The smell of dinner greeted them before they entered the estate. Warmth spread through the halls as servants had already prepared the evening meal.
His mother immediately noticed the state of their clothing, they weren’t the cleanest. She folded her arms.
"I told you not to destroy the training grounds."
Helther answered first, shrugging carelessly.
"We only destroyed part of them, don’t worry about it."
"..."
His mother slowly looked toward Atheline.
"You encouraged him."
"I merely participated, destruction is inevitable mother."
His father glanced up from his tea.
"The grounds?"
Helther nodded.
"Repairable."
His father looked relieved.
"The greenhouse?"
"Still standing, we didn’t even get near it."
"Excellent. Now let’s eat our dinner in peace."
The family gathered around the dining table as servants began serving dinner. Unlike royal banquets, no one worried about etiquette beyond basic manners, as conversations overlapped naturally.
His mother talked about the market while his father discussed several administrative matters with his older son. Occasionally asking Atheline about life on his responses and how it would have been solved in the dark elven kingdom.
The fox sat proudly in a specially prepared little basket beside the table, that was until roasted meat appeared. Then it abandoned the basket immediately.
His father quietly slipped a small piece beneath the table. Atheline saw everything.
"So it’s you, I’ll have to start her training again when I go back home."
His father looked innocent.
"I don’t know what you mean."
"The fox prefers sitting beside you because you’re giving it too much food."
"Perhaps it has good judgment."
His moth,e,r laughed.
"I’ve been wondering why it keeps following you."
The fox happily chewed another piece of meat, and evidence once again disappeared. Dinner continued comfortably for a little while; kingdoms, corruption, conspiracies, and hidden enemies no longer existed. They were simply a family sharing a meal.
When the servants began clearing the dishes, his father finally looked toward him.
"What are your plans tomorrow?"
Atheline thought for a moment before answering.
"I’d like to visit the eastern ports; I don’t mind the location, Father. "
His father nodded.
"There has been a sudden increase in the spread of the corruption it’s infecting those bitten faster. Most of my Manipulators are too scared to absorb more Aether. Everyone has started living on a thread. ?"
"That’s more serious than the corruption itself," Atheline said.
Helther nodded then leaned forward slightly.
"Do you wish to investigate the blood sea by yourself?"
Atheline gave a small nod then shook his head moments later.
"I’ve read enough reports and everything is exactly the same. I’d rather see it myself even with all the things laid out before me."
His father exchanged a glance with his mother, neither objected not like they could if they wanted to. His father simply spoke calmly.
"Take an escort."
"I will."
His mother smiled softly.
"And don’t stay too close to the shoreline."
Atheline chuckled.
"I’ll be careful, but I can’t guarantee that."
Helther leaned back in his chair.
"I’ll come with you."
Atheline looked surprised.
"You don’t have work?"
"I do... But this seems more interesting."
Atheline laughed.
"I suppose that’s one way of putting it."
He glanced through the window, outside, and snow continued falling over the estate. Tomorrow would be his final full day in the High Elven Kingdom.
.
.
.
The following morning arrived beneath a pale winter sky. A blanket of fresh snow covered the High Elven estate, turning the gardens into a sea of white.
Atheline stood on th,e balcony outside his room for several quiet moments, breathing in the crisp morning air.
Unlike the Dark Elven Kingdom, where the atmosphere often carried the cool scent of ancient forests, the air here felt lighter, familiar and homely in a weird sense.
The white fox rested on the stone railing beside him, its fluffy tail wrapped neatly around its body as it stared curiously at a pair of birds hopping through the snow below.
"You’ve been very quiet this morning."
The fox tilted its head then yawned.
"...I suppose that’s your answer."
A soft knock came from the door.
"Young Master." His mother’s attendant spoke from outside.
"Breakfast is ready."
"I’ll be there in a moment," he replied.
He gave the fox a gentle scratch beneath its chin before turning back inside.
"Come on."
The little beast immediately leapt onto his shoulder as though it had been waiting for the invitation.
"...You’ve grown attached."
The fox simply rubbed its head against his neck, and he smiled.
"So have I."
He followed the attendant out of his room to the dining room.
The dining room was already lively when he arrived. His father sat reading a map spread across the table rather than the usual reports.
Helther leaned over the map, occasionally pointing toward different locations while discussing something quietly.
His mother noticed him first.
"There you are."
