Selene's hand, still fragile, never left Jade's wrist, a gesture so uncalculated and intimate that it unsettled the entire hall.
Kael let them drink in the sight for a heartbeat. He stood then, cloak spilling down the dais steps like the wings of a shadowed bird. The ministers and guild representatives hushed instantly, every whisper smothered by the weight of his presence.
"Today," Kael began, his voice carrying like a drawn blade, "you see with your own eyes what faith and loyalty have returned to me. The Lady of Nexus, my wife, has risen from the brink of death."
Selene inclined her head softly, smile warm, her fingers absently smoothing over Jade's sleeve.
Kael's eyes swept the crowd. "Many of you offered your condolences these past years, your words ringing hollow as you circled like carrion. You thought Nexus weakened. You thought her heart faltered with hers. Yet behold—" he gestured with a sharp flick of his hand to Selene and the boy beside her, "—her life is restored, not by your hollow courtesies, nor by the guilds who failed their charge, but by a child you would have dismissed as nothing."
The air thickened. Some nobles shifted uncomfortably; guild envoys stiffened, lips pressed white.
Kael's mouth curved, though there was no warmth in it. "A life owed is a debt that cannot be measured. Nexus owes this boy more than words. And I, Kael of Nexus, will not allow such a deed to fade into whispers."
He raised a hand. The herald's staff struck the floor with a resonant crack.
"As Governor, I proclaim thus: Jade of Nexus will hold a direct quota to represent this planet in the Tenday Tournament."
The silence that followed was a living thing — taut, quivering, then shattering into gasps that rang like breaking glass.
"What—?"
"Impossible!"
The noble rows surged with disbelief. The guild benches erupted in sharp voices. One merchant lord half-rose from his seat, face flushed purple with outrage.
"The quotas are for our strongest—our seasoned! It has always been decided in the internal trials—"
"Governor, with respect," another cut in, "such favoritism undermines the foundation of—"
"Unprecedented!" shouted a guild envoy, his voice cracking. "To hand Nexus' honor to an—an unknown slum rat—"
The insult died as Kael's gaze speared him.
The hall froze.
Kael stepped down from the dais, each stride like the fall of a hammer. He descended until he stood level with the gathered guild envoys, his shadow falling long across them.
"Unprecedented?" he echoed, voice low. "You dare speak of precedent, after your Guild withheld the very herbs that could have spared my wife's suffering? After your failures and your lies nearly delivered Nexus into mourning?"
Draven's face, pale and controlled, twitched imperceptibly. Karren, seated stiffly behind him, lowered her eyes.
Kael's voice rose, deep and commanding. "This hall will not speak to me of precedent. I am the law of Nexus. My decree stands: this boy holds the quota. If any man here believes himself braver, let him stand before me and claim my word false."
Silence answered. Not one dared move.
Only the pounding of hearts filled the void.
Kael let it linger, savoring the bowed heads, the clenched jaws of men who dreamed of power but would never seize it. Then, with the barest smile, he turned back to the dais and reclaimed his seat beside Selene.
The decision was carved in stone.
For all his calm, Jade's pulse hammered. He stood a pace beside Selene's chair, silver eyes lowered as whispers still stirred around him. But the sound that mattered most was not from the nobles' lips — it was the cold chime that rang within his soul, when he called up his quest menu.
[DING!]
[Quest ]
Win the Tenday Tournament
Duration: 10 years
Reward: Nyx's Kiss [EX]
Jade's fingers curled at his side. At last. A lead, he had been stumped on how to go about this quest. Although the duration seemed long, Govorth had mentioned it was a tournament reserved for the elites. The top 100 winners where rewarded by the interplanetary committee, while the top 10 were given direct admission into the first academy in the universe The Celestial Interstellar Institute, and every planet were given a quota for candidates with Nexarion only possessing 5 quotas.
But one of the five quotes which should have been fought for by all youths below the age of 30 on the planet in a fair competition had been directly given to him .
He breathed slowly, schooling his face into composure. He could not smile. Not here, not before so many eyes. But deep in his chest, fire lit — excitement. But it was still ten years away. The tournament only happened once every ten years and one had just taken place only 3 months ago.
Selene's fingers tugged gently at his sleeve, drawing his attention. Her smile was serene, almost mischievous. She leaned close enough that only he and Lio heard.
"See how they protest, little one?" she whispered, voice like honey. "And yet none can touch you now. You're my miracle. My precious star."
Jade swallowed, cheeks warming despite his will. He bowed his head respectfully, but Selene's free hand reached up and shamelessly brushed his cheek, earning a ripple of stifled laughter from Lio beside him.
