Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls
Chapter 227 227: An unexpected appearance

Silence persisted as the three returned through the white stone corridors of the palace. Kael walked ahead, his shoulders tense, his hand still resting on the hilt of his sword as if he did not trust even the echoes of his own footsteps. Liora followed close behind, her face pale and her eyes lost in something distant—not exactly fear, but something that touched him more deeply: unease. Exelia walked with soft steps, but her eyes were alert, as if she expected the shadows of the columns to turn into teeth at any moment.

The double doors leading to the Queen's Hall were ajar. The muffled sound of voices ceased as soon as the guards saw them, hurrying to make way. The light from the large stained-glass windows tinged the floor with shades of blue and purple, and in the center, seated on a throne of intertwined roots and living silver, was Aelirenne.

She rose immediately.

"What happened in the gardens?" she asked, her voice marked by genuine concern, but not surprise.

Kael stopped a few steps away from her, the dried blood on his armor contrasting with the serenity of the room. His gaze did not waver.

"An attack. Deformed creatures. We almost lost the inner garden... and we almost lost our lives."

Aelirenne nodded, but said nothing. Her fingers gripped the edge of the throne as if it kept her standing.

"And this was no ordinary attack," Kael continued, his voice firm. "These monsters do not act alone. They were following orders. From a man."

The word "man" seemed inadequate. Too weak.

Exelia crossed her arms, standing beside Kael. "He commanded the creatures with a gesture. One of them. But... different."

Aelirenne did not respond immediately. Liora finally stepped forward, her voice slightly trembling.

"He said that Elen'Thalas will fall. That Aelirenne will fall with it. And that... Sylphie would be next."

The name fell like a stone thrown into calm waters. Aelirenne shuddered. It was brief—an involuntary movement of her eyes, the way her breath faltered, a slight step backward. But Kael saw it.

He always saw it.

"Vareth," he said. "That is the name he gave us. Is it a name that matters, Your Majesty?"

She hesitated. A heavy silence filled the hall. One of the advisors at the edge of the room looked as if he were about to intervene, but she raised her hand, cutting off any words.

Kael stepped forward.

"Your Majesty... do you know him?"

She pressed her lips together. Her eyes swept over Kael's face, then those of Exelia and Liora. She assessed. She weighed. And for a moment, Kael was certain she would deny it.

But she did not deny it.

She took a deep breath—and then nodded once, regretfully.

"Vareth... is Sylphie's uncle. Her father's half-brother."

Exelia took a step back, surprise painting her features.

Liora opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Kael stood motionless for long seconds, and when he finally spoke, his voice was low—as if he were holding thunder between his teeth.

"Did you know he was alive?"

"Not for sure," replied Aelirenne, her voice now filled with something between shame and caution. "For a long time, we thought he was dead. He disappeared during the Gray Wars. They never found his body. But there were rumors... just rumors."

Kael shook his head slowly. "Rumors should not be ignored when they threaten the heart of the kingdom."

"I didn't ignore them," Aelirenne retorted, and there was pain in her voice. "I kept them to myself. Vareth was... someone very different. From a young age, there was a restlessness in him. A contained anger. He believed that the forest was too strong to be contained by oaths and treaties. That force should be imposed, not restrained. That the world would not respect Elen'Thalas as long as it remained isolated."

"What does he want now?" asked Exelia, her gaze fixed on Aelirenne. "Revenge?"

"Control," said Kael, before Aelirenne could answer. "He wants to bring down the kingdoms. And use them as a foundation for something new. Something twisted."

Aelirenne was silent. She seemed more fragile than before, enveloped in the light from the windows like a pale shadow. But Kael had noticed it as soon as he met her. Behind her apparent serenity, there were forces at work. She wasn't weak. Just... haunted.

"What else do you know about him?" Kael asked, with less anger in his voice. "There was something in his eyes that wasn't natural. Something... ancient. As if he were just a shell."

Aelirenne hesitated again. "He became involved with ancient cults on the borders of the known world. Forgotten fragments of pre-Elven magic. He said the world had roots deeper than anyone dared to explore. That there, in the depths of the soil and the soul, was raw power. Primordial."

Liora trembled. "Are you saying... he's possessed?"

"No," Aelirenne replied firmly. "Not possessed. Transformed."

Kael closed his eyes for a moment. He imagined Vareth's smile. The way creatures recoiled from him. The way he spoke as if he had already won.

"And Sylphie? Does she know about this?"

"No," said Aelirenne, "and she must not know. Not yet."

"She's his target," Kael said. "She has to know."

"She is the hope of Elen'Thalas," Aelirenne retorted. "And hope needs focus. If she knows what runs through her family's veins... it could break her."