"I wasn’t late this time."
She looked at the clock hanging nearby.
"...You’re acceptable this time, how commendable."
"I’ll take that as progress."
His father looked up with a faint smile.
"It is."
Atheline took his seat. The fox jumped directly into the empty chair beside him.
One of the servants immediately placed a small bowl of finely cut meat in front of the little beast.
His father quietly looked away while his mother folded her arms.
"You’ve done it again."
"I don’t know what you mean."
"The fox has better table manners than you."
"It learned from me."
Helther laughed.
"I think it’s learning how to receive free food."
The fox happily continued eating. Atheline shook his head.
"It has everyone wrapped around its paw... Especially Father."
"I deny everything."
His mother sighed dramatically.
"I’ve lost this household."
The room filled with quiet laughter. For a while, the conversation remained pleasantly ordinary.
His mother discussed preparations for the coming spring festival despite winter having no sign of ending. His father also mentioned several border reports, just routine patrols, nothing that could rattle him.
Helther occasionally added comments regarding the military stationed along the eastern coastline.
Eventually, his father rolled the map open completely.
"How are you going to investigate when you know little to no people there?"
Atheline chuckled. "Don’t underestimate me, father."
His father pointed toward the eastern edge of the map. The coastline stretched for hundreds of kilometers before meeting the endless waters of the Blood Sea.
Several ports were marked. Belmont in particular was circled, it was at the north eastern side of the continent, a little further from his expectations but it had a closer proximity with the blood sea.
"We’ll send you here."
Atheline leaned closer.
"Have the incidents improved or..."
"Haaa..." his father shook his head," it hasn’t changed... environmentally, that is."
Helther spoke next.
"The fortress has expanded considerably, mostly because of the corrupted."
The atmosphere grew slightly more serious. Atheline looked at the map.
"The reports mentioned increasing attacks."
His father nodded. Atheline had also expected that.
"Still, they remain manageable."
"But?"
His father sighed.
"They’re becoming more frequent. The soldiers eliminate them before they reach civilian settlements. However..."
He tapped several locations along the coast.
"Nearly every attack originates from the side of the ocean although we haven’t experienced them walking out of the ocean like the beast continent. They’re just gathering near it."
Atheline studied the markings carefully.
"Any patterns?"
"None."
"Time?"
"Inconsistent."
"Numbers?"
Helther answered.
"Anywhere from a handful to several hundred."
Atheline frowned then nodded. When he had left the attacks had become frequent but it was only a little over thirty or forty every now and then.
"They’re acting strangely," Helther added.
His father looked at him.
"That’s exactly our main concern."
The room fell quiet. His father eventually rolled up the map.
"I’ve already prepared the teleportation circle. We can leave after breakfast."
.
.
.
The estate’s teleportation chamber occupied an entire building separate from the main residence.
Unlike the smaller circles used for communication, this one had been constructed to transport large military units across the kingdom within moments though it was rarely used with the presence of the military train.
Massive crystal pillars surrounded the circular platform. Ancient runes glowed softly beneath layers of polished stone. Aether drifted gently through the air like invisible mist.
Atheline couldn’t help admiring the craftsmanship.
"It’s been maintained well."
His father smiled.
"The manipulators would be offended otherwise."
Several manipulators already waited beside the formation. The captain overseeing the teleportation bowed deeply.
"My Lord."
His father acknowledged him.
"Everything prepared?"
"Yes."
"The destination has been confirmed."
Atheline looked toward his older brother.
"So you’re really coming."
Helther adjusted the sword hanging from his waist.
"I said I would."
"I thought you might change your mind."
"I considered it... But someone has to stop you from diving into the Blood Sea."
Atheline laughed.
"I wasn’t planning to."
Helther smiled.
"I know."
The fox peeked curiously over his shoulder, staring at the glowing runes beneath them. It cautiously reached out one tiny paw toward the circle but nothing happened. Apparently satisfied, it climbed back onto his shoulder.
His father stepped onto the platform first then the two brothers followed.
The manipulators surrounding the circle simultaneously raised their staffs. Aether surged around them.
The runes beneath their feet blazed with silver light. Ancient symbols awakened one after another around the chamber walls.
Atheline instinctively steadied himself. Although teleportation had become common after marrying Lilith, the sensation still felt unusual without her shadow magic.
Space itself folded and the world dissolved into a silver light.