Kael's stern gaze caught the moment, and to the astonishment of half the Pavilion, the Governor only shook his head once — a faint, almost private smile curving his mouth.
The nobles gaped. The guild smoldered.
And Jade stood at the center of it all .
...
The air in the Pavilion still hummed from the Governor's decree. Nobles whispered furiously behind jeweled hands, guild envoys stiff as marble, all unwilling to challenge Kael again after his crushing words. The tension held like a taut string—until Selene broke it, in her own way.
She leaned forward in her chair, pale silk sleeves sliding down her arms as she extended both hands toward Jade. "Come here, little star," she coaxed, voice carrying over the polished hall. "Closer. Don't make me chase you in this dreadful chair."
Jade blinked, caught in the full weight of countless eyes. His instinct was to maintain a respectful distance, a bow, perhaps even a polite word. But Selene was already reaching, her smile luminous, soft, irresistible. Slowly, awkwardly, he stepped closer.
And in the next instant, she cupped his cheeks.
Selene's eyes sparkled. "Too smooth," she whispered with delight, rubbing her thumb over his cheek, then leaned in shamelessly until her cheek brushed his. She sighed, contented, as though the very softness of him was its own blessing. "Ahh… perfect. How dare the world hide such a treasure in the dirt."
Jade went crimson to the roots of his silver hair. He tried to step back, but she held him firmly, her frail fingers surprisingly strong.
"Lady Selene…" he began stiffly, voice tight with embarrassment.
"Shh," she hushed, nuzzling his cheek once more like a mother doting on her youngest. "Don't be so solemn, child. You're too small to frown like an old general."
Lio snorted so hard he nearly doubled over, earning him a glare from Jade sharp enough to freeze. Amara covered her mouth delicately, eyes warm with amusement. And Niamh… Niamh shook her head, but her lips curved despite herself.
Kael leaned back in his chair, shaking his head with a smile he did not bother to hide. He let his wife have her victory, her joy, her healing.
Selene released Jade only to pat the seat beside her. "Sit. Sit, before I decide to hold you hostage in my lap."
More gasps fluttered across the hall, nobles exchanging horrified glances. A boy of unknown birth, brought into the Governor's family space? Already granted a quota fit for warriors, and now doted upon by the Lady herself? Scandalous. Dangerous.
But Selene ignored them all. Her hands, warm and trembling, found his again. She lifted them and pressed her cheek against his small palm, eyes closed in relief.
Jade sat stiff, heat climbing mercilessly up his neck. He dared not look at anyone. His silver eyes—calm, ancient even in their youth—remained fixed forward. But his ears burned scarlet, betraying him to every watching soul.
To the nobles, the image was bewildering: a child who carried himself with calm composure, yet turned into a blushing boy when touched. To Selene, it was only more proof that he was precious beyond measure.
And as Kael watched the reactions ripple outward, he knew he had played his hand well. He did not need to say that the boy was under his protection. Selene had already claimed him in front of the city's powers.
Niamh exhaled softly, tension bleeding from her shoulders as she caught the unfeigned warmth in Selene's eyes. Perhaps, she thought, this woman truly saw Jade—not as a tool, but as a miracle, and as a child worthy of love.
For a brief, fragile moment, the hall softened. Smiles flickered. Even the servants in the far corners beamed at the sight of their lady laughing again.
But then—
The sound tore through the Pavilion like a blade through silk.
A crash, metal twisting, stone groaning. The great bronze doors of the hall shuddered, then buckled inward. Screams burst from the assembled crowd as light fractured and shadows poured.
From the entryway, something massive slammed against the doors again. Iron hinges ripped free with a shriek. And then they came.
Figures—hulking, misshapen, wrong. Muscles split and swelled with alchemical rage, veins black and pulsing, eyes glowing with mindless hunger. Abominations birthed of tinctures and greed.
The first one roared, a sound more beast than human, and hurled itself into the hall. Marble cracked under its feet. Nobles shrieked, scattering in silken panic.
Selene gasped, clutching Jade instinctively to her side despite her frailty. Kael was already on his feet, a blade flashing into existence in his hand, voice ringing like thunder:
"Guards! To me!"
The Pavilion erupted into chaos.
And in the shadows just beyond the ruined doors, Draven watched with cold satisfaction, his cloak drawn tight, eyes glinting with venomous triumph.
"Let him have his miracles," he whispered to himself. "Let's see how they stand against monsters."
The beasts surged forward, and the gathering of Nexus drowned in terror.
...