Chapter 275 — A Visitor in the Night
The Hollow's gates groaned open beneath the press of Kael's hand, the torches spilling golden light across the lone figure standing just beyond the threshold. She did not flinch as the iron portcullis lifted, nor when a dozen guards leveled their spears at her chest.
She lowered her hood.
A young woman — no older than twenty-two, her face sharp, eyes burning with an unnatural amber glow. Her hair fell long and black, streaked faintly with silver strands that shimmered in the torchlight. There was a stillness about her, a poise too practiced for someone of her apparent age.
"I came here for you," she said, her voice steady. "For the master of this Hollow."
The guards stiffened, but Kael lifted a hand, silencing them. His boots carried him forward until he stood within arm's reach.
"You've found him," Kael replied, voice calm. "Now tell me why you're here."
The woman's eyes flicked over the guards, the ramparts, the Hollow beyond. "I've heard whispers. Rumors of daemons living in these walls. Of a human king with daemon blood who shelters them."
The night air seemed to tighten. Hands went to weapons.
Kael's gaze sharpened, but his voice did not rise. "And if you've heard such rumors, what does that make you?"
The girl's lips curled into the faintest smile. Then her skin rippled faintly, like heat over stone. Her amber eyes flared into molten gold. Dark markings ghosted across her neck and shoulders, vanishing into her cloak. The torches sputtered as the air thickened with mana.
"I am one of them," she whispered. "A daemon."
The guards froze. Several muttered curses under their breath. Kael merely stood, unflinching, though his muscles coiled beneath his skin.
"Show me," he said.
She lifted a hand. Mana swirled like liquid fire between her fingers before collapsing into a perfectly cut crystal of violet light. With a flick, it shattered into dust, leaving only silence in its wake.
The Hollow's walls had never felt so tense.
"Enough," Kael said finally, his tone iron. "Lower your weapons. She's no enemy yet."
The guards obeyed, though unease clung to the air. Kael gestured for the girl to follow and led her through the gatehouse into the Hollow proper.
They sat together in one of the council chambers, the torches casting long shadows over the stone walls. Azhara was already there, drawn by the commotion, her white eyes narrowed at the stranger.
"Who are you?" Kael asked, sitting forward, elbows resting on his knees.
"My name is Seliora," the daemon girl replied. "Of the Veydran line."
Azhara stiffened at once. "The Veydran? Ancient spellcasters. The daemon lord once favored their clan above nearly all others."
Seliora inclined her head. "My family was shattered long ago, but our blood carries the same legacy. I was trained from childhood in the arts of mana shaping, spell weaving, and arcane sight. I came here because… I have nowhere else to go."
Kael's eyes lingered on her, searching for deception. "And what would you do if I allowed you to stay?"
"I would serve," Seliora said, folding her hands in her lap. "I can offer your Hollow what few others can — true tutelage in the ways of mana. Your recruits swing steel well enough, but they waste their power. I could sharpen them, elevate them."
Azhara's lips pressed into a thin line. "And why should we trust you?"
Seliora met her gaze evenly. "Because I chose to come here instead of vanishing into the human kingdoms. Because unlike the daemon lords, I do not wish for dominion. I only wish for purpose."
The chamber fell silent. Kael tapped a finger against the wooden table, his thoughts heavy. She spoke with conviction, but conviction was easy to fake.
Finally, he leaned back. "I can offer you a place. But not by my word alone. My council must decide. You'll present yourself to them — tonight."
Azhara arched a brow. "Now?"
Kael nodded. "Yes. Rumors spread like wildfire. If she walks our streets without sanction, the Hollow will turn on her. Better we settle this before dawn."
Seliora bowed her head. "I accept."
Not an hour later, the council chamber blazed with torchlight as its members were roused from their sleep. Rogan arrived grumbling, Varik silent but sharp-eyed, Thalos clutching his staff, Lyria taking her place beside Kael with wary poise. Even Zerathis lingered in the shadows at the far wall, his molten gaze fixed on Seliora.
The daemon girl stood before them all, cloak falling around her like midnight, as Kael rose to speak.
"She calls herself Seliora of the Veydran," Kael announced, his voice steady. "And she seeks a place among us."
The chamber buzzed with tension, the night heavy with anticipation.
The Hollow had another daemon at its gates — and before the sun rose, a choice would have to be made.