Chapter 171: Gratitude in Bloom
The Hollow gathered in the council hall the evening after Kael's return. Word had already spread — whispers of betrayal, assassins, and blood spilled within the walls of the ocean kingdom. Fear hung heavy in the air, but it was not panic; it was the quiet, sharp edge of worry that only Kael could soothe.
He stood before them, his cloak torn and singed, evidence of the battle that had nearly taken his companions. His voice carried steady and clear across the hall.
"People of the Hollow, I will not hide the truth. Our visit to the ocean kingdom did not end as we planned. An attempt was made on King Thalren's life — and ours as well. The strike came from within his walls, a traitor among his people. But know this…"
Kael's eyes swept across the crowd, meeting their gazes one by one. "…Thalren is not our enemy. He fought at our side. His council may mistrust me, but he does not. The alliance we began is not broken. It is on hold until the traitor is rooted out, nothing more."
A murmur rippled through the chamber. Some faces showed relief, others skepticism. Fenrik, leaning on his axe with bandaged ribs, spoke gruffly. "The king bled with us. That's more than most rulers would do. He's worth our patience."
Rogan's deep voice rumbled next. "And if Kael says we wait, we wait. He hasn't led us wrong yet."
The murmur softened. Kael gave a single nod. "We will remain vigilant, as we always do. Trade continues, our work continues, our lives continue. Nothing will shake the foundation we've built here."
The meeting closed soon after, but the tension in the room lightened as people left reassured. Kael could feel it in their voices, the trust they still placed in him — trust that anchored the Hollow like bedrock.
Later that evening, as Kael walked the torchlit paths near the farms, a soft voice called out behind him.
"Kael?"
He turned to see Azhara approaching. The daemon girl carried something cradled in her arms, wrapped carefully in cloth. Her steps were lighter than they had been in months past, her once-fearful gait now replaced by something approaching confidence.
"I wanted to give you something," she said quietly.
She unwrapped the cloth to reveal a cluster of flowers unlike any Kael had seen. Their petals were pale and translucent, like glass, and as Azhara brushed her fingers across them, they glowed faintly, pulsing with light.
"They're called luminas," she explained. "They only grow where the earth is rich with mana. When touched, they respond — like this." She pressed her palm against one blossom, and the petals flared with a soft crimson glow.
Kael blinked, surprised. "They react to magic."
Azhara smiled faintly. "Yes. I thought… they belonged here, in the Hollow. With you."
Kael reached out, his calloused hand brushing the flower's delicate stem. The glow shifted, rippling into deep violet where his chaos mana touched it. For a moment, the two simply watched the light play between them.
"Why give this to me?" Kael asked, his voice low.
Azhara lowered her eyes, fingers tightening on the bundle. "Because you gave me something I never thought I'd have. A life. A home. You trusted me when no one else would have. You defended me, even against your council. I… wanted to say thank you."
Kael studied her. The girl who once trembled in the council chamber now stood steady, offering him a gift with her own hands. She had grown — not just in skill, but in spirit.
"Gratitude is enough," he said softly.
She looked up then, and Kael paused.
There was gratitude in her gaze, yes, but something else as well. Something unspoken — a warmth, a longing, a question that she herself might not yet have found the courage to name.
The luminas glowed faintly between them, their light catching in her white eyes, reflecting a flicker of emotion Kael could not ignore.
For the first time that night, Kael felt unsettled in a way no battle had ever made him.