Kael gritted his teeth. Part of him wanted to agree. Part of him wanted to scream.

"Your Majesty," said Exelia, trying to intervene diplomatically. "We may not tell her now. But we cannot keep this a secret forever."

"I know," said Aelirenne. "But not today. Today, you rest. Today, we reinforce the gardens. And tomorrow..."

"...we prepare for war," Kael finished, his voice sharp.

Aelirenne did not disagree.

Kael took a step back, but his eyes did not leave those of the sovereign.

"When he returns, and he will return, I want to be ready. And I want Sylphie to be ready too."

The silence after Kael's words was almost absolute, so dense that one could hear the crackling of the throne's roots as they settled with Aelirenne's breathing. None of those present dared to break the weight of the revelation—until something unexpected pierced the dark veil of that tension.

A soft melody echoed through the hall, ethereal as a breeze among autumn leaves. It came from no instrument, nor from any mortal voice. It was an ancient song, made of childhood whispers and forgotten dreams, of promises murmured among the stars. It was... comforting. And unsettling.

Kael frowned.

Liora raised her head, her eyes narrowing as if trying to identify the source.

Exelia took a half step forward, instinctively positioning herself between the sound and the Queen.

And then, as if the song blossomed into a restrained laugh, a female voice rang out—sweet, provocative, and strangely intimate:

"My little boy is so cute when he's thinking hard."

Kael turned abruptly, his muscles tense, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword out of pure reflex.

And then he saw her.

Floating a meter above the ground, lying in the air as if resting on an invisible couch, was a woman with long, fiery red hair. They danced around her face like snakes in an invisible wind. Her skin was as white as lunar porcelain, and her eyes—oh, her eyes—glowed liquid gold, full of mischief and ancient knowledge. A sly smile curved her lips, as if she already knew everything that would be said in the next few minutes—and was enjoying it.

"Elion..." Kael murmured, not realizing he had spoken aloud.

The floating woman raised an eyebrow, delighted.

"I thought I'd have to call you three times. But look, my little boy still recognizes me." She landed her feet lightly on the marble, her presence immediately filling the hall like an intense fragrance impossible to ignore. "You've been so serious lately, Kael. You'll end up with wrinkles before you're forty."

Aelirenne instinctively took a step back, genuine surprise in her restrained features. "Elion...?"

"In flesh, magic, and good humor," she replied, with an exaggerated, almost theatrical bow. Her eyes scanned the hall as if she were on a tour. "Wow, how this place has become more... sad. Where did the carpets with live flowers go? The dancing ferns? Aelirenne, dear, you need to allow yourself a little color."

"You... shouldn't be here," said the Queen cautiously.

"Ah, but I'm not exactly here. Just a little piece of me. You know how it works. Ancient pacts, unspoken words, blood ties..." She spun on her heels, facing Kael. "And speaking of blood ties... you've been getting yourself into dangerous things, son. Deformed creatures? Men who should be dead? What kind of mess are you making while I'm away, huh?"

Kael took a deep breath. The tension in his shoulders was now mixed with a more personal unease.

"Elion... Mom... why are you here? Now?"

She watched him for a moment. Her golden eyes ceased to sparkle with mischief and took on an almost ancient seriousness.

"I don't know, I wanted to see you." She approached him, stopping in front of him. "It's been a long time since we've seen each other."

Elion smiled with a sudden sparkle in his eyes, as if Kael's words had melted away a thin layer of theatrical nonchalance. She took the last few steps with a lightness that barely touched the ground, and before he could protest or back away, she enveloped him in an exuberant—and awkwardly suffocating—hug.

"I missed my son!" she exclaimed, squeezing him with disproportionate maternal force. Kael's head was pressed against her lap, her scarlet hair enveloping his face like a living curtain. He tried to maintain some dignity, but his arms remained half-raised in the air, as if he were torn between retreating and not offending his own arcane mother.

"By all the sacred trees..." murmured Exelia, turning her face away with a restrained smile.

Liora, for her part, brought one hand to her mouth to stifle a nervous laugh—whether at the absurdity of the scene or at the surreal relief that Elion's presence brought, even in that grave moment.

"You still smell like lavender and chaos," Kael muttered, his voice muffled.

"I know," said Elion, releasing him just enough to hold his face with both hands. She looked at him closely, her golden eyes softening with something more tender. "You've grown so handsome. And so... tense. Tsk. That's my mother's fault, that old fool. She let you become too much of a real man."

Aelirenne sighed, trying to restore balance to the scene. "Elion, if you came to distract..."

"Quiet, okay?" She looked at the Queen over her shoulder. "I've already cleaned up your kingdom, go clean up the bodies. Everyone with demonic magic has been exterminated. I only came for my son, so don't bother me."