly. They think we're here to judge them.
He exhaled softly, adjusting the hood of his cloak. It didn't help. The moment he stepped forward, the tension in the air only grew thicker.
Velmor was trying to welcome him. He could see it—the way merchants hesitated before forcing polite smiles, the way townspeople stiffly bowed as he passed, their movements unsure but well-intended.
But beneath their strained politeness, he saw the fear.
Fear of why he was here.
Fear of what he could do.
Fear of what would happen if they failed to please him.
Raezel did not blame them.
Mortals were raised on stories of destruction. Of gods and monsters who reshaped the world in their wrath. Of Medusa, the Serpentine Monarch, whose very name made kings tremble.
And now, her son walked among them.
The people of Velmor had expected a monster.
Arrogant. Cruel. Unforgiving.
Instead, they found... him.
Calm. Observant. Unbothered.
Raezel sighed again. This is going to take time.
Velmor was weak.
Nihaga saw it instantly.
From the moment they had arrived, he had cataloged every flaw, every vulnerability. The crumbling stonework of the outer walls. The gaps in guard rotations. The lack of trained warriors—a land that had relied too long on mercenaries and clever diplomacy to survive.
He didn't understand why his Queen had chosen to place Raezel here.
A test, perhaps. Or a lesson.
To walk among mortals, to understand their struggles—this was Raezel's choice. But Medusa's approval of it? That carried a deeper meaning.
Nihaga did not question his Queen's will. He never had, never would.
But Velmor...
It was not worthy.
Not yet.
He walked half a step behind Raezel, ever-watchful. His eyes flickered over rooftops, alleyways, and shifting crowds. A trained eye might assume he was relaxed—he was not. He had already detected thirteen potential points of ambush, fourteen hidden blades among the crowd, and one particularly nervous guard whose fingers kept twitching toward his weapon.
Pathetic.
No one in this kingdom could kill Raezel.
But someone might be foolish enough to try.
Nihaga would make sure that mistake did not happen.
His duty was clear.
To protect. To eliminate. To ensure his prince remained untouched.
Raezel, however, had other ideas.
"You're stiff," Raezel muttered under his breath as they walked. "Relax a little."
Nihaga did not turn his head. "I am relaxed."
Raezel shot him an unimpressed glance. "You're looking at that baker like he's about to stab me with a loaf of bread."
Nihaga did not respond. Because the baker was gripping his knife far too tightly.
Raezel sighed, rubbing his temple. "You don't need to kill anyone today."
"I am aware," Nihaga said. "But if I do, you will be the first to know."
Raezel groaned.
The people did not know what to expect.
Two days. It had been two days since the Son of Medusa arrived, and the city had yet to collapse.
This was... shocking.
The merchants had prepared for destruction. The nobles had braced for arrogance. The warriors had sharpened their weapons, knowing no weapon would save them if he was displeased.
Instead, they found Raezel.
And Raezel was...
Chill.
He did not demand anything. He did not glare, or threaten, or summon storms upon their land.
He bought bread.
He walked through the market with quiet amusement, watching vendors bargain with their customers. When a merchant nervously overcharged him for a simple cloak, he paid it without question—then handed the cloak to a shivering child nearby.
He was not a monster.
He was... almost normal.
Almost.
Because no matter how effortlessly he moved, no matter how soft his expressions were, there was something otherworldly about him.
Something in the way he existed.
Even at rest, he was a force.
And then, of course, there was the other one.
The shadow beside him.
If Raezel was the quiet storm, Nihaga was the blade within it.
Wherever they went, the people shivered beneath Nihaga's gaze. He did not speak unless spoken to. He did not acknowledge their fearful stares. He simply watched.
Velmor had welcomed many warriors over the years.
But this was no warrior.
This was a watcher. A predator lurking in plain sight.
The people wanted to welcome their prince.
But how could they, when his shadow watched them as if they were prey?
Still—they tried.
A voice.
Bright. Direct. Completely unafraid.
"Are you new?"
Raezel blinked.
A girl stood in front of him, arms crossed, head tilted.
She had dark black hair tied lazily behind her back, dust-streaked clothes, and a small satchel slung over her shoulder. She wasn't bowing. She wasn't trembling.
She was staring straight at him.
"And are you a merchant?" she added.
For the first time since arriving in Velmor, Raezel was genuinely caught off guard.
Nihaga immediately tensed beside him.
The market stopped breathing.
The people of Velmor watched in horror.
A mortal girl had just spoken to the Son of Medusa as if he were... normal.
Raezel stared at her.